La Cocinita

This is mine and my husband’s favorite date night restaurant. It is cozy, and even though space is tight it still feels intimate.
The food is very good. It’s not your standard «family Mexican restaurant» fare, but it’s not TexMex either. It’s authentic, fresh, and full of flavor.

Closed.
Was bummed to head over for the best burrito in Minnesota only to find out they’re no longer in business. (Cue the tears.) This woman knows how to cook, but decided it’s time for semi-​retirement. Going to miss this place.
Her homemade salsa and cornbread is delish and she’s still making it — can get it through the co-​op in Stillwater.

I’ve been here a handful of times, and it was always good. Its a small restaurant with amazing food and good service. It’s in Bayport so you won’t have much of a wait unless its a nice summer evening.

A gem in the Bayport neighborhood. I am Mexican and I am always searching for authentic Mexican food in the Twin Cities — this is it. Family owned and operated. Patio scene is great and food phenomenal. It is always a treat dining here!

food was good, would have been better if it was a meal and not an appetizer $ 10-​$ 20 a plate and tiny portions. I could live without it.

We picked this place after the reading the reviews and were pretty dissapointed. We arrived to a small, cute, empty restaurant. Even though we were one of only 2 occupied tables the service was pretty slow. The chips and salsa were good, not great but good, however, you need to pay for refills. We had Sangria’s which were decent, We both got the red enchillada’s which were made from scratch, they were unique, and we liked them, we might have loved them but they were quite dry. The price was steep for what you got. I don’t think our overall experience was bad but we won’t return, not worth the price.

My wife and I were in Bayport to visit the barbecue place next door to La Cocinita. We forgot they don’t take credit cards so ended up eating here instead. We were so pleased to be able to sit outside and enjoy this wonderful summer weather we have been having.
Mexican food is one of our very favorite types of food to enjoy. Since this was our Wedding Anniversary we wanted to go someplace really special. The menu was unlike anything I have seen at any other Mexican restaurant. It was very brief and had about 20 options. The food that they did have was really delicious. We ordered a white chicken enchilada, and some kind of white nachos. They were very flavorful and unique.
Only reason I deducted a star was because the prices are a little bit on the extreme side. I realize they are trying to be a upscale Mexican option but $ 12 for a a small plate of nachos is not ok. Also the Margaritas were not fresh made which means $ 7.50 each is too much. This place really has good food but we would visit more if prices were more in line with Mexican places we have ate at in Woodbury or Saint Paul.

Delicioso! La Cocinita is one of two excellent restaurants we have in the Valley. This one happens to be locally owned and serves authentic family recipes. Award winning salsa (bring a jar home!). Get the specialty dish, Mexican cornbread bake.
Closed Sunday, Monday an Tuesday. I will order a Sangria whenever possible, and theirs is the best I’ve ever had, but expensive. Go during happy hour, everyday from 4pm — 7p, and it’s ½ price!

Fantástico — excellent food made with quality ingredients and care. Not your cheap Mexi food place. Had chicken tacos — soft tortilla loaded with meat, could only eat one. The beans and rice were flavorful and the former is not the mass of mush that passes for refried beans elsewhere.
Salsa and chips best around – savor because round 2 is extra. Guacamole was fantastic best I’ve had in the Twin Cities but the large size comes on a mound of shredded lettuce so there’s really not much there (waitress warned us that the small was only 2 oz and suggested we order the large for 2 people-​$ 7).
Chicken enchilada with white sauce (had a taste) was fab too. It’s super tiny so make reservations. Service was great up until the bill when we had a coupon (table of 6) and wanted to split the bill two ways after adding tip and then taking off coupon. The waitress struggled with the parameters and a house manager should have helped her out.
Happy hour until 7 with ½ priced taps and sangria – excellent. Not sure if there is a happy hour food special.

Although the restaurant is lovely and quaint, and the wait staff very nice, the food was just okay and very overpriced. Our margarita was quite good, but again expensive for what you got. I don’t think we’d go for a second time.

Very cute and clean restaurant, located next door to the former Bayport Cookery site. Limited menu but all the dishes we’ve tried during five or six visits have been very good. Everything is made from scratch and cooked to order. Great salsa and guacamole. Marked down a star because they are very slow. Even when it’s not busy you’ll still wait at least a half hour for food after you order. Not for small children.

I hate to share the good secrets with the general public, but since I’m posting a few bad reviews, you deserve the good ones too.
FOOD: Outstanding enchiladas (recommend the red sauce). Their award winning salsa is about as good as it gets.
PRICE: Figure about $ 15 for each entrée, $ 4 – 5 for a chip/​salsa refill. Well worth the money, quality is outstanding.
NOTES:
1) They only have about 8 small tables, and a few outdoor tables in the summer, so be prepared to have to wait for seating. Luckily the place isn’t too well known so it’s not overly busy where you would have to wait too long.
2) They are only open Wed-​Sat so don’t bother showing up the other days.
If you have friends from out of town or just want great Mexican food you cannot go wrong. Service at times can be lacking, but overall very good. Everyone has an off day from time to time. Food is always awesome.
Also, they occassionally offer special items on the menu, so keep an eye out for any new items they might be offering.