One of the best places in Clayton to have a meal of your choice. Family atmosphere, workers are very kind, food and drinks are excellent. Great place to have a gathering. read more

Came here with my family of 5. Handicap parking is near the patio and front door so entering was a breeze. There's ample spots in the parking lot as well. We were seated right away and given the delicious salsa with chips. This is like the other La Cocina locations, very relaxed environment, family friendly. I ordered quesabirria and it was good! The consomé was lacking some flavor but overall the dish was good. Our waiter was very attentive and the food came out fast. read more

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Food was extremely salty. So much so that I couldn't finish my meal. Aside from the salt, there was no flavor to the food. The food was bland. The highlight of the meal was the queso I got for my chips. My server popped in before my butt hit the seat and took my drink order, was gone for less than 2 minutes and came back to ask if I was ready. I asked for more time and I didn't see her for 10 minutes. I ordered and never saw her again until I was ready to leave which was about 30 minutes. I needed water because of how salty the food was but she never returned. I will not be returning. read more

The food was not good. It's not authentic Mexican food. Has no flavor and quite expensive for the bland food. I would not go here again. The service was okay. read more

Service is always excellent even when they're busy, food is really good and quickly served. Establishment looks and feels clean. It's always a good experience!! My family and I have been going here for years! Manager Benjamin is always friendly towards everyone and is on top of everything, making sure everyone has a great experience. Staff and customer service is 10/10. read more

Cooked to perfection, great taste and a wonderful staff all make for a amazing time!!!

Loveeeeeee La Cocina. Only reason I am not giving a full five stars is because sometimes the wait is a bit much, but hey, that's just a sign that so many people want to eat there!! Also it is a tad noisy and chaotic, but in my opinion it adds to the charm. Food is always so good. I'm a creature of habit and whenever I eat there get the tacos de carnitas with their house hot sauce and salsa verde. The tacos are consistently amazing every. single. time. They also come with rice and beans and will you give extra tortillas for free most of the time. Good amount of food and good quality food for the price. The staff is pretty nice and accommodating, so if you want to leave something out of a meal or add something on or replace something with something else they never have had an issue with it for me and my bf! read more

Service here is fantastic! I forgot a copy of my receipt for work, and Karla found a copy for me the next day by sifting through the stack of merchant copies. Thank you!! read more

Great food, service, and tastefully decorated for Halloween! we'll definitely be back, not sure what all these negative reviews were about because this definitely was a good experience. read more

La Cocina - Fajitas (Chicken/Beef/Shrimp) - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

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Been a few moons since I updated but here we go again, I love this place and for the life of me I do not see where the negative reviews are coming from. I always have great service, but then again I have a fixed order here, do not even need to see the menu and also suggest this choice for anyone, the absolute best item on the menu. The Quesadilla La Cocina, only one, but if you are a glutton or just want to take one home order two. Again, especially if on off hours it will not disappoint, a full Mexican style quesadilla with the works, steak, shrimp, and chicken, with a side of lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. Add a "Draft" 22 oz frosted mug of Modelo Especial and winner winner Quesadilla dinner!!! Rock on! read more

La Cocina - The Especial! - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Food was absolutely amazing the portion size was so big ! Very friendly staff everyone seemed very happy To be there staff and customers . It's just seems like the place to be especially on the weekend . And our server was so nice and very attentive . The drinks ( alcoholic) were so good and definitely not watered down like a lot of places. Their frozen margaritas are everything ! I will definitely be returning . read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Absolutely love this spot, they never disappoint. Best Mexican restaurant in Clayton. The customer service is always amazing, the drinks are excellent, and the food is delicious. I recommend the quesadilla la cocina and the frozen guava or strawberry margarita's. read more

Read the mixed reviews before coming, figured I'd give it a chance. It's great. Very clean, friendly staff. Full bar, wife enjoyed long island ice tea and i enjoyed Pacifico on draft. Served quickly, and even on a Monday afternoon had a fairly busy parking lot and dining room. I ordered carnitas roqueta and its delicious. Idk why theres many reviews saying extremely hot salsa, i didnt find that to be the case. imo was perfect, could even be hotter but certainly was neither too mild nor too caliente. Queso is also good as well as dessert choices. Check it out! read more

La Cocina - Queso, salsa, burrito la roqueta carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

