Cuchara

I loved it the first two times, third time VERY DISAPPOINTING!!! The guacamole was store bought and tasted disgusting. The tortilla soup (all though tasty) was missing the cream and even after we asked for it they never brought it. Service has never been their strong suit.

Awful service. Staff is clue less and their answer to everything is «I’m just a waiter» no manager is ever onsite. Be careful of their double charges. This place is notorious for charging your tab twice and will evade you when bringing it to their attention. I’m a victim of it. Food is mediocre and not representative of its prices.

My Fiancé and I had dinner there last night. Food was amazing Michiladas as well. The only 2 reason for me giving 4 out of 5 stars is, The prices are expensive and menu has a very small selection.

Place has a nice open urban feel. Wait staff friendly and efficient. Fun atmosphere with cheery patrons for weekend brunch. Even nice outside seating for gazing at local traffic on a warm sunny day. Food tasty but definitely priced at a premium.

My overall experience coming here was a good one. Part of it was due to the fact that I was celebrating a special occasion with someone. But all in all, the entire dine in went great. It’s a bit pricey but it’s worth it to eat an actual authentic Mexican meal. You would not typically find this food anywhere. There’s mariachis there at the restaurant. Beware these 3 men are old and they deserve any and all tips. They sing well and play the instruments well. I had them sing and play «100 Años — Pedro Infante.» They complimented me on my song choice ofcourse. I give this place a whopping 5 stars. Thank you for a great evening dinner.

A definite contender for top «Mexican» (read not TexMex) and not at Hugo’s prices.
Friendly and VERY fast service.
I had the 3-​course lunch special for $ 15 — fried rice with fried egg ($ 1 extra) — very tasty and spicy, extra spicy pork, and an non-​descript dessert.
Dining companion had chicharron («best» he’s ever had) and tamal de cazuela (almost like pancakes).
Worth a try!

Phenomenal food. I highly recommend the Molle. BOTH OF THEM. Only hit is the limited menu.

The decoration of the restaurant was unique.
I started my dinner with the Chicharrón prenchado gorditas which were salty. Continued with the stuff chicken which was dry and had no flavor. I finish my dinner with the cinco leches cake which was not soaked with the cinco leches and it was dry. The agua fresca was the highlight of the dinner.

This was my first time visiting this restaurant. The atmosphere is lovely, the drinks are strong, and the food was good. What makes me give this establishment only 1 star was the horrendous customer service we received. I was with a group of 10 people and we had an unfortunate situation happen. A flying cockroach flew from the kitchen and landed on my friends shoulder. She, of course, screamed and jumped up while her boyfriend swatted it off her underneath the table… where my friend stepped on it. Seeing that it was a small restaurant, the entire crowd… including the staff… stood watching. One of the waiters came over and swept the little beast into a pan and took it away. What astounds me is not the fact the critter came out of nowhere, hey it happens even in the nicest places, it is the fact no one from management nor even the waiter came to acknowledge the situation. When we asked for the manager, we found out «Anna» (hoping we were provided with an accurate name) was eating and drinking at the bar and was actually one of the ones watching us the entire time. When my friend approached her and advised her of the situation, no apology was given. Instead she asked, «Well, what do you want?» As if all we were trying to do was get free items when she clearly witnessed the entire situation. She then called the waiter over who said, «You didn’t kill the cockroach, my guys did.» First of all, this was inaccurate… second, it was completely besides the point. I’ve never experienced such poor customer service. We recognize these things happen, but to not be sympathetic to the situation is ridiculous. She came back with the check and said, «I discounted $ 7 off the check.» At this point, the entire table was extremely upset, and they ended up comping 3 plates off of our tab. An apology was never given. She went back and sat at the bar and finished her meal (no cockroaches interrupting). It’s sad for an occasion, a birthday dinner, to have been ruined by the extreme lack uof customer service. We will never attend this place again.
**Update (I made this review sitting in the restaurant) …As we were walking out of the restaurant, «Anna/​Anita (she went by both names) stopped us and said, «I heard you put up a review, make sure to say you got free food.» Avoid this place at all costs, if not, beware of the flying cockroaches from the kitchen.

This is beyond a doubt the worst restaurant I have been to in years. I like authentic Mexican (which is what this place is, not TexMex) but this place was extremely overpriced for mediocre if not down right terrible food. Everyone at our table got something different from the turkey mole, red snapper, beef, tortilla soup, etc. (can’t remember all their names from the menu, but you get the idea, it was a spread) and no one liked their food. The margaritas were super strong, which I normally like, but these were just not good.
To top it all off, it’s one of the most expensive meals I’ve had in a long time. Even if I had a gift card to this place, I wouldn’t waste my time going.
One silver lining is the service was friendly.

