Bueno Loco

Awesome food and wonderful drinks! Tacos were great. House medium salsa is great as well. We will definitely be back!

Fabulous! Fresh, flavorful, and most importantly, willing to skip the cilantro when requested! Have eaten there once and taken out twice and every time everything has been cooked perfectly with generous portions.

I picked up take out last night, which was my first experience with this restaurant. My daughter had the vegan nachos and I had a cheese quesadilla. The other reviews referencing a paucity of food for the price are right on. The quesadilla was very meh, for lack of a more descriptive term. To add anything to them was additional, and could result in a $ 16 quesadilla. It did come with small take-​out container of sour cream and salsa. I’ve had better at the café at my work, with more (and better-​tasting) cheese.
My daughter’s nachos were fairly naked. Chips, some vegan «cheese», green onions, small amount of diced tomatoes. That’s it – no side of salsa. These were $ 9.
I don’t think I will go back. If I had been impressed with the food, the price would not deter me necessarily, but I can’t justify paying these amounts for underwhelming food.

Yikes way overpriced and not good quality food. The waitstaff were talking people out of their food choices describing some items on the menu as dry salty sponges. wow. The food was way overpriced and such small portions! You would get the same or better quality meal for less as qdoba. The mixed drinks sounded good. So if I had to go back I wouldn’t go further than the bar. We ordered dessert because the chocolate torte sounded good for 6 $ we had a short sliver of a hard chocolate bar-​cake? It was good but just pure chocolate. nothing special about it. When the waitress brought it to us she started apologizing and I thought it was because they didn’t have enough cake for a full portion… but sadly, I was wrong and she was apologizing about the decorations :/.

Excellent Mexican food. The wait was a little longer than I would have preferred, but the waitress was ever present and very friendly. The décor is very pleasing, and the kitchen is open to the dining area so you can see the food being prepared. The kids loved seeing the occasional flashes of flame from the kitchen area. The food was very very good. A true step above you average Mexican place. The ingredients tasted very fresh, and traditional Mexican favorites were given little tweaks and twists that made them unique. Absolutely will be back!

I was disappointed to find that Bueno Loco charges for chips and salsa. They should be offered at no charge like other similar restaurants in the Greater Portland area.

We shared the three-​layered bean dip. It was beautiful, but very difficult to eat. It really needed to be in a wider, shallower bowl.
She ordered the chile relleno. It was stuffed with black beans and rice. Since she doesn’t eat rice, they let her order something else and they did not charge us for the original order.
Wow. $ 18.00 for three small chicken enchiladas, made with flour tortillas, with almost enough verde sauce to cover one of them. And, the chicken was sort of a ranchero chicken. Silly me, being too curious and wanting to see what $ 18 enchiladas could possibly be. The answer: about $ 12 over-​priced. DO NOT ORDER THE ENCHILADAS!!!
If you are from the American Southwest, as we are, this is not that bad for a Mexican restaurant in New England. But, if you want something close to real Mexican food, drive over to El Rodeo.
Okay, now for the important stuff. We would go back. Her replacement dinner was the chicken tacos, which were good. My $ 18 «enchiladas» we’re tasty, but I would never order them again. The ingredients for everything were good, just combined and assembled oddly. Nothing was what we expected it to be.
Our server was excellent, and fielded the «$ 18 enchiladas, really???» question very well. We both knew before I ordered them, that I was not going to be impressed. All in all, it was a pleasant, if odd and somewhat over-​priced, experience.

We waited 1.5 hours for our food and there were only two other occupied tables in the entire restaurant. It took so long to get our meals, we had to get them in take out containers, so we could keep our schedule.

The fish tacos and shrimp tacos are superb. I ordered on and my friend ordered the other and we shared. The watermelon and coconut margaritas are well worth the $! Friendly staff and great service.

