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Classic.
The service is always great - they treat you with appreciation and with satisfactory customer service.
We usually go for the buffet because you can never really go wrong. It's pretty much the menu on a line. Plus all the sour cream you can get without an up-charge, lol. Unless you got at the end of the day, the food never seems like it's been sitting out too long like most other buffets.
The margs are always good too - strong! And on Tuesdays and Thursdays you can get a HUGE marg for like around 6 bucks.
Other dinners are great - large portions. The carne asada is especially good.
I have to be honest I have a bias for this place - it's the place my husband took me to when he asked me to be his girlfriend :) and haven't stopped returning!
Cool atmosphere + typical mexican/american food + consistant good service + great margs = 4 stars!!!
By the way prices are good too :)
Hmm...I see a lot of mixed reviews here...A LOT.
That being said, we stopped here on a whim (it was b/w that and our favourite disco pho place on Broadway) b/c God knows how much I love Mexican food...mm mm goodness!
And so we walked in. I had some sort of el paso enchilada something or other dish and the bf had the enchilada mole something. Sorry, I can't remember the exact names but DAAAAAMN. They were good. The mole was really good and if I could have, I would've dove headfirst into his meal, but as it stands, I didn't order that. I ordered the OTHER enchilada dish and had to live w/ it. I felt like it was missing something...salt? Spice? I'm not sure. While I enjoyed the meal (and couldn't finish even half of it - hello doggie bag), I think I would've preferred something a bit spicier...w/ fuller flavour....like the chicken mole sitting RIGHT ACROSS FROM ME.
Now I know what I'll order next time.
Good ole' greasy Mexican-American food.
Had the buffet, it's $11.95 a person for dinner. There was a pretty decent selection and they even offered gucamole, which usually comes at an extra charge.
It was nice to sit by the patio, still sheltered from the direct sun, and enjoy the nice breeze and passersby!
Heavy, greasy and very cheesy....
I had shrimp and crab quesadilla, and honestly, that probably had 2 pounds of cheese. There were some cheese inside of the folded tortilla and MORE melted on top. I had to throw up after eating dinner (sorry!) because it was too greasy. Ack!
I would love to give one star but I give them two because the service was good.
Foodwise, I would rather go to Taco Bell because they don't make me throw up at least.
Love this place! Been coming here off and on since 1997.
1. The staff is always friendly and attentive
2. The food is always consistent. Yes, it's not authentic, but you can't go wrong with their chi chi's (vodka daiquiris) and chicken/beef fajitas combo for two! It's enough to split with 4 people.
3. It's easy to get to, and seating outside is a nice touch.
The nachos are amazing!
The decor is grimy and interior is not close to even being a 3 star establishment; but it's Capitol Hill. The guy seating next to us was feeding his dog off his plate.
Klassy.
Regardless, cheap Mexican food! Love it.
This used to be my fave place, only cause it was so close to home. The food is decent. But not great. Huge margaritas!
Very friendly service.
But I realize not it was a choice of convenience to eat here.
I had the pork & chicken tamales, good but they were old, a bit on the crusty side, I was hungover so a bloody mary was my drink of choice, not great. I will have to get the margarita next time!
LOVE this place. When I lived on Capitol Hill I was a regular here. After just a few visits the staff would recognize me (and my boyfriend) and it felt extremely friendly.
Probably one of the BEST margaritas I've had (no skimping on the tequila!). I never tried the buffet because i cant eat too much in one sitting. They have a section of the menu that's perfect for me. Not too much food, not too little. I always leave there feeling satisfied. I love going there in the summer when they have the seats set up outside.
I'm a bar kinda girl. I wait tables, and dine out frequently. The Fifth Star is reserved for when Marco finally listens to my whining and takes out the wall in between the four(cramped) bar stools and extends the bar to include that top section on the elevated platform nobody wants to sit in, anyway. Six tables, Marco.(ditch the crappy one against the rail) Run happy hour food 4-6, as well, and all day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Call them Industry Nights, you'll be rolling in dough. And drunken Cooks.
Anyway. great food, I eat here all the time, squished up against the bar. If you like Big Margaritas...maybe you're kinda fratty, or maybe you just think you're gonna get really buzzed off of all that sugar water, then go for the Big ones. If you like tequila, and margaritas, order the Top Shelf Special. They rotate it through several premium US tequilas(love the El Jimador and Hornitos Days), squeeze in half a lime, a splash of sweet and sour and serve it on the rocks, salt or no. Freakin great.
Oh, and there's crack in the marinade for the steak fajitas. Delicious, delicious Crack.
