Licha’s Cantina

My new favorite Mexican place! Came here with two friends during happy hour, and they were super busy, so we grabbed drinks at the bar. I had the Bonita which was really delicious, and I’m not a big alcohol fan. We all shared the queso with chorizo and I had the Enmoladas de Pato. Get this dish! It was just what I was craving. The portion was big and the dish itself is rich; I took a few bites and took the rest home, and it was enough for two more meals. The duck was flavorful and moist and they don’t skimp out. My friends each had the quesadillas — one with squash and veggies and the other with steak/​bacon — so good! The prices are pretty reasonable too. Excited to come back and try some more things!

My absolute favorite Mexican joint in town. Chips and salsas are really flavorful. Variety and eclectic mix on Menu is always a plus. My go to dish here in town is the Steak Tampiqueno here. It’s unbelievably delicious. Must have!
Other than the food, the vibe is really cool here. Everyone is laid back, music is solid, and people are friendly.

The vibe here is always so relaxed but buzzing. Licha’s is definitely in a happening spot here in Austin. I love the outdoor areas as well as the cocktails. You have to have a La Mula!
This place is very close to my heart and I would recommend visitors and locals alike to come experience this wonderful place. The food is always great. My husband and I have had almost all of the items on the menu at least once and had never experienced a bad bite!
Great for bigger parties as well since you can rent out the back area. We had our rehearsal dinner here and loved it.
For great food, drinks, service, and experience, visit Licha’s.

Found this place on Unilocal + my friend and I definitely wanted to make the trek to eat here because we loved what we saw.
Overall, we had a solid experience at Licha’s — one that I will remember and will share with others when they ask for Austin recommendations. I’m a HUGE fan of Mexican food and have pretty high standards for the Mexican restaurants I frequent, and this one definitely made the cut!
We started with the breakfast margaritas (great choice! Comes with an amazing masala/​spiced-​rim). Our dishes tasted fantastic as well — great sauces and Mexican flavors. Not truly authentic-​feeling, but still completely delicious. The place itself is very cute as well — has a bit of a «cottage» feel. It’s located in somewhat of a random place, but that adds to the charm because you feel like you’ve stumbled upon an Austin gem.
TIP: Check out the happy hour — looks like they have some awesome deals.

Me and my boyfriend are visiting from Seattle and since there is no good Mexican food there, we wanted to pick a good place– OMG did we ever. The reviews for Licha’s were great– which is why we picked it, and the experience was true to the reviews. We were definitely mpressed by the food and ambiance.
The menu is filled with so many amazing things, that the truth is we ordered– AND AITE a ton of different things (yes, we didn’t box anything… because it was too good! and we literally rolled out of there). Everything was heavenly. One of my favorite foods is sopitas, but not everyone makes the masa well… Licha’s does! we ordered two different flatbreads– which were both excellent and the ingredients are inventive and fresh. You HAVE to order the camote– sweet potatoes in a sweet glaze, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds.
We went during happy hour and sat out in their cute patio, which was lovely– and I had the Bonita– which was orchata with rum– how can you go wrong :) — it was a mini desert! The tres leches was also great.
Next time I am in Austin I will definitely eat hear!

Great hipster vybez, fun drinks and unique food! My first time ever and now im a fan of the place. A must to go in austin !

An old rusty and slightly banged up cottage painted light blue piping lulling latin beats suites itself well as a little lazy Caribbean vacation in Austin’s east side.
We chose a table on the elevated porch overlooking the easy dirt courtyard as a cute and quirky staff attended us with ok chips but good fresh salsas, a sweet neon rojo and a hot bright lime green.
We were seduced by the hip and handsome mostly Latino staff, diligent, quiet and sexy. I got buzzed on the $ 6 house wine while my friend had a bloody Maria topped with grapefruit soda and a clean mezcal martini.
We made friends and chatted for hours, happy with the sizeable gay clinetle. We snacked on guacamole with pumpkin seeds $ 6, while my friend ordered a calabcita quesadilla with blue corn, which he enjoyed. Quesadillas arnt my thing these days as I find them too heavy with all the cheese. Plus I’m not a huge fan of squash, and the preparation, pickled, wasn’t my thing either. The menu overall looked good, if heavy, which you normally expect from a Mexican place. The chicken mole flat bread and coconut ceviche looked like items I’d try on return.
Food — 3 stars
Patio, ambiance and an abundance of sexy staff —
5 stars
Visible gay presence — 4 stars
Street parking, paid by the hour. We spent an easy 2 hours there, which barely seemed long enough.

