This continues to be one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. I love that it's in an old wooden house and I can't stay away from the menu. Few places serve huitlacoche (corn fungus) so I'm always eager to have it here. The mahi mahi a la plancha was just right. My downfall here is that the portions are rather large so my stomach tells me I've had enough -- it's time to leave -- when I really want to try something else on the menu. Oh, well, next time. read more

Licha's Cantina - Mahi mahi a la plancha: seared mahi mahi, pozole broth, hominy, rice, radish, avocado, Napa cabbage - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Best Mexican I've had in Austin so far after living here for 2.5 years! Very authentic, good service and overall vibe. The outdoor seating was nice for a spring evening and food and drinks came out quick. Will definitely be back! read more

Licha's Cantina - Margarita - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

LOVE! The food was so authentic and so good!! The red snapper was our fav, I enjoyed the fish and shrimp tacos too! Had a hard time and some miscommunications with the hostess as a walk in, probably best to make a reservation during covid. Still 5 stars because it was a great vibe and great food. read more

Licha's Cantina - Pescado y camarones tacos - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

My husband and I came here to meet up with some other Yelp friends on a Friday afternoon. We weren't hungry at the time so my husband and I ordered drinks while everyone else enjoyed some food and drinks. The food did look really good and I hope to come back in the future. I saw that the menu had gluten free options which would suit one of my food sensitivity. Based on the menu it appears I would have no problem getting my dairy-free accommodations too. Note that Licha's Cantina has $5 happy hour for food and drinks. They make an excellent spicy drink called the Vampiro. This drink has fresh jalapenos in it to give it an extra kick. Score!! My husband enjoyed a few margaritas and said they tasted fresh. read more

Possibly some of the best food I've ever had. I went with a party of 10 and not even kidding, everyone ordered something different and equally delicious. I plan on returning immediately. We highly recommend the Birria Tacos and the Tocinada, they were to die for. read more

Stopped by for a HH soiree with a few friends. Pro tip: get here early as the footprint is pretty intimate (small). This is one of the best deals in town when it comes to HH Apps and drinks. I tried a couple of their spicy tequila drinks and they are indeed spicy. Want to spice it up more just ask. We tried a number of their Apps and all were great. We did love their small corn tortillas. Servers are busy but attentive and will take the time to explain their craft drinks and the menu. Great way to start of the evening and yes Licha's is in my HH rotation! Solid 4-4.5 stars. read more

Let's face it. Licha's is all potential. Great location and a cute overall setting. And yet, it falls SO short. Food is terrible. And I mean as a function of how much they have increased the prices. $10 for rice and beans? But ultimately the food leaves a lot to be desired. You would think that knowing what a great location in such a growing city they have, they would actually attempt to improve their product, and yet, they don't care. Service is good, people are nice, but eat before you go and stick with a drink and the chips and salsa. Seriously, do NOT eat here. read more

I was here on business, therefore, I parked my rental car across the street from the restaurant. The street parking meter cost me $4. This was my first time here. I was here with five of my business associates for dinner. One of them recommended this place and I am glad she did. It was great. We did not have a dinner reservation, therefore, I enjoyed my spicy margarita at the bar as we waited for our table to become available. We were seated within 10 minutes after our arrival. The restaurant is quite large with a huge eating area in the rear, which is sealed off from the elements. Our young yet knowledgeable server was excellent. She recommended their red snapper, which was one of my best red snapper dinners in a long time. At the end the girls wanted to try some dessert so they ordered their three most popular desserts including a chocolate cake, flan and another item. I did not share in the three desserts. At the end we divided and shared our cost including gratuities, which turned out to be $44 each. I will definitely return here for dinner, margaritas and more red snapper. read more

See all

This definitely is a restaurant that can give you many different experiences, but not consistent. The one thing I love about this place is that they have so many authentic Mexican dishes! Huitlacoche, Flour de Jamaica and Esquites made me happy to see on the menu. The chips were on the better end of Austin's app chip scene and their two salsas were fantastic. One green and one Smokey. The Arroz con Huitlacoche Appetizer was good and a great dish to try what Huitlacoche tastes like for picky eaters. The entries were not as impressing as the majority of the dishes on the table said it was a tad bland or needed more spice. That being said, if you get a flavorful dish you should be in the clear. I liked Licha's a lot, the aesthetic vibes and ambiance were all right. I just was ready for more. read more

