Great Mexican and Latin-American Food in Seattle?

[Citizen Taco]

I'm working on a Food Map for greater Seattle in preparation for a scouting trip this summer and want to include some great Mexican and Latin American food. Besides Tacos El Asadero and La Carta de Oaxaca, I don't know of other great places.

Here's the Food Map I've made up so far:
http://citizentaco.com/guide/Seattle

and I found this old post from 4 years ago but can't tell what is still good or not:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1570...

Any other suggestions?

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Tacos El Asadero
3517 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98127

Tacos El Asadero
4200 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118

[allisonw]

El Camion has bricks and mortar in Ballard now. Also, El Sabor on Shorline is worth a taste.

[meerastvargo]

La Isla is is Puerto Rican, but I think very tasty:
http://www.laislaseattle.com/menu.aspx

[soypower]

Another taco truck...El Burrito Mojado in Kirkland has some amazing tamales. The chicken inside is cooked with a bunch of cilantro and other herbs and is absolutely delicious. I also really enjoy their salsa roja. Their tacos seemed pretty legit as well according to my bf from So Cal. He fancies himself a Mexican Food Connoisseur. Haven't tried any of their big plates however, because I just can't order anything but those heavenly tamales.

[equinoise]

Just north of El Asadero #2 on Rainier, a rival truck called Tacos El *Asador* has opened. The menu is basically the same as El Asadero, with a few distinct advantages:

-Salsa verde in addition to roja (which always irked me about Asadero).
-More numerous aguas frescas
-Complimentary stewed beans served from a crock pot

3320 Rainier Ave S
(between Walden St & Byron St)
Seattle, WA 98144
[phone]

[TheRealEdwin]

I signed up for an account to reply just to this thread since the overwhelming majority of the posts are about Mexican food I want to chime in on something non-Mexican. I don't know about you all but I get tired of Mexican food. I miss the variety of food found in South Florida.

La Isla - http://www.laislaseattle.com/
I'm a little biased about La Isla since I am Puerto Rican and just moved here 2 years ago. When I get home sick, I go here. Every single person I've taken here has had an orgy in their mouth with the Pastelon. DO NOT SKIP THIS PLACE!

El Oso - http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-oso-lake-forest-park
Run by a guy from Gainesville, FL he has things like Cuban Sandwhich, Empanadas, Tostones con Pollo, Bacalaitos etc.

Snout & Co. - http://www.snoutandco.com/
Cuban food truck.

Cafe con Leche - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-con-Leche/187069311413710
Cuban restaurant in SODO

The Salvadorean Bakery - http://www.thesalvadoreanbakery.com/
El Comal has been mentioned a few times so I will bring up the sister restaurant of El Comal. Great cheap food with huge portions. The bakery and attached cafeteria is what I am used to and have had the best food in hole-in-the-wall places like this.

Pam's Kitchen - http://pams-kitchen.com/home/
Great Trinidadian food and a pretty nice restaurant. It's actually made it on to the Food Network. It's also easy to get to since you can jump onto any bus that heads to the U District and it will take you there.

El Pilon - http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-pilon-seattle
Another super duper awesome Puerto Rican place. Not that I am biased or anything. :D

Hope this helps alleviate the over whelming boredom of constant Mexican. I know there are more but I've only been here a relatively short time and haven't had a chance to explore as much as I want.

[paulj]

Looks like El Oso is in the Third Place Bookstore food court. I must have looked at their menu, but only saw the conventional Mexican offerings. But I'm usually there to look at books, not to eat.

[equinoise]

As for non-Mexican, I scanned through this thread again, and I don't see a mention of the Peruvian food at San Fernando Roasted Chicken. Solid.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/san-fernando-...

[paulj]

Not too far from their Lynnwood location is Taqueria Chenchos. This used to be a Guaymas, but now with different name (and owners), possibly because of the new Guaymas by the convention center. The menu is somewhat expanded from Guaymas days.

Today I tried their burrito with tripitas. I usually prefer a torta (which they have) but we were doing takeout to eat at a park. The burrito is the usual over stuffed mission style, and distribution of the meat was uneven. While I have had tripas in a taco elsewhere, these were different, funky bacon is the best description. The intestine pieces had a chewy texture like crisp bacon, with a charcoal grilled taste, and just enough funkiness to remind me of the source (but not as funky as some Korean intestines that I had over by the other Guaymas).