Took Unilocal’s suggestion and tried this Mexican restaurant & so happy we did.
My mom and I walked in and we were told there was an hour wait. Not a problem at all because the back patio is adorable and has a bar where you can chill and order chips and salsa while you wait. Give us a margarita and chips and we are golden. The bartender was super friendly and gave us recommendations.
About 45 min later our name was called and we got a table. We were having such a hard time deciding on what food to get because everything looked so good! We decided to get the veggie tacos and a veggie flatbread. the flatbread wasn’t my favorite but the tacos were delicious — would definitely come back!

Our party of three had a different experience than many reviewers –we thought the drinks were pretty good, not outstanding but definitely unique and that the food was very good, also unique and flavorful.
We had a great front yard patio experience dining on beef tacos, the guac and tongue sopecitas and the duck mole. We liked each dish, found the ingredients fresh and the taste full of flavor. As others have noted, the complimentary Chips and red and green salsas very nice. We also had the watermelon marguerita and a ginger version of a Moscow mule. We were just ok with those drinks.
The atmosphere and vibe is east Austin hipster chill. So comments about slow service? It is just part of that scene.
We found street parking no problem.
We loved it and will be back! In a place with loads of Mexican restaurants, it’s hard to find really good Mexican and this spot did it for us!

I REALLY enjoyed my experience here last night. We arrived at about 630 on a Saturday night and were immediately seated on the back patio.
The outdoors and inside the little house are all decorated very warm and homey, a little Mexican folk, and it’s absolutely to die for. So. Much. Charm.
We were immediately delivered some waters and some complementary chips with these delicious sauces. The red one is almost creamy, slightly sweet, some kinda pepper sauce. The green is a little spicier, both insanely delicious. I can typically barely dig in the chips and salsa basket when dining out but here I couldn’t contain myself.
I ordered the Lupita which was a watermelon infused tequila and it was divine. The chile salt rim set it off. Fire (not the spicy kind). My husband had a Mezcal SideCar as well as a Paloma and a Michelada with Negro Modelo. The drinks are on the pricier side ($ 10 – 12 for a cocktail,) but they’re delicious so I won’t hate em for that. Plus I’m gettin my money’s worth in that free red salsa
I ordered the Sopecitos Aguacate– two little corn masa cups with black beans, three cheeses and guacamole. They. Were. Insane. Literally the most amazing thing I’ve had in a while. I’ll be dreaming of these. My friend ordered the same thing but the pork variety and while they were delicious, the pork left a little too much oil on her corn masa cups so mine ended up being a better choice. My husband got some steak tacos and they were delicious. The meat was awesomely fatty and kinda melted in your mouth.
Service was casual and friendly, not overly quick, but steady and consistent and made me happy to be there. My husband and I paid about $ 80 after a $ 12 tip for 4 drinks and 2 plates. The drink prices are the only reason this doesn’t get a million stars.
Keep up the good work Lichas. I’ll be back

Unlike 10 years ago, there are now a good number of restaurants in Austin that serve authentic interior Mexican food. This is one of those.
What sets Licha’s apart, is that everything on the menu is delicious. We had sopes, huaraches, tacos, queso — and a few drinks. Well, more than a few. (But we had a sober designated driver).
Everything was delicious. The Tinga was amazing. The tacos al pastor were not prepared in the traditional way, but they were great anyway.
If you like Mexican food — and hey, who doesn’t– you need to stop by Lichas and try everything.

