We love Lucha Tigre for their unique menu and awesome vibe. Consistently good food, great options for gluten-free, vegetarians but really something for all. Service can be a little slow, but they are friendly and accomodating. Fun place to dine with larger groups too. read more

We discovered Lucha Tigre thanks to Yelp. We enjoyed our meal here. I give this place 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Good food, for the most part, and great service. I'd come back. This is a casual, fun, Asian-Latin fusion restaurant and bar. Inside, the space is divided into two sides: bar and dining room. A big "LUCHA TIGRE" covers one of the bar walls and pop art decorates the main dining room wall. They also have a somewhat spacious, partially-covered patio. Overall, it's got a neat vibe. I booked our reservations on Lucha Tigre's website at https://luchatigre.com/ The reservation process was unconventional because instead of getting booked immediately, I had to wait for an email confirmation. On a Sunday, I got a "Pending Reservation Request" email at 2:16pm followed by a confirmation email at 2:52pm, so a 36-minute turnaround time. I got us a same-day reservation at 5pm, not a peak time as evidenced by the lack of customers upon our arrival. However, business had picked up by the time we left around 6:30. The menu had an interesting selection of food and drink. A few good examples of the Asian-Latin fusion served here include General Tso's Chicken Empanadas ($5 each), Pozole Ramen ($15.99), and Pad Thai Al Pastor ($16.99). They also serve straight-up Asian and Latin dishes like pho ($14.99) and tacos ($2 and $4 each). Drink-wise, they had a full bar with a decent selection that included tequila, mezcal, and sake cocktails. They even had a cocktail made with Japanese Suntory Whisky Toki. Here's what my wife and I had: Bebidas Especiales (cocktails) * El Conquistador ($14) - Tequila Herradura Silver, freshly-squeezed citrus, Cointreau Tapas * Tuna Tiradito ($16.99) - sashimi tuna with aji amarillo pepper, onions, cilantro, roasted corn nuts, and fresh citrus; Nikkei cuisine * Bulgogi Nachos ($15.99) - giant-size nachos with Korean BBQ beef, pico, kimchi, cheese, crema, jalapenos, black beans Entrees * Salmon Poke ($18.99) - raw salmon with sesame, onion, and tamari with seaweed salad, rice, and avocado * Pollo Saltado ($16.99) - stir-fried chicken, tomato, cilantro, onion; served over fries with rice and salad In general, we were happy or content with everything. Some dishes were better than others. Beautiful presentation all around. The El Conquistador was a margarita that was more tart and less sweet. It was refreshing. I liked the Tuna Tiradito more than my wife. Tiradito is like Peruvian sashimi. I thought this dish was fine. I could see why my wife didn't like it as much because the texture of the tuna wasn't as fresh and appetizing as the tuna sashimi we're accustomed to. This tuna was a bit more "pasty" in texture. Also, the roasted corn nuts, which we think were the same as hominy, didn't add much. The standout dish was the Bulgogi Nachos. I saw pictures of it on Yelp and knew we had to order it. The portion size was huge and the Korean beef bulgogi was sweet and savory. We devoured the nachos. They were incredibly delicious and addictive. A lot of textures and flavors, and they all blended and worked well together. The Salmon Poke was solid. I recommend it if you like poke. Admittedly, it was better than we both expected because we haven't encountered a lot of great poke in the Chapel Hill-Durham area. Decent portions and fresh salmon, seaweed salad, and other ingredients. I will say the rice tasted plain and not seasoned with rice vinegar. The poke came with two sauces on the side, tamari (a type of Japanese soy sauce) and what I think was a type of curry sauce. The salmon was already nicely marinated and tasty so the sauces weren't needed. The Pollo Saltado was OK. It wasn't among the best I've had, but it was "authentic." The problems with this dish were the chicken was too dry and tough and the fries were underseasoned (not salty enough). Unfortunately, the salad was the best part of this dish. Our server Taryn was great. She was attentive and efficient. Everything we ordered came out fairly quickly. One detail I really liked and appreciated was Taryn neatly packed our leftovers and labeled and dated the boxes. That's an extra level of service you don't get at most other sit-down restaurants. Lucha Tigre opened in December 2012. It replaced the Chapel Hill location of The Original Flying Burrito: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-original-flying-burrito-chapel-hill You can find it in the Midtown Market shopping plaza, north of UNC's campus. There's plenty of free dedicated parking. I didn't have a good cell signal here and used their guest Wi-Fi. Password was Beefbulgogi1. read more

