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Whoa!! It seems that nobody here likes Malena's?
Well, I run a business on Market street and we are pretty strapped for quick food that is cheap and good.
So, enter Malena's.... I have been there a million times and take everyone who comes in there. All of my bands go there for food and everyone loves it!
The hard tacos are $2.25 and I am hard pressed to find someone who can eat 2 of them..
If you sit, you get free chips and salsa.. So for under $5 you have a full meal which is pretty good. Some of the better tacos I have had in town..
I was legitimately sad when it burned down.. I was... :(
When I drove past and it was open again.. I felt like a young boy on Christmas morning..
Maybe its worth trying again and getting some cheap chicken hard tacos...
We used to come here a couple of years ago, before the fire. Back then their food really hit the spot: fresh, quick, cheap Mexican standards. There was a pork burrito smothered in green chile sauce that was out of this world.
Well, it's not on the menu anymore. The rice tastes boxed. The beans are unlike any other beans I've had, and not in a good way. My tamales were warmed up in a microwave. I'm just not getting it anymore. This used to be one of our favorite places for a quick, cheap take out. No mas.
On the upside, it's still cheap. It can't be all bad, can it?
Malena's has re-opened, but dammit, I am still underwhelmed.
The chips are from a bag. The salsa was actually not bad, but what good is great salsa on a bad chip?
The fish taco was just sad, sad, sad - a piece of fried fish on a tortilla with a few tomatoes and some cabbage and DRY as the Sahara.
The beans are straight out of a can with some cheese melted on top. The rice was fine; rice is hard to screw up.
The pollo in crema was chicken with a sour cream concoction that turned into paste the second it cooled down.
A man and his father walked in as I was eating, and the father asked, "What's good?" The son replied, "Everything." Whaaa?
Am I just not ordering the amazing thing, the "it" thing, at Malena's? Please tell me, because I don't want to malign the place if it is undeserved.
Man, I soooo want to like Malena's. It's really close to home, and it serves some of my favorite… Read more »
Not for the lactose intolerant!
My chicken enchiladas came to the table with Kraft Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Definitely not autentico.
Everything is smothered in cheese, in fact. I'm actually surprised that the rice didn't have any on it. Hopefully Ballard will one day get a taco truck of its own, because I am certainly not coming back here.
Malena's has re-opened.
Great food, great prices. LOVE their salso. The chips are store bought but who cares, the salsa is where the money is at.
Pretty standard taqueria fare and what I've had (taco's, burrito) has been great.
Good stuff.
I wanted to like Malena's, I really did! Who doesn't like cheap Mexican food close to their 'hood? Well, this is definitely not a bargain... hell,Taco del Mar could get you way better food for the same price if not cheaper.
The chips were disgusting, obviously store bought. The salsa is ok... but that was about the only thing that tasted somewhat decent. My husband and I both were way underwhelmed by the burritos we got - the chicken was lacking of any sort of flavor as were the bland veggies. The rice was old and gross, and the guacamole tasted like mayo. Ew. Let me repeat: EW.
Adios, Malena.... doubt you'll be around for too long.
Ive been wanting to try malenas for awhile, but I have other taquerias closer to me that I am fond of. Well today I was picking up some photos at ballard camera, and was hungry so I decided to try it out.
The menu is small-ish. I felt like for the amount of food I got it was a bit pricey compared to other mexican places around seattle (guaymas, tequila etc). I paid $10 for a carne asada burrito and a small diet coke. The burrito was alright, pretty tasty, but I expected it to have rice and beans in it!! It was just carne asada, guacamole, green peppers, onions and tomato. no cheese or anything. Seemed pretty healthy and it was filling! The salsa was good also. I was satisfied but I probably will continue to go to tequila...for their selection of booze, large menus with more authentic style mexican...burritos about twice the size of malenas..and chips made in house (the chips at malenas are store- bought...eww). In other words, it was good, but not awesome. When I want a burrito I want it to be muy delicioso!!!
