Got the carnitas plate and Mexican pizza to split. Carnitas was delicious and huge ! Mexican pizza was forgettable though and made with corn tortilla instead of the advertised flour which was a letdown
Amee C.
Place rating: 3 Seattle, WA
No lunch specials, food was average American Mexican, not authentic. Salsa was literally watered down. Owner seemed to be hovering, and employees were being reprimanded on the serving floor. Not the best atmosphere
Helper P.
Place rating: 2 Renton, WA
The place is super busy, just like all the other restaurants in the area, during the lunch hour. Even though the staff may have a lot on their plates, service still needs to be a top priority! A simple mistake was made on my to-go order today and when I politely asked to have the item they forgot I was literally argued with?! The food is nothing impressive, its just the closest option, but with the service I experienced I will just skip Mexican for lunch from now on.
Evg M.
Place rating: 5 Santa Clara, CA
This place has delicious quesadilla, the meat is awesome in it, like kinda well cooked bbq with the fresh meat
Bill C.
Place rating: 3 Bellevue, WA
I’ve been to Tapatio more than 5 times and I always want to like it more than I do. The staff is exceptionally friendly and always provides exceptional service. It has a family atmosphere and the main room has a good vibe. The reality is that the food is nothing special, just run of the mill Mexican fare. It is not that it is terrible or I’ve had any awful dishes, it is just that it is nothing exceptionally memorable. Since it is good for larger groups, especially with kids, we’ve usually come here with other families and don’t normally have to wait. By now, I typically stick with the fajitas over the burritos or enchiladas. The margaritas are your standard choices, nothing inventive like you might get at Cactus.
Jessica K.
Place rating: 4 Issaquah, WA
I stop by here every so often because I work on S Factoria BLVD. The food is generally pretty good… with one exception. The good: the carne asada is very good, and it came with a grilled jalapeño instead of onion! I love grilled scallions but this was even better. The tortillas are soft and pliable, and the rice is actually flavorful, unlike other Mexican restaurants. Their pico de gallo is great and I wish they gave a bit more. I LOVE the shrimp tacos here. Lots of crunchy, perfectly cooked prawns chopped up, tomatoes, and a nice cabbage slaw and dressing that has just the right touch of bitterness to it. They’re HUGE too! The bad… the salsa is weirdly hot. I love spicy food and I’m Chinese raised on Sichuan cuisine, and I eat whole peppers. Their salsa though… it’s SO weird! It’s like there’s a plasticy burn to it that I can’t understand.
Troy G.
Place rating: 3 Bellevue, WA
Salsa way too hot! Food was standard Mexican — nothing special No Wi-Fi but you can use the one from Xfinity which is nearby Pretty good margaritas.
Nicole S.
Place rating: 3 Hitchcock, TX
Was prepared for the worst based on the reviews but since its located in Factoria and thats where Im living for work I decided to try it. Frankly For about 2 mos didnt realize it was here. Anyway so the tacos al carbon which is a 3 soft corn tortilla taco plate is offered as steak or chicken but cant get 1 steak and 2 chicken, mix it up, etc(have to get ALL of one kind). Huh? Per the waiter which is per the owner Im told due to how the portions are controlled in the kitchen. Huh again??? Separate tacos so… didnt get it and neither did the waiter who referred to owner as «locos»… LOL. Anyway the dish includes rice, refried beans, guac, pico and is surprisingly tasty. Steak was super tender BUT the corn tortillas however appearing to have hit the grill fell apart so could not eat as a hand taco. Ordered a bartender’s margarita which was mostly liquor and… Uh… Not much else in regards to flavor.(some would love that). All in all ok, bit pricey($ 18.95 tacos) neighborhood experience even with the tortilla-to-eat-with-a-fork.
Lori C.
Place rating: 3 Cannon Beach, OR
Good food large portions. Didn’t seem particularly Mexican. For instance a Caesar wrap. With a side of beans. The vegetarian fajita was not super good. Veggies a little over cooked. And chicken deals had Parmesan instead of a Mexican blend. The lemonade was a pink mix a bit too sweet.(Good news no lemon gave its life for the lemonade.) the peco salsa was very good lots of fresh ingredients. Customer service was good but infrequent. The staff was friendly and service timely. Not a bad expirence, just not your typical Mexican place
Eric C.
Place rating: 1 Shoreline, WA
Service consisted of a silent escort to the booth, taking our order and bringing out food. No check ins, no how are you doing, no refills– and ask for your bill when you see them bringing someone else their food or you’ll be waiting forever. The food was not good. I had a simple chicken and cheese quesadilla and I’m glad I didn’t have any special conditions for food because I had ground beef surprises in my food. Salsa was very hot as well. A spot that we will refrain from in the future, especially for the money.
The B.
Place rating: 5 Kirkland, WA
I have always enjoyed the food at El Tapatio and the service can be hit or miss however I’ve never had a bad meal here. While it’s been«Americanized» if you want to go authentic then let Ramon hook you up with some grilled jalapenos or something along those lines! Good people and good food abound here.
Terry E.
Place rating: 1 Gresham, OR
Ordered the Asada burrito, very soupy and bland. Asked for mild salsa and they brought me what seemed to be tomato sauce, i mentioned to the manager my experience with the meal and he said no one else complained about it and walked away !
