Flaco’s Cocina

My experiences at Flaco’s has always been positive. There are days like any restaurant where it’s busy and service was a little slow. However the customer service and the food have remained consistent. I love this place!!!

We’ve been dining at this restaurant since it opened. Great patio and close to our house. Sadly each time we’ve been over the last year or so the food and service gets worse. I hate to say it but this place is clearly in the decline. It’s always some different problem from raw undercooked food, meals delivered in shifts, empty drinks, absent servers. It’s real bummer to see it go this way.

Very good margarita with fresh juice. Ordered baked burrito which was huge and tasty according to my dinner mate. I had the taco trio of fish. It’s a lot of food. The beans and rice are not your typical refried. Instead, they use black beans and a fragrant rice. I only gave 3 stars because the tables were dirty and they seemed understaffed although VERY kind.

Great atmosphere and amazing food! The staff was super friendly and helpful. We had the lobster tacos which were very fresh and very tasty. For desert we took their suggestion and ordered churros. They were super good! Best I’ve had here in the Midwest. Would definitely come again!

What a pleasant surprise! Don’t let the outside or inside fool you. The food is First Class!
I was bored and going through Groupon and they had a really good deal so I purchased it.
I expected a more «Mexican» style simple taco and such foods. That is not this place at all! Their menu is interesting to say the least and the food, Top Notch! When my appetizer of ceviche arrived I was so surprised. The glass was full of tasty seafood, and very nicely plated. The lobster and crab meat were infused with tropical fruit and a hint of citrus and herbs.
The burrito was the largest I have ever seen, and the smoked meat (they smoke in house) is to die for.
But the best of all-​was the Drunken Steak Quesadilla! It was really not what I was expecting. This is no ordinary quesadilla. It is an upper class quesadilla-​this quesadilla «moved on up» like the Jefferson’s! It was full of goat cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, steak (smoked in house), carne asana, fresh spinach leaves, and served with an Amazing red wine reduction. Who has ever had a quesadilla with a red wine reduction sauce? The flavor of the reduction mixed with the smoked steak was Muah! Check this place out-​It is worth going to! I certainly will be back.

I have been to Flaco’s several times, and each visit is better than the last. There seem to be a lot of changes for the better. I met an old girlfriend from high school. The atmosphere was perfect! I had the chicken chile rellenos and it was delicious. My friend ordered the lobster quesadilla which she thoroughly enjoyed. The cucumber margarita was absolutely refreshing! The service we received was top notch! We will definitely return!

They were understaffed on a Friday night, which is never a good sign. The service was slow but our waitress was very apologetic and sweet about it.
We ordered chips with queso and salsa; the queso was decent but the salsa was flavorless. I had the «Fat tacos» which is a choice of three tacos. I ordered mahi, shrimp, and tuna. The tuna was probably the best; it was nice and rare and a little spicy. They load the tacos up a little too much with slaw, making them hard to eat. The beans and rice tasted like cloves, which was weird.
All in all, it was okay Mexican food, but it wasn’t great, and the service was slow.

Wow! What a great surprise! Food was fantastic qr excellent fusion of flavors, fresh, and perfectly prepared. Service was excellent, too! We will be back!

This is a great place to go for a drink or two, but it isn’t the best Mexican meal you will find. The chips are just okay but plentiful, and the salsa is relatively mild (pro or con depending on your tastes). There are a few dishes on the menu that are good but generally the meals are just okay.
The staff is always friendly and attentive.
I continue to go back because the location is great, and I really want to have great Mexican in the neighborhood but when I go for more than a drink and a snack, I walk away a little bummed.

Went last night for dinner. We were immediately seated downstairs. There was a large table of 12+ people right next to ours and that definitely affected the fact that our entrees took about 40 minutes to get to us! Our waiter was a bit meek but did the best he could. He took our order quickly and got us our water and (free) chips and salsa fast. Had we known that chips and salsa were free, we would have not ordered the tres queso dip — having both really filled us up. The dip was good, the chips just okay — kind of mealy and a bit stale. Our entrees were the lobster quesadilla ($ 17) and the grilled veggie quesadilla ($ 12), both overpriced. At least the lobster one was stuffed but the veggie quesadilla looked pretty anemic.

