So, I come to Sarasota for 4 years after 20 years in Los Angeles and also living in northern Mexico during the 90's. (Gringo, but definitely into Mexican Culture and food) Sarasota has more misses than hits, but Kolucan is so far (and by far) the best Mexican food in Sarasota. It's a little off the beaten path for the tourists. I kept on driving by after its grand opening because I thought it might be overpriced. I am so happy that we stopped. Came in at 2pm on a Saturday and caught the end of brunch. Service was great, restaurant was half empty, and the food was amazing. So we came back the next Monday for my birthday. Had the Mole short rib and the Cochinita pibil. Their chips are fresh, salsa is layered and complex. Guac has acid and salt. And the food was prepared with local flavor and fine dining quality. Amazing restaurant, and one not to get lost among all the average Mexican places in Sarasota read more

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The food was great! Very authentic menu. The restaurant is clean and comfortable. We ordered the chips and salsa appetizer, 2 tacos and the Chciken Tinga tostados. The tres leches dessert was amazing- WOW. Sitting in a pop of espresso. Can't say no to a tres leches cake and this did not disappoint! Glad they were open on July, 4th! read more

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Recently tried Kolucan Mexican since we've never tried before. Wow, so good. Service was spectacular! Love the salsa and chips. There were 3 of us so we ordered the vegetarian nacho appetizer as an entree for my wife and we ordered the meal for 2 (can't remember the name) for 2 guys. It had Chicken, Steak, Shrimp, Sausage, Cactus, Onion, Beans, Rice, Cheese, Tortillas and salsa's. Very plentiful! Enough for 3 really. We took some home. Love that you can build your own taco with corn tortillas! The place was really beautiful, bathrooms clean, but not lots of people on Sunday night. It's nicer than other Mexican restaurants and a little pricier, but it was worth it. read more

Far exceeded expectations for lunch. Chicken sandwich was great with warm, soft ciabatta bread. French fries (not likely at Mexican restaurant) were possibly the best I've ever had in my entire life. Service is super. Good value. Atmosphere is pleasing and appreciated. Next time, I'll order pre-fix lunch menu. Thanks read more

So we had lunch here on Saturday and I feel good giving it 4 stars. The staff sat us quickly and they were welcoming. The ambiance was not bad maybe they could add a little more color or art, but overall nice and quaint. We ordered breakfast tacos, chicken enchiladas, chips and salsa, and a churro for dessert. The chips were home made and some of the best I've had, the enchiladas were delicious , the breakfast tacos were decent, the rice was simple and tasty, the beans were ok, the churro was warm and as good as they come. Overall it was a good experience and a little different than your everyday Mexican restaurant. We will return for a second try. Food 8.5 Ambiance 8.0 Service 8.5. read more

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Nice variety, have always been pleased. Service is excellent. Friendly and knowledgeable. Mexican music sets the mood along with lovely lighting. A must stop in the area. read more

Kolucan - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

The food was delicious!! Service was extremely attentive and pleasant. It was a beautiful night so we ate outside. So nice!! This is a definite stop if you are in the area! We will be back! Highly recommend! read more

Kolucan - Great food!! - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

We came to Kolucan for Valentine's dinner and could not be more impressed with our service and meal. We are so thankful to have made the reservations and have Juan as our amazing server! He is too notch! Not only was he pleasant and friendly, his description of the various items on the menu made us desire to try them and were so happy we did. When we return, we will request Juan as our server, as he made our experience even that much more enjoyable!! Juan is truly exceptional and we look forward to our next visit!! Muchas gracias!!!! read more

Kolucan - Educated Guess Sauvignon - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

This part-time local from California has finally tried Kolucan and it is fabulous - definitely the best I've had since living in Florida. I usually save all my Mexican treats or when I'm out west but now I know it's worth making the trip from LWR down to Gulfgate for Kolucan. Tried tortilla soup salad chicken Tinga to start us Carne Asada bowl and just like dessert and everything was perfect and the environment is pretty so happy. I found it here. Worth the ride. read more

You know that fresh juice is essential to good margaritas; I found the drinks lackluster. I was positively impressed by the food. I tried their Mexican style risotto (vegetarian). If you like the taste of yellow Mexican rice with black beans, you might enjoy this side dish. I don't know what dairy component they may have used while cooking the risotto, but the texture of it was very much like that which would result from simmering black beans for a longer time. Doing that would evaporate enough liquid out of it to reduce the black bean sauce to a thicker consistency. I really liked the churros dessert and the quality of the dipping sauces the dessert came with. The other place that I really like churros from is Rocco's Tacos. I'll be back to try the other vegan dishes. read more

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Food and service were great. Went for happy hour and sat at the bar. All apps and fresh squeezed limes for your margaritas.

