Cuzamil: Furthering the sorry state of Mexican food in Pittsburgh
It’s too bad there’s not a good Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh yet. Cuzamil, the replacement for Mi Mexico on Murray, continues the tradition of mediocrity. (Actually, Mi Mexico at least had the excitement factor of, well, cow tongue.) Perhaps Cuzamil’s meat dishes are tasty (although we doubt it), but the few vegetarian options are bland and salty, and way overpriced. On the flip side, the service was excellent, and our amiable waiter is the only thing garnering any points here.
We started the evening with $3 margaritas (it was happy hour), and given the below-freezing temperature outside, we opted for drinks with ice cubes rather than blended ice. Unfortunately, the bartender used the same amount of sugary mix as in a blended drink, so the cocktails were undrinkable.
Meanwhile, we munched chips, watched Britney’s latest escapades on Inside Edition, and listened to cheery piped-in music heavy on the synth drums. We ordered the veggie burritos ($10) and veggie fajitas ($10). Both had the same ingredients: bland pureed beans, salty Mexican rice, iceberg lettuce, and heavy cheese. Everything was a bit too salty. The onions and peppers in the fajita were tasty, but not enough to merit going back.
Our waiter was friendly, chatting us up in Spanish, and well aware of vegetarian issues. We were hoping to try the mole, but he warned us that it contained chicken broth.
Relative to the other Mexican restaurants in town (and a Mad Mex review is coming soon), Cuzamil is right in the middle. We tasted Velveeta in a burrito at Azul (on Walnut Street) once, so there is worse to be had.
[2 veggies]
Cortney said,
January 11, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
Y’all might consider visiting Karma, a new veg-friendly place in Homestead. It looks like they have a cool dance night on Saturdays, upstairs at the loft.
moira said,
January 12, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
I’m really looking forward to trying Karma. I tried to go there for brunch a few weekends ago (they advertised it on thisishappening) but it turns out they only do dinner now. So we’ll try again soon.
josh said,
February 17, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Unfortunately, Karma is closed now.
Lisa A said,
August 20, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
After all this time, I *have* to weigh in on the Pittsburgh-Mexican food debate…
I actually really enjoy Cuzamil. Love that chihuahua cheese!! But then, I’ve never lived in California or on the West Coast before this summer… I think it’s interesting that people from certain areas of the US identify their local variety of certain ethnic cuisines as more “authentic”. Now that I have lived in Cali this summer and tried the widely-vaunted “perfect” Mexican food, and been able to compare it to what I grew up with in NJ, and what I have had in Pittsburgh, I do think that anywhere you go, even when the restaurant is owned and operated by ethnically-consistent chefs, they make use of local ingredients and culinary traditions to make the food more palatable to the local population. So in Pittsburgh, the Mexican food you get is East-Coast-ish Mexican — not fresh-mex, and not tex-mex, but certainly no farther from “traditional” Mexican fare than either of those. Truly traditional, what-Mexicans-cook-at-home daily isn’t very vegetarian-friendly, anyway (think: tongue and chorizo and pulled pork in *everything*). Just be glad pierogies haven’t made their way into the burritos in Pittsburgh yet
I’d love for some more veggies to be in Cuzamil’s offerings, but that is more to make me feel less guilty about eating the very-unhealthy (but delicious imho!) offerings than because I think it’s truly more authentic. Ask me about Chinese food in France sometime 
Fran said,
September 4, 2007 @ 7:23 am
Where is the Mad Mex review? And does anyone have any Mad Mex recipes? I have the chick pea chili that was in the Post Gazette years ago. I would love to hear more from them and get the tofu sour cream recipe…
moira said,
September 4, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
Hey, Fran! I’m behind on the Mad Mex review . . . silly classes . . . but will return soon to review it. I’ll ask about the tofu sour cream; maybe the chef will share the recipe.
Karen Peterson said,
September 12, 2007 @ 10:29 am
Does anyone have the recipe for mad mex house viagrette salad dressing? I love that stuff!
Mamatha said,
December 28, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
This quite frankly has to among the worst restaurants I’ve visited.
chickie said,
August 8, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
The Cuzamil in Squirrel Hill (I can’t speak for the one downtown) is terrible. Not only is it overpriced, but for the money you are getting some pretty rotten food. The entres are hit and miss. I’ll admit that some of them aren’t bad, but even these are often so salty that you have to stop half way through. Worse than the main courses are the chips and salsa they bring to each table. The salsa has no spice, and seems to be straight out of a jar. The chips are ALWAYS stale–every single time I’ve been there. This, to me, is the biggest crime because it shows what sort of care (i.e. none) they have for the product they produce and the customers they serve. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, they want to charge you for a second basket of chips! The nerve. They should pay ME to eat their chips, not the other way around.
If you want to get real Mexican food, don’t go to this place. Go to Mexico City in downtown. They bring out endless chips that are right out of the friar (still so hot they burn your tongue). And the tacos are unforgettable.
I was really excited when a Mexican place opened in Sq. Hill (I’m from LA and had been disappointed with how little Latin American cuisine was here in Pittsburgh. I’m sorry to say that Cuzamil is just a tease, not the real thing. Don’t let your desperate cravings take you to such a crappy place. You won’t walk out feeling satisfied.