Next time I might ask for half tripitas and half lengua. That would be a good balance of the chew and the tender meat. I also need to try buche - I know the taco truck by Country Farms lists that.

[dnamj]

Some good suggstions in this thread, and I also recommend La Dona in White Center.

[Liz_H]

I've got to second the El Camion folks after devouring a fish taco and a carne asada taco this weekend at the International Food Bloggers Conference. The fish taco was tender and tasty and topped with a fresh salsa with just the right amount of cilantro. I've also got to put in a bid for a Queen Anne neighborhood stand-by, the tiny Malenas, on McGraw. When I want flautas with fresh guac, I take my pocketful of pennies (only real money, no credit) and munch on chips and salsa while waiting. (Note: the Queen Anne and Ballard Malenas are not equivalent. I like the hole-in-the-wall feel of the Queen Anne shop better.)

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Queen Anne Cafe
2121 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

[lavaca]

I went back to Muy Macho last night. They are now clearer that "Muy Macho" is the name of the restaurant, although it still says "Mas Macho" in several places. In any case, they've now combined the Oaxacan menu with the regular menu. The whole fried tilapia (mojarra) was very tasty, although it was sort of scary to see just how much food they crammed onto one plate for $10.

I did notice that you can order a plate of fried grasshoppers (chapulines) if you're so inclined. Any takers? I also appreciate that some joker translated cabeza simply as "shredded beef".

Does anybody know the story behind El Trompo Loco? That's the place I was originally trying to find before heading over to South Park. Yelp says that it's open only at night while the PBR150 review talks about eating lunch there. The parking lot where I expected to find it was empty at 8:30 PM on a Sunday.

[equinoise]

I was tracking El Trompo back in '08. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4971...

Haven't heard anything about this elusive creature lately. Haven't there been recent reports of a farmer's market spit-tender called El Agave?

Also, I saw a taqueria in Renton advertising having the spit on fin de semana, but I haven't made it down there yet.

[lavaca]

Further Google research on El Trompo Loco turned up this, which seems to imply that it is gone for good: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/arch...

Los Agaves seems to be expanding their presence, but I've still not had the chance to partake - try the Queen Anne farmers market on Thursday or the Georgetown Market on Saturday.

[equinoise]

That is a very puzzling report. Club T-21/Taqueria El Trompo Loco? Sounds festive...."El Guapo! Here come the gunz!"

But I digress. Huarachitos used to have the spit, weekends only, but then they took it away for economic reasons. Every time I go in I chide them to bring it back, to no avail.

I still need to investigate this Yucatecan place in Des Moines. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/686462

[lavaca]

Today I was able to check out the tacos at Los Agaves. The chicken was really dry and not very interesting. The carne asada was better, but also a bit overdone. The al pastor was the best, although it would have been a lot better had they cut the meat straight off the spit and used fresh pineapple rather than canned pineapple. I don't really know what to make of the experience - it feels like they're aiming halfway between D.F.-style street food and stereotypical Seattle blandness. I will probably try them again, and feel that the huarache will be the way to tell if the overall vibe is more the former or the latter.

[equinoise]

That's dissapointing. The Los Agaves website focused heavily on catering and included some not-so Mexican food.

Have you tried Laredos Grill? It's a sports bar in lower Queen Anne and apparently most of the food is bad but they have real al pastor with fresh pineapple.

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Queen Anne Cafe
2121 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

[equinoise]

Some recent findings:

Los Agaves recently opened a stall in Pike Place. I saw it and tried one taco al pastor. Consistent with lavaca's earlier report, the meat was relatively dry and timidly flavored, a shadow of what is sold at Los Chilangos.

A couple months ago I had lunch at La Casa Azul on NE 45th. The menu was much more generic "family mexican" than I had thought--maybe it is different from the Greenwood location? Anyway, my wife had an enchilada plate that was forgettable, but the pozole I tried was a great meld of porcine funk, salinity and bright with lime and chile heat.

[pairswellwithwine]

I have to give a shout out for Taqueria La Venadita in Issaquah. It is fast becoming a tradition to stop here on our way over the mountains. The torta's are fabulous, I personally recommend the milanesa. Rumor has it that their rellenos are superb but only available around Easter.