I’ve been here twice, once with a small group for lunch and then later with a bigger group for dinner. The lunch experience was okay, the dinner experience was not so okay.
First for lunch, it happened to be National Taco Day or something like that and they were running a special for tacos. I ordered a couple of tacos and expected they would come with a side of rice and beans or something. Nada. I thought that was really strange because every other Mexican restaurant I’ve been to offers something with their tacos. They weren’t memorable at all so I can’t really even talk about them.
For dinner, well I know it’s tricky to handle a big party and all, but this was just not well managed by the restaurant staff. They didn’t know who ordered what drink and things kept coming out in waves. It was confusing and I’m just glad I got the right margarita… I think. The house margarita looks eerily like the watermelon japaleno margarita. Mine was about what I expected from a house margarita. I should have ordered the pomegranate one because it looked really tasty. It was strange that chips and salsa weren’t complimentary and the salsas while good were $ 4 for a little bowl. We didn’t have enough for everyone to try every kind so more had to be ordered. It wasn’t worth the money in my opinion. I ordered one of the burrito bowls and was pleasantly surprised with how huge it was. I had a variety of chicken, beans, rice, lettuce and tortilla chips. It was as close to a taco salad as you can get without calling it a taco salad. It was all pretty tasty but nothing spectacular and a bit overpriced at $ 12.50. Things went downhill after we all finished eating or tried to eat (one of us was a vegetarian and got chicken in their meal). It was a Wednesday night and I wanted to get home a little early. That wasn’t going to happen as it took our server at least 35 minutes to sort out the checks. He had assured us that the separate checks would be no problem, but I knew there was trouble when he came to me and said that the small slip of paper he had written orders on had disappeared and I had to remind him of what I ordered. The restaurant wasn’t even that crowded, so it probably would have been better to have more than one server taking care of us. He seemed really stressed out and not exactly happy to see us.

I came here on a Wednesday night with a large group. Someone had called ahead, multiple times, including the night before to ensure they were prepared to handle the group of 12 coming in for dinner that night. We were seated and ordered drinks.
All the drink orders were staggered as people arrived, yet the waiter who took the order had no clue who ordered what. He just called out the drinks, trying to guess who ordered it. When mine came out, another waitress brought out my watermelon jalapeño margarita, calling out «house margarita, house margarita» When I announced what I ordered, she said «oh ya, that could be in, they look the same.» The drink was smooth with a nice jalapeño kick, but not even an essence of watermelon. It was more like a house margarita infused with jalapeño, which was good but not what I anticipated.
Chips and salsa were not complimentary, instead $ 4 each. I noticed their large clear plastic tote of chips on the counter, so it seems unlikely they even go as far to make the chips there. This is not a good way to make a stance to be different. There were a variety of salsas we tried that were unique, including the smoky chipotle which has a nice heat and good flavor and the mango salsa with chunks of mango and not watery.
We all placed our orders and made sure to clarify which parties were together, so they could separate the check as we ordered. The food came out in a reasonable time frame, but it seemed most of the orders were missing some ingredients, such as a sauce or a veggie or even entire side dishes. One vegetarian dish ordered had chicken inside and the waiter never made an attempt to correct this. The dish just sat in front of him for the entire meal. One member of the group was even charged for beans and rice, which was included in the meal. Getting anything after the meal was served was a struggle, even for drink refills. Finally, other wait staff came to help, when they saw how much running back and forth the waiter did and much he struggled to get us the things we requested, such as sour cream. I ordered the California burrito, which was good but had no salsa as the menu stated. I also can’t see paying $ 13 for a burrito, plus $ 2 extra for rice and beans. The fire of the dead burrito warning was spot on. It has a wonderful burn, but with real flavor. It was missing the lettuce and tomato, which would have balanced it better.
When the checks finally came, it took an extensive amount of time, trying to figure out who ordered what and who had ordered with who. The checks arrived one at a time. Half our group had paid and left before we got our check. The bill came and it was correct, but the experience was ruined.

Okay, I went here as a part of a large party. I am aware that large parties can be challenging and they aren’t always the best representation of a restaurant. However, I still feel that this needs to be shared.
So, let’s start with «The Good». I had two drinks — both of which were fresh and delicious. The first was a pomegranate margarita and the second was a blood orange gin fizz. Both perfect on a hot summer night. For my dinner, I ordered the goat cheese and chorizo torta, which was really very tasty.
«The Bad.» My dinner, which was a sandwich that came with no sides, was $ 12. While it was very good, I can’t remember the last time I paid $ 12 for a sandwich, if ever.
«The Ugly.» The service was just not good. Out of the gate, I thought he knew what he was doing when he started taking drink orders. But, something went terribly wrong from there. Even as the drinks came out, he couldn’t remember who had what. This was a common theme throughout the night. Even when other servers started assisting him, as he was clearly out of his element. At the end of the dinner, when it was time for our checks (our fearless party leader had called ahead, informed it was a large party and asked if separate checks is an issue — told it was all good), he had to go around and ask each of us what we had again. He’d lost the paper it was on originally. What!!!
If it hasn’t been for the flavorful drinks and tasty sandwich, this would have been a one star review. I know I should give this place a second chance — in a smaller party. But to be honest, I just don’t see myself returning anytime soon.