Good spot! A little more fancy that we were expecting but we really enjoyed the outdoor seating area. Service was great and the margaritas were refreshing, it a little on the weak side. Guacamole is fine, queso dip was lacking flavor but the house salsa was amazing. Enjoyed the nachos as well. read more

Kolucan - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Delicious flavorful food! Service is good and kitchen fast. Seafood fresh and tasty. We went there twice in one week.

Such a great spot! The margaritas were super good--well-balanced and refreshing (highly recommend the cucumber spicy marg) and the food was delicious. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful. Overall a really enjoyable experience and a place I'd definitely come back to! read more

Kolucan - Enchiladas Divorciadas - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Sat at the bar with my home girl for brunch. Ordered the margarita flights, which was great, and tried their winning cocktail they served at the "Set the Bar!" event. The winning cocktail is absolutely amazing. A must try if you're there. Service was great. Our bartender was outgoing, personable, and patient. Great location and ambience. Great for any occasion. The tostada was a nice crunch with the tuna. It had a nice kick to it with the habenaro aioli. The risotto were our least favorite food item. Overall, everything else was okay. read more

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We had an amazing wine dinner this week. It was enjoyable it was delicious and informative.

Very good food and atmosphere. Had queso fundido and beef chili rellenos and a tasty margarita

The drinks are horrible. It's a ripoff. They give you a homemade juice but barely any liquor in them. The regular margarita is just like the happy hour margarita. The same. They have a homemade bottle of the margarita and it does taste good but it's not a good drink for the money. Now the restaurant is beautiful and the service is good but if they want to survive and get more customers they have to be honest and give you a good drink for your money. I only tried a small appetizer and it was good. Have not tried the restaurant food yet. Will not be going back the margaritas are like drinking sweet juice. This is my honest review. Hope they step up there game. They are also a little overpriced for the area. If you want good Mexican food or lessons on good margaritas go to El Toro has the best Mexican food and the margaritas are fabulous! read more

This place is amazing. Always fresh and delicious. Love Sunday Brunch! Birria is the best I ever had. Homemade Salsa and chips are awesome . Spanish home fries are beyond delicious. Service is great also. I can keep going but I'll stop here. read more

Mmmm.....Warmed thick chips, best salsa and Guacamole ...... our tacos were simply outstanding quality .... It's a cool place....nice polite service ....would like to their brunch menu next!! read more

Kolucan has some of the best food in Sarasota- everything is fresh and homemade-.from the chips and salsa to the main courses. Highly recommend! read more

We sat at the bar for HH today. Celeste makes great cocktails and is a very friendly bartender. The Cosmo and Abasolo Antiquo (Mexican old fashioned) were great. She is our favorite bartender and we love this place. The food is awesome. We will be back. read more

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AMAZING!!!! Very nice place! Friendly staff. The real deal food! Just like my visits to Juarez read more

Kolucan - Birria - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Great food & service. Will definitely be back! The passion fruit margarita was so good! read more

As a local resident of Siesta Key, we have frequented Kolucan many times. We made a reservation for dinner and the host, I believe to be a manager, proceeded to seat us at a small table for two. We explained that we prefer to sit next to each other due to a hearing impairment. There were several open tables for four that we said we would prefer. He wouldn't seat us there and only offered us the table next to the kitchen door! We watched the open tables that we preferred remain empty the entire evening. Needless to say, you lost us as a customer! read more

First and last time here. Service last Saturday night was painfully slow. I got the Enchiladas Divorciadas , flavorless and the chicken was super dry and over cooked. The worst Mexican food I've ever had to be honest. Super overpriced and terrible. read more

Bruce and I decided to try Kolucan ... even though he's the Italian expert and I think he humors me with Mexican food. As we all know who know actual Mexican food know - good MX food is difficult to come by in SW Florida and even taco trucks with Spanish-speaking owners aren't always reliable for simple dishes, as the tastes of "snowbirds" and others need to be catered-to. I'm giving Kolucan 4 stars instead of 5 not because of any major food problems but because I can tell it's a family-owned restaurant and considering the competition of the type and class their restaurant is aiming to be (like BRINE across the street, one of the most expensive seafood restaurants in Sarasota). Sarasota has a pretty sophisticated food scene and Kolucan in this landscape really is a 4-star with great potential for 5-stars. The family has obviously invested in adapting the interior from the prior Mediterranean restaurant to an upscale Mexican restaurant theme. I told Bruce, "They have quite a few dishes you'd find at a real Mexican restaurant for upscale customers in Mexico." Huitlacoche, nice meats (birria, carnitas, pastor). We need to compliment our bar server Johannes, who is an exceptional server and representative of the restaurant. 5-star or close dishes - house salad (delicious and fresh), chile (fricking hot lol the real McCoy, Bruce is like "that's habanero" and I said, tastes more like chile arbol to me) - on request and our neighbors got it too and I'm glad to say we ate more than them. Ceviche - mariscos - super good, would absolutely recommend, delicious, fresh, lots of shrimp, octopus, lobster. 4-star dishes - Cafe MX (sweet, good), red chilaquiles + carnitas - guys, the carnitas was WELL salted and this was tasty when mixed together but the meat on its own was too salty - I appreciate very much the careful way the tortillas were fried in the red chile sauce and the good crema/cotija on top but that salty meat was too (salty!) and the shrimp tacos - shrimp was overdone. Also ... if I can make better beans/rice than your restaurant ... well ... enough said, that's one of my judge criteria that being said ... There's so little good Mexican food in SW Florida and if we are to compare this restaurant to the one in downtown Sarasota, Kolucan is very much better! The environment is very nice, the service is good and you will get some actual Mexican flavors and dishes as distinct from ... we won't go there lol. By the way, I'm used to seeing stupid reviews from people from outside the area so check it out: pastor is made with pineapple, so that's why there was a pineapple on it. The chile I had was plenty fresh lol. Some people don't know what cooked salsa is either (we did not have salsa, I asked for chile and got it). I wish I had taken pictures - but left phone at home :( read more