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We visited during the weekend, we were able to get a table without a wait, the service was great, the food came relatively fast. We got Pad Thai al Pastor, the Bulgogi bowl and some fresh rolls that we forgot to take pictures of. It was our first time dining in but we have ordered Lo mein noodles with General Tso chicken for take out before and they never disappoint. The atmosphere was friendly, everything was nice and easy, we will be back to dine in. read more

Lucha Tigre - Pad Thai Al Pastor - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The restaurant had a nice ambiance - I was greeted by colorful lights and unique asian decor. I came on a Monday at 6:00pm and it was the perfect time to come - right before the dinner crowd. The appetizers I ordered (steamed chili edamame and friend vegetable dumplings) were very average, but I ordered the General Tso's Tofu Bowl and it surprised me! Typically, tofu is under-seasoned, but Lucha Tigre worked wonders on it! They also split 1 entree between me and my partner and gave us generous portions - we were but very satisfied with how full we were by the end. Overall, this place is worth a visit! read more

Lucha Tigre - Half-portion of General Tso;'s Tofu Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I love this place. I have literally never had bad food or service here, both dining in and when ordering takeout. This is one of my favorite places in the Chapelboro area. Great food (good portions, too) and an upscale atmosphere but still casual. My family live out of town and always request to go here when visiting!! read more

Amazing!!!! I got the pad Thai! It was a little spicy. Loved the take though! My friends who went enjoyed their meals as well. Drinks were great too. read more

Lucha Tigre - Pad Thai - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

We stopped in for dessert and it was delicious! The staff was so friendly and welcoming. Loved the funky Asian/latin fusion decor The Tres Leches cake was so moist 8/10 and the stuffed churros were chocolate sauce were 9/10 Can't wait to come back and try more of the menu!! read more

Lucha Tigre - Tres Leches IG @every_last_bite - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

5 stars! This fusion spot has quickly become our favorite go-to! The Pho Tai is absolutely phenomenal, the brunch Chicken & Waffles with kimchi glaze is to die for, and the steak tacos are pure perfection. We can't wait to come back and explore the rest of the menu--highly recommend! read more

We have been wanting to try Lucha Tigre for some time as we have heard great things about their food. Due to staffing issues and timing, they haven't been always been open, until today! We dropped in for lunch (Saturday). We were greeted directly and shown to a table. The ONLY reason I did not give a 5 star review was due to something that happened from the front door to our table. The floor was sticky and the tables were a bit sticky too. I know this can be an error in the amount of cleaner in a bucket, but it was off-putting to be honest. Our waiter was kind and took our order within minutes of sitting down. There are a variety of art pieces in the space highlighting the Latin/Asian fusion. The tables are ample and the tables with seats have generous seating. We ordered a Tuna Larb Ceviche for an app. For our main meal we both ordered a Bahn Mi Sandwich with Togarashi Fries. This item is only on their brunch menu and you have the option of Korean BBQ (Bulgogi) or Pork Belly. I went with the Bugogi and the hubs went with the Pork Belly. Our food arrived to our table hot and looking wonderful. We noticed sides of ketchup and what we thought was mustard. We were quite surprised to discovered to find out, thanks to our waiter, it was actually Curry Mayo. What a treat! So, how was the food? The Tuna Larb Ceviche arrived to our table with a generous portion of tuna. Easily a shared item! The lemon/lime juices of the ceviche at first seemed to over power the dish but then the other flavors of mint, onion etc kicked in and it was on point! We loved it so much we forgot to get a photo! Next up the Bahn Mi! It was everything you would want a Bahn Mi Sandwich to be. Bright fresh flavors with the heat from the jalapeños and for me, the Bulgogi! Would I visit Lucha Tigre again? SI, SI, SI!!!!!! read more

Lucha Tigre - Bulgogi Bahn Mi Sandwich with Togarashi Fries. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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I ate here a few months ago and had a great meal. I was eager to go back but left extremely disappointed. Such a difference, I truly wonder if it changed ownership. My entree was chicken pad Thai. The chicken was way overcooked-dry, tough. The sauce was so salty I could only eat a few bites. My son and daughter's meals were the same. The restaurant was NOT busy so they could taken the time to cook the food properly. After almost $90, we walked away with 2 almost full left over boxes-although I'm not sure who will eat the foods. read more

Food and ambience is good but service is sooooo slow. Waited an hour to get our check!