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Taqueria La Venadita
730 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA 98027

[christy319]

For Barracuda Taqueria fans--they are today's "groupon." You can buy $21 for $10 at groupon.com, just through today.

[aeranthes]

Don't forget La Costa, in Burien! Some of the most amazing Mexican food I've ever tasted, and I grew up in an area heavily populated by Mexicans and Latinos.
http://www.chow.com/restaurants/56547...

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La Costa Mexican Restaurant
206 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA 98166

[BallardFoodie]

Has anyone tried La Casa Azul at 145th and Greenwood? I'm seeing more people talking about it on Yelp. Website suggests that it is Oaxacan (including a favorite from my trip to the great state: Tlayudas). We've passed by it on our way up to Costco, but will usually stop by Grinders on the way back or Tacqueria El Sabor if feeling like Mexican.

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La Casa Azul
14419 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133

[lavaca]

I finally went last night. Despite what people on Yelp are saying, it's as much D.F. as it is Oaxaca (which makes sense, given that the Casa Azul is in D.F.). For the neighborhood, it's a very good option - they've got a lot of dishes you won't easily find elsewhere in the area, and everything is prepared reasonably well. The flavors could be a bit punchier, and the chips and salsa are lousy, but I would definitely recommend the place to anyone interested in Mexican food beyond the usual Northern Mexican taqueria fare.

Another place to get a tlayuda is Taqueria Mas Macho, just south of the South Park Bridge (R.I.P.). Although the regular menu holds few surprises, there's a whole Oaxacan menu on the wall just past the front door.

[GreenYoshi]

I'd like to go to Mas Macho, but I honestly don't know how to get there anymore...

[equinoise]

It's Muy Macho I think. Similar idea. I think there are murals of soldiers with thick mustaches.

[lavaca]

It used to be Muy Macho and is now Mas Macho. I don't know what prompted the name change.

[terrier]

The cabeza and cochinita pibil at El Camion are great! Can't believe it took so long for me to try these meats.

[pusherman]

Yeah, meat from the head, esp beef cheeks, has become very popular among the gastropubs and chi-chier places over the last 18 months or so...but la carne de la cabeza has a long and illustrious history among the taquerias.

That said, I can't really get into the Mexican lengua (tongue) preparation -- I love a thin sliced tongue on a sandwich (the Quinn's tongue ruben was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had), but the taco style lengua is too, well, tongue-like for my taste.

[paulj]

Check out the new Bizarre Foods Baja episode for more taco ideas, such as blood. I'm almost tempted to buy a block of cooked blood from the Asian grocery and crumble it up with some onions etc.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Has anybody eaten at the taco truck up the street from the Mexican consulate in Belltown?

[lavaca]

I had lunch there today and wrote about it up above. Short answer: it depends on how desperate you are for tacos (not great, but you could do worse given the neighborhood).

[pusherman]

The number and breadth of, let's call it "Mexican" places in Seattle is impressive given the distance, but as has been abundantly discussed here, the quality is questionable.

My challenge is that I am from Texas, so my own preferences run not so much to "authentic" interior Mexican but rather to Norteno / Tejano / Tex-Mex style specialties. If these are of interest, I can recommend a couple of places-

Taqueria Tequila for breakfast -- if you don't have anything to do later in the day, they have a great chorizo con huevos. Their burritos are better avoided

Tacos el Asadero (the taco truck on Rainier) and El Camion (the one on S. 1st in SoDo) are both strong in the taqueria category - while the taco truck ambience may be not so hot, I have been consistently impressed with the quality and flavor of both, and both are a good deal by Seattle standards.

Tarasco -- this place is on 70th in Ballard, and is way, way under the radar, basically a divey bar with inexplicably authentic small-town type Tex-Mex. It's not especially good, but it does remind me of home.

Barriga Llena -- OK, this is interior (DF) style, but the tortas are good, so I'll pug 'em.

For some reason, everyone seems to love Rancho Bravo -- I find their food fair at best, although I do appreciate the convenience of their locations. I haven't tried Barracuda yet, but I hear good things.

