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Three fried masa torpedos covered with shredded cabbage, queso fresco, and red and green salsas.
The molotes at El Cabrito restaurant in Burien.
Jade Yamazaki Stewart/Eater Seattle

16 Marvelous Mexican Restaurants in the Seattle Area

With crispy carnitas, complex mole, Mexican sushi, and more

by Dylan Joffe, Megan Hill, and Jade Yamazaki Stewart Updated
View as Map
The molotes at El Cabrito restaurant in Burien.
| Jade Yamazaki Stewart/Eater Seattle
by Dylan Joffe, Megan Hill, and Jade Yamazaki Stewart Updated

Even this far north of the border, Seattle’s Mexican food scene offers a wide range of excellent options, from top-notch carne asada to satisfying enchiladas to rich mole dishes that thrill with sweet, toasty, and spicy flavors. There's also a separate guide that includes a more fast-casual spots and food trucks that specialize in tacos — an important art that deserves recognition on its own.

Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing seattle@eater.com. As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically.

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La Conasupo

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The party is in the back at this Greenwood store, which doubles as a restaurant. Get the quesadillas with tinga de res, enormous carnitas tacos, or come by on weekends when there's an even fuller array of soups, meats, and crispy tacos, including barbacoa.

8532 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 782-0533
(206) 782-0533
A table of dishes at La Conasupo
La Conasupo is a store doubling as a restaurant.
Adrian Soto/Facebook

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Frelard Tamales

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From a farmers market favorite to a permanent tamale window near Green Lake, this popular Mexican spot from founders Osbaldo Hernandez and Dennis Ramey (with Hernandez’s parents helping to run the operation) serves half-pound tamales packed with rich flavors. The salsa roja pork and the salsa verde chicken versions are not to be missed, but the shop also serves vegan and vegetarian options, including tamales filled with sweet potato and mole and salsa roja and jackfruit. Everything is served pickled onions and carrots and best washed down with the house-made agua de horchata. Diners can also bring home bags of frozen tamales to steam at home.

6412 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 523-6654
(206) 523-6654

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La Carta de Oaxaca

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Ballard denizens have been lining up at this family-owned Mexican restaurant since it opened in 2003 to sample the pools of rich, savory-sweet mole over chicken; the hand-crushed guacamole; the breaded steak; and a spirit list with more than 40 types of mezcal. Though there have been newer, trendier offshoots (like El Mezcalito in Queen Anne), it’s difficult to replicate the intimacy of the original.

5431 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 782-8722
(206) 782-8722
An interior wall at La Carta de Oaxaca and a handful of diners sitting at tables.
La Carta de Oaxaca specializes in Oaxacan cuisine.
La Carta de Oaxaca/Facebook

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Asadero Ballard

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Carne asada is the way to go at this Sinaloan restaurant in Ballard, which fires top-quality prime steak on the grill all day. The vampiro and toreado are standouts, with the latter featuring a homemade flour tortilla topped with a grilled Anaheim pepper, filled with carne asada and cheese. Pickled onions complete the package.

5405 Leary Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 659-4499
(206) 659-4499
A large cut of carne asada at Asadero Ballard.
Asadero Ballard specializes in prime steak.
Asadero/Facebook

Also featured in:

Gracia

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Former Matt’s in the Market chef Chester Gerl is winning friends with his Ballard Mexican spot. Featuring masa sourced from Oaxacan farms for tortillas and tamales, a beautifully designed, perpetually packed dining room, and an open kitchen to let people in on the magic, Gracia is an instant classic.

5313 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA
(206) 268-0217
(206) 268-0217
The exterior of Gracia in Ballard
Former Matt’s in the Market chef Chester Gerl is winning friends with his Ballard Mexican spot, Gracia.
Suzi Pratt/Eater

Also featured in:

D’ La Santa

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Steak is the focus of this north Capitol Hill Mexican restaurant, where big piles of tender, perfectly cooked beef rule the menu. Standouts include the 25-day dry-aged New York strip, topped with the from-scratch salsa, and the Aguja Norteña, a hunk of wagyu accompanied by a cactus salad. The restaurant also serves a number of dishes besides steak, like tacos with a choice of meat (including beef birria).