See all

In East Austin wanted to try this restaurant. It's in a house. Parking is a bit of a challenge just need to drive and find a spot. It's paid parking- plenty of pay stations. Starting with a pitcher of house margaritas- yep this works. Ordered some guacamole- nice taste. Chips come with a green and red sauce. Excellent. We ordered a number of different meals. The Chile Relleno an excellent pablano pepper was very interesting had black beans pumpkin seeds cheese not battered and fried- it's served with a steak knife sticking out of the pepper. Very tender excellent taste. The mahi mahi shrimp tacos were very interesting. We also had the mahi mahi plate. - excellent. The strip steak was also excellent. So the five of us felt the dish we all would order again was the red snapper with its great charred skin. It's a 5 star meal. The Huachinango Tikin Xio Red Snapper Our server Daniel took excellent care of us he has been with the owner since the beginning. He explained they are serving meals from central Mexico (around Mexico City - and seafood that you would find along the coast in southern Mexico). Was my wife's birthday we had a special treat - flan complete with a candle. Clean bathrooms - fun atmosphere- great food. When in Austin come to the east side. read more

See all

Great place on East 6th! Food was tasty, Paloma was delicious, and the ambiance was great :) I will definitely be back read more

Licha's Cantina - Alambre Grass fed flank steak marinated in chimichurri, bacon, queso asadero, onions & peppers! Absolutely delicious - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Such a great spot. Converted home to restaurant is so cozy. We prefer sitting at the little bar. Always great!

One of the top choices for East Austin Mexican eateries with great margaritas. The first time I ended up here was when my friend and I were out on the town in East Austin and direly searching for a place to eat before indulging in some libations. We were informed by the host that although they were completely full if we wanted a table, there were a few spots at the bar if we didn't mind eating there. To be honest, I thought the ambiance of the bar was kind of nice if you don't mind being shoulder to shoulder with some fellow diners. You can also dine outside either in the "front yard" area or the back where there is another bar area as well. I've tried several different types of tacos here as well as the chicken mole and all were very delicious. The place has a sort of hole-in-the-wall vibe to it, so its all very casual. The drinks here are all very tasty and if you like spicy food/drinks, you really can't leave without trying the spicy margaritas. Perhaps one of the best features of this cantina is its location: located in the heart of East 6th (not dirty 6th; further to the east of the 35), you have plenty of other bars in the area if you plan to make it a night on the town afterward. read more

This was my second time to dine here while visiting Austin. The food is incredibly authentic and made with such care. I left with a full belly! I definitely plan to return on my next trip to Austin. The customer service was exceptional for a busy Friday night. read more

See all

Great for happy hour! The HH food still has large portions and is filling enough - I recommend the quesadillas! Good vibes and good food! read more

Enjoyed and likely to return. Ordered a picture of margarita for the table and beer. Chicken mole was good, but after tasting my friend's redfish tacos and spouses beef tacos served on small sizzling platters I'm ready to try those next time! Thankful they had water misting fans so our evening outside seating was quite comfortable even during our 103 highs that day. Easy pay street parking around the corner. read more

The wife and I were on the hunt for really good Tex-Mex like we grew up with. Gooey, giant hot plates with lots of cheese, beans, and rice. Not really what most places in Austin Downtown are offering. The foodie culture has eliminated the "mexican greasy spoon" and everything has some kind of fancy crap gilding the lilly tacos with feta and rose hips. Licha's is not exactly what we were looking for, but instead actually took us on a journey to the flavors actually found in Mexico, not filtered through the lenses of Gourmet magazine, Bon Apetite, Hemispheres, or any other foodie guide to cuisine. We had some fantastic green carnitas enchiladas and a fantastic huarache made from marrow and fresh spices. The last time I had these flavors was Mexico city. Awesome drinks and fantastic staff and vibe. Can't say enough about how cool and acommodating the bar staff and hostess were. Thank you, coming back next time I'm in Austin! read more