Overall, a fairly disappointing experience, however I felt that a review of 3 stars rather than 2 is slightly more appropriate, given that I had a better individual experience than a few other members of my party. Our group of 13 came in on a Wednesday night (after making a reservation several weeks earlier). When I arrived I was greeted warmly by the hostess and lead to the table where our group was seated. As our party was trickling in, service was OK. I was surprised to see that the house margarita was $ 8.50, which seems expensive given that I can get a house margarita at a few other places around town for a bit less. I was able to get a Pacifico for $ 4, (best deal on the drink menu!).
I was also surprised that there were no complimentary chips and salsa, like EVERY other Mexican restaurant I can think of. This is not the way you want to be an outlier in the Mexican food genre. I will say that the mango salsa that we ordered was pretty good.
Our server was nice enough, although service slowed considerably once our entire party was present. It took me about 15 – 20 minutes to get a second Pacifico, and our second round of tortilla chips took quite a while to appear. He could have used a bit of help managing a group as big as ours was (again, we had made a reservation several weeks in advance). I think they realized that fact only towards the end, when other servers started showing up to our table.
I think my biggest issue is the value. $ 12 for a burrito? $ 11 – 13 for 2 tacos? Come on. I can get a plate of 3 tacos, chips and salsa at Taco Trio for $ 10. The torta I ordered — goat cheese and chorizo — was very good, but for the size of a hamburger it was $ 7 – 8 good and NOT $ 12 good. And there were no sides that came with the torta.
Overall I think there are several better options to choose when deciding what Mexican restaurant to eat at. Choose wisely.
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Came here with a large group of friends of about 12 people (we had a reservation). I was pretty excited because I love Mexican food and I had never been to Bueno Loco before. I hate giving less than 3 stars but unfortunately I have to here. What Mexican restaurant doesn’t give free chips and salsa?! Our table ordered multiple cups of the salsa but they were pretty small. My friend next to me asked our waiter for the cornbread which apparently is complimentary, he said he would bring us some but it never came. Bummer. They should have given our table more than one server because the wait for our drinks, the salsa, our checks, EVERYTHING was extraordinary. The poor guy had no idea who ordered what drinks, what food, who to charge for what… granted a lot of us needed separate checks. However if you’re going to accept a reservation of 12 you need to be prepared for it and give the group a good experience.
I ordered the Ruby Red Margarita and that was great ($ 9). I could taste the grapefruit and it did not give me heart burn. Small victory for me! I ordered the chicken chimichanga. The menu states it comes with rice and beans, however looking at the check I noticed they charged me extra for the rice and beans (Boooo!). So the chimichanga meal ended up costing almost twice what the same meal costs at say Margaritas or On The Border in Portland. It tasted fine, but I would not come back for the up charged price.
So all and all more expensive than I expected and the slow service was kind of a downer. Can’t blame it all on the waiter, maybe they should have given him help with such a large group.

I brought a party of 12 people here, and I’m so very disappointed in our experience (and in the end, actually embarrassed that I suggested we come here). Despite calling multiple times leading up to our night out to make sure they were all set to have us, it seemed that they couldn’t handle such a large group at all.
The good:
+ They were very accommodating when a 13^th person joined our party unexpectedly.
+ The Blood Orange Gin Fizz ($ 9) was an exceptionally made cocktail — so much so that many of our party ended up switching over to it. Made with Cold River Gin, mint, lots and lots of lemon, simple syrup, and San Pellegrino Blood Orange Soda. I don’t even like gin and I could have consumed these all night long!
The bad:
— We heard from many sources that instead of free chips and salsa, there’s complimentary corn bread and olive oil. We received no such thing.
— The $ 4 per bowl salsa is barely enough for two people to enjoy.
— I ordered extra salsa once I realized there wasn’t enough for us… it took almost a half hour to come out to us (and only after the server saw we had stacked the empty chip and salsa dishes did he ask if we ever received it).
— My first cocktail, a red wine sangria ($ 8.50), was a wine glass full of ice, water, and fruit.
— I ordered a Loco Chimichanga ($ 14) with grilled veggies and — according to the menu — it comes with cheese, rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa, baked in a red chili sauce and comes with a side of rice and beans. There was no guacamole inside it. There was no salsa inside it. There was no cheese inside it. There were no beans and rice on the side. When I asked the server about the rice and beans (before I cut into it and realized it was missing other important elements) he told me he’d have to charge me an extra $ 4 for that. I politely said that I believed my meal came with the rice and beans. He told me I was absolutely wrong and that he could bring me some for $ 4. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind just double-​checking what the menu said. He came back a few minutes later and said «I guess I was wrong. So do you want those rice and beans or what?»
— I had to re-​ask for the sour cream I ordered multiple times.
— And the icing on the cake: my boyfriend and I are vegetarians. He ordered a CHEESE QUESADILLA with avocado and jalapeños. The quesadilla came out, and he opened each piece before eating it to make sure it was what he ordered. When he got to the last piece there was a huge piece of chicken inside it. When he pointed it out to the server, the server said, «Sorry about that, but you’re gonna be like okay, right?» My boyfriend said, «Well, I’m a vegetarian, so no.» The server then tried to tell my boyfriend he was wrong and that it wasn’t chicken, and just left the plate of food in front of him. So it sat there. And it sat there. AND IT SAT THERE. Nearly everything had been cleared off the table EXCEPT this dish when our server started bringing out the bills. Are you serious?! Yes, very much so. I didn’t end up eating much of my Chimichanga — even after dissecting and examining it — for fear of meat.
This is totally unacceptable.
I can’t, as a vegetarian, in good faith recommend you ever come here. It seemed so promising given the inclusion of seitan on the menu (which no other Mexican place I know of has), but it was a total disaster.