I come here when I'm reeeeeeally hungry for baskets & baskets & more baskets of salty chips and savory salsa, giant and amazingly filling veggie burritos, and creatively LARGE margaritas!
Boyfriend digs the tacos and enchiladas and plain jane margaritas.
You can ask to sit inside, and still be able to feel like you're sitting outside when they open those slider door/windows in the front. Romantique!
We like!
Meh is right. The food is plentiful but greasy, bland and heavy. I have a sneaking feeling that most of it is pre-packaged food. The only redeeming thing about this place is the GIANT margaritas.
I am a sucker for a margarita in a 10 gallon fish bowl.
I am not, however, thrilled with the sub par food.
The burrito ordered by my dining companion was the size of a brick, and apparently settled in her stomach like one.
My fajitas were just barely edible. That green shit on the plate was supposed to be guacamole.
The waitstaff was friendly and attentive.
I won't return for dinner, maybe just a margarita that I can swim in.
A lovely spot that is much bigger than it looks. It just goes on and on. Nice host will greet you in Spanish and the atmosphere is pleasantly authentic in the Frida Kahlo way: painted tiles adorn the bright yellow walls and there are copies of La Raza for your bilingual reading pleasure. Sit near the window and blink the sun out of your eyes as it reflects off the bucket sized margaritas you'll be drinking. Portions are enormous and the food ain't bad either. We ordered nachos with crumbled veggie "meat" and, while I've lived in Los Angeles and flatter myself to think I understand "Mexican" food, these were the definitely among the best nachos I've ever had. The two of us were plenty full after tearing into that massive pile of chips and cheese - no dessert necessary. One star docked for watery Guacamole served in a minuscule bowl and swirled with sour cream. That just isn't on.
LOOK at the pictures!!!
YUM YUm
I always ge tthe buffet unless I get the nachoes.
I am always greeted with warmth and my servi eis always excellent.
Buffet food is fresh.
They are open til 12 midnight in the kitchen for New Years.. meet us there, happy and well-fed.
Great food. Had the steak fajita salad and it was presented like a cornucopia of food. Little disappointed to see carrots in the salad though. The margaritas were wonderful, not to sweet or sour and just the right amount of tequila to add to the flavor.
this place can approach greatness, but is often closer to blandness. i love the waitstaff, the stiff 'ritas, and the hothothot habanero salsa so will keep returning.
seriously, this salsa is so hot they don't usually bring it unless you ask for it. most of the food is passable, what i call "gloppy mexican." they have lots of options, including fake meat. just wish they offered a few more kinds of veggies for those of us who prefer them to meat substitutes. but after a margarita or two, who cares. their strong margaritas seem to be made out of actual citrus fruit and don't have that chemically bottled mix taste i find so gross everywhere else.
GIANT MARGARITAS = A VERYY HAPPY VALERIE.
I came here with a big group of people for a Cinco De Mayo after party get together and MY GOD. After drinking for a goood 3 hours at a friend's pot luck, and then coming here and drinking a Giant Margarita???!! A great Cinco De Mayo indeed.
The service is really great here. They have some of the Nicest waitresses, as I always leave charmed.
I've eaten the buffet a couple times, and I really like it. It's a mess though, but overall I think I enjoy it quite a bit.
Come here for Amazing Margaritas though... and go home feeling verrrrry Happpppy.
The buffet is okay and okay to me means Americanized Mexican food. Now, I don't have much of a problem with the food. But the service (shakes head), I almost walked out. It was right after the dinner rush and the restaurant is not that crowded anymore. My boyfriend and I sat there for almost 15 minutes while two servers walked by. We tried to get their attention but they were looking the other way when they pass. I guess I could have been those obnoxious "EXCUUUUUUUUUUSE ME!' kind of person who yells across the room. But I am not.
Food: two stars
Service: minus one star
I really like this place! I just wish it was closer so I could go there other than just on the weekends sometimes.
Good Mexican food!
This place is a dump and the owner is a jerk - he fired several employees a couple years back when they went to the May Day Workers' Rights march in Seattle, and I haven't been back since. Total self-proclaimed Republican all the way, an incredible hypocrite. Was very disappointed in him and his business choices, and just can't bring myself to spend money in his restaurant.
Take a read here:
http://www.thestranger...
"Santiago fired manager and longtime employee Vance Wolfe on Sunday night, after Wolfe told Santiago he was not scheduling any of the workers Monday because they wanted to attend the march. According to Wolfe, "Victor had always said anybody who doesn't show up to work is going to be fired... So the whole Septieme staff got together and said we're all going to do this. Nobody's coming in to work. We're going to close the restaurant for the day."