Horrible! That is the only way to describe my chili releno. It was submerged in a bland watery sauce, and smothered by a large quanity of blanched celery. My rice was completely overcooked and the bean were disgusting. Lesson learned ... I ain't never going back! JR
Never even got to try the food, so I'm giving it a neutral 3 star review. We walked in @ 8:30 last night, and saw 2 "employee looking" gents standing outside- I thought they were being lazy because it was slow. I opened the door and walked in, and they hollered out "hey, don't go in there, it's on fire!" As soon as it was heard, the thick fog of plastic-scented smoke hit my nose.
We walked back to our car, drove through the lot, and then saw the flames bursting out of the back kitchen. Seriously scared the crap out of us. As we sped off, the fire trucks arrived.
Tacos are not worth risking your life, let me tell you.
i ordered and the food came out with the quickness. which was perfect considering i was catching a flight back to San Francisco, and needed something fast.
what wasn't perfect though was my fajitas i ordered. oily much? nothing tastes better then a pool of grease under your steak, bell peppers, and onions... NOT. and the tortillas were not crackin' at all. actually, i take that back. they were totally crackin' (not in a good way), only cause they were STALE. yuck.
on a better note, the great worker gave me a bowl of guacamole with out charge. wished i left Seattle on a better food note, rather then leaving with an upset stomach from all that grease.
their chips suck. i mean, i thought mexican restaurants are supposed to have those nice thin, triangular, slightly greasy, nice & salty tortilla chips, not the thick round ones you get at like, say, the movie theater that comes with cheese from a pump. but whatever. their guacamole made up for it. i have a hard time finding good guacamole in seattle.
i also like how the building is sort of dumpy.
When Malena's opened, we were pretty pumped - good food (for the most part) that was cheap as all hell.
That was, until, the day I got the chicken tacos. A few hours later, they came back up with a vengence. I remember that "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" was playing on TV, and the puke just kept coming.
NEVER eat here, unless you like dry heaving at 3 in the morning.
**Updated 5/4/2008*
This place caught on fire yesterday. Looks like they finally learned to cook the chicken more.
Maybe a bit too much more.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about even trying Malena's. The few times I had driven by, there were few, if none as far as happy diners populating the place. There is nothing that deflects me faster than an empty dining room during prime eating hours... I have been known to pull up to a place, get out, and bolt as soon as spying the emptiness inside! However, my love of Mexican food overcame my initial apprehension and I was pleasantly surprised. The food is by no means rave-worthy, but it's very decent if you are looking for a step up from Taco Bell and an alternative to the gloppy bean/congealed cheese on everything mess that serves as typical "Mexican" fare (which I do love sometimes, sadly, I grew up on Azteca. I have a birthday picture with sombrero from birthday #8-25).
The tamales are home made, and although not overwhelmingly flavorful, they are enjoyable in their own mis-shapen right. The chicken tacos have fried corn tortillas as the shell which gives it a satisfying and substantial crunch. Chicken was a little dry, but squeeze some lime on it or douse it in salsa. I like the simple whole beans and rice, they leave me delightfully satisfied but without the feeling as if I've just ingested a stick of lard. They sometimes need a good dousing of salsa if you're looking for some kick.
The ambiance? Sometimes good for people-watching, and I did watch the wife of the owner resist her husband's urgings to get off of the phone which she was animatedly talking... but I might suggest just getting your food to go. It's pretty barren in there. And two more things, try the horchata and avoid the burritos...
What is more traditional and authentic than a literal hole in the wall complete dive of a joint for a mexican restaurant. I have only been to the Ballard location, but dont really need to go another one as I have fallen in love with their food. All food is made fresh daily from scratch. These ladies aren't messing around when it comes tortillas either, all made on location, they are absolutely incredible.
The food is very reasonably priced too. Not only do you get great authetic mexican style food, but the prices are much better than crappy Azteca! So if you haven't had the chance I really recommend stopping by Malenas, you wont be disappointed.