Ok, had to come and change my review because I came here for dinner with friends yesterday and tried completely different things and felt it was way better than my last visit! Was it because I came on a Tuesday at like 8:30 PM and the kitchen wasn’t so slammed? Not sure. it WAS busy though. On a Tuesday at 8:30 PM the wait was still 25 – 30 minutes. Undeterred we ordered drinks at the main bar. I tried a bit of my friend’s drink, which was La Mula. The Mezcal based cocktail wasn’t too strong and just a great hint of smokiness.
Sat outside in the front area of the house so the place felt more vibey than sitting in the back tented part with the bad fluorescent lighting.
My friend made a point that on the outside it looks like it’s going to be a more casual place, which it is. but the prices are more mid-​level almost fine dining prices. I guess another reviewer called it ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall chic’, which is really perfect description. I don’t think any of the specials were less than $ 20 with the exception of the burger they had on there. But I really do appreciate the non-​traditional fare sometimes you just get tired of red or green sauce enchiladas and regular tacos so this coupled with a good vibe is fun to go to now and again.
Another A+ for their music choices.

First time visit for Sunday brunch.
I am not much of a bruncher but when Sunday starts off with a killer margarita all bets are off.
No trouble getting a table outside but we waited 15 minutes for a porch table so the precious pooch was not in the dirt. In the meantime I went inside to the groovy bar and ordered a couple drinks. Btw they are really into some nice mezcals.
Once seated and starving we tore into a choriqueso with a double wide Tecate and pomegranate tequila liqueur mimosa. Homemade corn tortillas were quite tasty with the queso.
For mains we opted for Cochinita Pibil Benedict and the goat dish. Both were quite savory and tasty. The dog thought so also.
We were all good.
The service was always great and friendly. The prices might seem a little higher than expected but when you taste the food you will know it is not ordinary.

Overall good experience here. It was worth the 30 minute wait! The location is adorable and the patio is the perfect location to enjoy your meal. Beautiful décor inside and outside on the patio.
The food was really good. Complimentary salsa (spicy and mild) and chips. I ordered the alambre tacos (wagyu skirt steak, BACON, queso, onions, and peppers). The bacon added flavor to the tacos. You do have to put your tacos together and 2 corn tortillas is not enough, but you can order more! I also recommend the horchata aqua fresca.
Knocked off one star for small food portions. Honestly I expected a little more food for what I paid $$. ($ 16 for 2 – 3 tacos???)
Service was outstanding. I will be back next time I’m in Austin!

Our dinner at Licha’s Cantina was just okay. We arrived on a Saturday night and parked on the street a little down from the restaurant. Street parking in this part of Sixth Street is $ 2 for two hours, which is a darn good deal. But at that time of the night the area felt a little seedy. Not too terrible, just so that we made sure our car was locked before we left it alone.
The restaurant itself is adorable, in a little old house with lots of cheery music pouring out and plenty of people on the patio and eating in the tent on the side of the house. We asked for a table inside since it was starting to get chilly at that point, and they sat us in the back directly under a speaker, so we had trouble hearing each other even though we were near one another. Chips and salsa were complimentary, which was lovely, and while the salsa was a little too spicy for my taste, my boyfriend loved it. To start out, we ordered the guacamole, and this was the first disappointment. The menu said the guacamole was $ 6, so I assumed we would get a healthy portion. Instead, we were given two very small scoops in a tiny little dish, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and cheese. It was barely enough for the both of us.
For our entrees, I ordered the vegetarian tacos and my boyfriend ordered the lengua tacos. Both entrees were just all right. The tacos are served fajita style, with the filling coming to you in a cast iron pan and the tortillas wrapped in foil and served on the side, so you have to build the taco yourself. The vegetarian taco filling was sweet potatoes, mushrooms, corn, cabbage and pumpkin seeds. Very unique, but tough to get the big chunks of sweet potato into the tiny tortillas. The lengua tacos were okay, very fatty but definitely flavorful. If you’re a cow tongue fan, you will probably enjoy them.
Overall, we left feeling a little greasy and dissatisfied. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things.