I might've caught them on an "off day" but my experience was barely a 3 star. The bar area was packed, no one was wearing masks and you couldn't avoid passing the crowd when walking to a table or going to the restroom. That seemed to be the norm in North Carolina though. I ordered the beef chimichangas. I requested my red sauce and sour cream on the side. Neither request was granted. The burritos were more like taquitos, small, rolled up, and crunchy. They were drenched in red sauce and no sour cream on the side. I definitely wouldn't recommend the chimichangas, even if the special requests were granted. The chips and salsa was somewhat my saving grace. Oh, and the watermelon margarita. read more

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Met some friends here for dinner bc Mezcalita was being remodeled. First thing, they took us all the way to the back room and back table--no idea why, as there were other empty tables in the two front rooms that would accommodate 5 people. This proved to be the worst part, as they had two huge parties back there full of screaming kids. Obviously they could have asked us or told us, but they didn't. Second, the waitress was not knowledgeable about the drinks, and could not tell my friends what was in the sangrias. The food was not good, plain and simple. I am not a fan of red sauce, which is what they put on their enchiladas and several other dishes (the waitress said they didn't have verdes?? She might not have known). So I tried a chicken mole. Terrible idea. I've had it at other restaurants and it's delicious, but here, it's just grilled chicken covered in a dark brown mushy, burnt sauce. My plate looked disgusting. I ate two bites and gave up. My friends' dishes (chimichangas, grilled chicken quesadillas, grilled chicken taco salad) looked fairly unappetizing as well. Maybe that's why their alcoholic beverages are so large: to hide the taste of the food? I wasn't drinking, however. When the waitress finally returned, she asked if I needed a box because it was obvious I didn't eat it. I told her the food was not good and she just took my plate--no response about the quality and no offer to fix it. I wouldn't bother returning here or to any other of their locations, as there are plenty of Mexican restaurants to choose from, including Las Salsas downtown. The prices were also high for food that isn't good. read more

This review is for a take out order we placed. It was easy to call and place order. The food was ready when we arrived. The quality of the food was a miss this time but our order was correct. The margaritas are a favorite but BEWARE if you take advantage of the to go bar service. We ordered 2 frozen strawberry margaritas. However, the person taking the order did not inform us that they only offer one size...32oz and $21 each. Had we know this we'd only have ordered one to share. They wouldn't take one off the order because it had already been made which is understandable. Purchasing 2 drinks for $42 was not something we expected but lesson learned. At least it was packaged well and can be stored in the freezer for another night. read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

WTH? Over an hour wait, only to get someone else's order? ... and we paid a PREMIUM for this crap. My mom could not eat her dinner tonight thanks to you guys; we had to get something else for her. Thanks. Cannot recommend. read more

This place is our favorite Mexican restaurant in town. They consistently provide you with not only wonderful food but a friendly, fun atmosphere as well. read more

This is one extremely large Mexican restaurant and with it being the newest in Clayton, I was hoping for something impressive. I was a bit shocked as to how busy this restaurant was and expecting a wait for a table upon walking in, but fortunately for us they still had another room with plenty of seating tucked away in the back. The chips and salsa are always something I often look forward to at a Mexican restaurant, unfortunately they also served the same mediocre brand as the majority of other Mexican restaurants. I was, however, more than willing to enjoy a second serving while perusing through the overwhelmingly large menu. Based on the fact my indecisiveness started to get the better of me, I ordered the chicken fajitas and spinach quesadilla. While we waited for the entrees to arrive, we absorbed ambiance of the bustling dining room, mostly containing large groups and families, it felt much like a busy airport. The entrees arrived quicker than I expected, the fajitas served with the typical vegetables and fixings, everything looked quite good. Although the menu selection indicated they came with cheese, the waitress insisted otherwise, so I had to order a side of shredded cheese. The fajitas were quite filling, but the blandness of the chicken and fixings combined with the fact they only served two tortillas was quite disappointing overall. I was even more disappointed with the spinach quesadilla, I could not believe how much spinach they stuffed into this quesadilla! Once I shoveled much of the spinach out of the equation and added some sour cream, it became edible, but not something I would ever recommend to anyone else. I think the price point for this restaurant was reasonable based on the fact you will have plenty to eat, but in terms of quality I would say it is high. Cheers! read more

Great food. Great and fast service. Fantastic prices. My family and I enjoy this restaurant regularly during the week.