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Barriga Llena
, Seattle, WA 98101

[paulj]

Talking of taco truck ambiance, the last one I stop at was on the edge of Hood River, OR. It was in the gravel parking lot of a pipe and orchard supply place, with a garden shop across the street. There was a porta potty in back and old truck for sale in front. Quality was decent, but not exceptional.

The choizo and 'al pastor' mix that I bought at the carniceria in the next town was much hotter than what I get at the Michiocan carniceria near the Lynnwood convention center.

[seattleviking]

Have you tried Laredos Grill? I've been to the Happy Hour a couple time and have been very satisfied with the food. The tacos al pastor are good and the chili con queso is also a winner. The flautas are worth getting just for the salsa that is served with then. My wife and I both liked the chili relleno which is roasted, stuffed and topped with queso.

One of the menu items is carne asada Norteno style... since you mention Norteno. I'm not that familiar but I have found the food to be some of the better Mexican I've eaten in Seattle.

I'll admit that I'm mostly curious to see if a Texan would a good opinion of the food.

[mrnelso]

Pusherman, thank you. I'm of Norteno experience, too. I thought I was gonna bust a gut when I read "It's not especially good, but it does remind me of home," because when I got back to Seattle from a year's assignment in West Texas, Tarasco was the only place I could find to remind me of the food I'd grown to appreciate in Ysleta. Today, I hit El Camion, at Home Depot (130th & Aurora), and was impressed. Restaurateurs, by gum, who deliver a deliberate product, and well. Can you speak to differences between the North and South trucks, or is this a dynasty?

[pusherman]

I've never been to the north location, but they use the exact same menu (in fact, I've accidentally called the wrong one since the phone number of the North one is below that for the south one, when everyone knows south and down are the same). So, I'd imagine no great difference. For hardcore fans, they twitter special deals at lunchtime like 2 x 1 tacos and such.

Between Camion, Asadero, and the Barriga Llena truck that materializes outside of Sounders games, I can just about scratch my mexican food itch in the summer, but I suffer in the winter when I really want it but don't want to stand outside.

re- Laredos Grill -- never tried it, I'll put it with Barracuda on my list!

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Barriga Llena
, Seattle, WA 98101

[gryphyx]

I agree pretty solidly with lavaca's hierarchy.

I would stay away from El Puerco Lloron in Seattle and la Cocina del Puerco in Bellevue. Both are so-so. Neither are authentic, but as well, neither use cheddar cheese on anything. And they do have tasty carnitas, so maybe so-so plus good.

Cactus is the worst restaurant in Seattle. Period. I consistently get dragged there by friends who think its good. I think it all tastes like it was cooked in Kansas and frozen and sent to the Northwest in a Sysco truck and thawed and thrown on a plate.

If you are into tortas, there is Borriga Llena on Aurora. Traditional DF style comida.
And Cuban style sandwiches at Paseo on Fremont (upper Fremont, nearer to the Zoo than to downtown Fremont).
For pupusas, besides Salvadorean Bakery in White Center, try Guanaco's on Broadway and in the U District.

[lavaca]

I visited El Puerco Lloron after people kept mentioning it and was reasonably happy with my meal (pork tamales with beans and rice) once I put a healthy portion of pickled carrots, onions, and peppers on my plate. If nothing else, I'm sure it's better than any other Mexican place in downtown Seattle.

(But, wait, didn't somebody open up a taco truck on 3rd Avenue recently?)

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El Puerco Lloron
1501 Western Ave Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98101

[gryphyx]

lavaca, estoy de acuerdo... es mejor que cualquier otro lugar mexicano en el centro... pero no quiere decir q es rico. Tiene comida en el estilo de lo mexicano. ¡Y sip, hay q poner chiles!

lavaca, I agree... its better than any other Mexican place en downtown... but that doesn't mean its yummy! They have food en a Mexican style and yeah you have to put a ton of chiles y salsas pa q sepa traditicional!

[lavaca]

Nunca quisiera conducir a Pike Place solamente para visitar El Puerco, pero es una opción segura cuando ya estoy en el centro. Parece que personas de barrios sin comida mexicana buena piensen que El Puerco Lloron es lo mejor en Seattle porque es mejor que los opciones en Fremont o Magnolia. Man, my Spanish is really going downhill.

(I get the feeling that El Puerco Lloron really was one of the best Mexican options in town 15-20 years ago. Things elsewhere seem to have improved since then.)