3 1/2 Stars
Malena's isn't pretty.
Malena's will never "wow".
But that's okay, because Malena's is like the old pair of shoes that you wear in the rain to get where you're going- sturdy and dependable.
And for a quick lunch or dinner that's filling, good, and under $10, sometimes that's all that's needed.
This is a hard one for me. Overall I am happy with Malena's. the food is fairly fresh and authentic, the service is fast, and it is consistent. There are no shortage of problems though. I have repeatedly had problems with orders. I live in Ballard and this is one of my favorite stop and pick up diner on the way home joints. Every time I get the food home there is something missing or mixed up. I TRY to check my order but without digging to the bottom of my tostada it is hard to tell if they are hiding beef under the beans! My other big complaint is that the food is cold. Items like cheese enchiladas are rarely fully cooked or even melted and everything is totally cold in the 5 minutes it take for me to get them in my mouth.
The food is tasty though and a steal for the price. I especially enjoy the previously mentioned tostadas which are huge! I will keep going back to Malena's and I will do so with a smile. But I know what to expect now and I try not set my sights too high here. I just have to keep reminding myself to keep it simple and have the microwave ready when I get home!
sure this place is a dive... but you know what... it's good. You get alot for the price... and it's cheap! :)
I try to hit the QA or Ballard location when I venture to the Seattle. The staff is friendly and the food is tasty. Malena's is a lifesaver! :)
I was running an errand in Ballard last night so I stopped at Malena's and picked up some tacos and burritos for my hungry family.
The woman behind the counter (I hope it wasn't Malena herself) acted like she could have cared less that I was there--even though the place was empty.
Since I was starving I asked for some chips and salsa while I waited.
The chips were stale and the salsa was about as uninspired as my reception.
After a long drive home in a car filled with the aroma of shredded beef, pork and chicken I was more than ready to eat.
Surprise. The food was good. Not great, but good. My beef Asada tacos were juicy and had a nice guacamole filling--in a leatherette shell. The shredded pork tacos were also moist and yummy--also in leatherette shells. My son and his girlfriend consumed their chicken burritos with much gusto then went back to ignoring us...so I think they liked the food.
I have to assume that some of the staleness of the taco shells was induced by the long trip home...over water?
I would have given Malena's three stars if I had received even one smile while I was there.
Malena's is totally back in my good graces! I've always loved their tacos, and the pork and the shredded beef are some of the best in north Seattle. But for a while they went to serving, heavy, tasteless store-bought tortilla chips and that just ruined the experience for me. After I asked, twice, for them to considered returning to homemade chips, I stopped eating there. But this week I stopped by and delicious, light, warm homemade chips are back! And the pork in the soft tacos was tastier and crispier than ever. So, once again, this is one of my top choices for a quick inexpensive lunch in Ballard.
I hate when Mexican places use sour cream as a filler in guacamole. I was kind of excited to try a little taqueria (Malena's) and I asked if they cut their guacamole with sour cream. I was told they don't, but they do use Mayonnaise in their guacamole. How gross is that? I left right after hearing that bit of horror but I'm quite sure I'm not missing much.
The food was fresh and good - except for the crisp taco shells - a bit stale. As far as I'm concerned, a taco is served in a corn tortilla unless specified otherwise. That is the default. Crisp shell tacos are wrong - those are Betty Crocker Tacos....
This Nordic Mexican food is so annoying.
The beans were flavorful, although no refried option.The rice was also seasoned nicely and not too wet as many Mexican places seem to do. The meat was tasty, but a bit dry.
We ate our tacos and enchiladas off our paper plates and left, not too impressed but full. Horchata was fine - I had it with no ice, so perhaps that is why it seemed too sweet to me. Also, it needed more canela, which I will give them props for using instead of cinnamom.
We ordered Burrittos to go for dinner later.
