Lucha Cantina

Wow! What a great place to eat, very family friendly. We made New Year’s reservations, we had a great time. Highly recommend the BBQ burrito and the donut holes!!! It’s our new favorite place

Didn’t expect much from this Mexican joint in the middle of Rockford, IL but it was bomb!
I got the BBQ burrito and was very surprised. The Mexican flavors of sour cream, rice, cilantro, etc. was complimented very well by the BBQ flavors. They also pair it with this white queso sauce and I added the matador BBQ sauce which was perfect combination of sweet queso and spicy salsa.
The size of the burrito was enough for 2 meals for me.
Our dinner was paid for by Rockford Univeristy so I don’t know how the pricing is and it was to go so I can’t elaborate on staff, atmosphere, and price. But I can tell you that this Midwestern take on Mexican food was refreshing and memorable!

This is my favorite restaurant period! Everything I’ve had is excellent. I would buy the stop drop and roll salsa by the barrel if they offered it! Can’t go wrong with the chicken and spinach enchaladas but also a fan of the verde burito bowl and the big salad is amazing if you’re looking for something light lunch portions are just right but I usually fill up on chips and salsa! The fried ice cream is good too. The service has always been great servers are friendly and down to earth.

One of my favorite contemporary Latin restaurants. Awesome guacamole. MooPeepAndOink paired with an Italian margarita is what’s up! Always have had good service and hot food, what’s not to like?

Still excellent food and have been back several times. What’s wrong with cooking on a plate? Sticks in the food? I would hope they cook a tough beef cut like brisket WAY ahead of time, to be edible.
I have to laugh at some of the reviews stating «This is not Mexican» or «there are better Mexican places in the suburbs»…Obviously, Lucha is NOT a typical cheap «Mexican» (or what people think Mexican food is supposed to be which is tasteless salsa and refried beans and rice on half the plate) but their interpretation! And since EVERYTHING is better in the *SUBURBS I wouldn’t worry too much about those comparisons.
FWIW, the best «real» Mexican I’ve had outside of Mexico has been in central IL, NE WI, CA, and Texas. And they are not fancy, clean places.
*For those readers who are not from N IL, the suburbs refers only to those suburbs close to Chicago, not the rest of country — because no other city has them, right? :-)

Me and my wife went to the restaurant we enjoyed ourselves the food was delicious and reasonable price plus the staff was very nice and warm we will go back again

This place need to rethink what their doing. I started with our favorite burrito=$ 13. It was NASTY. It looked like it was frozen, then reheated in a microwave. I asked that question. Server claimed they dont have freezers. It had mushy zucchini in it. The protein was supposed to beef. It was more like rope. It was so dry and stringy, you couldn’t eat it. It literally had sticks in it. STICKS like from a tree or a bush. Server didn’t know what it was. So she removed that mess brought me a menu. I reordered moo peep oink ENCHILADAS$ 12. What a joke. As soon as they brought them, warned me the plates are HOT. I asked why? Answer was ***“we cook the enchiladas on the plate”.*** !!!WHAT! Your not cooking anything a plate, your reheating that crap. That’s NOT FRESH, and that is not cooked to order. They only thing you can get fresh is the rice. Their proteins are cook ahead of time. That’s why the are so dry. They assemble your order and heat it up in the broiler/​salamander. Unless its a burger. Wife had that burger. They burned it and put cheese on the burnt half to cover it. Most everything on their menu is not what they claim. They claim their burrito is grilled. It’s not, it’s broiled. Even the beans were supposed to be smashed, they were not. And they were cold/​luke warm. The server did a great job. Place was almost empty. And that’s why.
There is much better mexican food in this area, much better. You’ve BEEN WARNED!!!