2359 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 709-2222
(206) 709-2222
View this post on Instagram

Dig in, it’s Friday!

A post shared by D' La Santa (@dlasantacocina) on

Also featured in:

Sal Y Limón

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This Lower Queen Anne (Uptown) Mexican restaurant receives shockingly little recognition considering the breadth and consistent quality of its menu. The red pozole here is deeply satisfying with big, juicy, tender pieces of pork, and the green ceviche is balanced and generously portioned. Go on a weekday lunch, and you’ll have the restaurant almost all to yourself.

10 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 283-7878
(206) 283-7878

Mezcaleria Oaxaca

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Queen Anne's slice of a restaurant was the original, and its still worth a visit under its new name El Mezcalito. But this Capitol Hill restaurant (now under separate ownership) is much larger, with a huge bar, beautiful decor, and open rooftop where diners can savor an impressive selection of smoky mezcal-based cocktails while sampling complex Oaxacan moles and dishes like camerones a la diabla and whole fried fish.

422 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 324-0506
(206) 324-0506
The interior of Mezcaleria Oaxaca
Mezcaleria Oaxaca has a huge bar and rooftop lounge area.
Suzi Pratt/Eater

Also featured in:

Villa Escondida

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Friendly service and Oaxacan food are on offer at this Belltown restaurant. The tacos al pastor are juicy and flavorful and half off during happy hour. And don't miss out on entrees like the pollo estofado, with its tomato-based sauce that’s as complex as a mole, and the generously portioned carne asada.

2203 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-2393
(206) 448-2393
A side view of a wet burrito at Villa Escondida
Villa Escondida specializes in Oaxacan food in Belltown.
Villa Escondida/Official

Casco Antiguo

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The Pioneer Square neighborhoo has pretty much everything locals need these days, including this chic Mexican restaurant (which has a newer outpost near the Amazon Spheres now). Entrees include carne asada, a beef birria quesadilla, and pozole. There’s a solid happy hour menu with mini chile rellenos, potato-and-cheese fried tacos dorados, and tinga de pollo tacos, perfect for pairing with one of the several refreshing margaritas.

115 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 538-0400
(206) 538-0400
A side view of several plates at Casco Antiguo
Chic Mexican restaurant Casco Antiguo has margaritas on tap and lovely gorditas.
Casco Antiguo/Facebook

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Jackalope Tex Mex & Cantina

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This new Columbia City restaurant from Jack’s Barbecue owner Jack Timmons offers his signature Texas brisket in tacos and enchiladas, serves with one of the better mezcal selections in the city. It also recently started serving brunch with options like huevos rancheros, and yes, Texas-style breakfast tacos. While there are some traditional Mexican dishes like ceviche here, the standouts are the Tex-Mex options.

4868 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
(206) 420-4796
(206) 420-4796

Fonda La Catrina

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Georgetown’s Mexican folk art-themed restaurant has been both consistent and beloved around town for years. The restaurant is also particularly good for vegetarians, with dishes like enchiladas de mole poblano with mushrooms. There are also several excellent happy hour options, such as rock fish ceviche, chiles asados, and queso fundido.

5907 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 767-2787
(206) 767-2787
Close-up view of a dish at Fonda La Catrina in Georgetown.
Fonda La Catrina has excellent vegetarian options.
Fonda La Catrina/Facebook

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El Sirenito

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Fonda La Catrina’s little sister has an identity of its own, with a seafood-focused menu and sophisticated cocktails. Where Catrina is bright and decorated to the gills, this adjacent marisquería is clean and minimalistic in design, with only occasional pops of color. The crisp rockfish quesadillas, called pescadillas, and toasts (montaditas) are standouts. There’s also a spacious outdoor patio.

5901 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 767-2787
(206) 767-2787

El Paisano Rosticeria Y Cocina

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At this casual restaurant, diners can eat a whole roasted chicken with rice, beans, and tortillas while catching the day’s soccer match on television. Tortas, sauced-up chiles rellenos, enchiladas, and pozole teeming with tender pork are all excellent options. The whole chicken, covered in red adobo sauce, is bound to make a mess no matter what, so forgo the napkins and tear off the chunks of tender meat with the chewy flour tortillas, dip it in sauce and enjoy.