POSITIVE: The Guacamole was BOMB, the prices were excellent, the atmosphere was modern and clean, the waitress was SUPER sweet and everything came out on time! NEGATIVE: The salsa was INCREDIBLY spicy, and I love hot stuff. It made my mouth burn during the entire dinner. The real reason for the 2 stars, the food was TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERIBBLE. We got the ACP and Taco Salad. The ACP had BOILED chicken and was hands down the worst I have ever eaten at a restaurant. My wife's wasn't much better with her taco salad coming out soupy and mushy. She wasn't able to get more than 5 bites in. We won't go back, but we were REALLY hoping this would be good because it's right down the street from us! Would not recommend ‍ read more

La Cocina - My beautiful wife before she realized how terrible the food was lol - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

This is my favorite Mexican Restaurant. Being to the new Location a few times for lunch and dinner. I had the Tilapia entree for lunch and it was really fresh and tasty. If you want WOW service this is the place because even if you have a server helping you all the severs that pass by your table ask you if everything is ok The bar is fully loaded with different tequilas and beer. I tried the Patron Margarita and love it Restaurant is very clean and decorated Lots of parking Really recommend La cocina read more

La Cocina - Lunch - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

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I'm really not sure why this place isn't a 5 star place. This is my second time being here and the service is outstanding and the food has been great. I'm not sure if you are a weirdo like me but I LOVE some great HOT salsa that every Mexican restaurant hides within. Javier has worked here for 15 years for this establishment and loves the atmosphere besides wearing the mask. I would highly recommend this place and don't forget to try the hot salsa read more

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The Staff is remarkable. The prices are very reasonable. The customers are delighted to be there. The FOOD is so good. The first responders eat here. When they get a little break. Renaldo knows customer service. Ask for him. If you CRAVE really nice Mexican food then don't fuss get on the bus and get here. CH read more

Great tasting food, but the hygiene needs work. As well as their customer service. I had ordered take out this time, and they had hair in my food. When I called to speak with them it was "No we don't have anyone working with long black hair, and we don't have any other complaints about this." I wasn't asking for a free meal. I didn't ask for a refund.. I just wanted an apology. I wouldn't never waste my time and lie about hair in my food. I never got one to say the least and I was hung up on. We used to eat here frequently, but that will change. read more

La Cocina - This is my now fiancé, about to enjoy his delicious food at La Concina. - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Service and atmosphere is nice but the food is sub par. I usually get chicken. I've had ACP, chicken quesadilla, chicken tacos, and it's always the same. Chicken is very dry and no flavor. Next time I'll try beef but no more chicken for me. read more

You order take out, get home and find the order is not what you ordered. Taking it back takes time and ruins everyone's meal, so not really an option. I am gluten sensitive and ordered soft tacos with corn tortillas. The man who took my order repeated it back to me twice. I get home, my husband's order is correct but I got tacos made with flour tortillas. So I ate half my meal, throwing the tortillas out. Not at all happy. read more

Ordered takeout and got all the way home to see my order was wrong. My husband had to take an additional drive back to get the correct items. The owner Ben came out to address that he doesn't like when his employees are upset as they accused me of being rude! I was not rude at all. Definitely could have been some misinterpretation as when I called someone was translating what I was saying. I had a English and Spanish speaker on the call. Will not return simply off the approach the owner took! Wasted money and food as I do not trust what was done to the food at this point! read more

We are from Virginia and we're in the area attending a funeral and ate here due to recommendations of a local. The food and service was very good. The restaurant was very clean and nicely decorated. This is certainly a return visit even though only ranked 3 stars on Yelp. read more

This location just established and we were curious! So, curiosity killed the Cato! The place smelled like clean solution and bleach. Menus were difficult to read. No daily specials. I ordered the Carne con Camerones. Ick! Not a lot of flavor. Ordered a Margarita. All mix no Jose. Bitter and sour! Ice was crunchy. Had them take it back! Lots of kids! So, no a place for a special adult date night. Entering and leaving the place wasn't that easy! So, won't be returning! read more