Pretty decent happy hour. I got a Bonita and a pork quesadilla. The quesadilla was phenomenal. The pork with bacon was just sublime and it had a ton of cheese too (great value for $5). The drink was real sweet (but not overpowering). Just really refreshing on a sunny afternoon. Check it out! Pretty cool stuff like a bone marrow flat bread (which wasn't too bad either). read more

See all

Good hangover food. I didn't have one but this thought came to mind as I scarfed down my barbacoa tacos. I liked the corn appetizer and the margarita. The ceviche was not great. We had to keep flagging down people for service and I'm SO tired of viewing menus from my phone. Nothing special but not a bad option. read more

Love this cute lil spot ! Gorgeous scenery, friendly staff, big menu, reasonable prices, yummy/strong cocktails, and an absolute blessing to the neighborhood read more

Licha's Cantina - Pollo Con Molé ! This dish is phenomenally balanced with sweet and salt ! Bless ! I will be back for more molé ! - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

I looooove Licha's Cantina! Their happy hour is east side perfection! I've been going for years. I always order the sopecitos and quesadillas. Everything always tastes bomb! Except this last time I was there... the sopecito de tinga tasted way off. The waitress noted that I hadn't taken more than a bite from the sope, so I told her that it just did not taste good at all. She apologized and took it off our bill, which I appreciated (thank you!). No biggie, maybe was just an off day. I always support Licha's - definitely an Eastside must! read more

Licha's Cantina - Sopecitos - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

La Licha a very hipster cool place, the ambiance can be chill or romantic. The food was unusual, it was very good, but not what I expected as I was looking up Mexican food. It is Mexican food, but I would say it's possibly southern Mexican, more Spanish or even native Mexican Indian vs Mexican. The servers were not very knowledgeable, I ordered the chimichurri steak and asked the waitress if it was a skirt steak and she said yes, when it came it was a New York strip. They're not experts at preparing steak either, just putting that out there. But the queso is the best I've ever had in my life, it is different than Tex-Mex queso, it is authentic melted real cheese and its amazing. Down a star for the steak and the misinformation, but otherwise an excellent place to eat. read more

Yes! Now I know why this place is always packed when I pass by. My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to stop in right when they opened one Saturday afternoon and we were blown away! The house margaritas tasted fresh and delicious, the food was amazing. The tacos come fajita-style on a skillet with all the fixins and you build it yourself. I have recommended this place multiple times to other people. Fun atmosphere but not crazy, and a great happy hour as well. read more

I went with a group of my colleagues based on one of their recommendations. I was not disappointed. Family owned and operated in a historic house that's over 100 years old. I don't think there was one thing on the menu that didn't appeal to me. I had the red snapper dish with potatoes and cacti. WOW I'm not sure if they call the ground beef with the potatoes picadillo but that's what I call it. Coming from Florida, I'm critical of fish dishes. It definitely lived up to my high standards. We were short on time so I had to take my appetizer with me, pulpo. It knocked my socks off. Cooked to perfection. Gracias. La comida fue rico read more

An old but cute little place. However, it was hot and humid inside. The drinks weren't great and the food was just okay. I can't put quite into words about the food and the taste of it, but it is definitely not Tex-Mex, it just had a funny flavor to it. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this place. read more

See all

This place has great vibes and really tasty food. Great happy hour! Service is ok. My only gripe is that it's super hot. You can either sit inside without AC with doors and windows to the outside being open or outside with fans/misters/shade. I'd love to see true indoor air conditioned seating options for summer (and heated for winter lol). It was hard to enjoy the meal due to the heat in the summer! Also reservations don't allow specification for indoor or outdoor. read more

Licha's is the kind of place that I really expected to love. It was a shame that the food and service missed the mark because I do love the ambiance and decor. I am a sucker for patio dining when the weather is just right and I feel the patio at Licha's is perfect for that. We started with the queso fundido chorizo. I like to think of myself as a "queso fundido connoisseur" and theirs was way too greasy. I was worried if this being the case when ordering and asked the waiter if I could order it without chorizo and he suggested I order the mushroom one instead. I am allergic to mushrooms so had to stick with the chorizo one and it sure was a miss. We also ordered the quesadilla tocinada pastor, the bone marrow huarache and the lengua sopecitos. My favorite item was the sopecitos. The lengua was tender and the guajillo salsa paired perfectly with the beef. The huarache was very different to anything I've ever tasted before especially because of the Parmesan cheese but it was pretty good. The overall theme was greasy food. Maybe I just ordered the wrong dishes, but they all just felt heavy. I ordered a Margarita on the rocks and it was bland so I ended up ordering a bucket of Coronitas instead. With so many cute patios to choose from in Austin, I doubt I'll be giving Licha's another chance. read more

