Cueva De Lobos

I worked there as a cook and would advise anyone to stay away. The kitchen is dirty, cross contamination is rampant, and the owner is sexist and a crook. He still owes me $ 500 for floor installations, renovations, and hours as a cook. His response — I don’t have to pay you and I won’t. Also you’re trespassed now so don’t even try to come ask about your money. Don’t eat here if you have any compassion for rich people screwing over the help. The food isn’t even worth it and you’ll probably get sick anyway.

Really good food for good price especially if getting their special of the night. When I lived closer every half price acp night we were there (Wednesday I believe?). Be prepared to wait if going on weekend it’s usually packed with college kids. Not a fan of the margaritas seem weak and overpriced try a pitcher of beer instead

Pretty solid for what it is – a cheap tex mex place near a college campus, hundreds of miles away from Texas and Mexico. Big menu, cheap drinks, good enough food. I grew up in Texas, I did not expect this to be as good as it was.

While visiting in Raleigh we stopped here because we love Mexican food and typically there are drink specials. They only thing we enjoyed about our lunch was the bottled beer… can’t mess up Yuengling. When we went for lunch this went wrong
1. Wanted to sit at bar but does not open until 5
2. Wanted drink special listed on chalkboard. Also not available til 5
3. Wanted carnitas taco. again not available til 5
Why are they open for lunch? Got chicken tacos that looked pathetic with very little chicken and were given the wrong salsa. We were also next to the kitchen that wafted bleach scent as we were eating. I am a server and this was a terrible experience. We will not return.

The food isn’t the best but the drinks are decent. They have specials daily which is nice. The servers usually look like they had a crappy day. My family and I have been in when the owner was in. (Well at least he was bossing everyone around like he owned or managed the place) We caught him several times talking crap about CUSTOMERS that came and gone while he was sitting at the front desk. It got to the point where anytime someone walked in we would look at him waiting for something rude to be said. With that and him checking out his employees we haven’t been back since!

Just got done eating here for the first time and the last time! The food was awful, there was food stuck to the menus, and to top it off the service was mediocre at best! I’ll stick with La Rancharita on Hillsborough and I suggest the same to anyone else!

Found this hole in a wall place purely on accident while visiting raleigh last weekend organizing things to move there in a few months. Originally our plan was to get subway (next door) and take it to the lake to enjoy, but I was wanting to try some different, local options, see what’s out there you know? While I was not completely wow-​ed by this place, we did enjoy it and will likely revisit once we move there, if for nothing than another try.
It was the middle of the afternoon and the only service was back in the bar area, which was actually kinda unique, and made the place larger than it first seemed. It was stifling hot in there, though. Then bartender serving us was friendly and polite. Service was quick. Not sure if the salsa recipe has changed since some of these reviews were written, but I liked the salsa. I thought it had the right chunkiness and a nice mild flavor that could be spice up with a little bit of hot sauce a available on the table. my husband got the arroz con pollo (chicken with rice), which was definitely not traditional, but he said not bad. I ordered the alambre, which was pretty tasty but not traditional either. More tex mex style. A little greasy, but from the queso and the peppers, so I didn’t mind really.
We were tempted with some drink specials and took them up on it. Hubby got a large can cold PBR with a cold glass for $ 1.50! And I got their «shot of the month» a pomegranate flavored Smirnoff, that would have been better served chilled, but I enjoyed the nice sized shot in a couple of gulps anyway. Shot of the month was 2.99… So good deal.
Total price for the meal, two drinks, and generous tip still came to under $ 30. I guess it rings true with what everyone else says about you get what you pay for. Usually the case. When we move there, will definitely check out taco nights and maybe trivia.

First time going in and was greeted or should I say stared blankly at by the hostess. That should’ve alerted me to the experience we were about to have.
She sat us at a table. The place wasn’t that full and we saw a waitress or two wiz past us so I guess they were a bit busy. We waited about 8 or so minutes before a sever past us and finally asked if we had been helped. We told her no and then she disappeared. We waited about another 5 or so and saw a few other servers go by before we finally gave up.
The food looked like it would’ve been good but since there was zero service we will not be returning.

Cueva de lobos? More like cueva de caca! Ever since they got new management, this place is awful. The food tastes like doo doo, the servers have awful attitudes, and now the entire restaurant smells like a dirty toilet. RIP classic cueva.