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El Puerco Lloron
1501 Western Ave Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98101

[mrnelso]

In re: Lavaca "15-20 years ago." Exactly true. As to "authentic" though, it depends on authentic to what, which depends on where you've been. El Puerco Lloron serves precisely the food I ate every day when I worked in a plant in Ysleta, 25 years ago. Recently annexed to El Paso, Wikipedia says "Ysleta was settled between October 9 and October 12, 1680 (can you get any more authentic than that?), when Spanish conquistadors, Franciscan clerics and Tigua Indians took refuge along the southern bank of the Rio Grande. This is the oldest European settlement in the area that is the present-day U.S. state of Texas. These people were fleeing the Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico." Maybe a hundred yards from the border, it definitely qualifies as Tex-Mex, with a big hit of Tigua and a smidge of Franciscan. El Puerco Lloron's is not the food of the interior, to be sure, but an effective teleportation of a countryside lunch in border-Texas, circa 1980. The Fresh tortillas are a lot of work, so hey took them off the menu, though they still serve them in their tacos and will still serve you a fresh dozen if you are respectful. I seriously recommend this. It's altogether true that local Mexican fare has improved immensely in the last 20 years, and some of the new taco trucks are way more fabulous than El Puerco Lloron. To be fair, though, the Pike Place Market is governed as a historic artifact (sic) by the "the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority (the PDA)." Owners complain to me that the PDA will frustrate them if they try to change even the typeface on their menu, much less the food. It's a time-machine. What you get is the best that Seattle could offer, in 1971. Let me assure you, El Puerco Lloron of 1971 stood high above the restaurant hoi polloi of the time. In the past decade, a wave of "taco-trucks" has changed the scene altogether. I visited el Camion (The Truck - heh) today, on the ramp out of the Home Depot around 130th and Aurora and was blown away by the menu and the food. More meat varieties than I've seen (OK, there's the usual: Asada, Carnitas, Adobada, Lengua, Tripas, Cabeza [til today, Muy Macho was the only place I'd seen many of these], Fish, but Cochinita is new to me, and you sure don't see Chorizo on every taco menu). Stretching farther, were Gorditas, Mulitas (I have no idea, but plan to), as well as Tortas, Tamales (huge, and made on-site daily), Breakfast Burritos, Huevos con Chorizo (dig it).
Yes, decent Mexican food is more possible in Seattle, every day, by the grace of newer immigrants than us.

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Pike Place Market
1501 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101

El Puerco Lloron
1501 Western Ave Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98101

[BallardFoodie]

I've noticed an El Camion truck sitting in the lot of the Mud Bay on 15th in Ballard. Has anyone seen it open? I found it closed last week when I made an emergency run for some puppy chow.

[BallardFoodie]

FYI - This El Camion truck is now up and running.

[terrier]

Best thing about El Puerco Lloron is that you can get fresh tortilla to go by the dozen. A real time-saver when I'm cooking at home.

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El Puerco Lloron
1501 Western Ave Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98101

[frygirl]

Barracuda Taqueria in lower Queen Anne/Belltown is outstanding. Homemade chips & salsa, homemade corn tortillas and outstanding taco fillings...it's my current favorite for a Mexican fix.

[not the bad Steve]

Thanks, I'm interested in trying. Questions:

1. $4 seems like a lot for a taco. Are they gigantic? Are they otherwise fantastic? Are the tortas, at the same price, bigger?

2. How recently did you have homemade chips and salsa there? A yelp reviewer mentioned a switch from homemade chips to store-bought.

Thx.

[frygirl]

The tacos are smallish - two make a meal. I think they are $4 because the corn tortillas are freshly made to order and the quality of the ingredients is supurb.

I had homemade chips there less than 2 weeks ago. I lunched there right after they opened and that's when they had store-bought chips. But they are definitely on board with homemade now. And they sure do it right.

Can you tell it's my favorite Mexican in Seattle? I love that place.

[not the bad Steve]

Thanks much for your response. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

My take:

In my two visits, I've greatly enjoyed the chips and guacamole, the green salsa, the pastor, and the breakfast tacos with egg and chorizo.

Not a fan of the goat tacos (too smoky for me), the red salsa that comes with chips (can't recall why), or the tortas (bread not quite right, didn't like the addition of black beans).