This is NOT your average Tex-​Mex restaurant. Cuchara serves authentic, Mexico-​City cuisine. Nothing fancy, though: there is no chef in the house, only cooks. All recipes are by the owner’s grandmother, and made from scratch.
The service is amazing. Most waiters are bilingual, quite friendly, and always ready to answer whatever crazy questions you may surprise them with.
Another cool thing is that the very vibrant, colorful, and tasteful art all over the restaurant is all by the owner’s daughter, Cecilia Beaven.
We had the quesadillas de huitlacoche (more like what we call «empanadas»), the Mole Verde, and the Pastel de 5 Leches for dessert (I am no dessert person, but it is absolutely STUPID good).
Just thinking about it makes me hungry again.

Visited Cuchara for a Sunday birthday brunch with a large group. Let me start off by saying the menu does not have your typical Tex-​Mex offerings. I’m sure this is supposed to be «authentic» Mexican fare. Unfortunately, I LOVE Tex-​Mex, especially rice and beans! So I was a little disappointed in the menu selection and eventually settled on the chicken tostadas.
They were unlike any chicken tostadas I’ve eaten before. The plate came with three mini tostadas and no sides. The chicken is served cold with a very tangy taste, almost like a ceviche marinade. I asked for cilantro and lettuce since they only came with queso fresco and was charged an extra $ 2.00. I didn’t try the $ 12.00 guacamole served in a small bowl but in my opinion, no restaurant guac is worth that much. For the price point, the portions could be more generous and perfect for sharing.
Overall, I think it’s a cute, trendy place with decent service and super friendly management but was unimpressed by the food. I also heard a few comments about the soups being very spicy. I probably would not return unless I was invited for another special occasion.

I was brought here for lunch by a coworker who practices spiritual healing, but nearly had a panic attack when an actual bug went around the office. The whole experience was such a perfect example of attention-​seeking hypocrisy that I thought I’d stumbled into the twilight zone.
This particular coworker had been raving about Cuchara for weeks — trumpeting accolades and repeatedly vouching for its «original take on classic Mexican flavors». I was quite excited to try it. Then I actually went.
The location was a somewhat hidden corner off of Montrose — with very limited parking. That, unfortunately, was the highlight of the entire trip. My group and I were there for lunch around 11 am, the place had only just opened, so I had a chance to see the layout and décor without distractions.
The interior of Cuchara came across as artificially spartan, with an ethnic Mexican twist. There were some forcibly crude unframed paintings of various adobe-​themes sparsely adorning the walls. The light fixtures appear to be straight from the Urban Outfitters catalogue. But, what was really attention-​grabbing for me was the unnecessarily large HVAC system segments that hung from the ceilings, and didn’t connect to anything. So, I can only assume they’re decorative.
Now, the food… There was a strange obsession with hibiscus at this place. We started with a round of hibiscus cool-​aid, I mean, tea. I’m actually not sure what hibiscus tastes like, so I really can’t comment if the hibiscus flavor was pronounced or not. But, my 2^nd-​level reiki co-​worker claimed it’s great for you, so who am I to judge. The hibiscus liquid was followed by hibiscus tacos — basically taco shells filled with purple cream cheese. I wasn’t sure if this thing was supposed to be savory or sweet, and not in a good way. At this point, I was convinced that the gimmick here is to push some new hippie health concept that is so outlandish that you’re too confused to point out it’s utter crap (I think I’d heard a fable about a monarch with an extended wardrobe malfunction…)
For my actual meal, I had their lunch special: a vegetable, a meat, and a dessert for about $ 15. The vegetable was steamed asparagus, seasoned with salt. I’m sure the salt was collected by mermaids off the Galveston coast, and blessed with plenty of seagull urine. Given the amount they put on, they must have really wanted me to benefit from the seagull urine. Or they were trying to cover up the fact that they over-​microwaved it. The meat was a small shredded beef taco, about the size of a lunchable pizza (and had about as much flavor) with some refried beans. The dessert was (yet again) a hibiscus cookie. I don’t think I was able to taste much of my taco or cookie, since the mermaid salt completely brined my taste buds to oblivion. But, look on the bright side, I’m almost certain the indigestion I got later wasn’t entirely from lunch.
In hindsight, I should have known better. The guy that took us there has a penchancy for the perceived eccentric, and makes a point to showcase it. The entire concept of Cuchara is like the perfect example of the quotation I’d heard about Houstonians: «for people who only care about status, but not taste or actual quality.» And the source of that nugget of wisdom? You guessed it — the reiki wielding co-​worker who took us there.

Froofy overpriced Mexican food of small portions. Additionally, presumably the owner suffers from a lack of social skills and hands out demeaning cards detailing how parents should govern their children in his restaurant.
A card for the owner: Restaurants who have my patronage are not so pretentious they presume to tell me how to parent my children when I enter their restaurant. They WELCOME me as well as my children. Experience has taught them that simply giving children something to do is a MUCH better solution to keeping them behaved than handing illiterate toddlers a card describing intolerance of misbehavior. They understand that they need to have the tiniest amount of intelligence to foresee that hanging murals that look like they were painted by toddlers within reach of short toddlers will result in those murals being TOUCHED, and they hang them out of toddler’s reach if that bothers their mental conditions and/​or general shortcomings in character.
Seriously, get over yourself. We won’t be coming here.

