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Tapatio Mexican Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Mexican Restaurants Tex-Mex Mexican, Tex-Mex [Edit]
6920 Coal Creek Pkwy SENewcastle, WA 98059
(425) 747-0477
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sat 11 am - 10:30 pm
Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
43 reviews for Tapatio Mexican Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The chips and salsa are great."
(in 4 reviews)
"Also they have delicious margaritas."
(in 5 reviews)
"Great food and good service."
(in 3 reviews)
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43 reviews in English
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Review from Marta B.
Bellevue, WA
12/20/2011
I come here for a bowl of tortilla soup with a tangy undertone of lime and fresh pieces of guacamole floating in a golden broth.Shredded chicken and melted cheese(not a lot,just enough to add some texture) are at the bottom of the bowl waiting to be discovered by a hungry spoon.I crush more tortillas in,add a little salsa and nurture my soul with the injection of warmth:)
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Review from Marla E.
Fairwood, WA
12/27/2011
this is the best mexican food i've found in the south sound/eastside that i can eat. they have lots of vegetarian options, but a lot of them are pre-made items that cannot be customized to remove dairy or gluten - so i'm more limited than most vegetarians and that makes me sad.
the margaritas are good (the fruit ones are weak), the guacamole is bland but fresh, and the salsa is spicy. pretty good chips, decent variety of veggies in the veggie fajitas, good salads. prompt, friendly service. -
Review from Kevin W.
Bellevue, WA
9/26/2011 7 Check-ins Here
I eat here at least once a month. It's a favorite around Newcastle. Very good food. Staff is nice and very quick. At least several staff members have been there for years. Reasonably priced.
That said, I'm disturbed by the number of Unsatisfactory reviews they have received from the King County Public Health Department. They have had 3 just since November 2010. I'm feeling like it may be time to drop them from my regular places.
http://info.kingcounty... -
Review from Suzanne S.
Bellevue, WA
11/13/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Great service and yummy pico de gallo and guacamole! Also they have delicious margaritas. It is a little loud and they often have families and children there. They don't have a very good vegan option.
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Review from Jarrod L.
6/24/2011
Wow it's loud in here. The difficulty conversing with my dining companions definitely knocked off a star.
The server was very accommodating to the many changes/substitutions asked for by our table and the service was pretty quick even though the restaurant was packed.
The food is the same sort of stuff you get at any of the other "Mexican" places around here, which is fine when that's what you're looking for. I had the Molcajete, a beef/chicken/vegetable combination served in a stone bowl. The menu description was accurate and the tastes were exactly what I was expecting. -
Review from Varun S.
Renton, WA
10/24/2011
Great food and good service
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Review from Aaron B.
Bothell, WA
Updated - 9/25/2011
One of the best Mexican restaurants around !!!!!!!!
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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12/21/2008
Ate here yesterday and had their steak/chicken fajitas. Fajitas were great, of course. A couple… Read more »
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Review from Momiko S.
Seattle, WA
4/19/2011
I went in for HH at 9pm with a couple of friends.
Its OK.
the Good:
Happy Hour 9-10pm (Closes at 10)
Large Tables for group of Friends
Lots of Parking
the Bad:
Small Happy Hour Food List (3-4 items for about 5.50 each)
One hour of Happy Hour (maybe because i went on a Monday?)
Would i go back? I dont know, only if its convienient and if groups of friends are going. -
Review from Michael W.
Newcastle, WA
9/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food is always great. The staff is awesome and attentive. Can notget enough of their chips and hot sause.
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Review from Melissa F.
Bellevue, WA
10/14/2010
Try this place and you will never be able to eat at the crappy chain restaurants ever again.
The food here is cooked and cooked well; doesn't feel like it's just churned out in batches to feed the masses, you know?
The sauces and all the meats are seasoned just right and everything tastes amazing!
It's located in the corner and kind of hard to spot, but definitely take the time to find it. You won't regret it! -
Review from Cory C.
Issaquah, WA
9/2/2011
How in the world did this place get decent reviews? Boring salsa. Boring drinks. Boring presentation. And really boring food. Came here on a Friday night and felt like I was in a daycare.
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Review from Cathy C.
Renton, WA
10/23/2010
Ate dinner here the other night with my sis, bro-in-law and their two kiddies. The place was busy, always a good sign. We waited about 15 minutes for a table, and our waitress was great. Super good service throughout our meal and she gave some fabu recommendations. I've been about three times and have really enjoyed everything I've had so far.
