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    Poco Loco Cantina

    3.7 (181 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Poco Loco Cantina Photos

    Business Info

    POCO LOCO CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Poco Loco Cantina

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    Amy S.

    Amazing! My parents owned the house across the street from this restaurant for 40 years and when they first opened my parents went to eat there...my mom said she wasn't impressed. Since then and based on her assessment, I've not bothered to try it. Last night my friend and I were nearby and with every other restaurant in the area having long wait times we decided to stop here. I can't believe I never gave this place a fair chance, the food was delicious and the service was excellent! I was eyeing some of the dishes coming out of the kitchen while we were waiting to order, both the salad and taco plates looked very appetizing, but I opted for the larger burrito(El Burro Grande) I never eat the side of rice and beans so figured this would be a better option for me than the tacos. Everything tasted so fresh and the burrito was slightly grilled, which I love. The burrito was stuffed with black beans guac, carne asada, rice...maybe sour cream and pico? Anyway it was great and easily enough for two people, I ended up taking half home for my husband, he also agreed it was very good. My friend ordered the carne asada enchiladas and she said they were a bit dry but she enjoyed them. All in all it was a great dining experience. The place itself is very small and only offers bar seating, which could be a turnoff for some people and I probably wouldn't come here with a large group.

    Steak taco with rice and beans
    Louria R.

    Horrible! Nice staff but the food is not authentic Mexican. Feta cheese, a slab of steak meat on my steak tacos wth! The margarita is okay.

    Steak taco. A whole piece of steak worked surprisingly well.
    Greg B.

    I've had Poco Loco bookmarked for years after seeing some of the unique meat options for their tacos, like lamb and duck. I stopped in on a Tuesday hoping for a "Taco Tuesday" special of some sort, but no luck with that. My order consisted of two chipotle BBQ duck tacos with rice and no beans, a steak taco, and a shrimp taco. The rice seemed to be a thinner grain than most other Mexican restaurants serve. It tasted fine, but was a little more hard than I prefer, though not inedibly so. The duck tacos tasted great, though they were messy. Not only could less chipotle BBQ sauce allow the duck breast to shine through a bit more, it would drip a lot less liquid everywhere. There was quite a bit of duck meat in the tacos which was appreciated. I wanted more than two tacos but was hesitant because the menu didn't list an ala carte price for tacos. I asked if they offered that, specifically regarding a shrimp taco, and was told yes for $6. Although a higher price than I would prefer to pay, I was assured that it was worth it because there was "a lot of shrimp in it". Seeing that the steak tacos cost less on the menu than the shrimp tacos, I added one of those as well under the assumption that it cost less that a shrimp taco. I thought the shrimp taco was the more disappointing one of the three I tried. It only had three shrimp in it, which is more skimpy than "a lot of shrimp". The steak taco, however, was fantastic. I was initially taken aback by the steak being an entire piece of steak instead of cut up into strips, but as I ate it it made sense. An entire piece was easier to hold on to and less likely to fall out of the tortilla, thus making it less messy. The marinade on the steak was subtle but amazing. The suggested tip on the bill annoyed me because it was generated based on the grand total instead of the subtotal. You shouldn't be asking patrons to tip on tax. I also really didn't like that they automatically brought me chips and salsa as soon as I sat down without asking and then charged me for it. It's only $1.50, but you should still ask if the customer wants it.

    Chips, house made salsa, guacamole and margarita
    Erin P.

    This was our first visit to any restaurant since March. We were grateful for the the respect and procedures they have in place, outdoor dining, masks, washing stations, etc. The service and the food were delicious. Stand outs for us were, of course, the BBQ Shrimp appetizer, the Grilled Tilapia Taco and the Steak Taco. Absolutely outstanding.

    Hours per website...

    Wish management would update the business hours everywhere! Not everyone is on social media. Have driven here for dinner at least three times to find the place closed. Same for today... Website says open at 4pm on Sundays. Not so. Hours are wrong even here on Yelp! Would suggest that anyone who wants to eat here, to call ahead.

    Enchiladas
    Khaum L.

    Friends and I went to Poco Loco for brunch on a Friday morning. After driving past it many times, figured we would check it out. Poco Loco is a tiny little joint that could probably fit 50 people (maybe?)? There are no dining tables, the seatings are all counter bar style. We ordered tacos and enchilada. The steak taco I had were AMAZING! Steak was cooked perfectly and seasoned to perfection. Unfortunately the rice and beans were different to taste. Rice was under seasoned and beans had a funky taste to it so we didn't eat any. It's a nice place to grab snacks and drinks. I would go back for the steak tacos but it wouldn't be a recommendation to bring a large group of friends.

    Sunny Mexico -- Milwaukee style at Poco Loco Cantina.
    Phyllis W.

    I've said it before! This place is wonderful! Great food, drinks, and staff! The ambiance is bar casual cozy. Come alone, come with friends, come with your family, come with your service animal! I wouldn't bring small kids because this is a small bar but there is outside seating in warm weather. People bring kids quite often. They'll just be all scrunched up asking lots of questions about why everyone keeps saying the Margheritas are so great. You'll spend your entire evening explaining to them that they are delicious and they can't have one. If that's how you have fun, bring the kids! Even in the Wisconsin winter cold, you'll feel warned by this little visit to Mexico. No plane. No train. No cruise. Just drive up, walk in, and let the fun begin! I'm lucky! My service dog thinks this place is on his route -- all 5 miles away!

    Prickly pear margarita
    Lauren H.

    While I've been coming to Poco Loco for years now and the food remains great, the service has gotten consistently worse. I went for dinner last night excited to have their food again but was in shock about the service. We waited 45 minutes for our order to be taken; drinks took 25 minutes to order; two of the people I was with didn't have the sides with their meal that the waitress mentioned it should come with. I wish I could give it a higher rating, as it is such a great Northshore staple, but I don't plan on dining in any time soon. Seating is only outdoor right now, which is lovely because they have a large tent and space heaters. Tables are defiantly closer than 6 feet, but I didn't mind. The chips and salsa are always to die for; the chips are seasoned and the salsa isn't spicy but is smoky. I always get a prickly pear margarita; they're super sour and delicious! I got the veggie enchiladas which came with rice and beans. They were delicious as well! In the past I've tried their guac which is okay. Overall, I adore their food. Just beware of the service!

    Poco Lunch Plate with salsa verde pork.

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    18 days ago

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    7 months ago

    Food was amazing, service was on point And the ambiance was calm and chill I love it and would come here again and again.

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    4 years ago

    We have eaten there only once, so far -- but I dream of their tasty food. Yum! Will be back soon.

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    4 years ago

    Poco Loco is the best! Best food, best margaritas, hands down. This is my #1 go to for a great evening out.

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    5 years ago

    Friendly staff, tasty food and seems to be one the few places that "gets it" when it comes to safety during the pandemic.

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    Food: we got two different kinds of ceviche and one was definitely better than the other. We didn't…read moreprefer the mixto one. It didn't taste as fresh. We also got the esquites (corn) which was delicious. The pisco sour was also super tasty. I got a margarita and it was just okay. I prefer to taste the tequila and didn't taste much. Service: nothing to complain about Ambience: Definitely cuter vibe. Good date night spot Overall though I was underwhelmed by the food but I suppose I should expect that for a seafood restaurant in a landlocked state

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    C-Viche - Front facade (from Google)

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    Poco Loco Cantina - mexican - Updated May 2026

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