For my veggie friends — Bueno Loco offers seitan as a vegan protein option. I am a huge fan! It’s the main reason I keep going back!
Bueno Loco is one Route One in Falmouth, not the most glamorous of locations, but it has it’s own parking lot, and that can be a blessing if you’re used to searching for parking downtown. The restaurant is pretty open with lots of seating, and an open kitchen. I’ve always had friendly interactions with the waitstaff, but not overly attentive. I’ve never had to wait more than 5 or so minutes to sit down.
I’ve mentioned the seitan, which I love — especially on the nachos! I also really enjoy the spicy cornbread they serve with an olive oil dip. I think it’s a fun twist on the traditional chips and salsa!

So let me be clear that I am a «Mexican Food snob» for sure. As a youngster I went to Mexico a few times and had «the real stuff», so I’ve always giggled when people think that Chili’s is Mexican food. I think Taco Bell is closer. That being said, I had my sights set on what I thought might be «real Mexican food». All told, it really wasn’t, however, it was very tasty and our server was extremely nice. I had the «Bueno Burrito» and I enjoyed it. My wife had the quesadilla appetizer and gave about as high of a praise as she’ll give Mexican food, «I’d come back.»
One other thing to note — it’s the first Mexican restaurant of any kind that I’ve been to that doesn’t serve chips and salsa free while you wait for your meal.
Conclusion, it was good food and good service at least for what we experienced. It doesn’t really matter if it was «real Mexican food» or not and I’d have to try a few more dishes to test that theory anyway. Also, as we experienced and overheard a different server discussing with clients, they tend to be very empty on weekends, which is just fine by us!

Very good food and service, I think they fit perfectly for the town.
Been many times and only had one bad experience and that was just due to the bar tender hitting on a girl verses paying attention to his other customers.
Score 7

My last experience here was a real thumbs down. It’s a shame because Falmouth has very few good restaurant choices and we were looking forward to another option. My husband did enjoy his meal, so he may convince me to give it another shot.
It was a Tuesday night at 6pm and they were very busy. Our waiter was very friendly but was working way too many tables and the service was SLOW (the management’s fault, not the server’s).
The complimentary corn bread they serve is horrible. It’s so sweat it tastes like cake, with a savory spice mixture swirled on top… it’s just wrong. I would *much* prefer chips and salsa.
I ordered a salad with a piece of salmon on top. The salmon was clearly frozen and did not taste fresh. The salad was ok, with an overly sweet dressing and low quality ingredients.
This place has some elements of a fine dining restaurant (such as the impressive interior and the prices), but the menu choices and quality of the ingredients do not match that ambition. I’d prefer a more casual joint with a simplified menu, or they could up their game. Doing either would likely earn them a better review.

We went for an early lunch one Saturday, only to be greeted by a very flustered server and a restaurant that wasn’t ready to be open. I can understand that, although 11am isn’t particularly early, but the overall experience left me feeling like I had spent just a tad too much on mediocre food.
I know it’s hard to find a good taco around the great state of Maine, which is not known for its authentic Mexican food. But this place fit right in with the Margaritas or On The Borders. I probably won’t be going back…