Cuca's Mexican Food — Restaurant in Lake Forest

I love this place a lot, as it’s conveniently located, has decent prices, and has tasty as heck food. TL;DR satisfying food and price-to-portion ratio, with a nice casual atmosphere.

I've always been an enchilada gal. Shrimp enchilada, cheese enchilada, the gamut of protein -- all of it is tasty. The combo platter with one, sometimes two cheese enchiladas is a platter I get every time I come to Cuca's, and I essentially lick my plate clean. I've tried many of their dishes -- the tacos, especially on Taco Tuesdays, are quite good. But, again, I'm an enchilada gal.

Weirdly enough, I have been here when their food wasn't as good -- but not for me. When they are a little too busy, they seem to rush their cooking and become a bit inconsistent; I've brought a lot of friends and family here over the past year or two, and while my enchiladas have always been delicious, in one out of nine or ten times, one of my friends/family members has a somewhat-disappointing meal. My mother once got an enchilada and taco combo meal, and while MY food was great, her enchilada was hard on the bottom and undercooked in the middle, and her taco seemed a bit wilted. She's since gone once or twice and had fine meals, but she's hesitant to go as much as before.

I don't care. My enchiladas reign supreme. Their enchilada sauce is perfectly balanced; it's a bit simple, with no excessive chunks, but by no means is it plain. While their carnitas is delicious, the simplicity of two cheese enchiladas in that heavenly sauce, with an absolute mess of rice and beans on the side on the warm plate, combines into a heavenly coalescence of Mexican ambrosia. Toss your salsa of choice on top and enjoy.

My friends can have their inconsistent dishes. I will eat here until this place closes or until I die, whichever...

Awesome little place here in Foothill Ranch, Ca. Lots of parking. They offer dine-in and pick up. Sit inside or sit outside, last night was just perfect to sit outside and enjoy the perfect weather and delicious food!

You order at the cashier, take a number, grab your drink, grab your utensils and salsas, and then find a place to sit! Good amount of sits inside and out. Perfect place for family dine-in, groups or even if you fly solo.

Lots of choices to choose from. If you don’t eat spicy, make sure you tell them. The staff is very friendly, helpful, and kind. When the food is ready, they’ll bring it to your table!

We tried their new items, the shrimp tacos, mine came with beans and rice for $14. The tacos were filled with a really good amount of food, they were very filling, plus the rice and beans. It was all well cooked, fresh, and delicious. Mine was spicy, I forgot to tell them about it lol, I don’t eat spicy, but I still ate them because they were mouth watering lol.

They also make their own chips, my wife really enjoyed them, and so did I, pairing them with a guacamole dip or the other salsas. It was really good to be honest.

I’ll be coming back next weekend Lord willing! Hope my daughter likes them too! The atmosphere inside was nice and relaxing. Nice decorations, and very spacious...

I think there is room for improvement! I have heard good things about Cuca's and had an overall positive experience. I got my food to go (a carne asada burrito). I ate it in the car as I was hungry. It wasn't bad! But I think there is a variation of ways to make the burrito even better. To start, the carne asada was pretty over cooked. Its possible it had been sitting for a while and maybe it dried out a bit, and this to me isn't a deal breaker. I think a good salsa would be nice in the burrito. It's possible I may have missed a salsa bar. if so, let me know in a reply and I will up my review to a 4 star. I think a few additions such as sour cream or cheese would be great too. The inside was inviting, all tables and booth's appeared clean. The staff was friendly and appeared to be enjoying their work and had a good connection with one another which is always...