Got the 5 taco special and was belated with the flavor and great creamy Verde. Definitely going back

If you’re in Lufkin stop by here for some food it is amazing! And great prices!

Great food. We did take out, but great counter service. Highly recommend for a wonderful alternative to chain restaurants.

I like the tamales from here and there green salsa, gorditas are great to. There burritos are even better. Real authentic mexican food.

Best Mexican food ever...you can't go wrong ordering anything..favorite item tamales of course.

Good breakfast. Fast and easy.

The food was amazing! Best beans, rice, and tamales I've ever had.

They have really good cheese enchiladas! Best so far! I have tried a lot of places!

Great food made fresh daily

The Maldonados have been making quality tamales for over 40 years and its still a great deal. Glad I could grab a couple dozen coming through town

Enchiladas and flautas were very good, especially the cup of beans. Might have found my local favorite place. Also had a side of carnitas

On a roadtrip, stopped in. Great tamales and good fajita tacos. Delicious pico and salsa, too!!

This place was amazing! If you get a chance you should definitely stop by and try it. The service was great but the food was the real star!! I will be back for sure. No wonder this place has been around for 40 years.

I had a hankering for Mexican, so my friend and I looked up several places online. La Unica had one of the best ratings and over 275 reviews, and most of them were very positive. Well, the reviews were spot on. I got the #1 plate and my friend got the #2 plate. Both were very good. The charro beans were excellent, the guac was fresh and made from ripe avacados, the chips were warm and came with a trio of salsas. The tamales are really good, though I would have preferred them to be spicier. Still, I ordered a dozen tamales you go. Most surprising were the menu prices. We had 2 entrees, extra guac, and two large drinks for under $30. The staff was very friendly and helpful! If you're in the Lufkin area and want alone good Mexican food at a very reasonable price, stop in! You won't be disappointed!

What a gem in the country! We ate breakfast burritos that rival some of the top spots in Houston; the chilè, salsa, pico and chips are authentic and full of flavor. We fed our family of 3 for $11! The atmosphere is humble and steeped in family values and personal heritage. We even saw many of the family members who's photos decorate the dining room. Quaint, inexpensive and absolutely delicious breakfast!

My hubby had some of there 🌯 at work in a meeting and he said they were good.. so today I went and bought 8 different kinds and I can say they are delicious.. yummy 😋

Amazing. This is hands down the best Mexican food in Lufkin (possibly in all of East Texas). It is probably my favorite place in all of Lufkin in general. Literally every time I have eaten here it has been amazing.

Best Tamales in East Texas! Always fresh burritos and the carnitas are yummy. The staff here are always friendly and Kudos to whomever prepares/cooks these delicious meals.

From breakfast to dinner everything is delicious & very authentic! 🌮 😋 The Restaurant & restrooms are very clean and the employees are super friendly. We love it! 🤗

Very great place to pick up food if you don’t want to make any at home. Cheap and delicious, The only problem is the salsa is so watery! 😂

Did not expect good Mexican food way out here, but I was pleasantly surprised. I will be back to try the Horchata and breakfast tacos the next time I am in town.

Love the food here always fresh and hot great hot sauce enchiladas pico love the rice beans guacamole it is all very good and flavorful.

The lady at the counter was real nice. Took my order and it was all correct when I received it. Took it home and it was really very good. Ima gain a little weight eating like that everyday..😁😅

Absolutely fantastic every single time!! We drive from 30 miles away to eat here and it is worth every mile! We have loved everything we have tried.

The cashier is very friendly Service is quick My Boss and I Recently starting going He always gets Migas plate

True authentic Mexican food. Everything on the menu is good! They never disappoint!

Second review. Dad came In town so I suggested my favorite tamale house. He got a number one combo. And I got the tamales plate. Good chips and salsa if you dine in. As always the pork tamales are tits. The taco was chewy but had great flavor. And the burrito was good. Sitting in the restaurant. You see countless people coming in for to go orders. It's good food. It's not 5 star but it pretty good. Definitely order the tamales

If you want a fancy place to eat, this is not the spot for you. If you want delicious Mexican food, in a friendly and simple environment, then make the visit. The menudo was stellar.

Food was really good, the service was okay, just one lady as a server, too busy for one person, but she did good. She was running. The atmosphere was a little noisy and crowded by my table, I was close to the entrance and lot of people around picking up orders to go. Overall, tripitas was good A+, barbacoa good A+, Pozole A+

The tamales are the best I've ever eaten, hands down!

Very delicious first experience. The tamale platter was moist and flavorful, the street tacos had a bit of crisp to the meat which was wonderful and the grilled onion added the right touch as well. The "simple tacos" were the best my kids had in their words and the rice was unique, probably also the best I have had. Highly recommend. Can't wait to head back for some breakfast as well!