See all

Went for my birthday. Food was deplorable, and they made us wait over an hour for a table that was available the entire time we were waiting. And no, they were not too busy, there was plenty of staff to attend us. read more

This place is a MUST try! We got the goat Barbados Birria tacos, the enchiladas and the chorizo queso. They taste like they are made with love and the staff are very helpful and nice. We also got a pitcher of the margarita and it was definitely a crowd pleaser. read more

See all

ONE OF THE BEST HAPPY HOURS IN AUSTIN! The happy hour portions are still big and only $5 each! My group ordered all the food on the happy hour menu and nothing disappointed. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hungry? Come here. Want Mexican? Come here. Want something really good? Come here. Craving something different from your typical south of the border fare? Come here. I may have embarrassed myself ordering and gotten my feelings hurt when the person who had to listen to me repeated it back flawlessly but it was worth it. The ceviche is the best I've ever had. The esquite was like elote not on the cob which makes it just as tasty but way less of a hassle to eat. I'd never even heard of Huaraches before coming here but the mole con Pollo was bomb. Only hiccup was my mom ordered pibil de pescado y camaron without bacon and when we got home to eat our carry out order we discovered they had added it anyway. 10/10 would recommend coming here though the parking nearby completely sucks so bring your patience and parallel parking skills. read more

My friend is a local and said this place is usually better. The ambiance is super cute and the vibe is fun if you sot outside but the service and the flavors were meh. Our server ignored our questions, forgot to bring the drink we ordered and then acted frustrated when we asked about our food after waiting over an hour. The vegetarian "salad" was bland and disgusting honestly. We ordered the mushroom huarache which was also meh. I guess it filled me up but it wasn't memorable. For the price point the food just doesn't measure up. There are so many other spots nearby, I'd pass on this one. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

See all

Service was great. Food was good too. The portions were massive. Would definitely share a plate next time. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Authentic food, quick service, and overall great vibes. Would recommend for a nice dinner spot.

Great happy hour spot! The drink and apps prices are great. The food is good, but different. It has a sort of healthy, hipster vibe. I prefer a classic taqueria, which is not this place, but it's good for what it is! read more

Licha's never disappoints! It's one of our favorite places to eat in Austin. It's not fancy, but the food and drinks are consistently great. The margaritas are cheap and generous with the tequila. The esquite is a dream, and the salsas are always fresh and delicious! Most recently, we went last Saturday night and had a Blast. We got the brisket tacos and cochinita pibil entrees, and everything was perfectly seasoned and fresh. The tortillas are homemade as well! Also, their space is super cool--it's an old house that's basically been repurposed as a restaurant, with tables in the front and backyards as well as the inside itself. Whether you're just visiting Austin or live here, you really need to try this place! read more

I've only been here twice but if you're looking for yummy Mexican fusion, this place has a very cool menu and plenty of unique and delicious options. I like the atmosphere here a lot, the inside is especially cool with dim lighting and cool interior decorating. The service here isn't always perfect but the people are very friendly and easy going and it's a great place to grab a drink and spend some time with friends. read more

Licha's Cantina - Bars Near Me - Austin, Texas

Tried this place from a recommendation. Never ate there before and will likely not eat there again. The appetizers were pretty good. I ordered the Al Pastor tacos. The meat was dry, and rather bland. They only gave two tortillas with the meal. Service was so slow, which I am usually willing to overlook, but the food was not very good. read more

Cinco de Mayo happy hour @ Licha's was absolutely the best!! The fun, festive atmosphere, great food & drinks hit the high notes!! read more

See all

Atmosphere was awesome!! Restaurant is in an old house and has great vibes! Super packed on a Friday night, but we had drinks at the patio bar out back while we waited. Chicken mole Huarache was fabulous (didn't get a picture bc we dove right in). Also had the birria tacos and enchiladas. DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! Will def be back next trip to Austin. read more

See all