Hercules Draft House & Cantina — Restaurant in Los Gatos

I’m not gonna lie….I really didn’t have high expectations for this restaurant partially bc so many restaurants have come through this particular location, and I’m a big yelper, so granted this place is fairly new (chef said it’s been open 2-3 weeks?) there just weren’t many photos to help guide me on whether or not I even wanted to try it, but I’m glad I did.

Upon arrival on a Friday night, the nice hostess seated us immediately. The place was pretty poppin’, but they have LOTS of seating indoors and some outdoors so even without a reservation, we didn’t have to wait at all.

Our service was excellent. We had a female server (didn’t get her name) but she was awesome. Between her and the other staff, we were never short of a drink and table was always clean. There must’ve been 3-4 others that came by our table to check on us constantly. Chef even came by to say hello and check-in. That was a really nice touch.

The food is good and the drinks delish. I mean where can you get a quality margarita/cocktail for $12 these days? My shrimp fajitas were just $18 and came with homemade tortillas; I made four fully loaded tacos, and gave one to the hubby. I have to say, this might be my new spot! There is a full bar, and they offer free chips with your order. Again, FREE CHIPS? Nothing is ever free. Even bread is charged these days, but not here. Free chips with your drinks. I don’t know why I am extra excited about this. The hubby and I go to Mexico every year and he said his tacos taste just like the street taco we have there. Our group were all collectively very satisfied with the order.

Some side notes:

Parking is easy to find. There are plenty of TVs if you want to watch a game or two. I don’t think they have a website yet, but you can call for reservations.

Very excited for Hercules and ready to...

Love the decor. Cocktails were tasty and there were many that I wanted to try. Ordered the fajitas, street tacos, and tamales to share. The quality was great and I appreciated the abundance of perfectly seasoned veggies that came with the fajitas. The free chips and salsa were great, especially the spicy habanero salsa (I like heat and this made me sweat!). We didn't mind paying for it because it was worth it, but it would have been appreciated if they warned us that it would be an extra $2.

Staff was friendly, but there were a few mishaps with service. My friend's bottled beer was not cold, a draft beer order was forgotten, a tamales order was mixed up (got the corn instead of pork), and we got double charged for a cocktail. The owner (I think) came by and replaced our original salsa which tasted like tomato sauce which we ate anyway haha. I really appreciated that he did this because he took the risk of calling attention to the mistake versus letting us think their salsa sucked and chose to serve us the real salsa which was SO much better. That showed me they cared about the food quality and were doing they best they could to provide the best service, even though they didn't have it dialed down that night.

We were celebrating my birthday and they offered me a free dessert of my choice! Wow, that's unheard of! We got the fried ice cream with plátanos, which my friend loved.

So there were standout service moments as well. Everything was decent, but I'm sure I would've appreciated it more if I didn't have such a late lunch and had more of an appetite.

It was super easy to find parking so that was a great bonus as well. The Taco Tuesday ($3 tacos) and Thursday specials ($1.50 oysters!) are very appealing so I would come back. I had my eye on the pozole so will try...

Honestly, this place doesn't need me to tell you how great it is. I think the locals have all figured it out and it's one of those best kept secrets. But I will tell you, if you ever happen to be in the area and you are in the mood for some delicious Mexican cuisine with a flair, this IS your stop!! Everything about this place was delicious when I visited. In fact, it was so good that I have been back a second time just to enjoy it all again!

The drinks are strong enough to make them worth the money, the staff is experienced enough to recommend food and be correct, and the atmosphere is enjoyable enough to make you want to come again and again. I love the fact that the food feels more like an upscale take on Mexican cuisine but the prices are still extremely reasonable. Also, the menu is very extensive so there's something there to suit everyone's preferences.

If you have the chance to try it, don't hesitate. This place is an absolute gem and you won't regret it! By the way, I didn't recommend a dish because every single thing we have ordered from their menu has been crazy good!!! The chips and salsa is fab and we like to step it up with a twist by mixing the salsa in with an order of guac which takes the entire appetizer to another level! The ribeye tacos are CRAZY good and my friend who is vegan enjoyed the mushroom tacos. They also have a taco plate that comes with a light sauce on the side to dip the tacos. I order this sauce/au jus on the side every single time with my tacos because it's just good with everything! I would love to include photos but I can't find the ones that I took so you are going to have to just trust me.

Long story short...do yourself a favor...