I found the pot de creme good, but not fabulous. Also, I'd prefer to be served water that's colder than room temperature without having to ask, but this is a small quibble.

[mrnelso]

First trip to Barracuda today. $4 tacos priced OK (at least for Belltown) for the quality and volume. I ate 2 and barely had room for the $5 tamale at Bandito's, next door. I will be returning for the other tacos on the maeu, and the tortas.
Both these places are excellent additions to the rotation.

[duvelusa]

Has anyone tried El Mestizo up by Seattle U ? It seemed to be pretty good at least for Seattle lol

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El Mestizo
526 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122

[PAO]

Went to El Mestizo tonight. The restaurant split a so-so Caesar salad for us. I had cochinita pibil and it was very good--quite similar to what I've had in Mexico. Came with the requisite pickled onions and was served with some pretty tasty rice cooked with mixed veggies. My husband had a chipotle fish special--a little low on chipotle flavor, but otherwise tasty. They serve Mexican coke, meaning it's flavored with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. The horchata was one of the best I've had outside of Mexico--very refreshing and topped with a generous sprinkling of Ceylon (Mexican) cinnamon. Ask for it, because it's not on the menu. Handmade corn tortillas were very good. We didn't have room for dessert and in fact brought half my dinner home, because I couldn't finish it. I'm willing to try this place again because it does have some different things on the menu.

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El Mestizo
526 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122

[equinoise]

I went to El Mestizo this Friday and liked it. The menu is a sort of greatest hits of regional Mexican: cochinita pibil from Yucatan; huaraches from DF; mole from Oaxaca; chiles en nogada from Puebla. The molletes were a bit pedestrian. The cochinita was dynamite; and the chiles en nogada were delightful, such a different flavor profile from most mexican food I've tried. Granted, these were the first versions I've had of any of these three dishes, but Mestizo has the flavors and pricing to make me come back. Also, they gave us a complimentary flan and chocolate dessert as first-time customers, which was an appreciated gesture.

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El Mestizo
526 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122

[lavaca]

The situation is not as dire as people make it out to be. However, you have to put some effort into it. Brief thoughts on places I have visited:

Great:
Taqueria la Estacion (broad menu, interesting flavors, great execution; stop by next time you have to go to the airport)

Good
El Camion (I've only visited the Aurora location; get the lengua)
Senor Moose (one of the only places serving non-taqueria Mexican in Seattle; brunch was better before the lines got so long)
La Carta de Oaxaca (one of the only places serving "refined" taqueria fare)
El Comal (Salvadoran food in Bellevue; same owners as Salvadorean Bakery)
Taqueria Guadalajara (a decent Eastside option, though the menu is limited)
Taquera el Rinconsito (a broad menu, though they don't seem to try as hard as they could)

So-so
Rancho Bravo (massively overpraised due to the hours)
Flair (ditto, and the tacos are only cheap because they are TINY)
Guaymas (only worth it if you order pork)
Taqueria Tequila (only worth it if you are too lazy to head up to El Camion)
Guanacos (only worth it if you're getting a pupusa)
Gorditos

Lousy
Barracuda (for $4 a taco, the least they could do is include some flavor)
Mama's (if you didn't grow up on this sort of stuff, you won't enjoy it now)

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Senor Moose Cafe
5242 Leary Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

[BallardFoodie]

I'd throw Cocina Esperanza, El Puerco LLoron and Tacqueria El Sabor in to the good list.

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Cocina Esperanza
3127 NW 85th St, Seattle, WA 98117

[equinoise]

Mostly agree with lavaca's breakdown. I think the Salvadorean food at Comal is nearly great. I also think that Rancho Bravo rates better than so-so, while I think Guadalajara is only decent.

I'd definitely add El Quetzal in Beacon Hill to the great list--very solid D.F. fare, e.g. huaraches, pambazos, tortas. The solid south end-spots El Paisano (esp. the campeche) and Muy Macho also deserve a mention.

[lavaca]

I definitely need to visit El Comal again, although it's not really convenient to me. What dishes have you tried?

[equinoise]

Various pupusas, uniformly good, esp. the ayote and chicharron. The curtido has a reddish chile tint to it that is almost quasi-kim chee. Very intriguing.

