El Farol Mexican Restaurant

Having spent many a year in California (SF and LA), I became accustomed to authentic and excellent mexican food. To the point, that I will stay home and make my own refried beans vs. being disappointed in the offerings that are available in the area.
So with company in town and being treated to lunch, I thought I’d take a chance on El Farol after seeing it tucked away on E. Republican for the past 4+ years. The company would have been fantastic without great food but it was made even better with the excellent food that they serve. I decided on the Tacos Al Carbon — the meat was plentiful and excellent. The portions were large so be prepared to come hungry. (Next time, it will be the Tacos Dorados — what is not to love of a taco that uses mashed potatoes as part of the filling!)
Service was fantastic and on-​point during our entire meal.
as I was driving, i stuck to water with the exception of a sip of their mango jalapeño margarita — it was a wonderful combination — I’m more of a purist with my margaritas but I will be back for one when I’m not driving.

This is probably my favorite Mexican restaurant in Seattle! It’s a family style place right in the heart of Capitol Hill, which is rare. The wait staff is very nice, and it’s never crowded. It’s a great place to have a conversation with your dinner companions. But more than that, the food is very good, plentiful, and cheap. I recommend the seafood enchiladas. It has a delicious cream sauce. Also, they have giant cheap margaritas.

This place is phenomenal. I came here for Mother’s Day dinner. When I walked in I was greeted with the intoxicating scent of fresh ingredients in the warm feel of energy. I was greeted by a nice woman who told me to seat myself. It was me my partner and my child. Throughout the whole experience they were always very attentive and extremely kind. There’s so many delicious options on the menu to choose from I was having a hard time. I started out with a raspberry margarita and my partner a strawberry and both of them were very delicious! They automatically give my child crayons and something to draw with which is always a huge plus when I go somewhere. We ordered food and we didn’t have to wait very long, not in the way that it’s like fast food fast, but it was definitely in a timely matter. The presentation is wonderful in the first bite I took was like magic. I am memorized by this place! I would recommend it strongly and I will be coming back here every single time I get Mexican food for the rest my life. I’m so stoked

I like this place. The staff is always very nice, the food is good, and it’s right by my house. The menu is large and contains a few items that are harder to find, like the torta in spicy sauce (I don’t know the right word). You don’t see that! I haven’t ordered that one yet, but I can’t wait to. If you want Street tacos, go to Chukis. If you want more homestyle cooking, this is closer.

My husband and our 2 girls came to dinner here after a busy day downtown! We were welcomed with a warm smile & seated right away. Chips/​salsa & waters came very quickly. I ordered the fish tacos and husband ordered a chalupa. Our girls shared a kids quesadilla with a side of ground beef — our littlest couldn’t shovel the beef in her mouth fast enough. The food was great! When we’re in the area again, we will definitely be back!

Honestly the food is great! But, the last two times we have ordered takeout we have gotten the wrong food and it is not exactly like you can send it back. What we got was good, but ultimately disappointing since it is not what we ordered.

My wife and I have dined here 4 or 5 times and we really like it. If you are looking to get away and have a place to yourself, this is your joint. The servers have always been super nice, and the service is always on point and good. The food is affordable and tasty, the drinks are pretty darn cheap considering the other establishments on 15^th have some high end creativity. I feel like this place gets over looked because of its location, but it being slightly secluded, helps create its intimate ambiance. A normal tasty Mexican restaurant with nice staff.

My husband and I were walking around trying to find a quick bite to eat. (While waiting for a dr appointment) I spotted this little Mexican restaurant about a half block off the main road. It was not busy. At 12:30 on a Monday afternoon. We were quickly seated and served water, chips and salsa. The mild salsa was TERRIFIC!!! Great flavor.
We ordered off the lunch special menu. The prices were great at $ 8. Our server was very attentive at filling our glasses with water and refilling our chips and salsa while we waited about 10 minutes for our food.
The food was yummy. This place must get overlooked by all the other little food places on the main road. If it’s authentic Mexican food with great hospitality that you’re looking for, then this is the place to go.
*I gave 4 stars instead of 5 simply because (although clean) there were a few upgrades to the bathroom that might be necessary. (Only one room/​toilet & mirror was cracked).
All in all, I left totally stuffed and satisfied. If I’m ever back in the area I’ll be sure to go again

I don’t believe in complaining on Unilocal,any issues should be addressed within the business. However when you address the issues within the business and they don’t seem to care about them, that should be public knowledge. With that being said I’ve been waiting to check this spot out for a few weeks. It’s décor was cute and has an awesome large menu. Upon arriving with my son to have dinner we asked for some menus, as there was none on the table we desired. A man said «they’re on the table.» I went back to the table to see if I missed them. There weren’t any so I grabbed some off of another table. I also let him know there wasn’t any on the table that’s why I was asking for some. He’s response was «this is a full service restaurant, we would’ve brought some.» (If it was full service why didn’t he just give me the menus when I had asked for them?) once we were settled in our server asked if we would like drinks then walked away. At that time we were ready to order, but we didn’t get a chance to order as he walked away. When he came back about 5 mins later I let him know we were ready when he dropped off the menus. He then looked at my son tilted his head to the side made a face an shrugged his shoulders. I asked what that was about and he said why are you having a bad day?! I asked to speak to the manager and he let me know he was the owner, I was shocked that a business owner would treat his guests in such a manner. I almost left after he argued with me for a few mins about how I was having a bad day and that I clearly had never worked in food service and then told me I should reflect on myself later. (which I currently have been in the industry for 10 years and an active manager to date at a down town restaurant.) however despite his careless attitude we really wanted to try the food. Once our food arrived we had to flag down someone to bring silverware. Once she saw me she brought me some but not to my son. I than flagged her down again so she can bring him silverware as well. My fajita burrito that said to have green peppers, onions chicken and rice served wet, there was barely any chicken, green peppers and onions. But a ton of rice, the burrito had awesome flavor, in the 5 small bits of chicken I did have. When we were more than half way through our meal the owner/​server came back to check on us. I didn’t feel the need to complain as I didn’t want to get in another argument. We will not be returning. However I still encourage you to try them out, who knows maybe he was having a bad day. Cheers