Erin is the best waitress at Lucha. I live in the Chicago area but have a lot of family and friends in Rockford. Erin is pleasant and fast and always has great recommendations. I am gluten-​free and a pescatarian so Lucha’s Wahoo tacos are amazing. I love the salsa sampler. I love spicy food, and the new hot and sweet salsa with pineapple is great! I love all the hottest salsas in the sampler. LUCHA is a Great place for the kids! I had a lunch date there with my 4-​year-​old and there are great food options for kids. If you haven’t tried this place you have to go. Request Erin as your waitress. She will take care of you!

I was exited to go hear from reading the other reviews. Atmosphere is very nice and open.
Did have a few issues though. Our server took her time to get to us for our drinks. I walked up to the hostess about where our server was since we had been sitting about 10mins with no one even coming over to take our drink order.
No chips and salsa for free. Wtf. All the Mexican places I’ve bee to its complimentary. We ordered the blandest salsa on the menu and asked a different server to bring us a medium salsa. Tasted more like overloaded chili powder and salsa
I ordered the bbq burrito. Gross sugar tasting pork. Queso cheese was awesome though.
The ordered the Lucha Cuban. That was pretty good and the hand cut fries were tasty also
This place is no Mexican restaurant. I’m sure most of the hipsters will enjoy this place, but no real Mexican food lover will enjoy this menu.

I have no idea how this place has such high ratings.
The best thing about this place is the atmosphere. Its decorated very nicely and it has a clean and hip feel to it.
Our server was meh. It almost seemed like it hurt her to be nice to us. Like every time she flashed a smile or asked us how we were doing, it looked like it physically hurt her. We sat in the bar area and when she wasn’t awkwardly asking us how we are doing, we had to sit there and listen to her talk shit about her boyfriend and how she doesn’t trust him. Look, I get you have drama, but I don’t come out to lunch with my husband to hear about your bullshit. That is what bothered me the most. The WHOLE time we were eating, I had to actively work to drown out her conversation. Ugh.
The food was damn near tasteless. I had the wahoo tacos. To be honest, if I had to do a blind taste test, there is no way I could have picked out fish as the main ingredient. I mean, there was NO seasoning at all. I dumped guacamole and sour cream and salt all over it and that helped a little.
I don’t think I’d ever come back here even if someone offered to pay.

Food here was excellent. More like tex mex but still very good. Started with guacomale and chips and salsa. Yum. Yes they charge for salsa… get over it. It’s worth it.
I had a lunch special which was 2 chicken tacos and side of rice and beans. So so good. It’s not the cheapest place, but if you want good food these days you gotta pay for it. Overall a really great experience. We also had some doughnut thing for dessert w chocolate dipping sauce. The kids loved them.

So-​so.
I ordered the Surf and Turf burrito. It was a quite large, but it should be renamed the Rice Burrito; there was hardly any fish or beef. The beef was flavorless, the fish in there was decent. But my biggest complaint is there was hardly any surf, hardly any turf and just rice.
However, the salsa was real good.
If I go again I’ll try something other than a burrito
UPDATE 18 Oct 2015
Due to my poor experience with the restaurant I was offered a gift certificate to try the food again and possibly raise the rating of my review, which I gladly accepted. I would have loved to try the food again, however, after a month and a half I still have not received said gift certificate and I have a feeling I won’t receive it. I will NOT come back. Poor customer service

I can give this place 4 stars but no more. Service was excellent — we told the server we had an appointment and she got everything to us quickly and the check was delivered while eating so we did not lose time. My wife loves fish tacos and got the Wahoo tacos — she was not impressed. We have had excellent fish tacos outside of California and these did not pass the bar. I had the enchiladas — they were excellent. We also had the cinnamon donuts and they were amazing. My wife said she would go there for the donuts and coffee next time — their sauce was just awesome.
If I were to come again I would get the enchiladas and suggest my wife order a chimichanga or something similar. This was definitely an American-​Mexican restaurant as no skirt steak meals existed, etc. To be fair, El Niagara in Woodstock is far better as is Mi General in Schaumburg.