Outstanding ... simply GREAT! Ambience, service, and food could not be better. WOW, what a gem. Will be back as soon as I can.

Literally best place ever such a good time amazing food cannot recommend more. GOATed restaurant goat goat goat goat

I'm visiting Chapel Hill to see my friend here and we went here for dinner last night. The ambiance was so cute! I loved the artwork on the walls and the decorations inside. I also love the idea of mixing Asian and Mexican cuisine together, it's a mix I don't usually see and was unique. The heat seeker shrimp we got as an appetizer was delicious! The flavors were good and I liked the sauce they used. My main entree was the al pastor pad thai. I was a little disappointed because the texture of the pork wasn't the best and a little too chewy for my taste. I also felt like the noodles were a bit overcooked and the sauce overall was too liquid-y. The staff was super friendly and I wanna come back to try their cocktails! They looked super yummy. read more

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We were going to be a concert at Cat's Cradle and wanted to grab dinner somewhere local nearby. Since Carrburitos is closed on Mondays, we decided to try Lucha Tigre since their Latin + Asian fusion menu appealed to us. The four of us all ordered something different from the entree section of the menu so we got try about half the entrees, and everything was just okay. We tried the tacos, Pad Thai, ACP, and Kimchi Fried Rice. Of those, Kimchi Fried Rice was our favorite, and we liked the pork belly on it. However, everything was very greasy tasting without a lot of flavor, which was disappointing because the dishes could've been amazing based on the descriptions. We also tried the pineapple margarita, and it was mostly just bitter and not sour and sweet as we hoped it to be. The chips and guac were decent. Especially with $$ prices, we were pretty underwhelmed with almost everything. I do want to note that the service was professional and friendly, so perhaps I'll come back when they update the menu a little bit. read more

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Out of all the restaurants in my area, this one might be my favorite. If it's not it's still in the top 3. Immediately, when you get your food, it is presented beautifully in a neat and arranged fashion. But that's even the best part! The food tastes amazing. I usually get the salmon, and I highly recommend it. The salmon and the asparagus soaks into the rice below creating a great salmon rice mix. My only complaint is very small, which is that it is very crowded. But this just goes to show how good this restaurant is. I highly recommend this restaurant, and to be honest, I do not know why this restaurant has 3.9 stars. read more

Got the shrimp ceviche which was good, but seems more like shrimp guacamole than ceviche. Then got the pho which was ok, nothing special and tasted like most of the pho from the triangle. The kimchi fried rice was unfortunately disappointing. Maybe it was because I had high expectation since a friend told me it was the best one he's had. It turned out to be probably one of my least favorites and was too salty. Before the pandemic, I've had their tiger mojito which is now no longer on the menu. But I remember that being amazing. Did not drink this time so cannot comment on if their cocktails have changed since then. read more

Lucha Tigre - Kimchi & Pork Belly Fried Rice - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Ate here as a group of 4 friends-from-childhood now in our 60's. Good menu, lots of delicious healthy choices. We got chicken cheese quesadillas, spicy tofu bowl (Heat Seeker Tofu), and great local beers. Good service. We ate at 8 pm on a Thursday and they were out of several items we wanted to order. Fun and delicious, i would return. read more

Food was lovely! Went yesterday with some girlfriends, I had never been after living in chapel hill for YEARS! But I will be back! I got a maracuya margarita, it's was delicious! For my meal I got the beef bulgogi! Good potions! Left full and satisfied:) the appetizer we got were also good! Ambiance is good, I wouldn't say ideal for small children, overall give it a try paid about 30 for my meal read more

Foods great ! Atmosphere is great! Service great! Can't wait to come back again. Date night for sure! read more

It was really nice experience. The restaurant is very clean and has cute decor, plus the staff was very friendly! The food was very different. We had the General Tso empanadas which went well with the white dipping sauce. We also had the crispy avocado tacos and the pad thai al pastor. All of it was good, but just...different. We agreed that it was delicious, but don't need to go back anytime soon. read more