This was hands-​down the best mexican food I’ve ever had. A bit of a revelation, really.
I’m so used to seeing tacos with tiny little cubes of meat, unrendered fat, etc. Here, tacos come with a delicious platter of meat that lets you see it how it *should* be – the tacos al pastor come with nice sized pieces of perfectly cooked pork, and fresh yummy pineapple. And the lengua tacos — now I know how lengua should be cooked. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The enmoladas de pato are next level. Mole plus duck is a perfect combination. And the tres leches!!! Before I arrived, I complained about having it the same dish at another restaurant that was too dry. Here, the cake comes surrounded in a ramekin of sweetened condensed milk.
The drinks are great, too. Go here!

While in Austin, I must say that it’s difficult selecting one Mexican joint among the seemingly endless cantinas, tamale houses, food trucks, Mexican cafes, etc etc. We settled on this place because it had strong reviews on Unilocal and the menu looked especially creative. We were not disappointed!
It’s located in a charming little house. We were greeted by a very personable and knowledgable staff. Our server was especially friendly and offered great suggestions for cocktails. The menu is indeed creative and incredibly enticing. I ordered the braised mole duck. It was outstanding! The mole was on-​point, the duck was perfectly braised, and the dish contained the perfect accompaniment of side items, from pico to guacamole to wedged citrus. All together, it was awesome. The cocktails are excellent too.
If you’re looking for inventive, delicious Mexican fare with excellent service, this place is worth checking out.
Highly recommended!

Oh man, just what I needed at the right moment.
We came here as part of a food tour and ordered a bunch of delicious Mexican eats with a strong as hell margarita and both were fantastic. Fajitas with all the toppings and some chips and salsa with some crazy spice. Mmm.
It was very dark when we were here and very packed, but we had a table and some great food and I can’t complain at all. I would easily be back for more.

This 5-​star review is mainly for the bar, and bartenders at Licha’s Cantina. I LOVE this bar, and it’s currently my favorite in town. I stumbled in to this place a few months back with three very good friends, and we snagged the sweet corner spot at the bar. We all ordered tequila or mezcal drinks. I chose the spicy watermelon margarita. Since watermelon is not currently in season you won’t be able to order that one for now. I recommend the regular spicy margarita in the meantime. It’s divine!
I won’t go in to food too much, but it’s very good. However the atmosphere and the drinks are the very most important part about this restaurant. I did really love the ceviche though! I will definitely start branching out because it looks like there are some great dishes.
Back to the bar, my favorite part! There are two bartenders that I am guessing work there every Saturday, and I think they’re both the best ever. One is a tall, good looking blonde man, and the other is a lovely and good looking brunette woman. These two make the party happen. They are very funny, very nice, and they make cocktail masterpieces! Great peeps these two. Great peeps.
I love Licha’s. I wanna have my birthday here this year, and possibly every year to be honest. Until then, I will continue to frequent my favorite bar, with my favorite bartenders, and I might even order some ceviche.

I was sad that we only came here for drinks because this place is ADORABLE. Beautiful views sitting outside with string lights and cute décor everywhere. The inside is quite nice too. Chips and salsa were very delicious, and the drinks are great too. An excellent find on the east side, and I will for sure be back for food next time!
UPDATE: had the sopecitas– be sure to mix and match– and they were SO MOUTHWATERINGLY DELICIOUS. Great flavors in the chicken one and the lengua (my favorite and recommended by the waitress). The texture of the beef tongue was amazing, and I basically licked my plate clean. Perfect portion for dinner also or great to share with another person in addition to your entrée. The house margarita is good too, but I recommend the watermelon jalapeño margarita. I tried my friend’s, and it was delicious! Not too spicy and not too sweet. I’m in love with Licha’s!

I came to Austin for four days to eat and I saved Licha’s Cantina for my last meal. Considering that I ordered far more food than I could eat at one sitting, I decided to sample a lot and take out the rest.
I could’ve been satisfied with the smooth salsa that came with the nachos — what’s in that stuff? — but I was crazy enough to order ceviche, shrimp with mole, huitlacoche quesadillas, flor de jamaica quesadillas, Veracruz-​style red snapper, and a bowl of tres leches. I’m usually a very sensible eater but I threw out all good habits in Austin. Licha’s was worth the sheer gluttony and I’m scheduling my reduced caloric intake for the rest of the year to make up for it all.