The food was authentic and so good! The green salsa was hot and delicious! Red salsa also amazing! Well done! Chicken burritos are what we ordered!

The best place in town to get breakfast burritos. I’ve only ate lunch here a couple of times, but I’ve never had a meal I wasn’t happy with.

Amazing!! Always fresh and delicious 😋

OMG! Awesome people and over the top tamales. Many places don't put much in them. This place packs them full. Delicious beyond words. We drive 45 min and buy a couple dozen. More than worth it.

This the real deal! Very authentic Mexican food. Very small dining area but always a table available. Fast service and very tasty food, good menu assortment that’s not overly spicy. Reasonably priced, blue collar atmosphere. Clean environment though usually there is tight parking during the lunch hour. My favorite place for Mexican food in this town and I’ve probably been to just about all of them.

Best place to get tamales. Great food. Great staff. Dine in or carry out. Limited tight parking but it’s always busy so never an issue finding a spot. Local favorite. Great family meal options. Anything you get here is guaranteed, fresh and delicious.

Been coming here for YEARS!! Back in the 80’s and 90’s when I lived in Lufkin, we came in often. Fast forward to last weekend, my wife and I were passing through for a couple of days and we went two days in a row. Although the restaurant footprint has changed dramatically and there are no more piñatas hanging from the ceiling, the food is still the same…. DELICIOUS!!! Also, the owner still comes out and sits at the reserved table in the back watching over the store and greeting some of the frequent customers!! It’s good to have seen him and know he’s created such a wonderful experience for his patrons. I only wish he’d open one up in Austin!!!

Great service and great food. The food is made fresh unless it's a popular item. The breakfast plate is huge. I got the plate with bacon, eggs, beans, hashbrowns, and 3 flour tortillas. If you eat there, they give you chips and salsa free as an appetizer. The chip made fresh. I've going there for years and will continue to visit.

Don’t let the outside appearance fool you, this place has great Mexican food. I typically have the #2 which gives me two beef enchiladas, charo beans, flautas, and rice. The helpings are huge so go hungry. We typically take a dozen tamales home with me when we go. Delicious !

Fantastic chirizo, egg, and cheese burritos!

Delicious breakfast, served piping hot. Chips and salsa were delicious! Definitely a hidden gem!

Yep, 5 stars all around. Momma in the back killing it. Food was traditional, good and fast. Pricing was below average and she brought chips and salsa which want expected. They keep over head down which allows for good food and a good price. Fajita tacos, rice with authentic beans were our favorite of 2 mixed plates.

Cassandra Gallaway

Literally the best tamales I’ve ever eaten. Anywhere! The tacos were good too. Very flavorful.

Shelbie Turner

Best tamales and rice in town. Great service.

Joshua Smith

Always great. La Unica has been a foundation of our community since the late 70's. Family owned, consistent quality, fair prices. They have been my go-to place for authentic Mexican food my entire life. Famous for their tamales. Great for dine-in or take out. Everyone needs to take a moment and realize that when they opened in the late 70's before foodies and the general public had a palate for authentic Mexican Food. La Unica was way ahead of the times being the only place in Lufkin you could get this kind of food without having a Mexican family member that could cook these wonderfully exotic dishes that we take for granted every day. Lufkin had no taco trucks nor were our daily lives as anglos and tejanos so intertwined. The success of La Unica over the years stands as a testament of a community that has come together to blend our cultures and our tastes. Every bite you take here carries the legacy of a family that took a risk to serve an underrepresented group and at the same time opening their hearts and doors to our community as a whole.

Todd Brooks

Such an awesome place for lunch in Lufkin. Great authentic Mexican food. The tacos are on point and the service is amazing. Everyone there is super friendly. Love IT I love coming here so much. Literally the same as down South and maybe even better. The ladies working here are so sweet and take care of everyone

Megan Harbuck

You cannot go wrong with breakfast burritos from La Unica. Everyone loves them! I've never dined in at this location, but I have gone in several times to pick up my orders. I always get fast and friendly service. You can tell the food and salsa is fresh. They have the good ice at their soda fountain. Sodas from the fountain taste perfectly mixed. I recommend all of the breakfast burritos, but especially the chorizo, potato, and cheese one!

Ike Craig

Really good food and great value. Very authentic taste. Good service as well. The machacado is excellent here.

Rebecca Pichardo

Ive always loved this place i remember everytime i would go visit my family in lufkin my parents would stop and eat here and their tamales are AMAZING! 🤤

Jerry McKinney

La Unica has great food, pretty close to authentic, if not authentic. Tamales are very good along with the rest of the food. Cannot go wrong by eating here.

Val T

Great Mexican food at reasonable price. Can’t ask for more. Quick service, great red salsa. Perfect for quick breakfast or lunch.