On our most recent visit, I had the fish tacos. By far the best I've had. Really good flavor but not drenched in sauce and dripping everywhere. I was able to take one of my tacos home and it held up, even after a couple of days. Usually, fish tacos are so drippy that they're too gross to eat as leftovers. Not these! And the fish was cooked to perfection. I loved them!
The dishes that my sis and b-i-l ordered were also very tasty. We all went home pleased, especially my niece and nephew who each got a balloon before we left. -
Review from Arun K.
Mercer Island, WA
11/13/2010
I was drawn to this place with all the good reviews but disappointed by the food. As on reviewer pointed out, this is definitely for americanized mexican food, and there are certainly better places to get 'real' mexican food in Seattle/ Bellevue. I did try the food there four times before writing this review.
The salsa is so thin it it difficult to get enough on your chips. The food was bland, without the customary spice-i-ness The service was good and the restaurant was spacious. Overall - I'd go elsewhere to satisfy my mexican food cravings.. (Barrio's in Bellevue is definitely an option). -
Review from Robert M.
Bellevue, WA
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
These folks have been a consistent good Mexican restaurant we've gone to since 1997. Good food, good service and not bad ambience for a strip mall restaurant. Recommend
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Review from Bill B.
4/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Definitely northern-Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine but quite good and we go here, often. As many have said, the salsa is very good indeed and the margaritas are potent. The molcajete is equal to or better than anything I have tasted in AZ and TX plus the food is better than most of the other Mexican restaurants on the east side.
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Review from Laura D.
Vancouver, WA
3/24/2010
Okay, we're closer to the North Pole than we are to the equator, so obviously we're not going to get much stellar Mexican food around here. But this has been my family's standby Mexican restaurant for over ten years, and it's never disappointed us. There are plenty of dishes that aren't smothered in cheese - my new favorite is the pork carnitas. If you're a less adventurous diner (like uh me), the tacos and taquitos (order from the appetizer menu) are comfortingly tasty.
The restaurant can get a little noisy, but they've done some great remodeling in the last couple years, so the dining area is divided up, which created some quieter nooks. The decor is very nice and the servers are almost always friendly and attentive. -
Review from Jens J.
11/4/2009
I don't have any major dings to toss at Tapatio's, but this place unabashedly caters to suburban Caucasian sensibilities. Therefore, you will find plenty of yellow (cheddar) cheese here. Though there are a lot of Mexicans living and working in the immediate area, I sure didn't see any eating at Tapatio today.
The dining area is large, clean and comfortable. I definitely like the brilliant green wood chairs with blue seats. One thing I've always loved about Mexicans and décor is that Mexicans are unafraid to use bright colors.
Mariachi music was being played at a very low volume, paired against a silent flat screen TV on the far wall displaying a telenovela.
You get complimentary chips and salsa. However, the salsa was as thin as piss on a rock.
Though I'm not vegetarian, I was impressed with a large selection of vegetarian options - including several enchiladas and burritos.
I went with the chorizo con huevos (eggs) at $7.95. The chorizo came with your usual refried beans (topped with melted yellow and white cheese) and Mexican rice. My waitress also brought me three hot harina (wheat) tortillas served in a linen napkin.
The Mexican rice was very good. I liked that it had a few kernels of corn, a handful of peas and even a single piece of green bean. Regarding the chorizo - at first I thought this very pale chorizo with bits of diced tomato was good, but halfway into my meal, I decided that the flavor of the tomato didn't work with the chorizo. Actually, I've eaten more than my share of chorizo over the years and never seen tomato in it until today.
Don't get me wrong. The chorizo was not bad, I just wouldn't have prepared it this way.
The waitress I had was friendly, efficient and professional. The busboy/waiter was unsmiling and not friendly. Pobrecito. I thought it was interesting that when one Caucasion customer entered and greeted the manager with a "¿Comó estás?", the manager responded in English and continued to speak to the customer in English. -
Review from Richard B.
Seattle, WA
6/18/2009
A solid item: shredded beef tamals. It's like there's this sweet ol' abuela who spent all day making 'em for you. Half the time they're sold out but that's a testimoninal to their deliciousness.
It's a good place in general. A few too many poorly parented/supervised kids have made it harder to enjoy the place. -
Review from Angie T.
Renton, WA
7/14/2011
The food at Tapatio is great!!! Every time I go, I get the Carne Azada - which is fantastic. However, I have sampled a bit of what others who were with me got and it has always been great.
As expected, there are a variety of great margaritas - sure to please!!!
The atmosphere isn't anything special, but still a nice place to go. -
Review from Julie D.
San Jose, CA
3/6/2010
BEST MEXICAN CUISINE!!! YES CUISINE.... THIS IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE MEXICAN RESTAURANT...
