Review: Cocula Mexican restaurant offers rewards of local rarities, succulent favorites
Look up pozole rojo in a dictionary of Mexican culinary terms, and you’re not likely to come across the word “serendipity” in the definition. But that’s precisely what comes to mind when I think of the pozole rojo de puerco I had the first time I ate at Cocula.
I had never heard of the restaurant, for starters, until I stumbled across it a couple of months ago while running a few errands. Considering how seldom I travel that stretch of Fayetteville Road on the southern fringe of Raleigh (so far south that locals think of it as Garner), it’s something of a minor miracle that I did discover it within months of its May opening.
What’s more, as luck would have it, this was around dinnertime when I spotted Cocula — on a rare weekend night when I didn’t already have a dinner on my schedule. Clearly, the gastronomic gods were inviting me to check it out.
I accepted the invitation, and was rewarded with the best pozole I’ve had in recent memory. Loaded with succulent chunks of pork and hominy in a brick red broth as complex as a mole, it was served in a large terra cotta cazuela, with a plate of shredded cabbage, lime wedges, cilantro and chopped onions on the side.
Oh, and the pozole is available only on weekends. Talk about serendipity.
You won’t be surprised to learn that this was not my only visit to Cocula. So far, I’ve only been able to scratch the surface of an extensive menu that runs the gamut from create-your-own combo plates to regional specialties such as mixiote de borrego: Mexican-style barbecued lamb shank, falling-off-the-bone tender beneath a sauce redolent of ancho and guajillo chiles.
The menu has whole categories I have yet to explore (among them burritos, enchiladas and fajitas), largely because I haven’t been able to resist the siren call of local rarities such as the pozole and mixiote.
I can tell you that the chunky made-to-order guacamole is first-rate, though, and served in ample portion for sharing. And that the homemade corn tortillas are exceptionally light and tender.
You can get those tortillas wrapped around your choice of more than a dozen generous taco fillings, including a few surprises (fried avocado, black beans and purple onion, to name one) in addition to all the usual taqueria meat suspects.
I find it hard to resist lengua (beef tongue) and cachete (spicy beef cheek) when they’re available, so I saved the carne asada for a full entree order on a subsequent visit — an ample slab of marinated skirt steak, buried under a mixed grill of nopales, green onions and a whole jalapeño. Rice, beans, a side plate of avocado salad and — of course — some of those homemade tortillas — made for a fine roll-your-own taco feast.
The seafood section alone includes 13 listings, covering the spectrum from classic camarones al mojo de ajo to cevichile, an entree-size portion of shrimp and octopus ceviche amped up with sufficient jalapeños to earn the “chile” half of its mashup name. Mojarra frita (fried whole tilapia) needed a touch more salt when I ordered it, but the fish was otherwise on point, its delicate flesh moist beneath a crisp skin.
So far, I’ve succumbed twice to the temptations of an especially strong vegetarian selection. I would have liked a little more poblano pepper and corn in an order of sopes de raja con elote, but since I cleaned my plate I’ll grant that this amounts to little more than a quibble. On the other hand, I couldn’t fault the sweet potato flautas, tubes of fried tortilla rolled around a pureed sweet potato filling that’s not at all cloying or pumped up with with pie spices (though I do think I picked up a whiff of cumin), garnished with squiggles of chipotle cream.
If I could only order from one section of the menu, though, it would without a doubt be Caldos. That’s where I found the pozole rojo, and where I’m already planning to free up a weekend night to try another variation on the theme, pozole verde con pollo. I’ve also got my eye on caldo de res, and albondigas de pollo (chicken meatballs in a tomato-based soup punctuated with mint), and what sounds like a rib-sticking delight for a chilly fall night: charro beans with beef franks, ham and bacon.
Turns out the Caldos section is the purview of Lucina Ibarra, matriarch of the family-run restaurant (husband Javier is the pop in this mom-and-pop team). The couple’s daughter and partner, Yuliana, sets the tone for a friendly and attentive wait staff, and gets credit for much of the dining room’s cheery, whimsical decor. She picked up the collection of colorful miniature dolls covering a wall near the entrance from a market in Guadalajara on a recent visit to Mexico.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, they’re related to the Ibarras who own several area restaurants, including Jose and Son and The Cortez. See what I mean about serendipity?
Cocula
1428 Garner Station Blvd., Raleigh
919-615-4347
Cuisine: Mexican
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Prices: $
Atmosphere: cheery, whimsical
Noise level: moderate
Service: friendly and attentive
Recommended: guacamole, sweet potato flautas, pozole rojo, mixiote de borrego, tacos
Open: Lunch and dinner daily.
Reservations: accepted
Other: full bar; accommodates children; excellent vegetarian selection; parking in lot.
The N&O’s critic dines anonymously; the newspaper pays for all meals. We rank restaurants in five categories: 5 stars: Extraordinary. 4 stars: Excellent. 3 stars: Above average. 2 stars: Average. 1 star: Fair.
The dollar signs defined: $ Entrees average less than $10. $ Entrees $11 to $20. $$ Entrees $21 to $30. $$ Entrees more than $30.