David J.
Place rating: 3 Bellevue, WA
I stopped by for lunch and was lucky to get seated straightaway as a little later there was a bit of a wait. Menu is good with lots of choices, I got promptly served with chips and salsa along with water and both refreshed when needed, good service. Salsa wasn’t the best as rather watery as others have mentioned. I ordered the chicken fajita salad and it took ages to come out and sever did apologize as some mix up. But when I did get it I wasn’t too impressed, rather bland and wouldn’t have it again but I did see many other dishes that looked very good so will be back to try again.
Lee A.
Place rating: 4 Kirkland, WA
This was my first visit to El Tapatio and I came for lunch with coworkers. The first thing that caught my attention was the house salsa. It was pretty hot! Not blazing hot, but usually a house salsa is pretty mild because everyone who comes in usually eats it. I’m fine with spicy food, so after my initial I really enjoyed the salsa. The prices are really reasonable here. I ordered the 2 combo plate with a chicken enchilada and a chicken chimichanga. They come with rice and a choice of beans. Both of these were pretty large and more than enough to fill a stomach, you could probably take some of each home for leftovers. Or maybe that was because I filled up so much on chips with the delicious salsa… Overall the food is quite flavorful, delivered quickly and the service was right on top of beverage refills and anything else we needed. Thanks for a great lunch!
Yu S.
Place rating: 3 沖縄県, Japan
Well, let’s see. They don’t have a salsa bar, and the salsa we got with our chips was pretty underwhelming. It was too… watery, most likely came out of a jar. I got the pork carnitas, which was the special of the day. The pork itself was fine, but not impressive either. Peppers, onions, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, rice, and beans. I can’t remember if there was sour cream or not. Everything was alright, and really… generic. So, this is about as high of a 3 star as I can give without giving 4 stars. It’s not bad, but with so many food options in the area, including Mexican cuisine, I just don’t see much of a reason to come here…
Stan Y.
Place rating: 3 Issaquah, WA
It’s an OK place for Mexican food, decent but not very impressive. The burrito was ordinary, nothing wrong but nothing great either. Nicely portioned, good flavored rice, bean and meat. The chicken was OK, not too dry but the flavor was pretty plain. The southwest style salad was good, with fresh shrimp, vegetable and avocado. The flavor was OK, with a little kick on the shrimp. Meanwhile again, decent but not impressive. The environment was pretty good, with modern style decoration and bright light. The place was very busy at Sat lunch time. Maybe too busy for two waiters so each time we order something or paying the bill, it took some extra time before the waiter come back at us. So in summary, the food here is OK but kind of mediocre. Nice environment but slow service due to the waiter-customer ratio. Not a big fan.
Barry W.
Place rating: 2 Kaneohe, HI
My experiences at Tapatio have been decent — plenty of food, a little spendy for what you get, okay quality. The chips and salsa are plentiful; the service was competent; and the food was big, cheesy, and saucy. But I think it’s only fair to grade a restaurant based on what it’s trying to be, not what one wishes it were. Tapatio is a family Mexican restaurant, and I almost inevitably find those places similar — big portions, average quality, at a slightly higher price than I really want to spend for what I’m getting. If what you really want is a taqueria or a food truck, then you should go to that kind of place. As the Mexican option in a strip mall with Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, and typical American food, it works for a change of pace. I’d give it an extra half star if I were allowed to. Parking can be a bear during busy times of day.
Raj L.
Place rating: 1 Seattle, WA
This is not good Mexican food, then again maybe it’s too much to expect ‘good’ Mexican food from a Mexican restaurant set up to satisfy lunch time office crowds… but this is not even as good as an average run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. everything tasted like it came out of a can.EVERYTHING. I am not a good cook, but if I decided to try my hand at making Mexican at home, i feel it d be better than this. Everything tasted watery, and bland. The meat was overcooked. We will not be going there ever.
Clay C.
Place rating: 5 Bellevue, WA
My family loves this place and have been going here for years. I see a lot of people complaining about prices, but I think that’s more of a reflection of how they order. The prices are on par with other Mexican restaurants in the area. I think the key to not spending a fortune at Mexican restaurants is to order a large dinner, and share it with your spouse. I would highly recommend you try the Chimichanga’s. Really good! And order 2 or 3 of them, it’s plenty for two people. Ohh, and don’t forget to get the fried ice cream. Really good, and only like $ 3. The staff is really nice, and they even know what we like to order now. I’m getting hungry, so I think I’ll head down there now.
Teressa L.
Place rating: 1 Newcastle, WA
It’s near our new home so we decided to try it. Chips needed salt. Salsa was eh. Weird. Server lacked personality. And hard to find… another guy was coming by with water. Family of 4 cost us over $ 70 for 4 meals and one bar drink. Kids had taco and enchilada with beans. Red sauce was canned. I know that taste. Tried it at home. My chicken fajitas were awful. No flavor on the chicken at all. Needed salt and seasoning! The burrito my husband had was lacking in flavor as well. The meat was decent but not the rest. We won’t be back. Too expensive of a meal for just bland food. And not the best service either.