Be warned, if you are looking for authentic Mexican food or even Tex-​Mex, you may be disappointed.
Their chips tasted like they were made with Elmer’s glue. That is the only negative thing I have to say about the place just so you don’t let first impressions turn you off. Their salsa was pretty mild but it tasted fresh and all the ingredients were impressively finely minced.
Several waitresses checked on us through our meal because we had a feisty kid with us and they were all very sweet.
This place is almost a West Coast take on Mexican food. I have never been offered a tofu option at a Mexican restaurant. I ordered the house margarita and it was a little sweet and a little fizzy and while not a traditional margarita, it was delicious! I ordered the drunken steak quesadilla. I was so happy. The meat was tender and well seasoned, the spinach was fresh, the tortillas were tasty, and the red wine reduction sauce was so good! I liked that the sauce was on the side; otherwise it would have been a big mess. My partner ordered chile relleno. The chicken was very juicy but the sauce was pretty underwhelming.
I will go back and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a different interpretation of Mexican cuisine or likes mild dishes but wants interesting flavors.

This place is very over priced and not clean. I have tried to go several times bc it is so close to home and I really wanted to like it. The food is not very good and expensive for what it is. Only gave it two stars bc the Guac is good.

Food is for sure overpriced. Food was not good. Nachos were burnt with almost no toppings. Didn’t bother ordering any food after sharing nachos. Save yourself time and money and don’t bother coming here.

Some friends told me this hole in the wall place had good food with huge portions but for years I was like yeah ok not my type of place. However, when a groupon became available I purchased two and these were some of the better purchases I have got from the site.
The jawn is in a strip mall dated from the 1980’s. Surrounded by I-​170 on one side, new overpriced condos and a senior home that looks like it’s from the early 1960’s. When you step into the restaurant ok it’s very eclectic …1÷3 dental office, ¹⁄₃ half-​done base room /​sunporch and ¹⁄₃ a bar scene from the TV show Miami Vice.
I got my food to go because I really didn’t feel like a happy hour crowd plus the groupon had to be used before 5pm. I’m guessing because after 5 was happy hour. The staff was ok …no problems there
The food:
Usually bar food is so bad that it only tastes good after you have down something… Not the case here:
Macho Nachos: 2.5÷5 More than enough for one person, they could lose the corn tho
Nacho Fritas: ³⁄₅. I actually got this twice the 1^st time 40% were burned but the remaining were good. on the 2^nd go round they were good as well … however the corn is not needed here either… oh there is a lot of cheese which I love.
Korean Beef tacos 3÷5… Beef was a tad bit tuff but not a deal breaker nice portions… cabbage is okayly spiced
Overall ³⁄₅

Definitely just ok. Our server was pleasant; I used a Groupon and ordered an alcoholic beverage with it and she neglected to tell me that I couldn’t use it toward my Groupon. I would NEVER pay $ 8 for a drink when I have «free» money to spend! That annoyed me. I ordered the dish that came with the 3 different tacos (can’t think of the name, forgive me) and I ordered one of the tacos with fish. The fish was gross & cold, but the steak and chicken ones were just ok. This place was extremely small up top, but I did notice by the front door that there was a cascading staircase to a level below which I didn’t get to see. Overall, just ok. Not good for groups.