The Tacos de Pescado are the BEST!!! There is a variety of menu items that are not what you would find in the average mexican restaurant and coupled with the friendly outgoing customer service... you have perfection!
It is a neighborhood place... so if you go a couple times, chances are the serving staff will get to know what you eat and drink and by your third visit you are on a first name basis...
Always the best from Tapatio's! Sit in Lupe's section... SHE ROCKS! -
Review from NANCY H.
Bothell, WA
6/27/2007
I think the quality of the food here speaks for itself. Yes, they serve the regular Azteca/Mazatlan/Torrero's fare, but there was something about the beef that made it juicy and tender. The burritos here are humongous and the margaritas are, too! The decor is eye catching as well. Sort of a southwest theme with faux suede seats and warm earthy tones. Plus they friendly and attentive service. There is also a private room for parties. This is a great place to take your family and friends and just hang out if you want something apart from the overdone refried beans and dry meat stuff.
Good For: chips and salsa, mole, atmosphere -
Review from Justin H.
Issaquah, WA
5/26/2009
I'm really critical of most Puget Sound Mexican restaurants, but they do a pretty good job. I typically grab a combo with a chimichonga and an enchilada-- not the most adventurous, but I'm consistently happy with it.
The service is good, but there are a lot of kids here, so it's not exactly romantic. -
Review from Ponarett X.
Renton, WA
Updated - 2/4/2011
I have come to really love this place. I was in recently for dinner and decided to try something different. I first started with a margarita and it was ginormous! And this was their normal size as there is an option to "jumbo size" your margarita. I was looking at the menu and just happened to peruse the vegetarian section and the enchiladas with butternut squash caught my eye. Being the meat-lover that I am, I asked them to add ground beef to my enchilada. The butternut squash sauce was amazing! And so different from anything I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. When my enchiladas were gone, I licked up every bit of that sauce on the plate!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/14/2008
Now, I love places like Azteca and Torrero's, but every time I eat at Tapatio I don't feel as… Read more »
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Review from Julian H.
Seattle, WA
10/28/2008
A great all-around choice for us suburban diners.
Food is consistently very good (much better than Azteca or other big chains). The seafood dishes are what really caught me off guard with their quality and lack of greasiness. Not expensive. Good 'ritas.
Service is consistently good, never a wait for a table, food is fast, waiters are polite and prompt.
Atmosphere was just okay previously, but is now much better since a renovation. Very colorful.
A note on the menu: Tapatio offers both authentic Mexican dishes as well as the Tex-Mex cuisine (a hybrid of Mexican, Spanish and American influences that originated in the Southwestern U.S.) that is typically presented as "Mexican" food in this part of the country. For example they offer tamales and sopas (real Mexican food), americanized versions of traditional Mexican dishes like burritos and tacos (less authentic), and fajitas (a purely American creation with no roots in Mexican cuisine). -
Review from Mandy S.
1/8/2011
this place was surprisingly busy on a weeknight. I was excited to try a well-reviewed mexican restaurant in newcastle but was sorely dissapointed. Steak for the fajitas were tough and service was hit/miss. salsa was runny as the other reviews have said. Wish they had the Mexico in Pacific Place located in the renton area
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Review from K F.
Seattle, WA
9/6/2009
Decent Mexican food, very friendly and prompt service. Family friendly, it's a good place to eat. I do see lots of kids here fairly often, just so you know...
That being said, I was not impressed with the food at all. I come from the Southwest, and despite the "authentic" staff, the food tasted to me like it was made for a bunch of people who don't really know what Mexican food should taste like. I would not be surprised if the nice lady who served us orders from a different menu, or maybe she heads down to the cheap taqueria on Sunset where the food tastes better.
I ain't tryin' to be rude, just letting you know that if you're really into Mexican food, I wouldn't drive out of your way to get here. Maybe I just haven't found the right dish, but I think I went three times, and let's just say that I don't really go back if I have a choice... -
Review from Nora C.
Renton, WA
2/27/2011
I am not a food snob nor connoisseur of mexican restaurants but I feel so blessed that this solid and reliable mexican place is within walking distance.
The chips are warm, crispy and addictive. Salsa is spicy but not too much so. Dinner plates are always very warm, portions are huge, and service is attentive and friendly. We usually come hungry and leave with leftovers to snack on the next day.
There were a lot of kids there tonight, but it didn't ruin the dining atmosphere at all, it just added to the warm family atmosphere. -
Review from Andy W.