9615 15th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
(206) 763-0368
(206) 763-0368
A chef preparing rotisserie chicken at <span data-author="-1">El Paisano Rosticeria Y Cocina.</span>
El Paisano Rosticeria Y Cocina specializes in rotisserie chicken.
Courtesy of White Center

Also featured in:

El Cabrito

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After five years as a food truck, El Cabrito became a brick-and mortar-restaurant in Burien’s Ambaum Boulevard in 2019. Chef-owner Leticia Sánchez started making moles with her grandmother in Oaxaca when she was five years old, and the years of experience show in the expertly balanced mole coloradito that pools around her pork enchiladas, and in dishes like the molotes (fried masa dumplings filled with potato and chorizo), drowned in smoky morita pepper and avocado salsas, all served on brightly hued ceramics. Sanchez also serves weekly specials like rockfish ceviche, and banana-leaf green mole tamales are available during the winter. There’s a few indoor seats at El Cabrito and a few tables on a covered patio behind the restaurant.

14631 Ambaum Blvd SW, Burien, WA 98166
(206) 849-5449
(206) 849-5449
Molotes (fried corn dough dumplings) drizzled with red and green salsa and topped with cabbage and cheese.
The molotes at El Cabrito Restaurant.
Jade Yamazaki Stewart

Also featured in:

More in Maps

SUSHINOLA Sushi y Marisco estilo Sinaloa.

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This Kent restaurant serves some of the Seattle area’s only Mexican sushi and seafood dishes from the state of Sinaloa. It’s consistently packed with Sinaloans drinking massive micheladas loaded up with shrimp, sliced avocado, tajín, and salsa negra and sharing deep-fried sushi rolls filled with ingredients like carne asada, broiled shrimp, and jalapeño that are popular in their hometowns. This is not a place for diners looking for subtly-flavored nigiri and sashimi. The sushi menu is all rolls — crunchy with tempura coating and rich with chipotle mayo and other sauces. The restaurant also serves some more traditional Sinaloan seafood dishes like ceviches, aguachiles, and tacos.

24817 Pacific Hwy S #206, Kent, WA 98032
(206) 429-2938
(206) 429-2938
A fried sushi roll drizzled with orange sauce on a rectangular white plate.
The rolls at Sushinola are topped with house-made chipotle mayonnaise.
Suzi Pratt

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La Conasupo

8532 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

The party is in the back at this Greenwood store, which doubles as a restaurant. Get the quesadillas with tinga de res, enormous carnitas tacos, or come by on weekends when there's an even fuller array of soups, meats, and crispy tacos, including barbacoa.

8532 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 782-0533
(206) 782-0533
A table of dishes at La Conasupo
La Conasupo is a store doubling as a restaurant.
Adrian Soto/Facebook

Frelard Tamales

6412 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115

From a farmers market favorite to a permanent tamale window near Green Lake, this popular Mexican spot from founders Osbaldo Hernandez and Dennis Ramey (with Hernandez’s parents helping to run the operation) serves half-pound tamales packed with rich flavors. The salsa roja pork and the salsa verde chicken versions are not to be missed, but the shop also serves vegan and vegetarian options, including tamales filled with sweet potato and mole and salsa roja and jackfruit. Everything is served pickled onions and carrots and best washed down with the house-made agua de horchata. Diners can also bring home bags of frozen tamales to steam at home.

6412 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 523-6654
(206) 523-6654

La Carta de Oaxaca

5431 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Ballard denizens have been lining up at this family-owned Mexican restaurant since it opened in 2003 to sample the pools of rich, savory-sweet mole over chicken; the hand-crushed guacamole; the breaded steak; and a spirit list with more than 40 types of mezcal. Though there have been newer, trendier offshoots (like El Mezcalito in Queen Anne), it’s difficult to replicate the intimacy of the original.

