Luchitas Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Cleveland

Let me start by saying. We were the BIGGEST luchitas fans. When it was on w117th or thr parma location. We would go there weekly. When we heard it was reopening we were so excited. We decided to go there for our anniversary.

Went to dinner tonight. We walked in and were 1 of 2 people dining. Didn’t think much of it. Ordered our drinks. My beer was fine. My wife got a margarita. That was not cold and a mix. Not a homemade margarita.

The food. We ordered cheese enchiladas and shredded pork enchiladas. It took about 20 mins to come out. Mind you we are the only orders in the kitchen because the other couple was eating dessert. The pork was chorizo. Not shredded pork. And the cheese enchiladas. We’re cold. You could see the strands of cheese not melted on the inside.

I brought it up to our server. She appologized and said the kitchen will remake it. She also said she was running both luchitas and their Mexican restaurant next door. Seemed odd to me.

No more than 1 minute later a new plate comes out. The food is STEAMING. Without a doubt it was microwaved. The cheese was like liquid magma. The rice and beans were so hot I couldn’t eat it. And the shredded pork was chorizo again. At this point I’ve lost my appetite.

I brought it up to the server and said I was no longer interested in dining or letting the kitchen fix it. She said “I can’t go back to the kitchen again they will be mad at me” then asked if I would like it taken off my bill in a way that made me feel guilty. So I declined and said I’ll just take a box.

The food went straight into the garbage when I got home. The whole ride home we talked about how awful the experience/ food/drinks were and could not believe I just spent $80 on that meal.

It’s honestly a disgrace they are using the Luchitas name at this restaurant. It in no way reminded me of anything Luchitas was. Any of the locations. Mama Luchita would be rolling in her grave.

The worst part was I never spoke to a manager or the owner or anyone. Just a young girl who didn’t know how to handle the situation.

Sad and disappointed in my evening is an...

Those of you who remember the old Luchitas remember really good Mexican food. The new incarnation is the same, but better.

I'm writing this after visiting them twice shortly after opening, so things might evolve as time goes on. There are two parts to the menu - the first is "Luchitas Classics" which include a slightly upscale take on typical Mexican-American fare: tamales, chimichangas, chicken soup, a big wet burrito, etc. In this category are two amazing dishes - the cactus salad, with strips of cactus meat that tastes almost pickled, but not quite as sour. The flautas are amazing - the two of them together are about as thick as my forearm, and just as long. They're crispy and airy, not like the dense, greasy ones you see in most places. I would love to try everything on there, I can't imagine anything would be bad.

The other part of the menu is a choice of four (or so) dishes created by the chef that change weekly, and are meant to highlight the cuisine of different areas of Mexico. This is by far the most authentic, and the plates are presented more like something you would see at Edwin's than at Los Arcos. I had the chicken with green mole - it was a full (big!) bone-in chicken breast covered with a delicious sauce, with a pyramid of rice, some potatoes, garnish, and some tortillas. It was all amazing, and I wasn't able to finish it all. Even the tortillas were exceptional somehow.

First time I went was on a Friday night at 6 PM - prime time for restaurants. I was able to get a table for four as soon as I stepped in the door. It wasn't empty, but it wasn't at all hard to have a conversation either. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly - in a very authentic way and not the fake, overly peppy "hi I'll be your waiter tonight" way. They have personality, which makes the place feel more alive and like home. I think a lot of them have some connection to the place, which really helps.

This is a restaurant that I'm going to be frequenting. Excellent food, really good service, and an atmosphere that's somehow both laid-back and upscale. I highly...

I'm so happy to see Luchita's has opened again!! I went Saturday Eve about 6:30 and waited while a table 'in the back' was being cleaned. We had 6 in our party. We waited about 15 min, and the hostess joined us outside while we waited to share stories of our history of Luchita's. We've been going there since 1980's. The back room needs to be decorated which I'm sure that's in the plans. Some of the food was a disappointment however. I do trust that being new, things will be tweaked as we share our experiences. I got the Chili Rellenos which was great. (Minus the sprouts on everything!). The guacamole was not the same at all. Kinda watery, with tomatoes? The salsa is great as usual but a tad more spicy than in the past. The wet burrito was Nothing like before. The rice inside was a surprise, and not good. This was always a great 'go too' when the kids were little, and it still could be. Just refried beans with a side of rice and a good amount of cheese. Oh, and a request by the youngest in our group is a queso sauce. I don't think you ever had that. Queso Fundido needed more flavor (honestly the grease may have been what was missing). I was told by the guys in our group that the chimichanga was good, and the enchiladas. Only one person had never been at Luchita's in the past. I'm happy you still have the Dos Equis 😊. Lastly, the flan 😢. I think the old basic custard one was the best. We had both and didn't like either. The churros were great. All in all, for me/us, I think it's ok to keep it simple as before...great flavor, and nothing too fancy. I am however anxious to come back soon and try the chicken with mole, and chimichanga with chorizo and potato's. Thank you again for reopening our favorite restaurant!, and for hearing...