Although I am giving this restaurant a 3/​5, let it be known that I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a restaurant to do well, more than I want Flaco’s Cocina to do well. I came here for lunch two days ago using a Taste Card discount. It was my first time going there. The restaurant itself is very small (though it has a large patio). The colors, décor, and vibe of the place are spot on with a Caribbean/​South Beach cantina. The wall art, colorfully-​painted chairs, neon lights around the bar, music, etc. all work together beautifully to transport St. Louisans to a bar and restaurant somewhere off the Atlantic coast. I loved it! It really took me back to memories I had of being on vacation to Miami, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. If it weren’t for the view of late December overcast dreariness through the windows, I would have believed that I was in South Beach. Well done! The service in the restaurant was also excellent. All of the staff assisted me and did so with kindness and efficiency. Complimentary chips and salsa are automatically brought to the table which is nice. I also loved the variety of cocktails offered at Flaco’s. They have a good variety of classic tropical and tiki drinks, and margaritas. Unfortunately, Flaco’s doesn’t have frozen margaritas which made me sad. A blender would definitely be a good investment to this bar, and would enhance guests’ experience in relation to Flaco’s tropical theme. I had a $ 5 sangria which was excellent! I was surprised that it was a light/​white wine sangria rather than a dark/​red wine sangria, but it was very good.
Now, here’s where my review goes south… the food. I had much higher hopes for the food than what I experienced. I ordered the lobster and crab ceviche and the lobster quesadilla. Both left much to be desired, but I give Flaco’s an A for effort. After receiving my food, I asked my waitress if the restaurant uses real lobster meat, and was told no, that it is artificial. Now, I’m no food snob, but that did kind of bother me. I recognize that we in Missouri are land-​locked, therefore our availability of fresh seafood is challenged, however I would hope that a restaurant that has a large variety of dishes with lobster, would have REAL lobster meat. I’m not sure if the menu said that they don’t have real lobster meat or not, but I think that should be made clear in their menu, especially with the prices of those items not being cheap ($ 12 ceviche and $ 17 quesadilla). Now, that all being said, the taste of the food still wasn’t really to my liking. While its presentation was good, the ceviche honestly reminded me of cat food. I seriously thought I was eating Fancy Feast and a big, fluffy white cat was going to jump up on my table at any moment to eat it with me. I found it interesting also that Flaco’s does not offer shrimp ceviche, which is the type of ceviche I’ve seen the most, particularly in when I’ve dined in South Beach. The quesadilla was OK, nothing much to write home about, though it was a large portion.
In closing, as a laid-​back, themed bar with excellent drinks, Flaco’s is a very cool little spot. But as a restaurant, there needs to be a few improvements to the menu and the ingredients being used. Again, I really hope that Flaco’s survives and does better because it has excellent potential! And St. Louis is in limited supply of a restaurants in the Caribbean food/​theme niche. I would return but I definitely won’t get anything with lobster from there again.

The Flacos crew was really on their game last night. For a Friday night, they were fast, friendly, and efficient. Between the wait staff and kitchen staff, or waters were never empty and our food was delivered quickly. I am so impressed with their attentive service! Our waitress (Natalia, I think) was excellent!
We started with the free basket of chips and salsa (you can pay $ 5 for a trio of unlimited salsas., which are all so delicious). It was more than enough for two people. Our food arrived promptly and was cooked to perfection. We had the Carne asada fajitas and the lobster quesadilla. Both were fresh and hot! I also tried the season apple cinnamon sangria. It tasted like Fall in a glass. Exactly what i would have expected!
All in all, we have had many excellent experiences at Flacos. This was one of the best! Hats off to a team that just keeps getting better!!!

Had a great experience at Flacos. We came around 5:30 on a Friday night, got seated right away. Ordered a couple margaritas. I had the peach jalapeño.tasty. Ordered a seafood queso, steak quesadilla & fish tacos. Servers were great… Friendly & prompt. Definitely recommend. I was surprised by the lack of good reviews. My second time there and everything’s been great.

No! Don’t you do it! Keep on going!
I’m not trying to be hateful but, I have a devoted relationship with Mexican food and, well, this place… Let me explain.
It was a lovely summer day. Sunburn was itching, chlorine was turning my hair green and the cicada’s were leaving their gross skins everywhere. I decided to grab a Modelo and lunch on the patio — and so did 6,000 ants.
Venturing away from my norm, I ordered the Chile Rellenos. $ 14 for an unidentifiable, soupy mixture of sub-​mediocrity. Either the chefs were too baked to care or this is the one kitchen in St. Louis not run by Mexicans. (And I mean that as a compliment to Mexican chefs.)
The plus side? My lunch pal had a gift card so I didn’t waste a penny of my own money. However, I’m sure some Great Aunt somewhere is regretting putting her Hummel figurines on Craigslist in order to pay for the gift certificate.
Advice: Make the drive to Cherokee Street and get yourself some REAL Mexican food. Or, just a couple miles down to The Loop, you can get some Mission Taco or Público (which I haven’t had yet but I’m 100% sure it’s gotta be better than BLAHco’s). Hell, Chevy’s and El Maguey have more to offer than this lame excuse of a restaurant.
You fooled me once, Flaco… nunca más.

So good! This is my third time here, and the first time I’ve had a complaint… and that was just our server being unfriendly.
First, pay the $ 5 for unlimited chips and salsa. The fire roasted is worth it by itself.
Everything I’ve tasted on the menu is delicious. Don’t come here if you’re looking for an authentic Mexican meal. However, if you want excellent food inspired by our neighbors to the south, this is your place!