Inside the new Spicy Rico, with fast-casual bowls, burritos and tacos near LSU

At new dining spot Spicy Rico, business is a family affair. 

Owner and chef Raul Mendez works with his two sisters, Thalia Fuentes and Diana Fuentes. Their new Mexican-inspired restaurant soft-opened in late April on Lake Street, situated just off LSU’s campus.

The trio plotted everything themselves, from the decor—a modern, punky aesthetic wood tables, colorful wall art and an array of photo-worthy moments—to the menu items, plated from a fast-casual, build-your-own lineup of bowls, burritos, salads, tacos, nachos and quesadillas. Diners can select from a base of either steak, chicken, carnitas, barbacoa, ground beef, chorizo, shrimp, veggies, tofu or Mexican brisket.

Desserts include flan, cheesecake and tres leches. And, of course, there is the holy trinity: guacamole, queso and salsa. Soft drinks are available, but so are aguas frescas and Mexican soda.

Mendez says his personal favorite items are either quesadillas or tacos.

“We want to focus more on giving people good food and quality,” he says of the fast-casual model, “but with a better price than going to a big restaurant.”

Modern pop songs play over the speakers, which Mendez says he hopes creates a welcoming environment for everyone. 

“We know not everybody likes mariachi music,” he says.

The siblings have been in the restaurant business for a while. Mendez has been working and cooking for 25 years with cousins, brothers and sisters. He says it wasn’t a hard decision to work with his sisters on a new project in Baton Rouge.

“We’ve been in Louisiana almost 10 years,” he says. “We are Louisiana people.”

Even the name Spicy Rico comes from family—Mendez’s bilingual son coined the term “spicy rico” as a catchy Spanish-English expression to describe food that was both spicy and delicious. 

Mendez and his team prepped for opening for about a year and a half, spending a lot of time sourcing items straight from Mexico. Many menu ingredients are shipped directly from Mexico overnight, and Mendez traveled to Mexico City to locate a charcoal grill and much of the decor, including hundreds of handmade hummingbird mobiles floating just below the ceiling. 

“Nobody’s going to find this anywhere else,” Mendez says.

While Spicy Rico is still in its soft opening phase for the summer, Mendez plans for a grand opening around August, when school is back in session.

Until then, the restaurant is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. all week, and the dining spot offers both DoorDash mobile ordering and event catering.

Spicy Rico is at 3332 Lake St. For more information, keep an eye on Spicy Rico’s Instagram at @spicy.rico.