Loco Burro Fresh Mex Cantina and Tequila Bar — Restaurant in Knoxville

I stopped in on Tuesday night to try Loco Burro, as quite a few friends recommended it to me as a great spot for Mexican food. Upon entering the restaurant, there was a short line as the hostess worked at getting the guests sat. I had set up a reservation online through Google, but I am unsure if the hostess actually was able to locate it. One thing I did notice is that the hostess never once smiled while interacting with me or the other guests ahead of me. She sat me quickly at booth just next to the door that leads into the mall. The table was quite wobbly and definitely needs some attention. I was greeted quickly by my server, Paula R. She was friendly and outgoing. She took my drink order and then returned with my chips and 3 types of salsa. My Horchata was brought over a few minutes after the chips. The chips were warm and nicely salted. The 3 salsas consisted of 2 red salsas, where one was mild and the other was warmed up and had a little more zip to it. The green salsa definitely had a little kick to it. I made sure to try all of them and equally enjoyed them! The Horchata was very good with a creamy texture and a sweet and cinammon-y taste. On a side note, the glass with the Horchata was completely filled to the top with ice, so there really wasn't much to drink in the glass. I wound up having 3 glasses of it throughout the course of my meal. I was unaware that refills were not included and that each glass consumed costs $3.99. I was quite disappointed by that. For an appetizer, I ordered the Mexican Street Corn. The order consisted of 3 cut cobs of corn with a stick in it that were then rolled in the toppings. It was good but nothing exceptional. I probably wouldn't order that again. For my dinner entree, I ordered the Skirt Steak Chimichanga. It was nicely sized and had good flavor. On the plate was Mexican Rice and refried beans. The Mexican Rice was rather dry and didn't offer much flavor. The beans had a little kick to them and were ok. There was a side plate that had guacamole, sour cream and some pico de gallo. I tried the guacamole with some of the tortilla chips and it was very good! For dessert, I ordered theTres Leches Cake. It was quite tasty and was a generous portion that also included whipped cream and some fruit on the side. Throughout my meal, Paula stopped to check on me numerous times to make sure I was enjoying my meal. I did notice that she was a bit overwhelmed, because at one point, she had between 7-8 tables that she was serving. When one table left, another one was sat almost immediately. As a restaurant manager myself, I never let my servers take more than 5-6 tables at a time. I could sense she was struggling to handle things and through it all, she kept her smile and did her best to provide good service. I do think Loco Burro can really be a great spot to grab some Mexican food and a drink. Tonight just wasn't the night. I may try it again down the road, but I will probably stick to a nearby family owned Mexican restaurant that I really enjoy. If you check my reviews, you will see...

We visited Loco Burro twice during our stay in Knoxville, and both times were fantastic.

Our first visit was right after arriving in the city. While exploring the area, we stumbled across this spot inside the mall and decided to give it a try. We were blown away! The fajitas, tacos, and guacamole were absolutely delicious, fresh, flavorful, and generously portioned. The salsas could use a bit more punch, but everything else was spot on. The space itself is stunning—one of the most beautifully designed Mexican restaurants we’ve seen. You can tell the owners have great taste. The rooftop is a total vibe, and the service was warm and attentive.

The bar also stands out, especially for lovers of tequila, mezcal, and spirits—incredible selection! The wine list is smaller, so a bit more variety there would be a nice touch, but overall it’s a solid offering.

We enjoyed it so much that we returned a few days later with friends—and this time, it was Sunday brunch. What a surprise! The brunch buffet (10AM–2PM) was packed with options and bottomless mimosas. Highlights included the Carving Station with Mesquite Smoked Brisket, Mahi-Mahi, and Fajita Chicken—all perfectly cooked. There were tons of great dishes!

The brunch at Loco Burro offers an impressive and flavorful spread. You’ll find a wide range of sides and starters like veggie quiche, pork tamales, birria sopes, huevos rancheros, chorizo mac-n-cheese, and street corn—each full of bold Mexican-inspired flavors.

For the main selections, you can build your own tacos or breakfast plates with a variety of proteins including grilled shrimp, seasoned beef, shredded chicken, pork carnitas, scrambled eggs, and applewood smoked bacon—all paired with fresh flour or corn tortillas, crispy shells, or tortilla chips.

Toppings and accompaniments are just as generous: Monterrey cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro sour cream, pineapple pico, pickled onions, hot sauce, and more—offering endless customization for every taste.

Everything was delicious, and we hear they’re working on improving the desserts even more, so we can’t wait to come back and see what’s new. We also heard that the menu is being updated soon, which gives us yet another reason to return.

Whether you're looking for a casual lunch, rooftop drinks, or a fun and flavorful Sunday brunch, Loco Burro delivers. We’ll...

I wanna start by saying our waitress was absolutely amazing (Parris.) The manager (James) was ever unprofessional, and he even looked very sloppy. So we go in and order our drinks, I ordered a sweet tea and the sweet tea taste like it had been sitting for days. I sent it back and got a Dr Pepper instead. Well the Dr. Pepper had no carbonation and was very flat, so then our poor waitress (who has only been there less than a week.) she asked me if she could get me something else and I chose a Jarrito ( mandarin) which was great as it came in a bottle. Our chips, queso, and all three Salsas were great. Out of the 6 people only two orders were truly edible. Two people ordered a fajita quesadilla, one ordered loaded nachos(edible), one ordered arroz con pollo (not great), one ordered chicken Al pastor tacos on flour tortillas ( non edible, looked and tasted like pork, I love Al pastor tacos but those were not it.) lastly one ordered combination enchiladas which he said were edible but not great. Anyway, asked for the manager because our sweet waitress was having a rough night anyway DUE TO NO FAULT OF HER OWN!!!!! When the manager got over to our table my parents told him what was wrong with their food and mind you my dad got someone else’s food not even the food he ordered. My mom couldn’t even eat hers because it didn’t taste edible. The manager James had the nerve to say “ oh you don’t like shredded chicken?” In a smart ass tone. Then my dad was telling him about his order and he just kept brushing my dad off. So my brother and I spoke up and said it not just the food the drinks were terrible. James kept making faces as we were explaining everything and then wanted to blame it on our waitress. Parris placed the order correctly as we seen the ticket. James The manager should have had better customer service and not have kept trying to blame our waitress. The food was disgusting and the 6 of us will not be back. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO NEXT DOOR TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY OR LITERALLY...