We went last Friday for my graduation dinner, we were originally a party of 9 and quoted 25 min. After 30 minutes we went to check on our table and they told us we they had called us twice and gave our table up. We had no in coming calls from them in our call list. We waited another 25 minutes until they sat us again; only because our party dropped to 7 and they squeezed us into a booth for 6. Our server, Eduardo appeared to be very busy and in a rush. We were extremely understanding because it was extremely busy and he had been sat with a 10 top a few moments after we were sat. We waited like 35 minutes or so for our food to come out. We noticed the party of 10 got their food before ours and it wasn't until eduardo asked if our food had come out and ran worried to the back that it came out. One of the ladies who ran our food said the kitchen "lost the ticket". Our side of fries where cold and had to be sent back and the shrimp wasn't to appealing. I don't think the managers/hostess should be seating their servers that often if they can't handle it. read more

La Cocina - ACC ...the shrimp... - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

This is Clayton's newest and largest Mexican restaurant. I have eaten here several times and gotten different meals each time and the food is always good. Chips and salsa are brought to the table as soon as you sit down. Service is very fast - both taking your order and bringing your food. The menu is fairly extensive and offers all of the expected Mexican food options. They also have a kids menu and several types of dessert. They have a separate bar area with a wide selection of drinks. There is a lot of seating - both booth and table options and plenty of parking. I will continue to eat here and to recommend to others! read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

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Slow to take my drink order. I timed it since last time it took so long. Today, after being seated and given the salsa, chips, it was 2 minutes 55 seconds before greeted by server who took both my drink order and lunch order. Then tea was delivered (ordered with lemon came without lemon). Once I reminded the server you can see the lemon that was served. Ordered a quesadilla with cheese onions and mushrooms. Asked for it to be grilled well done. Picture shows results. The good news was the quesadilla was as I ordered it and very tasty. The retried beans were not hot and had to be returned. And for some reason they were very thin today. Maybe too much water. Tasted OK just drippy. Iced tea was very tasty and welcome on this very hot day. Overall not a bad lunch. I'll likely be returning and hope my next visit goes a little better. read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

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We love this place! The service is always excellent and the food is top notch. I wouldn't say it's authentic Mexican, but it's still really good. The atmosphere is nice; brand new building. The chips and salsa are always warm and very tasty. read more

My wife and i ordered a steak and chicken Enchilada, and i had Chile Relleno. The Chile Relleno was just ground beef in an Orange Grease been under a slice of Pepper. Both the Enchiladas, including the chicken were greasy. Never got a refill on water either, and this spot is ususally better. read more

We have been eating at La Cocina for over 10 years. Always reliably good Mexican food. I particularly love the margaritas and all of those hot tortilla chips. We're really looking forward to the new location opening in Clayton! La Cocina always service hot and delicious Mexican food quickly and with a smile. La Cocina also does a great job with consistency, they have several locations and they are all great! P.S. - I'm really looking forward to my next visit, especially since that guy Don won't be showing up. read more

I can never go wrong with a frozen Texas Margarita and good company. I have been coming to La Cocina since 2008 at their first Clayton location. The original waiters know me and know what I like. They never played music and I got them started. I enjoy coming here very much. Today I will be ordering the Coctel Campecho which is a ceviche made with shrimp, oysters and squid. I always fix it to my liking with their pico de gallo, lime and hot sauce. read more

La Cocina - Texas Margarita, chips and salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

I've tried this place three times and three times I've felt nauseated and had diarrhea. The chips were terrible and bland. The salsa was too spicy to eat. The taquitos were awful. Sorry, but the food just isn't good. We kept smelling cleaning solution. Also, as we were walking into the restaurant, we had to walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke. They should ban smoking on the premises. We were seated at a dirty table and before we could fully sit down, a waiter brought chips and salsa, to our dirty table. I had to ask him to clean out before placing the chips and salsa on the table. I won't go back after three times of having an upset stomach. read more

Waiter could not not have been less interested. No greeting, just "order" was our instruction as he approached our table. Enchiladas were a cold wrap of spinach or beef, unseasoned, with a sad type of ketchupy watered dressing and nothing else. The quesadilla with shrimp had shrimp & cheese, no seasoning and a sorry state of bland. Rice & beans barely warm, no seasoning, barely edible. Tacos of beef & shrimp were disgusting. Margheritas were almost drinkable. Never again. Ever. The lack of attention by the staff was amazing. How this place ever rated a 3 star shows you how much clayton is missing. Just go to Raleigh for anything edible. Ugh. read more

So disappointed. Cheese dip is runny like they tried to add more milk to stretch it. Watered diwn and pitcher full of ice margarita. This place used to be a favorite. I won't likely be back. Quality has definitely declined. read more