Lucha Tigre
★★★★☆ 3.9 (429)
"We discovered Lucha Tigre thanks to Yelp. We enjoyed our meal here. I give this place 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Good food, for the most part, and great service. I'd come back.This is a casual, fun, Asian-Latin fusion restaurant and bar. Inside, the space is divided into two sides: bar and dining room. A big "LUCHA TIGRE" covers one of the bar walls and pop art decorates the main dining room wall. They also have a somewhat spacious, partially-covered patio. Overall, it's got a neat vibe.I booked our reservations on Lucha Tigre's website at https://luchatigre.com/ The reservation process was unconventional because instead of getting booked immediately, I had to wait for an email confirmation. On a Sunday, I got a "Pending Reservation Request" email at 2:16pm followed by a confirmation email at 2:52pm, so a 36-minute turnaround time. I got us a same-day reservation at 5pm, not a peak time as evidenced by the lack of customers upon our arrival. However, business had picked up by the time we left around 6:30.The menu had an interesting selection of food and drink. A few good examples of the Asian-Latin fusion served here include General Tso's Chicken Empanadas ($5 each), Pozole Ramen ($15.99), and Pad Thai Al Pastor ($16.99). They also serve straight-up Asian and Latin dishes like pho ($14.99) and tacos ($2 and $4 each). Drink-wise, they had a full bar with a decent selection that included tequila, mezcal, and sake cocktails. They even had a cocktail made with Japanese Suntory Whisky Toki.Here's what my wife and I had:Bebidas Especiales (cocktails)* El Conquistador ($14) - Tequila Herradura Silver, freshly-squeezed citrus, CointreauTapas* Tuna Tiradito ($16.99) - sashimi tuna with aji amarillo pepper, onions, cilantro, roasted corn nuts, and fresh citrus; Nikkei cuisine* Bulgogi Nachos ($15.99) - giant-size nachos with Korean BBQ beef, pico, kimchi, cheese, crema, jalapenos, black beansEntrees* Salmon Poke ($18.99) - raw salmon with sesame, onion, and tamari with seaweed salad, rice, and avocado* Pollo Saltado ($16.99) - stir-fried chicken, tomato, cilantro, onion; served over fries with rice and saladIn general, we were happy or content with everything. Some dishes were better than others. Beautiful presentation all around.The El Conquistador was a margarita that was more tart and less sweet. It was refreshing.I liked the Tuna Tiradito more than my wife. Tiradito is like Peruvian sashimi. I thought this dish was fine. I could see why my wife didn't like it as much because the texture of the tuna wasn't as fresh and appetizing as the tuna sashimi we're accustomed to. This tuna was a bit more "pasty" in texture. Also, the roasted corn nuts, which we think were the same as hominy, didn't add much.The standout dish was the Bulgogi Nachos. I saw pictures of it on Yelp and knew we had to order it. The portion size was huge and the Korean beef bulgogi was sweet and savory. We devoured the nachos. They were incredibly delicious and addictive. A lot of textures and flavors, and they all blended and worked well together.The Salmon Poke was solid. I recommend it if you like poke. Admittedly, it was better than we both expected because we haven't encountered a lot of great poke in the Chapel Hill-Durham area. Decent portions and fresh salmon, seaweed salad, and other ingredients. I will say the rice tasted plain and not seasoned with rice vinegar. The poke came with two sauces on the side, tamari (a type of Japanese soy sauce) and what I think was a type of curry sauce. The salmon was already nicely marinated and tasty so the sauces weren't needed.The Pollo Saltado was OK. It wasn't among the best I've had, but it was "authentic." The problems with this dish were the chicken was too dry and tough and the fries were underseasoned (not salty enough). Unfortunately, the salad was the best part of this dish.Our server Taryn was great. She was attentive and efficient. Everything we ordered came out fairly quickly. One detail I really liked and appreciated was Taryn neatly packed our leftovers and labeled and dated the boxes. That's an extra level of service you don't get at most other sit-down restaurants.Lucha Tigre opened in December 2012. It replaced the Chapel Hill location of The Original Flying Burrito: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-original-flying-burrito-chapel-hill You can find it in the Midtown Market shopping plaza, north of UNC's campus. There's plenty of free dedicated parking.I didn't have a good cell signal here and used their guest Wi-Fi. Password was Beefbulgogi1."
"Food is stupendous Service was mehhhAmbiance was noisy and hard to hear and be heard, tables way too close to one another.The bill was eye bulging too. The food was very good though, albeit modest portions."
"Wow, just wow! This place was fantastic! As a ramen enthusiast, I had high expectations, and they were fully met. The broth was incredibly rich, warming me to the bone--perfect for the chilly day. The pork belly was outstanding, with a perfect crust and tender texture that absorbed the umami flavors of the broth beautifully. The edamame and house-made kimchi were fresh and delicious. The edamame came with a chili crunch that packed a punch, and the kimchi had a bold gochugaru flavor that was absolutely on point.I'm excited to come back and try the omakase menu; it looked phenomenal. I also recommend trying the house-made hot sauce--it was a great addition. The ambiance was super trendy, reminiscent of a spot you'd find in NYC, but fitting right into the vibe of Downtown Durham. The decor was thoughtfully designed, and it really enhanced the experience. Our server was sweet, guiding us through the menu and providing efficient, timely service. I'll definitely return to explore more of the menu next time we're in Durham!"