Well, pretty disappointed in the El Pastor pad Thai. The restaurant was closing early so it might've been that they were like oh my God we got an order to get out better just do it. The pieces of pork were gigantic, but few and very dry. There was no cilantro. Basically extremely underwhelmed. Not sure if I will go to Lucha tigre again maybe to get the poke but not much else. Sigh - do people just not care anymore what they serve their customers? read more

ABSOLUTELY LOVE LUCHA!!! My boyfriend and I have ate at lucha Tigre multiple times and it will always be one of our top restaurants in chapel hill. Our favorite dish is the General Tso Chicken bowl. I always add book choy in mine and it's great! The serving sizes are also amazing for the prices and you always leave satisfied read more

Lucha Tigre - General Tso's Chicken Bowl and Dumplings - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Have had the opportunity to come to Chapel Hill for various UNC football games for last 6 years. Ever since my first visit, Lucha Tigre has always been a priority to visit. Khoa is like family to us as he is to many in Chapel Hill. We always get the Twice Fried Chicken Wings and Crispy Green Beans as apps. We visited recently and tried a couple new items that were in the menu. The sushi grade tuna with passionfruit sauce was excellent. The ceviche with rice paper was equally excellent and something I will order each time. The Pozole Ramen was also new and great for a chilly night. Pork belly was tender and flavorful. The broth tasted fresh. Excellent addition as well. Well done, Khoa & company! Till next time! read more

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Another local place that I somehow have missed. We were there about 4:30 on a Saturday and sat at the bar. They have a good selection of drinks and I am sure their margaritas are delicious but I'm unwilling to pay $12 to see. I ordered the $3 Tecate which was super cold and always tasty. We ordered a ton of food and all of it was delicious. The prices were good, and our bill was only $50 for a lot of food and three drinks. Even though we sat at the bar, the bartender didn't serve us, which is odd. The bartender seemed exceptionally grumpy and acted annoyed every time a drink order came through the bar register. She was busy doing prep work as it was the end of her shift, so I am sure she was ready to get out of there, but it was unwelcoming nonetheless. Claire greeted and served us and she was very personable, attentive, and pleasant. read more

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Very cute spot! Their menu is large and very interesting. I love traditional pad thai and had to try their Al pastor version. It was quite delicious and the flavors worked well together. They also have a large cocktail and drink list but I opted for a mimosa. Great place for lunch, brunch or dinner. read more

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We wanted to try something different for lunch today, and this was a good choice. They have a separate lunch menu, which includes a combo: two tacos or two empanadas, one side and a fountain drink for $10. This was a good deal, and almost too much for lunch for me. Red curried chicken in an empanada and red curried butternut squash tacos were great fusion choices. We also liked the chicken guajillo taco and the queso and mushroom empanada. My tacos were so stuffed that I couldn't pick them up without making a huge mess, so I had to use a knife and fork. Although the small dining room was less than half full and there were three people waiting tables, we rarely saw our server. He almost forgot to bring us our drinks and only came around to give us our check. On the plus side, they don't give out plastic straws, and the plates, glasses and silverware were high quality. Finally, this place wasn't easy to find! My suggestion: The minute you see Hunam Chinese, turn in to the parking lot. Lucha Tigre is in the strip of shops behind Hunam Chinese, at the far end. It's worth the hunt! read more

Lucha Tigre - Two tacos so stuffed I couldn't pick them up - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Ambiance - 4 It has a nice little trendy, funky, feel to the restaurant. Eccletic art, and a mixture of new and old school items. Service - 4 good service. Waiter was attentive. Food came out at a good pace Food - 2 I really wanted to like my meal. I got the al pastor pad Thai. The flavor combination was better than expected. I liked the concept and the Asian - Latin fusion shows great potential for this dish. Unfortunately execution was not on par. The pad Thai part of the meal was probably the worst pad Thai I've ever had. Noodles didn't feel stir fried and they sat in a very liquidity soup/sauce. It didn't didn't stick to the noodles at all and the whole pad Thai was just awful. It felt like they boiled noodles and dump watery sauce on top. I like or wok charred bok choy but was very expensive given the portion size, preparation, and that it was bok choy. read more

Excellent food, great service, creative decor, overall superfun place. The nachos were unbelievably delicious. Great beer selection.

