The entrance to Cuco’s Market and Taquería.

Juan Morales, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, has been in the restaurant business all his life, and that’s why three years ago he opened his own restaurant, Cuco’s Market and Taquería, in Columbus.

But he didn't want to just have a restaurant, so he included a market that sells Mexican and other Hispanic/Latin@ products to his customers. Another unique feature of Cuco’s is that it features a salsa bar where all kinds of salsas, from mild to try-at-your-own-risk hot, are made fresh daily on the premises so everyone can find something they like. The other highlight at Cuco’s is that it offers elaborate Mexican dishes that are not generally found at the more fast-food-like incarnations of that country’s fare.

Nicely decorated and appointed, the restaurant features a beautiful large mural of Mexico on one wall. “My wife painted that,” says Morales proudly.

Our Mexican adventure at Cuco’s began with the traditional drink of horchata, a rice flour-based drink that is sweet and refreshing. Morales said theirs is made from scratch by actually grinding the rice into flour and adding just the right amount of cinnamon to the mix, giving this drink its characteristic taste and making it the perfect accompaniment to a warm meal.


Sopes $3.95 vegetarian, $5.95 with meat

Sopes are a truly Mexican dish. The corn dough is pressed into a small mold that makes it look like an arepa, topped with refried beans, chorizo (optional), lettuce, pico de gallo (diced tomatoes, onions and cilantro) and sour cream. The flavor combinations in this smaller dish make for the perfect appetizer. Of course, Cuco’s does serve the traditional chips and salsa with the meal, but if you want to be adventurous and try something new, you can’t go wrong with the sopes.


Chile Relleno $7.95

This dish was served with a tamale, Mexican rice and refried beans. Two large and green poblano peppers are stuffed with cheese and topped with ranchero sauce. The peppers are sweet and taste almost like squash.




Tacos $1.50 per taco

Most people think about tacos when they think about Mexican food, and Cuco’s doesn’t disappoint, offering a wide variety of them. You can choose from the traditional chicken, steak (with a delicious pineapple sauce), barbacoa (BBQ), and al pastor (pork) to the unusual lengua (tongue) and their surprising fish taco. All the tacos come topped with cilantro and onions.


Cochinita Pibil $8.99

The special on the Friday we went was something not to be missed. Another Mexican delicacy, this slow-cooked pulled pork is seasoned with achiote (known as annatto in English, and used as a red dye in foods) and is wrapped in a plantain leaf. The sweet tender pork goes very well with tortillas and the secret is to drop some lime juice on the pork to exalt the taste of this fabulous dish. The cochinita also comes with Mexican rice, guacamole and a tostada (fried tortilla) with black beans.