Lucha is my favorite restaurant in Rockford. Whenever I come back to visit my parents we go here. Mainly because I suggest it everytime. It has become my go-​to Rockford restaurant!
Lucha shows that if the food is great, the people will come. It isn’t really in an awesome location, but almost every time I’ve been here it has been full. So, kudos to the chefs!
The food is delicious! I have had so many different things here, but my favorite so far has been their Burritos made into chimis. I had the chicken burrito and it was so large I had leftovers for lunch the next day. I’ve also had their chicken fajita quesadilla special, which was also good and had a large portion. Their enchiladas are also pretty good. The salsa/​sauce really makes them stand out.
The chips and salsa is a must! All of their salsas are tasty and different. My favorite salsa is the matador red. It has a nice smokey flavor, which is different. They also have great queso and guac!
As I’ve said and I’m sure you can tell, this place is great. Everything here is tasty and you can’t go wrong.

Service unique flavor combination and names for a Mexican restaurant.
The prices were good and the staff was friendly and out going.
Knowledge was useful and the advice they gave was spot on for each of us.
Atmosphere was elegant with flare.

Made a reservation online and requested to sit on the patio. When we get here we were told you can’t reserve patio seating online and the empty tables outside already had people waiting for them. OK so my husband and I are seated next to a family with small children when the entire place was empty. Finally a table opened on the patio and we went to take it before other people walking in could. I got my Margarita and it was watery and did not taste like a marharita. I ordered the buritto Verde and it was absolutely horrible. My husband ordered a ham urge and said it was decent. Think twice before coming to this place.

I tried out Lucha again today, this time for lunch. I got the hippy burrito bowl to go, along with The Eleven salsa (I know – I went daring today!). The salsa was SO HOT; it made my tastebuds sing and my pores to detox!
The food… oh Lucha, I thought not having a rush during lunch might make the food more flavorful; sadly, it didn’t. Again, I was unimpressed. It was a mix of beans, cheese, and an assortment of vegetables (broccoli, peppers, etc). But I didn’t go in with any higher expectations, so no harm done.
One piece of advice is: even if it’s take out, don’t skimp on presentation. My meal looked like a bed of rice with some beans thrown on, and a SCOOP of vegetables in the middle. It looked like you didn’t even make the vegetables at that time; just had a heap that you scooped some out and plopped on top.

I have been here and few times and never had a bad experience. The salsas are delicious, the food is well done and the margaritas are on point. However, I have never felt it necessary to post a review until now. This review will speak specifically to the incredible experience using Lucha to cater an event.
Recently, my coworkers had a surprise birthday lunch for me and ordered from Lucha Cantina. Everything from start to finish, was wonderfully done. When the food was picked up, instead of having to lug everything to the car ourselves, someone was available to help bring carry it out for us.
Everything was conveniently packed into perfectly sized cardboard boxes– no having to worry that the aluminum container of black beans was going to splatter all of the backseat. Not only did the cardboard make it convenient for travel, it also served a purpose when it came time to eat. Each box had stamps of what product was in each container, inclusive of a brief description, if applicable. This order included the beef, chicken, & wahoo tacos– each label told the person what they should be expecting in that delightful package of deliciousness. We also got orders of beans, rice, four different salsas and guacamole.
The tacos were pre-​assembled and wrapped in foil packets. I feared that this would make the taco soggy and less tasty. I was wrong. The ingredients held up very well. Since the tacos didn’t have lettuce, they had a cabbage type of slaw, there was still crunch and texture. The flour tortillas were still in as good of shape as they would have been had we been eating there– they were almost like folded in half quesadillas when you opened the little foil packet (this is a good thing).
Last but not least, we also got the cinnamon donut holes. These are delicious. Always end every meal, from anywhere, with these. When you order them for dine in, they come with a delightful side of Nutella chocolate dipping sauce. Unfortunately, for our to-​go order, we did not receive any of the dipping sauce. I am unsure if this this is just not included with carryout orders or if this was an oversight on their part. This was disappointing purely because I know how delicious it is. However, everything else was so stellar, we chose not to call and complain because they knocked it out of the park in every other area of this order.
My office has placed many large carryout orders from many different places all over town. And every single person in attendance said that, hands down, this was the best food and overall experience we have had ordering out.
So, if you’re hosting an event and you want it to be no fuss and little mess, let the good folks at Lucha help you out. Enjoy :)