5431 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 782-8722
(206) 782-8722
An interior wall at La Carta de Oaxaca and a handful of diners sitting at tables.
La Carta de Oaxaca specializes in Oaxacan cuisine.
La Carta de Oaxaca/Facebook

Asadero Ballard

5405 Leary Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Carne asada is the way to go at this Sinaloan restaurant in Ballard, which fires top-quality prime steak on the grill all day. The vampiro and toreado are standouts, with the latter featuring a homemade flour tortilla topped with a grilled Anaheim pepper, filled with carne asada and cheese. Pickled onions complete the package.

5405 Leary Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 659-4499
(206) 659-4499
A large cut of carne asada at Asadero Ballard.
Asadero Ballard specializes in prime steak.
Asadero/Facebook

Gracia

5313 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA

Former Matt’s in the Market chef Chester Gerl is winning friends with his Ballard Mexican spot. Featuring masa sourced from Oaxacan farms for tortillas and tamales, a beautifully designed, perpetually packed dining room, and an open kitchen to let people in on the magic, Gracia is an instant classic.

5313 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA
(206) 268-0217
(206) 268-0217
The exterior of Gracia in Ballard
Former Matt’s in the Market chef Chester Gerl is winning friends with his Ballard Mexican spot, Gracia.
Suzi Pratt/Eater

D’ La Santa

2359 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

Steak is the focus of this north Capitol Hill Mexican restaurant, where big piles of tender, perfectly cooked beef rule the menu. Standouts include the 25-day dry-aged New York strip, topped with the from-scratch salsa, and the Aguja Norteña, a hunk of wagyu accompanied by a cactus salad. The restaurant also serves a number of dishes besides steak, like tacos with a choice of meat (including beef birria).

2359 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 709-2222
(206) 709-2222
View this post on Instagram

Dig in, it’s Friday!

A post shared by D' La Santa (@dlasantacocina) on

Sal Y Limón

10 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109

This Lower Queen Anne (Uptown) Mexican restaurant receives shockingly little recognition considering the breadth and consistent quality of its menu. The red pozole here is deeply satisfying with big, juicy, tender pieces of pork, and the green ceviche is balanced and generously portioned. Go on a weekday lunch, and you’ll have the restaurant almost all to yourself.

10 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 283-7878
(206) 283-7878

Mezcaleria Oaxaca

422 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122

Queen Anne's slice of a restaurant was the original, and its still worth a visit under its new name El Mezcalito. But this Capitol Hill restaurant (now under separate ownership) is much larger, with a huge bar, beautiful decor, and open rooftop where diners can savor an impressive selection of smoky mezcal-based cocktails while sampling complex Oaxacan moles and dishes like camerones a la diabla and whole fried fish.

422 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 324-0506
(206) 324-0506
The interior of Mezcaleria Oaxaca
Mezcaleria Oaxaca has a huge bar and rooftop lounge area.
Suzi Pratt/Eater

Villa Escondida

2203 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Friendly service and Oaxacan food are on offer at this Belltown restaurant. The tacos al pastor are juicy and flavorful and half off during happy hour. And don't miss out on entrees like the pollo estofado, with its tomato-based sauce that’s as complex as a mole, and the generously portioned carne asada.

2203 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-2393
(206) 448-2393
A side view of a wet burrito at Villa Escondida
Villa Escondida specializes in Oaxacan food in Belltown.
Villa Escondida/Official

Casco Antiguo

115 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104

The Pioneer Square neighborhoo has pretty much everything locals need these days, including this chic Mexican restaurant (which has a newer outpost near the Amazon Spheres now). Entrees include carne asada, a beef birria quesadilla, and pozole. There’s a solid happy hour menu with mini chile rellenos, potato-and-cheese fried tacos dorados, and tinga de pollo tacos, perfect for pairing with one of the several refreshing margaritas.

115 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 538-0400
(206) 538-0400
A side view of several plates at Casco Antiguo
Chic Mexican restaurant Casco Antiguo has margaritas on tap and lovely gorditas.
Casco Antiguo/Facebook

Jackalope Tex Mex & Cantina

4868 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118

This new Columbia City restaurant from Jack’s Barbecue owner Jack Timmons offers his signature Texas brisket in tacos and enchiladas, serves with one of the better mezcal selections in the city. It also recently started serving brunch with options like huevos rancheros, and yes, Texas-style breakfast tacos. While there are some traditional Mexican dishes like ceviche here, the standouts are the Tex-Mex options.