Honestly - this place is okay, but it is no where near what a San Franciscan would expect from a Burritto.
First of all, it ain't even wrapped - it's on a plate, the only burritos allowed on a plate are mojado.
Second, it had only meat in it.... not rice, no beans, WHY WHY WHY?????
The only reason why Mexican food spolied San Franciscans might be happy about this place is because the ingredients are prepared properly and it is miles and miles ahead of the Taco Del Mars, Taco Times and all the horrible Taco Bellesque type of swill that dares to call itself Mexican food around here.
I'd go again if I were in the neighborhood and needed somethng quick and to go, but it isn't gonna get this homesick for real mexican food girl outta the house on it's own.
DISCLAIMER: I have a Mexican Grandmother who fed me really well"
A co-worker brought back tacos from this place at lunchtime and spent the next half hour fending the rest of us off. "Can I have a bite, huh, pretty please?" We turned into a drooling mob of 4 year olds. Not pretty. After that, I regularly got the carne asada tacos or shredded beef tacos. Frankly, after eating a burrito once, all I wanted to do was nap the rest of the day away, it's so big and filling. My employers didn't really appreciate that.
Great price, delicious food. I had a Carne Asada taco and my wife had the red snapper fish taco, both were very tasty, quick friendly service. It's traditional taco truck style but more sanitary.
This place kicks Mama's but, mexi-style. When I moved here from San Francisco I was jonesing for a big buritto like an addict. I randomly ran into this place on the top of Queen Anne (the original location at McGraw & 6th W). I'm so glad that I did. The carne asada burrito is close to perfect--the size of a small child, spicy, savory, messy. The taco, awesome. The salsa is pretty good. Honestly, this is the one thing that Malena's needs help with. I need more of a salsa selection. However, the fact that there are no refried beans covered in re-heated cheese in sight makes me LOVE MALENAS.
Guac, quesadilla, tostada, all phenominal. I've taked SF natives here and have always satisfied.
"I was always curious of this little place until today. I was always a bit shy about going here because I never saw many people inside. I quickly looked over the menu (i was hungry!) and chose the chicken burrito for $6.50. They gave free chips and salsa which was a plus. The burrito showed up shortly after and was a generous size. I would have liked to have real silverware but the plastic fork and knife did the trick. The burrito was tasty, lots of chicken and green bell peppers made for a nice twist. I left full and satisfied and would definately come back."
Yet another really good place for tacos (so rare up here!). I stumbled across this place sometime in the afternoon after I went swimming with some friends and we descended upon it like a pack of wild hyenas, well .. but more polite. Either way, just after one big burrito I was full, and almost groaning because I ate the whole thing. Bring a big appetite or expect to be taking some home!
This place has average food, but TERRIBLE SERVICE. The people behind the counter are rude and don't greet you. Plus, they let their kids run around the place. It's unprofessional, and they act like they don't need your business. I've been in there two or three times, and it's always the same. DO NOT go here. Average food and cold people.
Looked like a promising unpretentious taco joint but a big let down. Suffers from the lack of all spice that is too common in Seattle Mexican places (and I'm from the East so my standards aren't too high). The burrito tasted like canned, unflavored ingredients stuffed in a bland tortilla
Really good Mexican food at totally reasonable prices. Malena's is definitely best enjoyed as takeout, because the restaurant itself has no atmosphere whatsoever, and I really hate eating with plastic utensils. Otherwise, awesome.
I lived in SF for 10 years so that qualifies me as a native, at least in Mexican food, and this joint would be able to survive somewhere in the Bay. That says alot considering how many taquieras there are in SF alone. I like hardshell tacos, something that most people don't do well at all, and Malena's makes a great, crisp chicken taco. There beef is just so-so but I'm not a huge beef taco fan so...
great mexican food. possibly some of the best mexican in seattle. i take mine to go, since i live right around the corner. don't expect the greatest service or decor here, just get your food and run.
Neighborhood: Queen Anne
Category: Mexican
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