Great variety of flavorful dishes. Sometimes too much food. I love the tofu, both entrees. The salad with salmon on top is huge and everyone's favorite. read more

One of my favorite restaurants of all time. It's a neat twist on traditional Asian/Mexican quinine in a fusion you could've never imagined. You can't go wrong with the green beans, dumplings/pork belly buns, and then general Tso's chicken bowl as your entree. I want to preface that I find green beans boring but these are amazing. They're cooked in garlic and a soy sauce based sauce. The portion of the general Tso's is quite large and you'll leave with leftovers. It's a solid spot to eat. Try their mojito too, it's really good. The owner is a really nice guy too. read more

We had a lovely dinner at Lucha Tigre last night. Even though they had a large order ahead of ours, we received our food co in a timely manner. The owner even came out and apologized! No apology necessary! The food was excellent and we had a great waiter. We appreciated the many vegetarian options! read more

Wanted to try this place because you don't see too many latin-asian fusion restaurants around. It's a cool concept although lucha tigre doesn't quite blend the 2 cuisines together like I thought it would; instead it mostly features both cuisines on the menu as separate dishes. I tried the Beef Bulgogi Nachos and kimchi and pork belly fried rice. Both dishes were okay but not amazing or especially creative with flavors. Service was fine and interior was nice - I can see it being a good date spot. read more

Lucha Tigre - Beef Bulgogi Nachos - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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I ordered delivery from Lucha Tigre with some friends carrying high expectations and a VERY hungry stomach. The food that arrived, however, was disappointingly mediocre. I ordered the Kimchi & Pork Belly Fried Rice. The egg was perfectly cooked. However, there wasn't much fat at all on the pork belly, and I found it overall to be quite dry. I was disappointed since this was the part of my dinner I was looking forward to the most. The rice had way too much soy sauce in it, making it much too salty. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, but for a delivery order, the plating was actually really impressive! My friend got the Taquiza - 3 Taco Plate with Chipotle Beans & Asian Salad. She ordered it with the beef bulgogi, the pork al pastor, and the butternut squash red curry. In her words, "the butternut squash curry taco was good, but the al pastor and bulgogi were over-seasoned and too sweet for the portion size". However, she did enjoy the chipotle black beans that came with the dish! I also shared a side of esquites with her, and we both enjoyed it. She thinks it was a bit on the sweeter side, but I didn't really mind that. My only complaint is the PRICE. We got it on postmates, so it was $7 for a tiny cup of corn. My opinion: not worth it. My other friend got the General Chicken Taquiza Plate. She says the chicken was really well seasoned and that the dish being in taco form was unnecessary but fun! Overall, a little disappointed with my dish and the prices, but the menu is creative and the presentation is surprisingly great considering it was a to-go order. read more

Lucha Tigre - General Chicken Taquiza Plate - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Bulgogi nachos were delicious and very large portion. Fast take out service at dinner

DO NOT GO!! I found the food to be average and the owner verbally harassed me yelling profanities in my face. He said, "I would never serve a bitch like you." After acknowledging he did in fact see the reservation (what I was trying to tell him because I could see our name on the list) we were seated. Then he points me out to the waitress saying that is the "bitch." When my table of 7 ordered drinks, I was the only one who had a different color straw.......... WARNING do not support someone who so easily can harass a group of college women read more

One of my go-tos in the Chapel Hill Area. Always has good portions and something new for me to try. Would highly recommend the general tso tofu and fries. Also try out their brunch, they have a wide selection. read more

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Khoa is THE BEST. I've used him regularly for large catered meals and he never disappoints! His attention to detail, professionalism, reliability, and creativity with ingredients calls for a perfect score every time. read more

This place is my favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill. I'm a picky eater and order the same thing every time (steamed pork dumplings and twice fried wings) but my boyfriend is adventurous and has tried nearly everything on the menu. We both agree they never miss. The ambience is really exceptional too. read more

Take out order--where they used chicken breast meat, they should be using thighs. I have a suspicion they pre-cook chicken breast and then heat it up in whatever dish they make. The Tso's was okay flavor wise and I appreciated the sesame seeds for crunch, but it was pretty dry. The pollo saltado was pretty bad. Really dry and overwhelmingly salty. Just ick. Lots of room for improvement. read more