Wolfe says Santiago, who also owns the La Cocina y Cantina Mexican restaurant down the street, told him, "'I have to protect my business'" and then fired him. Wolfe calls it "strange that somebody who's Mexican, who's a business owner, doesn't support [immigration rights]."
OK Mexican fare.
Three words: Margarita Happy Hour
Unless you love to gamble, don't even bother with the food. On occasion, it has been deliciously tolerable, American Mexican, another time our salad smelled & tasted of bleach. It's a toss up.
But the margaritas, especially the super grandes (at only $4.95 each during happy hour), are absolutely DIVINE. If you like 'em fruity, the Blackberry is consistently delicious. If you're feeling adventurous, the Granada is a beautiful traditional flavor, kind of caramely (mmmmmm.....). Or just savor a classic lime with salted rim. You will surely not be disappointed (or sober).
Ole!
Nice place, good for people watching.
On the day of my visit, two employees were SERIOUSLY PISSED OFF at each other. I could actually hear the upside-down exclamation points at the front of their sentences. I ended up having to leave before I got to order...
Three-stars because some chick flashed her boobs at me when I drove by in the fire-truck a few days ago.
When I was a wee lass growing up on Capitol Hill I used to try to follow the golden dance steps in the sidewalk in front of La Cocina. Because I have such fond memories of the place, I wish I could say the food was better. It's not. I haven't been to an Azteca in years but that is what I equate it with. It is not remotely authentic so if you are looking for American-style Mexican food then this is your spot.
I gave it two stars because despite the food the staff is AWESOME! They are the friendliest servers I have been around in awhile. We had a large group and they were very accommodating about substitutions and splitting the bill.
I was having a stomach growling emergency one Saturday afternoon so I ate here for lunch. In retrospect, maybe I should have just dealt with it.
The place just felt kinda dirty. To be fair, my fajita salad wasn't completely awful, but it was hard to enjoy since my mind was preoccupied running down with a long list of probable health code violations. You know, "SLIIIME! In the ice machine!" (Any Houston peeps out there? Marvin Zindler, anyone?)
In somewhat typical Texas Gringo tradition, the celebration of Cinco de Mayo (along with many other holidays, and most weekends for that matter) usually involves grilled meat, refried beans, guacamole, and tequila - lots of tequila. To this end, we headed over to La Cocina on what I assume was one of their busier nights.
The place was packed, but we found room at the bar to have a margarita and wait for our table (which was ready in about 10 minutes rather than the estimated 20). The margaritas were fairly strong and tasty, the chips were average, and the salsa a bit watery (but not horrible tasting).
Wary of the buffet, we opted to order from the menu. Our food came out fairly quick, but I have to say that I was a bit startled to be served a burrito the size of a Duraflame log! What is with this trend? Were people complaining that a burrito the size of say, their forearm, was too small? The food tasted ok - nothing special. Oh, except the guacamole! That was damn good; actually some of the best I've had (lots of garlic and just the right amount of cilantro). Although the food wasn't what I'd hoped, as mentioned in many of the previous reviews, the service was great.
i feel like i'm taking crazy pills!
This is what I thought after reading the reviews already posted for the nothing-short-of-dreadful La Cocina & Cantina.
I went with 2 friends (meat eaters) who decided to try the buffet whereas I went with the veggie fajitas. My friends returned with several plates of rather terrible looking dishes which my friends confirmed tasted as good as it looked. But the veggie fajitas took the prize for the night. It was simple a skillet of flavorless mixed veggies which had probably been sitting in a freezer bag for most of the 21st century.
My culinary skills are pretty much negligible and I'm about as mexican as a pint of Guinness but I could easily make better fajitas then the ones I received from La Cocina & Cantina.
absolutely blacklisted.
A Capitol Hill short story:
A good friend of mine turned 21 a little over a year ago. We all went here as the first stop on our Capitol Hill drinking tour. We had a whole itinerary planned out but ended up eating and drinking here for quite a while. We ordered jumbo margaritas. She told our waiter that it was her 21st and he said that due to Nazi-like liquor laws he couldn't give her a free drink. So after we are all done eating our decent Mexican food (seafood enchiladas were damn tasty)he brings her a FREE giant margarita and says that on special occasions he will give out free drinks.
5 stars for disregarding WA's atrocious liquor law & making her night!
BREAKIN' THE LAW, BREAKIN' THE LAW!!
While I'm biased because I used to work here, the food can be great if you know what to get. The menu consists of typical Tex Mex, but it's the best Mexican restaurant around for vegetarians and vegans. They offer a substitution of boca burger crumbles, steamed veggies, or obviously beans.
