In Houston, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a Mexican restaurant or two. However, in The Woodlands, the choices are few and far between. Since its opening five months ago,
La Cocina de Roberto has generated quite a buzz in the
Woodlands Area Foodies Facebook group. The
Houston Press ventured out to The Woodlands to see what all the fuss was about and we were quite pleased.
Located in a small strip center on Sawdust Road, La Cocina de Roberto is owned by Roberto and Claudia Rubio. The menu is a mixture of Mexican dishes with a Central American flair. Traditional items like
tacos al carbon,
carne asada, and
enchiladas Suizas are served, as well as fried yucca and plantains with
crema.
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Every margarita is top shelf when you add your own tequila to La Cocina's fresh juice mix.
Photo by Jamie Alvear
Upon being seated, there are two things you will notice. One, this isn’t your typical Tex-Mex restaurant that fills you up with complimentary chips and salsa and two, this restaurant is BYOB. La Cocina de Roberto does offer chips and salsa, but they are homemade thick cut chips made in-house. The homemade salsas come in red, green and a
habanero so fierce it’s served in a glass jar. A margarita mix of fresh orange and lime juice is available for $3.99 to pair with your favorite tequila. Want a michelada? No problem. Bring the
cerveza of your choice and La Cocina has a mix for you along with a bucket of ice to keep the next round cold.
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Homemade thick-cut tortilla chips are served with freshly prepared guacamole.
Photo by Jamie Alvear
For starters, we chose the guacamole and the
queso flameado topped with chorizo. The homemade chips were sturdy enough to dip into the chunky guacamole without breaking. The guacamole itself was simple and delicious. The queso was served with tortillas that were the perfect vessel for scooping up the gooey, melted Asadero cheese.
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Gooey, melted Asadero cheese is topped with chorizo and served with fresh tortillas.
Photo by Jamie Alvear
Tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas and tostadas come in a choice of five different meat options of which the most notable are the al pastor, carne asada, shredded chicken and
chicharron. The enchiladas Suizas are filled with savory shredded chicken and topped with a tangy
tomatillo sauce and a drizzle of sour cream. Dessert choices of homemade flan and
arroz con leche (rice pudding) are a nice way to finish the evening off.
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The Enchiladas Suizas are stuffed with savory chicken and topped with a tangy tomatillo sauce.
Photo by Jamie Alvear
La Cocina de Roberto is open seven days a week. Breakfast is served from 7 to 11 a.m. and includes tacos and traditional Mexican breakfast specials.
Menudo and
pozole is available on the weekend. Parking is very limited in front of the restaurant and can be quite a challenge during peak hours. Don’t give up though, it’s worth the hassle.
La Cocina de Roberto
3126 Sawdust, lacocinaderoberto.net, 832-299-6706
Hours: Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