The service was prompt and friendly, and yes, they do give you free chips and salsa… but unfortunately, that’s where the positive feedback ends. My date and I each ordered a beer, plus we split a steak/​chicken fajita platter (which was just ok) and an extra side of guacamole (which was already browning). Again, we SHARED an entrée… and still somehow spent $ 36 ($ 40+ with tip). What?! I can think of so many places in Seattle that offer a much better value AND better food, a couple of which are literally blocks away. I know Mexican food isn’t Seattle’s strong suit, but I’m definitely crossing this place off the list.

Fresh delicious Mexican food, nice wait staff. Best shrimp chimichanga in Seattle.

We went there because of the restaurant booklet! It’s great to get out and try new spots, but when you have a $ 9.00 coupon makes it better. We both got veggies with chicken fajitas and this was on point! Great flavors, chicken was a great added tasty (texture wise), and the veggies were cooks to perfection. Very crispy, flavorful veggies as well. We had a margarita that took a little longer than normal for me, but it worked out! They were delicious, nothing wrong with them, and it was a big one for 6 bucks, great price.
It was a busy Tuesday in the the area! Overall the service was great and then gentlemen helped explained the confusing bill to us! It was all great in the end! If your in there area and want tasty Mexican food stop on in!

My favorite Mexican restaurant in the entire city. Formerly known as Jaliscos, the family who has managed this restaurant have continued to do an excellent job with service, delicious food, and wonderful atmosphere. With unlimited chips and salsa and authentic Mexican dishes, you can’t beat El Farol.

If you are looking for good Mexican food, this is the place! One of the better Mexican places in Seattle, and they have free chips and salsa! (unlike a lot of places that charge $ 5 + for theirs…)
You won’t find fancy dishes here, no this is just the real thing with the sauce from your enchiladas mixing in with the runny re-​fried beans yum!
Service left a little to be desired, we had to flag down someone for refills on our drinks.
Parking is also fun since it’s Cap Hill, but this place is worth a few trips around the block to find parking!

This place has great food. The beans tell all, traditional style refried beans are the best. I have them set up on my eat 24 app and have used them about 4 – 5 times. The food has been consistently good and the orders get here quickly. Keep up the good work.

Great service — we walked in and despite it being busy, we were seen, greeted, and seated, and attended to throughout the meal. The simple nachos & cheese were one of the best nachos I’ve had — they really got that one right! It’s a perfectly melted nacho. We also loved the cabbage salsa with the complimentary chips — delicious! Unfortunately, our entrees did not live up to the appetizers. I ordered the steak tacos and the steak was dry, overcooked, and flavorless. My dinner companion thought the rice was hard and the meat in his dish was also not very flavorful. I’m willing to give it another try — maybe it was just an «off» night on the meats/​entrees. But, in my opinion, El Gallito just a few blocks away on Madison would be the place to go.

I came here with my mom to split some nachos. We ordered the Super Nachos with beef or about $ 11. I usually get nachos to split with someone when we are both reasonably hungry but don’t want to spend $ 25 for two plates. This usually works well because the nachos are huge. And I thought this wouldn’t be any different because these nachos were preceded by the word «Super».
But let’s start with the chips and salsa, the real indicator of a good Mexican restaurant. Sub par. The salsa was runny with far too much onion and the chips were a little stale. At one point I think I scooped up only onion. So even before the nachos came, I had a hunch this wasn’t going to be the best dining experience. But anyways, the nachos:
Honestly, they left a little to be desired. They used the same stale chips as before (which I expected). And unlike the best nachos I’ve had, at Juan Colorado in West Seattle, they did not layer the cheese. The toppings were way too reasonably portioned and only one layer, so I found myself taking empty chips from the bottom to take toppings from above.
Also the portion was pretty small. It was served on a very normal size plate. Typically Mexican places serve everything on gigantic plates, but not here apparently. Oh and the plate was burning hot and some of the chips on top were actually burned, did they put the whole thing in the oven too cook?
The staff was polite. The food came quick and they were quick to refill water. We tipped well.
Also note that THERE IS NO AIR CONDITIONING. Granted to was warm outside, but we were uncomfortably warm by the end of the meal and no, it was due to the jalapeños.
Overall an okay place, probably won’t seek it out anytime soon though.

This is the best f#@$ing Mexican food I’ve ever had. The guacamole is better than everywhere else, the cheese enchiladas taste like perfection and the service is fantastic. I love coming here just make sure to prepare for food coma!

basic Mexican fare up in cap hill!
The interior feels a little dingy but the service was very friendly! I felt a little bad showing up less than an hour before closing time but the service was still spot on. Meals come with nice basket of warm tortilla chips and salsa. I tried the chile relleno which is one of my go to items at Mexican restaurants. The version here is more like an omelette style with poblano slices mixed with egg and cheese. Different from the poblano pepper stuffed with cheese. The portions were quite generous for the price!

Hit the spot for my Mexican food craving. Not the most authentic, but did the job. I found it interesting that the burrito sauce had vegetables inside of it? Never seen that before. Yet, it still tasted good. Staff were really nice. Bathrooms super clean.
Short story, since I’m from California, I had assumed El Farol was a taquria, it’s not. It’s a sit down restaurant. However you can still order your food for take out.