Seriously baffled by the negative reviews on service. Granted, only been a couple times, but the staff was overly friendly each time. Took time to be personable, timely refills, catered to my order, overall we had great experiences.
I tend to be a very server friendly and patient customer, though, having served tables back in the day; which leads me to think the people complaining of the service never waited tables or understand the industry.
Saw another review that negatively said something to the effect of «the salsa was cold.» What the heck is that? Sorry. No ties to this restaurant, but can’t stand uneducated reviews blasting a place for «cold salsa.»
The food was good. The street tacos were legit, but a little expensive (they didn’t fall into the normal taco special). But I’ll be going again; and if you plan on going, I hope you get the same service I’d been getting.
And don’t be so hard on your server if they forget to bring out something small, just kindly ask for it again — they’ll apologize and bring it for you, I promise. Dining etiquette 101. Servers make mistakes. I kindly ask others to be an adult about it.

I used to go to this place once, if not twice a week. Recently, management has changed, as well as ALL of the wait staff. Not only is the wait staff new, but they are incredibly rude and all act like they have somewhere better to be.
When i told, i guess the food runner, that there was a problem with my food, he told me that if i didn’t like the food, i was more than welcome to not come back.
I can absolutely guarantee that I will not be back, and if you haven’t been there before, i wouldn’t waste my time or money.

99 cent taco Tuesday is the bomb! Great service and the food is always fresh and authentic! Awesome drink specials too

The ONLY reason it got as many as two stars was because their traditional mexican tacos were on point. Otherwise
1. The tamales were dry
2. You can’t call yourself a Mexican restaurant and put velveeta in your «bean dip»
3. The only thing weaker than the sweet tea was the salsa. It was like dipping a chip into watery canned tomatoes.
4. It cost $ 1 for a side of guacamole that was the equivalent of a spoonful.
Meh!

Cueva De Lobos is a Mexican restaurant near NC State that features myriad great deals, one for every day of the week. The coolest special is 50% off of the menu after 8 PM on Sundays for service industry workers.
Make no mistake about it, the food at Cueva De Lobos is what Micah Z loves to call «Gringo Mexican Food.» That doesn’t change the fact that the food is indulgent and delicious. My favorite menu item is the burrito adentro — Steak, Chicken, and Shrimp. Another incredible item is the lunch steak fajita. You will be amazed that it’s under $ 7.
I ignored the flaws of Cueva initially. The salsa is tasteless tomato juice. Service has never been particularly good. Still, I liked Cueva and would’ve given it 4 stars had I written this review a few months ago. Heck, Cueva De Lobos was even going to become my go-​to spot for lunch. Then the abhorrently bad service started.
One day I ordered my typical lunch steak fajita to go. The ticket time ran past 20 minutes. You don’t need to be a restauranteur to know that this is unacceptable. People ordering take-​out at lunch have time constraints, and lunch menu items are meant to be quick. I was prepared to cancel my order, when I finally saw it ready. Rather than apologizing for the service time and still offering me to-​go silverware, the server nonchalantly handed me the food and walked away.
Against my better judgment, I returned to Cueva De Lobos late one night, a few hours before close. A sign told me to proceed to the bar for service. I walked all of the way to their bar in the back, only to be told that the kitchen was closed. Shouldn’t the server who was standing around at the front tell me that? Shouldn’t it be affixed to their sign? Shouldn’t they pretend they give a crap about their customers?
1.25 stars — Cueva De Lobos is one of the more frustrating places out there. The food is good, and the lunch steak fajitas are a winner. Unfortunately, the service is so bad that I likely will not return unless it’s with a group of friends for $ 0.99 taco Tuesdays/​Fridays. At a certain point it’s fair to question whether the people who work here even have empathy for their fellow humans. It’s not El Cerro, but frankly, it’s only marginally better.

I saw on Groupon that this little Mexican restaurant that had mixed reviews, so I decided to give it a shot. When we pulled into the parking lot, we were shocked at the exterior as it looks a little dumpy. From the outside, it looks tiny and like more of a take-​out place than a restaurant. We were kindly greeted when we walked in, and we sat in one of the many booths on the long hallway that leads back to a 2 story bar area. Not too bad!
If it weren’t for the excellent service we received from the sweetest little server, this place would be 1 – 2 stars… the food is not that good, but you get what you pay for :) They have excellent drink and food specials each night (99cent taco tuesday when we went), so if you’re looking for cheap Mexican food, Cueva De Lobos is your place. We ordered the chorizo queso, which was a bit bland (as was the salsa). I got the chorizo/​steak/​chicken fajitas, which too were just a little bland. I liked that they offer both corn and flour tortillas though! Sara got the sopas (little fried pizzas) which were waaaay too fried/​greasy. Nothing was just wow or even yum yum about this little hole in the wall.
Based on only the quality of the food, I wouldn’t come back here… but I’ve heard they have great karaōke & I saw their excellent drink specials, so I would maybe come back with a group of friends for games/​trivia or something. Meh, we’ll see.