Very authentic food! The flavors were to die for everything taste fresh. The ambience had a really good modern Mexican vibe. The old fashioned Mezcal was one of the best cocktails I've had! Service was also excellent. My new favorite Mexican restaurant read more

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What a fantastic addition to the Siesta Key food scene! Everything from the service and ambiance to the creative cocktails and excellent food -- bravo to Chef Gino and his crew for bringing this upscale Mexican cuisine to the area. Our waiter was considerate and knowledgeable; the drinks and the food came out fast (but not too fast! You want them to be spending time making things good, not fast food); and everything was absolutely delicious. Seasoned to perfection and presented beautifully. Do not miss checking this place out! The Frida cocktail lounge with a smaller menu is great too. A fun place to be. Our last night in Siesta Key we picked up tacos and salads to go and enjoyed another great meal in front of our last epic SK sunset on the beach. Perfection! read more

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Food is always good, service is great I would definitely recommend trying out brunch here as well!

First time visiting this place and it did not disappoint. Service was great we sat at the bar and Angel gave us some great food recommendations and made some great drinks. I specially liked a smoked spicy tequila he's famous for. The appetizers were delicious chicharrón is great and food overall very tasteful I will definitely be back read more

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Fantastic dinner with friend and family! Everyone loved their dinner. Excellent scallops, as well as the shrimp dish and pork dishes. Our server, Grecia was probably one of the best servers we have experienced at any restaurant in a very long time. Completely knowledgeable about all the food, made excellent suggestions and very friendly and fun! Highly recommend for anyone wanting good upscale Mexican cuisine. read more

When you feel like elevated mexican food this spot is a great option for a date or for group. The menu has vegetarian and vegan options to accommodate a variety of diners. The service is very friendly and quick. Their covered patio was spacious for our big furkid. read more

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Was back today for lunch with my friend who hasn't been there yet. She loved just as I had expected. read more

Kolucan - Assortment of HH dishes and cocktails - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

While we had good service the prices are too high and food just ok. I ordered steak fajitas - 28.95. Had 5 strips of meat with 4 cold blue corn tortillas and a ton of sweet peppers. Charged $5 for chips and a bland salsa with no kick and to top it off ordered rum and coke. Asked if I wanted Diet Coke and I said regular. Bill showed a charges for the 2 I had had addition of $4 as they use "Mexican coke" Won't be back read more

Kolucan - 5 pieces of meat!!!???!!! - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Everything exceeded our expectations! From the moment we walked in we were greeted by friendly hostess and our waiter was superb! Ordered a margarita with top shelf tequila and it was what a tequila should taste like! Our dishes were fresh and delicious, quality of ingredients are better than most. What I loved most is that dishes were not overdone with cumin allowing other flavors to come through each without competing with watch other. Food took a little time which should be expected when food is fresh. Definitely a place to sit down, talk and enjoy good company. This is where you bring people you actually like. Good job Kolucan! read more

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The food was very bland. Ordered the salsa and it was not fresh. The Al pastor taco had a piece of pineapple on it, very sad. Service was fair. Ambience was the best part of my visit. read more

Best guac I ever had. It had tons of flavor and covered in crispy pork belly. I ended up getting the cochintas pibil and the family got the enchiladas. They said it was delicious. The service was very good and the restaurant was very fun amd cool. read more

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Food And don't charge for chips salsa, more salsa! Food very average for 2 guys from Mexico - read more

Our friend found this restaurant and we had a superb meal last night. I had the Cochinita Pibil which was a slow cooked Yucatán style pork shoulder. Seasoning was just a knockout. Our friend had the whole snapper which he loved. My wife got the Camarones Al Ajillo which was a garlic shrimp over rice dish that she loved as well. I tasted some of the rice and the sauce was stellar. This was a great find and we will definitely be back. read more

Kolucan - Yucatán style pork shoulder, whole snapper and a terrific shrimp dish - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida