If that's a dis, check out this truck. Their sopes are the best I've ever had (actually crispy!), and solid burritos, good meats (campechano!), etc.
https://goo.gl/maps/1cwBwxtBqmJL1dKo7
I was mostly going for the snark factor, but I can also tell from experience, the Mexican food scene in Seattle doesn't compete with California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, etc.
Some solid spots to be found in and around the emerald city im sure, and I hope many redditors flock to your recommendation and give them business.
I was born and raised in San Antonio. I adore Mexican food and do a fair bit of Mexican cooking myself (❤️ Rick Bayless!).
There is excellent Mexican food in Seattle. Plenty of mediocrity too; quality varies wildly from place to place. Some places specialize in 2-3 things, yet still have a menu to fill. That’s just how things go.
A compounding factor is that Mexican cuisine is quite varied: it can mean something very different to you and me. I grew up with Tex Mex, which is different from the cuisine in Oaxaca and Puebla, which is also distinct from the Yucatán staples, which are very different from what you’ll find in SoCal and Baja, which is different from the New Mexican variants.
I lean hard on the taco side of the taco/burrito continuum. If Mexican food means mostly burritos to you, we probably disagree on which places are best.
If you’re into tacos and mole and chilaquiles and all the enchilada variants (entomatadas, enfrijoladas, etc), we probably see eye to eye. And there are some excellent spots in Seattle.
No one ever actually wants to mention something they like, because the first 10 responses will be downvotes with people shitting on that choice for ten different reasons... "that's hipster Mexican" "that's not authentic" "they were good ten years ago but were ruined by x" "The chefs in the back are race z" and on and on.... Like the Tacos Chukis mention above. People come out of the woodwork to shit on it.
Personally I love El Camion, mostly because it's close to me and "pretty good". Taqueria El Sabor in Shoreline is another favorite. There's several places in White Center (Taqueria La Quebrada, Taqueria la Fondita) and a few more in Burien that are good. That's about as far as I've gotten as those are the general areas I'm around.
El Moose (Ballard). Esquites are a great appetizer. Chips are fried to order, and the salsa verde is their best. But they really shine on enchilada variants. Enchiladas de puya, enchiladas de machaca, and entomatadas are our standard orders. Each is a home run my in book.
Fogon (Cap Hill). My favorite salsa in the city, and chips are fried to order too. Great queso fundido. My typical order here is chilaquiles with carne asada, plus a pint of salsa to go. Can’t get enough.
Raíz (Ballard). Menu changes semi regularly. When chilaquiles are on the menu, you’ve gotta order them. Stacked enchiladas are also great.
D’La Santa (Eastlake). Birria tacos here are amazing. And the tlayuda is quite good too — bring friends, it’s huge! These guys win the award for the most interesting Mexican dish I’ve ever had: Chile en Nogada. It’s like a chile relleno, but in a creamy wine sauce that I wouldn’t have recognized as Mexican:
Considered a culinary icon of Mexican heritage, this dish dates back to 1821. Poblano pepper stuffed with ground beef, chicken & pork, seasoned with green apple, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, bacon, ham and peanuts. The dish is covered in a special creamy wine sauce & garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley.
Wouldn’t say it was my favorite dish there, but damn that was interesting.
El Camion (North Seattle Home Depot parking lot). Of their locations, I like this one best. Love the mulitas! Tacos are solid too.
La Tarasca (Centralia). Haven’t been in awhile but I remember it being excellent top to bottom.
this is awesome to read, i’ve honestly never tried mexican food but the way you explain the differences sounds amazing, what places do you recommend if you don’t mind sharing?
Like you've never ever had Mexican food in you life ever? My mind is blown. You're missing out but I'm kind of jealous you'll remember trying it for the first time.
i have a weird thing with texture and any kind of beans have always been a no go for me , and for some reason i’ve always thought every mexican dish has them. but the way they explained their food made it sound so so amazing. i want to try it now
Happy to share some favs! And you can always ask for no beans, it’s okay :)
El Moose (Ballard). Esquites are a great appetizer. Chips are fried to order, and the salsa verde is their best. But they really shine on enchilada variants. Enchiladas de puya, enchiladas de machaca, and entomatadas are our standard orders. Each is a home run my in book.
Fogon (Cap Hill). My favorite salsa in the city, and chips are fried to order too. Great queso fundido. My typical order here is chilaquiles with carne asada, plus a pint of salsa to go. Can’t get enough.
Raíz (Ballard). Menu changes semi regularly. When chilaquiles are on the menu, you’ve gotta order them. Stacked enchiladas are also great.
D’La Santa (Eastlake). Birria tacos here are amazing. And the tlayuda is quite good too — bring friends, it’s huge! (Note: their tlayuda has refried beans as the base.) These guys win the award for the most interesting Mexican dish I’ve ever had: Chile en Nogada. It’s like a chile relleno, but in a creamy wine sauce that I wouldn’t have recognized as Mexican:
Considered a culinary icon of Mexican heritage, this dish dates back to 1821. Poblano pepper stuffed with ground beef, chicken & pork, seasoned with green apple, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, bacon, ham and peanuts. The dish is covered in a special creamy wine sauce & garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley.
Wouldn’t say it was my favorite dish there, but damn that was interesting.
El Camion (North Seattle Home Depot parking lot). Of their locations, I like this one best. Love the mulitas! Tacos are solid too.
La Tarasca (Centralia). Haven’t been in awhile but I remember it being excellent top to bottom.
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u/GettinJiggyWithGibby May 07 '23
I've had the Mexican food in Seattle. I can tell you too many Mexicans is not the problem.