Los Cuates Latin Store

Don’t get intimidated by the sketchy location. The building and exterior needs some TLC, but has a well-​stocked store with items that are NOT expired. Restaurant is super good. The tacos are very similar to Mexican taco stand tacos and they have a really good selection of meat.

Went in with high hopes, judging by the three other Unilocal reviews. In retrospect, I probably should have checked the dates. Note – This review applies to the restaurant, not the market in the lower level.
You enter the restaurant from the back of the building. My wife and I debated for some time whether or not it was closed and abandoned. The outside is dark, in disrepair, and has a patio full of broken and overturned furniture. We eventually tried a couple of doors and found one that opened.
Upon entering, we were confronted with a large, disordered, dining area and a non-​functional bar and buffet. It was staffed by one, confused, waitress who spoke little English. She gestured to us to sit anywhere, so we picked the least dirty table and sat down.
She gave us a couple of faded menus and left. After a few minutes, she returned with a basket of greasy, stale, chips and a bowl of salsa. It took a bit to place our orders, as she literally spoke nearly no English and the first few dishes we each requested were met with a head shake and «no have». About five minutes after she left, she returned and pointed at me, «no have». At that point I defaulted to what I assumed was safe, tortillas, rice, beans, and peppers.
A word about the service. To say it was relaxed, would be pushing the envelope. It took fully 35 minutes to get our dinner and the appetizer was delivered simultaneously with it. Did I mention we were the only customers, the entire visit?
My wife ordered fried fish. It was an entire, large fish of indeterminate species. I suspect it was a tilapia, but if so, it was the king of tilapia, seeing as large it was. It was nicely deep fried and crusted, but quite bland, except for startling quantities of salt. She also received some elderly yellow rice and some very runny, refried beans.
My entrée was chicken smothered in mole, the same geriatric yellow rice, and runny refried beans. It was OK, but lacking in flavor other than large amounts of salt. It might have been better had it been anything close to what I ordered. The tortillas we both shared were stale, but had a good, rich, corn flavor.
The appetizer was chicken quesadillas. It wasn’t bad, save for the fact it was as salty as the ocean. As in really, really, salty.
Side note: The waitress brought three forks, one knife, and no spoons for two people. Not quite sure what was going on there.
Overall, the food was acceptable, if vastly over salted. It might have managed three stars, considering this is the middle of Missouri, but the remarkably slow service knocked it down to two.
Cost was relatively high for the area. $ 33 for two dinners, an appetizer, and two soft drinks.
With all the good, Mexican places nearby, we will not be returning.

This place just isn’t the same since they fixed the red hue in the large tv screen that constantly plays telenovas.

Outside of Columbia, this restaurant might only get 4 stars, but it’s far and away the best and most authentic Mexican food to be found around here (and I’m not talking Tex-​Mex). They also have things that aren’t on their menu (e.g., meats such as buche, or menudo on weekends), so it pays to ask. I wish more people knew about this place so that it hadn’t taken me nearly a year to discover it.
The grocery store downstairs is also a real find. In addition to various Mexican sweets, chicharron, a wide range of spices and other ingredients, and so on, they also have some fresh produce (chiles, cilantro, etc), a carniceria, Mexican cheeses, religious knickknacks such as votary candles with the Virgin of Guadalupe, and even a bunch of cowboy boots.

I haven’t shopped at the grocery yet (though I probably will since their sign prominently announces «Tamales»), but I have eaten several times at the restaurant. Yes, there is one — drive around back up the little hill and park in the parking lot with the light pole lying in the middle of it. Their soda machine has been nonfunctional each visit though there are bottled Mexican sodas, there isn’t any coffee or tea, and I don’t think they have a liquor license even though the place was clearly a bar in a former life. What they do have is two big-​screen TVs invariably showing soccer and a small menu of very good and authentic Mexican dishes with some things (mole, green sauce, tongue) that are not typical for this area. Fresh cilantro is prominent, as are several varieties of chiles, and I have yet to see any of that vile bright yellow processed cheese that far too many «Mexican» places slather on to disguise poor ingredients and preparation. This seem to be the kind of place that would do something off the menu if you knew to ask for it in Spanish.