Oh Lucha. I think we need a little space. I am starting to see some red flags again. I thought we had worked thru them but…
I am sure it is about me as much as it is about you. Maybe we just aren’t a good match. Yes, your guacamole and salsas are delicious. You know, your sweet margaritas make me think of you when it has been too long. And your Cuban? I adore you.
But there are just a few things that are happening more often and I am not sure how I feel about that. The last few times we were together– my mouth made love to your tots while my ears feasted on what, I think, may have been 1990’s ZOK? But it isn’t just that. It was the volume.
Ok. Wait. Wait. Maybe I should back up. Before you brought my food, it took you over 10 minutes to ask me if I wanted a drink? Of course I did! And then needing to be reminded to offer silverware? And the weird look you gave me when j asked that the music be lowered a little? I just wanted to hear my lovely dining partner extoll the virtues of your liquid refreshments.
Oh Lucha. We had some good times, we did! Our first date, the fish taco’s, I will fondly recall as Rockford legend. I remember a bartender followed me out of the establishment to query me regarding the various oils I use upon my beard. And I remember discovering rock-​bot, and the Cuban, and a wonderful note from you that gently suggested I return to give your burrito a second chance.
But opening the blinds right next to our table while we are eating, and the subsequent jarring effect on our eyeballs? It went from a perfectly lit, albeit a touch loud, dining experience to feeling as if I was transported to a night club in Miami. Maybe that is a little dramatic– but love is that way, isn’t it?
Let’s just take some time off from each other. It isn’t like I am telling you we should go from 5 stars to 2. Nothing like that. Just that I need to figure out what is really important to me.
No matter what happens, Lucha? We will always have the awkward moment in the hall where we discussed beard care. I will never forget that. And I hope you don’t either.

This place is worth coming in from all over (Madison, Western Suburbs…) I can’t believe I just said that because I am probably going to make it busier.
I can’t believe an amazing place like this exists in Rockford (hey, I’m not hating on Rockford… but I am just saying I would expect a place like this in NYC). There is a sister restaurant in Colorado.
The philosophy is simple. fresh, locally-​sourced Mexican.
So it’s not Mexican, but more Tex-​Mex.
They make all of their salsa fresh everyday (my favorites are the Stop, Drop and Roll and the Matador. I love the habanero garlic but it’s spicy even for me and I can handle heat!). They have salsas that go from very mild and to very hot (made from the Ghost pepper– hottest pepper in the world). You can taste the freshness and they are truly scrumptiouss
Appetizers:
the monster nachos (can be a meal for 2 people or a light appetizer for 6) it has literally the kitchen sink in it. Kale on nachos? who would have thought it is BRILLIANT
the guacamole is outstanding– extremely addictive
the chips are fried in house (and never have the stale oil taste!)
chips and salsa (yes you have to pay– but you are getting TRUE QUALITY and it’s worth every penny!)
mains:
our favorite burrito (I like to get it with queso instead of the pork chile) and it’s so yummy (I am drooling now)
the wahoo fish tacos and quesidillas are great
the chicken and spinach enchiladas are also great (their verde sauce is amazing)
the hippychick quesdilla also great
the margaritas are all made in house (no artificial juices) and they make with REAL fruit
Really– you can’t go wrong ordering anything mexican
Reservations are recommended, and if you go and there is no seating in main restaurant then you can sit in the bar and get table service there.
Outdoor seating in warmer temperatures is great!!!
I wish they had their own authentic desserts (like churros and mexican hot chocolate or tres leche– if anyone can do it great– they can!)
MY FAVORITE PLACE IN ROCKFORD!!!