4868 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
(206) 420-4796
(206) 420-4796

Fonda La Catrina

5907 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108

Georgetown’s Mexican folk art-themed restaurant has been both consistent and beloved around town for years. The restaurant is also particularly good for vegetarians, with dishes like enchiladas de mole poblano with mushrooms. There are also several excellent happy hour options, such as rock fish ceviche, chiles asados, and queso fundido.

5907 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 767-2787
(206) 767-2787
Close-up view of a dish at Fonda La Catrina in Georgetown.
Fonda La Catrina has excellent vegetarian options.
Fonda La Catrina/Facebook

El Sirenito

5901 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108

Fonda La Catrina’s little sister has an identity of its own, with a seafood-focused menu and sophisticated cocktails. Where Catrina is bright and decorated to the gills, this adjacent marisquería is clean and minimalistic in design, with only occasional pops of color. The crisp rockfish quesadillas, called pescadillas, and toasts (montaditas) are standouts. There’s also a spacious outdoor patio.

5901 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 767-2787
(206) 767-2787

El Paisano Rosticeria Y Cocina

9615 15th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106

At this casual restaurant, diners can eat a whole roasted chicken with rice, beans, and tortillas while catching the day’s soccer match on television. Tortas, sauced-up chiles rellenos, enchiladas, and pozole teeming with tender pork are all excellent options. The whole chicken, covered in red adobo sauce, is bound to make a mess no matter what, so forgo the napkins and tear off the chunks of tender meat with the chewy flour tortillas, dip it in sauce and enjoy.

9615 15th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
(206) 763-0368
(206) 763-0368
A chef preparing rotisserie chicken at <span data-author="-1">El Paisano Rosticeria Y Cocina.</span>
El Paisano Rosticeria Y Cocina specializes in rotisserie chicken.
Courtesy of White Center

El Cabrito

14631 Ambaum Blvd SW, Burien, WA 98166

After five years as a food truck, El Cabrito became a brick-and mortar-restaurant in Burien’s Ambaum Boulevard in 2019. Chef-owner Leticia Sánchez started making moles with her grandmother in Oaxaca when she was five years old, and the years of experience show in the expertly balanced mole coloradito that pools around her pork enchiladas, and in dishes like the molotes (fried masa dumplings filled with potato and chorizo), drowned in smoky morita pepper and avocado salsas, all served on brightly hued ceramics. Sanchez also serves weekly specials like rockfish ceviche, and banana-leaf green mole tamales are available during the winter. There’s a few indoor seats at El Cabrito and a few tables on a covered patio behind the restaurant.

14631 Ambaum Blvd SW, Burien, WA 98166
(206) 849-5449
(206) 849-5449
Molotes (fried corn dough dumplings) drizzled with red and green salsa and topped with cabbage and cheese.
The molotes at El Cabrito Restaurant.
Jade Yamazaki Stewart

Related Maps

SUSHINOLA Sushi y Marisco estilo Sinaloa.

24817 Pacific Hwy S #206, Kent, WA 98032

This Kent restaurant serves some of the Seattle area’s only Mexican sushi and seafood dishes from the state of Sinaloa. It’s consistently packed with Sinaloans drinking massive micheladas loaded up with shrimp, sliced avocado, tajín, and salsa negra and sharing deep-fried sushi rolls filled with ingredients like carne asada, broiled shrimp, and jalapeño that are popular in their hometowns. This is not a place for diners looking for subtly-flavored nigiri and sashimi. The sushi menu is all rolls — crunchy with tempura coating and rich with chipotle mayo and other sauces. The restaurant also serves some more traditional Sinaloan seafood dishes like ceviches, aguachiles, and tacos.

24817 Pacific Hwy S #206, Kent, WA 98032
(206) 429-2938
(206) 429-2938
A fried sushi roll drizzled with orange sauce on a rectangular white plate.
The rolls at Sushinola are topped with house-made chipotle mayonnaise.
Suzi Pratt

Related Maps