Bellevue, WA (near Factoria Mall)

Lucky in its location, Taqueria el Tapatio sits in Loehman’s Plaza right below the T-Mobile Field Service Center campus. Every day, hundreds of hungry T-Mobilers walk down to this plaza to a plethora of foreign restaurants. Being hungry for Mexican and with a little extra money to spare, I thought I’d visit Tapatio.

The restaurant is brightly decorated and clean. The staff is warm, friendly, and very efficient. The food, on the other hand, was not great. I ordered their Tacos Al Carbon and what I got was dry, tasteless meat in corn tortillas, uber-salty refried beans (no whole bean options) and mediocre Spanish rice. Tacos Al Carbon is a dish I’ve ordered at two other restaurants, El Gitano and Chihuahua’s. At these two places, the meat was tender and flavorful.

I don’t want to base all of my opinions on one meal but I’m not inspired to visit again. If I end of visiting Tapatio’s again, and I find the food better, I will update this blog on my better experience. As for now, I’m not comfortable placing my recommendation on this restaurant.

Ferndale, WA

I promise Chihuahua’s does not serve cooked dog. This restaurant gets its name from the state, Chihuahua, in Mexico. I’ve been to many Mexican restaurants and I love this one the most right now. Located in downtown Ferndale, WA, this restaurant gets busy and for very good reason–the food and service are excelente!

I had the Tacos Al Carbon with beef. If you like flavorfully marinated tender bbq beef and corn tortillas, you’ll love this dish. I had it with whole black beans (muy delicioso) and rice. I even splurged and had a strawberry margarita. Its a good thing my boyfriend, Mikel, was there because I was unfit to drive before finishing half of my drink. The margarita was quite tasty and strong. Although stuffed and drunk, one of the waiters handed me a shot of something warm, sweet, and tasty. I heard it was warm Dr Pepper and rum. I wasn’t charged for it either.

While the food was good, the cleanliness wasn’t completely up to the standard I like it. It wasn’t awful. The bathrooms were impressively clean and there were no dirty utensils, glasses, or dishes, but, certain cleanliness details were missed. I would rate the cleanliness a 3 out of 5 (passable but not perfect).

On a scale of 1-5:

Speed of service: 3.5
Friendliness: 4
Filled Cup: 4 (they do give you a pitcher of water)
Cleanliness: 3
Atmosphere: 3

Rice: 4
Beans: 4
Meat: 5!! (OMG!!)
Salsa and Chips: 4 (they give you a pico de gallo and a salsa.. both are great).
Healthy options: 4