Renton, WA
1/4/2007
Nothing sublime here, but it's good solid Mexican food at a reasonable price, served by friendly people. Plus, if you live in Newcastle it's about the only game in town. I recommend the Burrito Lenero and the fajita burrito.
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Review from Antonio R.
Seattle, WA
8/1/2009
The restaurant was very busy on a Saturday evening, but the friendly hostess was very efficient in making sure all the customers were seated promptly. Good first impression! It is also a good sign when I see a restaurant busy with a lot of people in it...I'm guessing it's because of the good food.
The menu was filled with so many different types of plates that I couldn't decide what to choose. So, I asked for recommendations from the hostess and she gave me her three favorite dishes...I went with the fish tacos. I've never ordered fish tacos from a Mexican restaurant before, so I thought I would try something new.
The fish tacos were bomb! (For all you people who don't know slang..."bomb" means "good"). I've had fish tacos at other types of restaurants before, but they never tasted this good! My friend ordered the chicken fajitas and he was very pleased as well.
I am a Mexican food fanatic and I definitely recommend checking out this restaurant. -
Review from Corrine C.
Seattle, WA
8/18/2009
Came here a few weeks ago after the kid's soccer practice with a couple of other families. I had their enchiladas and ordered a tamale on the side. Waaaaaay too much food. Quite tasty and my little guy gobbled up his quesidilla. Kid friendly. (It was pretty quiet for a Saturday late morning.)
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Review from D S.
Seattle, WA
9/22/2010
This is by far the best Mexican food in the area. We eat here once a week and love the food and the service is super fast and courteous!
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Review from Srta l.
Bellevue, WA
9/2/2010
I am not really a fan for Mexican food but I have to agree that the food here was more than pretty good. The salsa was good, and portions were big for lunch. Service and environment pretty good as well.
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Review from Marcie C.
6/15/2009
It's been awhile since I've had Mexican food that tasted light and fresh. Their rice doesn't leave a greasy aftertaste. I had a chicken enchilada and my chicken was moist and flavorful, which doesn't happen a lot elsewhere. And their chips and salsa were extremely delicious and addicting!
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Review from steve s.
Renton, WA
5/31/2011
We live nearby but Friday was our first visit to Tapatio. We will definitely be going back! Great food and very tasty margaritas as well. I had the molcajete, and could only finish half before being completely full. The salsa was good, but I prefer much spicier flavor, solved with a bottle of tapatio sauce at our table. We went during the busiest part of the evening rush but were seated quickly and the service was very good. It was a bit noisy which isn't unexpected for such a full restaurant. Bottom line - Tapatio will be at the top of our list next time we go out for dinner!
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Review from S S.
Bellevue, WA
7/26/2005 2 photos
I go there for dinner sometimes. It's usually pretty crowded but I have never had to wait for a table. I think their food is really good, but I'm not sure about the authenticity of the food. Nevertheless, a Mexican acquaintance did tell me once that this place is pretty good, so it must be pretty authentic. The prices are also reasonable. The restaurant atmosphere is not too romantic, though. It's more fore family dining.
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Review from Martin C.
Kent, WA
6/12/2010
finally tried this place. The food was cooked well. Had the carne asada burrito and the steak was tasty and did not contain rice ;) looks like i'll be coming to newcastle more often
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Review from Kazuo O.
Renton, WA
1/24/2010
This place is good but I don't get a crave to eat here. The portions are good and it's a better than Azteca. I only come here because the owner is pretty cool, He gave me a gift certificate because they forgot a chimichanga for my take out order. They actually called me first to let me know. If it weren't for that I would rate this place 3 1/2 stars.
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Review from Hope N.
La Jolla, CA
2/15/2010
Pretty good for Mexican food around here. The beef taquitos were excellent and the pork tacos were good. My major complaints about this place is the price and the ambiance is so bla-loud, not much decor, and overrun with toddlers. The salsa is awesome.
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Review from Amanda S.
Seattle, WA
8/29/2009
This is a great Mexican place with awesome drinks! All their margaritas are top-notch and the food is amazing. There's often a line of big groups when you come in the door, but seating for two is rarely a wait. Service is great and the food is even better. Love this place!
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Review from Soren L.
Seattle, WA
10/14/2009
I have been to Tapatio over a dozen times and I can safely say it is the best Mexican food I've had in the Seattle area. The staff is friendly and responsive, the interior decor warm and welcoming. Chips are served warm and the salsa is fresh. Prices typically range between $10-$15 for a meal, but you get a lot of food in return. I recommend the Taquitos al Pastor and the Burrito Leñero. Their homemade sangria is also a must-have!
