1960 Cocina — Restaurant in Eugene

There have been many times that I have wanted to try 1960 Cocina over the last several months. They have great reviews and the parking lot is often full on the weekend. Usually they have been closed or I chose something closer to home.

Tonight, my partner and I decided to try a few places around town, but to have a full meal at 1960 Cocina; as usual, the restaurant was very busy. The dishes being served looked great and the menu gave me high hopes.

I ordered the birria and my partner ordered the enchiladas de pollo. The birria might as well have been a leather boot smothered in a concentrated chipotle/adobo liquid, and the enchiladas resembled chicken jerky in a very bitter tomatillo sauce.

I wanted this to be a regular place to visit. Instead, I left feeling grateful that I did not have any other friends or family with me to share the displeasure. We ate very little and left the rest. How do you overcook a tri tip? The thought of doing that to such a great piece of meat confounds me. Honestly, I thought the "Garbage Plate" was native to Buffalo, New York. I was wrong.

There are so many other latin restaurants around town that offer many dishes that are juicy, savory and require that you visit again... this is not one of those places. 1960 Cocina has chosen to fill the modern and more expensive latin cuisine niche, and passed on the opportunity to provide authentic flavor and spice to their dishes. This place is truly the Denny's of latin cuisine. The lone bright spot was the tortillas.

We paid our bill and left in search of a better meal on the way home.

Owner is clearly very hateful and vindictive. I'm sure she will say something rude, and childish to this review because she has repeatedly shown this behavior instead of professionalism, at every opportunity.

If you want some mild Southside Eugene TexMex that your (anglo) grandparents would love, this is your place! They love...

The minute you walk in, you know this is going to be different. Gone is the played out asthethic of Cactuses and Sombreros. It's simple, elegant, and inviting.

We loved every bite of everything. We started with chips and salsa. We got it quickly and right away knew we were in the right place. The chips were hot and fresh. You could tell the salsa was handmade with fresh ingredients. The salsa is not your standard fare, it's alive with flavor. The heat of the salsa was balanced withtge fresh tomato richness perfectly. They take something so simple and make it sing.

The birra melts in your mouth. Absolutely unreal flavors. But one thing I noticed....a lot of places focus on the main dish, and the side items are kind of afterthoughts. Not here! The Birra comes with rice and beans. The rice was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The beans were some of the best I've had. They were obviously slow cooked to perfect doneness. They also have good flavor. It's so nice to see care and effort in the side dishes.

The tacos.....holy guacamole the tacos!!!! I've had Adobada pork a few times, never like this. It's usually kind of dry and overdone. I took a chance here based on everything looking so good. I was rewarded with slow roasted pork that was rich, flavorful, and melted in your mouth. I also really enjoyed the Casera taco, and we tried the Gordita stuffed with ground beef. Both were absolutely on point. I would pick the Adobada as the winner, but don't let me sway you from the other two. They're delicious.

Stop reading this and go to 1960 Cocina. Seriously, what are you...

This place is a vibe.

You walk in- cracked self-leveling cement floors, dim lighting with a soft red glow, turn to see a low ceiling room which can be described as a teen girls bedroom when you look up "romantic bedroom ideas" on Pinterest. Black stick tiled ceiling with a damask pattern. Plain walls with hanging Christmas lights and heart wreaths. Big glass windows with no curtains. Host wears a beanie with a wrinkled white tee and cargo pants. Vibe. Tables are glass topped with black underneath. Black cloth napkins. Nice silver toned silverware. Two page menu, pretty pricy, we order two appetizers, two drinks, and a shared entree. $7 mild house salsa- definitely medium spice lvl if you have a pasty skin complexion. It was tasty. Chorizo queso with tortillas - fantastic. $30 Carne asada- three thin cuts of absolutely delicious steak. A bowl of warmed up canned beans. Very good but small scoop of rice. So-so guacamole, and a side of delicious spicy sauce. Needed more than three tortillas. Tasty but not worth $30. Margarita was $15, it was strong and tasty but didn't feel like it should cost $15. His aqua was delicious and well priced at $5. I think the flan for dessert was $9? Small but absolutely delicious.

All together $90. It felt ridiculous paying that much to be honest. The steak, chorizo, and flan were good. Everything else was mid. The atmosphere was laughable. Endearing.

Staff was kind. They felt cool and hip. Again, this place is a vibe. If you want fine dining in a teen girl bedroom served by a guy in cargo pants...