Miguel Galvez

I've been coming to this place ever since I was a kid! It's always been our go-to spot before heading out of town or before going on long road trips. They have some of the best damn burritos and tamales, and the flavors to this day have stayed consistent! 👌 Highly recommend their classic beef and bean burrito. They also have other varieties such as steak ranch, carnitas, breakfast options, and more. They obviously have more authentic Mexican food you can try if you choose to dine in which I recommend. Parking varies. This place does get packed!! Mornings and during lunch are usually very packed. But you can always call ahead and order your food. Owners and employees are great! Professional and friendly. I highly recommend giving this place a try !!🔥

L. Lopez

I didn't know what to expect. Not being from the area only came because of the reviews. OMG! The food was by far the best tasty Mexican food I ever had (I'm not Mexican). I talked to the staff since I had no clue what was what, a very sweet lady took the time to explain to me so I order. "HOLY FRIJOLES!" Do not for one second let the location or building fool you. You want to eat flavor come her and ignore all else. You won't regret it!

Lisa Trevino Carlson

We’re traveling from out of state and we’re craving authentic Mexican food, the reviews led us here. When we walked in, the place was clean and tables nicely distanced, the friendly young lady took my order in English, after she noticed my Spanish was not sooo great. The chips with salsa and pico arrived at the table and both were flavorful. Our meal arrived piping hot! Everything was seasoned correctly, the eggs cooked perfectly and we were very happy with the meal! Perfectly authentic! After eating I checked out the bathrooms and they smelled and looked clean! No complaints, only in agreement… this is the only one! La Unica! With a full parking lot, it’s a must visit when you’re in Lufkin!

+5

Joe L

First time here. This is one of those hidden gems, off the beaten path that the locals keep a secret. Service was good and the food was awesome!! Looking for a great meal? This is the place!

Steve Buser

Excelent food. Tamales were just spicy enough to wake up your palate but not too salty. The charo beans were as good as I have ever had.The beef burrito had a competition grade, authentic, delicious flavor. It's an "order at the counter", No frills decor place.

Definitely get your money's worth!! Huge plates of food! And delicious!

I enjoyed the breakfast. Huevos rancheros were good. The salsa was good, the beans were good and the bacon too. Plenty of it too. Enjoyed the coffee very much and just a nice place for good cooking and delicious beans.

The tamales were hands down the best I ever had, the beans were pretty good also! Everything else was mediocre and the prices were a little high for that type of establishment. Overall it was worth the visit and new experience though.

Really good food, you might have to wait a bit to get your order. Make sure that if you order the guisada that's what you get. We forgot to check and had asada when we got home. Food was still good, just not what we ordered.

Authentic Mexican Food! OMG it was so good! Just a small, family ran business. Very nice people! We were told that they cook menudo on weekends so you bet cha boots we came back and got some...oh yeah, they know what their doing!!

First time here- food was good. It is not a fancy place, but service is pretty quick, and good. I'll have to come back to try the rest of the menu items!

Typicla tex mex /mexicain food Need to try need to test Very nice I will come again next time

Great authentic Mexican food made fresh.

This is an authentic Mexico style eatery. It is somewhat dirty, smells of stale grease, but the food is awesome! I had the grande Shredded beef burrito and it was not only delicious, but enough for two meals...for just $8.99! I do recommend calling your order in and taking it to your nice clean, comfortable home. Enjoy!

Great place to get tamales! But if you want to make your own they sell the massa by the pound, have nice rolling size corn husks, and tho I've never bought the filling I'm sure they sell that too! Oh, and they open early!

Theresa M. Hernandez

Good food. We will be back to try other items on their menu.

David Mon

Very good, got 6 tamales, pork skins and Chuck of pork. Was 11 bucks not expensive but not cheap. Came with chips and salsa but needed more sauce/salsa

The food was very good but it took 30 minutes at the drive thru and then I had to go in the restaurant to get my food.

Basic traditional Mexican food, tamales are ok and the burritos are ok for the price, not a bad place to stop at but not my go to everyday place

We always visit when we're in town. Their gorditas are delicious! There are no waiters like in other Mexican restaurants in town... the way they have it makes it feel like a fast food restaurant. The customer orders at the cash register, you're given a number, and if there's a clean place you sit yourself there and then fill your drinks. Wish the place was bigger and staffed with waiters. We always buy $100+ with family when we visit... our favorite place for Mexican food in East Texas.

We have always loved it and had a great experience! This time we waited a really long time, had an item missing and asked for extra salsa and was told we got what we were getting.

I've been eating here since my youth they burritos are tightly rolled and grilled which set them a part but the inside smell of sewage the inside has a moisture like smell great burritos, pork skin, plates etc but it's time to remodel.