I think that Cuchara is excellent!
I have been here twice now, the first time with a group of six, where the kitchen prepared special dishes just for us (two of our party dine here a lot and have become friendly witht he owner), and really made us feel welcome!
I went today for lunch and the owner came by to say hello again. I am so impressed with the cuisine, ambiance, and service that I am going to host a special dinner at the restaurant early next year!
The food is very delicious and very authentic (I am told by friends who are from Mexico City which is the cuisine they prepare primarily at Cuchara). The owner, Ana Beavin, regularly travels to Mexico to bring back the freshest, most authentic ingredients for the restaurant, and changes the decoration of the restaurant «seasonally». The restaurant focuses on the cuisine of a different part of Mexico near monthly, and she decorates accordingly, including often offering crafts for sale from that region… how cool is that?!
I have had many items off the menu at this point, but can speak to the pork belly gorditas on the appetizer list and the green mole best… both are simply phenominal! They also do a Cinco Leches dessert which is very rich, but very tasty… also be sure to get a cup of the spiced coffee served in a terra cotta glass… really wonderful way to end the meal!
The restaurant isn’t cheap, but I believe that it is a good value for the quality. Parking is somewhat limited, so be ready to valet park or find a spot in the neighborhood surrounding the restaurant and walk
Go and try Cuchara, you will be rewarded by a very authentic taste of central Mexico and Mexico City!

Amazing food, wonderful service and love that they hold parents accountable for kids behavior. I will now come more often.

Food is good. Nothing great.
Looses stars for being ridiculously over-​priced and for stupidly charging you for every single thing.
Salsa $ 2 (about 2oz, heavily spiced, tasted like clamato)
Topo Chico $ 4
Come on, guys…

Don’t ever doubt the word authentic when it comes to this spot. Nail dead on the head authentic Mexican food. Get the shrimp! Something de Cameron, it comes in a little pot piping with a red pepper sauce. Get the shrimp! I can’t stop dreaming about them. I think the owner says it takes like days to prep so that’s why the flavor is so bold. Get the shrimp! They have somebody’s grandma in that kitchen cutting up! Wrapping them in leaves & peppers & spices. The drinks are strong & tasty. Pretty good happy hour. Tostadas are crispy & fresh. I wasn’t thrilled with the menu at first glance but at first taste however, I was.

Honestly I don’t know why this place doesn’t have higher reviews, it is AMAZING. I grew up in Mexico and this place seems like it belongs in the streets of Mexico City, it is truly authentic Mexican food.
I’ve been here for only for brunch and have ordered the chilaquiles blancos and pozole. I’ve never tried chilaquiles blancos before, they are made with requeson sauce and serrano pepper and they have a fried egg on top… delicious. I was hesitant about trying the pozole since the soup can be very salty in some restaurants but this one was right on point.
All the sauces are made fresh which makes them irresistible. I also tried the café de olla with rompope, a combination I’ve never seen before and was pleasantly surprised, it is perfect for after your meal since its kind of sweet.
Atmosphere is also great, the staff is very friendly and on Sundays they have a music group that goes to individual tables and sings traditional Mexican songs!
You will not be disappointed if you do Sunday Brunch at this place.

I have no idea how this place is not at least a 4 star. I went with my friends for Sunday brunch and all of us were super excited about our food. Everyone couldn’t stop raving about the dish they got.
We ordered chilaquilles Rojas con huevo Fritos– amazing! Delicious red spicy salsa worth crispy corn tortilla strips, Mexican cream, and Mexican cheese shredded on top.
Tacos with pork rinds and salsa-​delicious!
Tacos de canasta with potatoes and chorizo– the hubby ripped it apart… So delicious!
Friends got enfrijolada and was super good. Plus we tried there molettas– omg simple and yummy! Topped all his with a mimosa pitcher and we were in heaven. Literally heaven in our tummys!
The desert we had was 5 leches cake HELLO HEAVEN AGAIN! Literally everyone raves about how amazing this thing was. I had to stop myself form eating all of it!
Definitely recommending this place to anyone who like authentic Mexican food! This is it! See some pics I took!

Usualmente mis criticas son en Ingles, pero hoy es la excepción ahí les va.
La celebración del Día del padre nos llevo a este restaurante en el corazón del área como le digo yo «hipster ««moderna» o simplemente extravagante, la comida me remonto a mi Cuernavaca querido, simplemente por los sabores y la atención de nuestro mesero, tipo hyper amable a pesar de que el lugar estaba casi al limite ordenando el pozole rojo, delicioso en sabor porción perfecta que al final quedas muy satisfecho para mi gusto, la carne con textura suave al punto, también saboreamos un tamal en el que la masa perfectamente al punto y sobre todo «sabor «.
La comida es uno de los placeres de la vida y este es un restaurante para saborear y convivir así que nos veremos pronto.

Todo bien