We pour drinks pretty strong and always have a topshelf margarita for 5.25 made with fresh lime juice. The staff is always friendly, this place is mostly staffed by family. They are also one of the few places still serving late. La Cocina closes at 12-1am on weekends and 11-12 on weekdays
My favorite is the veggie fajitas, corn tortillas, black beans, avocado and lime on the side...and a top shelf margarita or two!
Juh-HE-sus that house margarita is strong--even by Capitol Hill standards! Less than a half inch into my beverage and I was ready to bust out some Iron Butterfly.
The salsas that accompany the free chips are okay, but they're both sweet and I would prefer at least one have more contrast in taste.
Vegan options are slim to none: the fajitas are decent enough sans dairy. I only found two pieces of zucchini in the mix, so props to them. Honestly, my love for zucchini and summer squash died after decades of veg*n options in restaurants.
I have been going to their afternoon buffet (afternoon buffet = cheaper than evening buffet) fairly regularly for about six months. The breakdown is that (1) the food is tasty (if, yes, yes, yes, as has been covered thoroughly, not authentic) and (2) a really good deal. There are a couple of chicken and pork dishes (pineapple chicken and pork in a red sauce) in that buffet that are really quite good. And, hey, I like cheese, so I enjoy the enchiladas and burritos as well.
I've had a few menu items as well, a burrito and chicken fajitas. Both were fairly "meh" - pretty much your standard Azteca-type fair.
I've always had very good service here as well. Nothing incredibly over the top, but the people who work here in the lunch hour are very friendly and competent.
Ahh the first place I have been in Seattle this holiday season where the Christmas music doesn't make me feel stabby. The festive lights and generous-pour beverages probably help. After a super-sized blended drink, who cares what time of year it is?
I recently enjoyed a delicious meal of fajitas with a friend and while not A++ fare, they included broccoli and carrots on my request. The service was speedy and friendly and there was no pressure to leave. The lights just dimmed and the music turned off. That's a signal I can pick up on!
If you are going to go, I suggest a hangover lunch buffet. The price is pretty good and there are always a variety of popular items. Just go early during cold and flu season because that sneeze guard doesn't come down very far.
I regulary go there for Nachoes and Margaritas. There super size margarita is literally super big. Other drinks are just as awesome. My hidden favorite is desert. Their caramel pudding thing is sooo good! Friendly servers/hostess and yummy food in happy atmosphere!
So this place may make a decent margarita but the food will attack your digestive tract. If you want good mexican food please go somewhere like Mexico in Pacific Place. The food tastes about as good as it looks and that does not mean much at all. If you love yourself at all please dear lord go somewhere else.
The food here is bad enough to change your views on immigration.
All I can say is the salsa here must be made in New York City. Get a rope.
Two stars instead of one because they were open late and were quick to the table with free chips.
I had the tortilla soup which was a huge bowl of tomato-y broth with a few bits of chicken and a slice of avocado. It was a-ight.
Friend was stoked because they sub veggie ground round for meat.
Sis got the refried beans and they weren't bad.
Left grateful to be living in SoCal...
The location is PERFECT.
The service is acceptable.
The food is not bad.
Been there at least 10 times and wil probably be there some more.
I was apprehensive stepping into this restaurant, because the reviews are so mixed. It's actually not too bad. The portions are big, so I wish I had shared an entree with another person instead of us all getting individual dishes. And my entree was good (I had the seafood quesadilla, or I think it was a quesadilla). I was a bit miffed because I asked for brown rice and they brought out theirnormal fare rice instead. and the service was too slow. It's not something I'm itching to go to again, but I could be persuaded to go.
This was a decent place to stop for a late night snack and drink.
Our waiter was friendly and took care of us quickly.
My house margarita (on the rocks) packed a punch, but my mom's frozen variety appeared to have no alcohol it in.
Our happy hour priced quesadillas hit the spot, and the chips and salsa were pretty good. I have eaten here a few other times, but nothing left an impression on me, for better or for worse.
I'd come back again, but if I wanted authentic Mexican food, I think I'd keep looking.
Your typically plates of Mexican goodness, just goopier. Everything that I've gotten there in the past has always come a little bigger than you might find at another (Americanized) Mexican restaurant, but for equal price if not a little less. It certainly is more the guilty pleasure-- it tends to be a little more cheesy, saucy, messy, meaty... all good things esp. if you travel in packs of carnivores, i.e. men.
Parking's a bitch, as is anyplace on Broadway, but the open window in the summertime makes it very worth the hassle. Order a margarita for me too, won't cha?
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: First Hill
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Fremont
Category: Mexican
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