I had this other dish that was traditionally Salvadorean, that was vegetable stuffed with meat, but I cannot recall the name. The refried beans are good too.

[eight_inch_pestle]

+1 to both Muy Macho and El Quetzal, although I agree that if you're coming from someplace like LA or Chicago you're not going to find anything revelatory here in Seattle.

[lavaca]

Two more places for the "so-so" list:

Mission: Amateur hour in West Seattle: the bland pork taco fell apart as soon as I picked it up and the chicken taco fell apart after I took one bite. That's not supposed to happen. The sweet potato taco was actually pretty good, though. Anyone want to try to convince me I just went on a bad night?
Taqueria Mi Charrito: The menu looks interesting, but they don't seem to be trying very hard. The torta was soggy and much of the meat and lettuce ended up on my plate. I found it amusing that several of the specials just seem to be other items wrapped up in a flour tortilla (e.g. the chile relleno burrito).

[driggity]

I agree that the tacos at Mission are a bit bland but for the happy hour prices they're not a bad deal and I've never had one fall apart. My wife does like their vegetarian options quite a bit.

[lavaca]

Another so-so place (that has the potential to become good): Tacos el Campesino on 3rd in Belltown. I ordered carne asada, lengua, and cabeza tacos. All three came covered in salsa verde and tasted identical except for the bits of meat that escaped the salsa. I don't know why they do this, given that the three different beef preparations did have distinct flavors and textures (it didn't seem like they were covering up the taste of spoiled meat). But, hey, $1.50 is certainly cheaper than any other taco option around. The tacos were also served with a slice of lemon rather than lime, something I've never seen before.

The menu is really weird - I think they're operating under the assumption that their customers either hate Mexican food (you can get a Philly cheesesteak or a grilled cheese sandwich) or only know it from Taco Bell (they have hard shell tacos, as well as a taco that looked like a soft taco supreme in a corn tortilla).

Worth checking out if you are already in Belltown or Lower Queen Anne.

[mrnelso]

LaVaca, Thank you for straight-up review.
Do you know where not-floppy papusas live.

[lavaca]

I can't claim to be an expert, but El Comal is where I would suggest you start. Salvadorean Bakery is run by the same (related?) people, so that would also be worth checking out if White Center is more convenient for you than Bellevue.

[mrnelso]

The deal is, we participated on a fund-raiser recently, and the kitchen produced the very model of pupusas. Cheese inside surfaced right away and took command of the flavor of that moment. Was it queso fresco?, Queso blanco?, Mozz? - I do not know, but the cheese was always perfectly in charge. Lesser pupusas abound, where the wrap is weak and flabby, and the flavor paltry. Tell me, please, is the difference gluten-development (tell me how?), ingredients? or ???

[lavaca]

More!

I went to Taqueria El Sabor in Shoreline and agree that it should be added to the usual rotation of anyone who enjoys Mexican food in the North End. The menu has zero surprises, but the food is well-prepared and the condiment bar is huge.

Huarachitos, on the other hand, is quite novel. The focus is Central/Southern Mexico and thus the menu includes many dishes not normally seen at Seattle taquerias. They've got several steak and shrimp dishes plus a really broad selection of meats (including mutton, if you're into that sort of thing). Flavors are not loud, but they're well-realized The atmosphere is almost upscale as far as taquerias go (wooden chairs, draft beer), but it's still reasonably cheap. Only drawback: their tortillas aren't the best. If you like Mexican food, this place is well worth the trip to Rainier Valley.

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Taqueria El Sabor
15221 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133

[cocktailhour]

You really really aren't going to get great Mexican in Seattle. You can get decent (I would add El Puerco Lloron to the list of decent, and Cactus (for southwestern, maybe El Camino), but if you have limited time in Seattle, you are better off eating some of the really good food here, especially if you live someplace where you can get really great Mexican (or Latin American). I am originally from Texas, by the way.

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El Puerco Lloron
1501 Western Ave Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98101

[Citizen Taco]

Hmm. So what are the really great non-Mexican places (that I haven't already put on the map)?

[Leper]

For excellent Spanish cuisine, Harvest Vine. It's not going to be inexpensive, but a true Chowhound destination.

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Harvest Vine
2701 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98112