We ordered 9 beef, bean and cheese breakfast burritos. We had to wait(which was understandable), they brought our order out, we left and got them home and they were very spicy shredded beef burritos. The kids couldn’t eat theirs because they were too spicy and two adults couldn’t eat theirs. Therefore we wasted 7 burritos ($$$) that we wouldn’t have if we had gotten the correct order.

The tacos are pricey but delicious. However the Tamales aren’t worth the hype everyone talks about in the reviews. They’re small and don’t have enough flavor, near bland in my opinion. The chips were fine but the salsa wasn’t, it was bland and tasted like tomato paste for a can.

First time here, so I asked for barbacoa and I was watching, so as soon the person (I believe he was the owner) opened the tray, he started coughing right there in front of the barbacoa tray...so it is enough for me not to return

$3.66 for 2 breakfast taco's. Wasn't but 3 bites per taco. Over .62 cents per bite, poor value.

Ok so we're new to the area and few people recommended this place so we took a chance ... so first off.... get there and tried to see if they had brisket anything.. that's a negative.. so was going to order a burrito until they have NO other sauce except hot sauce.. wth... no cheese no sour cream sauce nothing .. I cant do spicy lol an no way can eat a dry burrito! So changed it to fajita plate... the diet coke tasted nasty.. I'm an avid diet drinker...out of tea. ! Get our food and the beans are super spicy! Cant eat them... the tortillas were hard and chewy! The only good thing was the rice and the chips! We will not be returning to this establishment... my other half got cheese enchiladas that looked old and just not appealing at all.. they did not taste good either... so if you're wanting and ok with sub par taste and not a lot of options... go for it :) the staff was nice... but food was not..

Many times and over many years, we have ordered tamales on our way through Lufkin. They have always been delicious. But this time, not so much. The filling was as good as ever, but the masa was thick and very dry. They were crumpling as we tried to eat them. Don’t know what has happened to their recipe, but we were disappointed. Hope they go back to the way they use to be.

I’ve always loved this place and especially the tamales but went there yesterday and I guess they changed the recipe! Tamales were more masa than meat! They were hard and dry and were served Luke warm and some were cold! I was so disappointed. Please go back to your original recipe because I absolutely loved them and love the homey, cozy, small restaurant.

Victoria Santos

Third time going here in my 13 years that I have lived out here. The food is good, however, the quality of service, especially today, is a reminder that no matter how good food can taste that if the customer service is bad then the whole experience is no good. The outside world is already ugly as it is. You never know who you are providing service to, regardless of the outward appearance. Simply Be Kind.. it doesn’t take much.

Frank Castle

This la Unica is not as good as the other la Unica express with the drive thru. The other one with the drive thru has bigger portions and includes for take out chips and salsa. The Spanish rice is better at the other one too. When we first walked up to place our order the employee walked away from us without saying anything and she turned her back to us while talking to the people in the cooking area. Eventually we did get our order in it took a while and when the food finally got to me it wasn't the hard tacos that I wanted instead it was the street tacos which I still enjoy very much but I had ordered hard tacos for the crunch. Also my beans weren't refried and the Spanish rice wasnt that great. Next time I'm going to the la Unica express with the drive-thru for sure but I thought I would at least give this one a try. Place was clean and it wasn't too busy. Price was a little bit more than I wanted to pay for what I got. I don't think I'll be coming back again.

Very stingy with the fillings and for $2.30 per taco not worth it. The barbacoa wasn't barbacoa at all, more like shredded beef. The chicharon was good but again hardly any in the taco. The pastor was a little on the dry side. Add to that the lost our order so 7 orders that got here after us were served before us. When they did finally decide to bring out our order, it was wrong. Needless to say, won't be back.

I normally like their food, but this past weekend the food had no flavor..

The burritos were great, but my account was charged $17.95 instead of the $12.95 that I should have been charged for 4 burritos. I didn't give a tip because I picked them up at the counter.

Felt like I was in a corner store. The food was disgusting! The customer service was horrible.

Breakfast tacos: Scrambled eggs and something like American cheese wrapped in a Mission or some other store brand tortilla (at a “tortilleria”) wrapped in paper and sitting under a heat lamp. What a joke.

Coco

I just walked out of this place. The service is terrible its 12 noon and five guys are lined up at the counter. The cashier is in back doing idk what but i waited like 15 min. She could at least acknowledge the people in line and say im coming. Nothing from her acting like we arent there. She has alwasy been a little rude but today i decided im done with this place. I just stop due to convenience anyway. The food is ok but there are plenty of other places in lufkin with just as good or better food but definitely better service

Josh Goob

The salsa is very bland it's like dipping your chips in water with food coloring and spice. The staff is friendly and on point with customer service but the food to me isn't the best I've had. We stopped in for a bite and to be honest we won't be back.