I’ve been here 3 times and my experience seemed to be going downhills every visit.
I had the chicken quesadilla the first time. Even though the way they made it wasn’t conventional (instead of stacking one tortilla on top of another, they made half quesadilla with one single tortilla and fold it in half. does this make sense?), it was still tasty with the gooey cheese and plentiful of chicken. I wasn’t wowed by the food, but I thought it was a decent place and was surprised by the low rating.
My second visit was on a Friday for their 99 cents taco. The tacos were just alright. I can’t even remember what kind of taco I had because they were just not memorable at all. I wouldn’t go for the tacos even if they were 99 cents a pop. Plus you don’t get refill on chips and salsa unless you order additional dips if you are doing the 99 cents tacos. Womp womp.
They say third time the charm, but this was definitely not the case. I just got back to Raleigh on a trip and wanted to grab something fast to eat. Since Cueva De Lobos is nearby, I decided to order carry out. The description for their carne asada on their website caught my attention: CARNE ASADA: Two marinated and grilled steaks topped with grilled onions. Served with rice, beans, and a Mexican salad. $ 10.95. Once I got home, I couldn’t wait before I dig in. However what welcomed me was a sad dinner. The carne asada was tough and flavorless. The Mexican salad consisted of lettuce and a dollop of sour cream. I was in shocked and utterly disappointed. All I wanted was something warm and flavorful and Cueva De Lobs failed to deliver that.
Update: April 23 2014
I came back for dinner because my friend has a groupon deal. I didn’t really have high hopes for it and thanks to some of the Unilocal pictures I was able to eliminate some of the items on the menu. I ended up getting the chicken fajita quesadilla. It did not disappoint and was quite good. It was nice and crisp on the outside. Cheesy and gooey on the inside with chicken, bell pepper, onions, and tomatoes. My friend got the veggie fajita and it looked like a sad mess. There was no vibrant color on his plate; everything looked sort of dead for some reason. I didn’t get to try it so I don’t know whether it’s good or not, but my friend wasn’t too thrill about it. Their chips are good, but their salsa was pretty terrible. It almost tasted foul… I ended up eating the chips with the tapatio sauce on the table.
They have daily drink specials, and maybe that’s what keep the business going. As for me, Cueva De Lobos will remain 3 stars and stay at the bottom of my list.

Cueva de Lobos used to be my go to for cheap good Mexican in college… then I moved away from Raleigh.
However, this weekend, we were back in Raleigh and decided to stop at Cueva de Lobos for lunch with some friends and family. Holy crap… I forgot how cheap it was!
Chips, salsa, guac, and queso were flowing until our meals arrived. I ordered the lunch burrito (like $ 6) which came with rice and beans. So much food and was very good! We all left stuffed and happy.
Tuesdays is $ 0.99 taco night. The place fills up fast so get there a bit earlier to put your name on the list.
They also have excellent drink specials and Cuervo is always on special!

Okay– so an update. If you follow what I like to call my «cueva» rules you will have a great experience.
Step 1: Come after 7, but before 10.
step 2: Sit UPSTAIRS — the service is much better
step 3: DO NOT ORDER THE MARGARITAS they suck, opt for a straight shot of tequilla
step 4: Order the gorditas for dinner, with carnitas inside. yuuuum 3 for $ 9…DO IT
step 4: now that you’ve consumed a bit of heaven, stuff your face with some churros
step 5: Pay the cheapest dinner bill ever, go home with stomach full of yum

I love this place it is a total hole in the wall in a strip mall (these usually are the best places) the food is typical Mexican fare executed well. The drinks are cheap, and the owner and all the staff are fantastic.
As a big karaōke fan this is my favorite place to belt out some tunes. Stop by on a Saturday night and see CT you will not be disappointed. The crowd is always fun and the music is great. A great dive bar with great food what else can you ask for!

If I wasn’t coerced into coming on a Thursday night for the $ 5 Chimichanga, this probably would not be my first choice of late meal tonight.
I will probably only return here for the 99 cents Tacos Tuesday nights and Friday nights, or the $ 5 Chimis Thursdays. That, and the Taco Eating Contest @ 8pm. Although being a competitive eater this is the first I have heard of such challenge here.
Check out the menu, and you can see what this place is good for: drink specials all days of the week.
College atmosphere from the first step in. The narrow appearance near the front gave me the impression this is a small place, until I was led to sit all the way in the back, which is now separated between upper deck bar area, and lower deck dining area. I will applaud their ingenuity on maximizing the space.