Oof. Where do I even begin? Met a friend here for early dinner. She was sitting at the bar so I joined her for a drink but it felt hotter inside than it was outside...and it was about 85 outside, so thats saying alot. I asked the bartender if we could get a table outside, she tells me to go ask the outdoor host, um ok. I go outside and find a guy wiping tables. I ask if he has a waiting list and if we can be added to it. He says "I kinda do and kinda dont". This is the nonchalant IDGAF attitude everyone seems to have that works here. I let him know we would like to please get a seat outside and that we will be waiting at the bar in the meantime. He eventually comes out and points to the corner table. Ok, less than impressed with the first 2 experiences with employees here. We sit down to the gestured table. He puts one sticky menu on the table and disappears. No one checks on us for an HOUR. Not to ask if we'd like another drink, or to order food or if we'd like to close our tab. Nothing. We are tired, hungry, thirsty, hot and at this point annoyed. There's a loud table next to us that seems to be well cared for and has all the food/drinks they could possible need. But there is a table on the other side of us that ordered drinks and food and got their bill before ever receiving their food! I overhead them asking why they got their bill without ever receiving a single item they ordered aside from margaritas. They were not happy. Understandably so. All the while, we have received zero service. And also zero acknowledgement. I finally ask a passing employee if we could please order something to eat. She says someone else is assigned to us. Of course there is (eyeroll). Waiting..still more waiting....finally a new girl starts her shift and runs around trying to make things right and apologize to those of us who are upset. She is the first staff member who seems to have a clue and I start to feel a little bad for her. I tell her I'll have the happy hour carnitas taco plate (found HH menu online even though I was never given an HH menu by staff). 30 more minutes, she comes over with some food and puts in front of me. It's nachos with an unidentifiable meat (meat substitute?) and loads of extra olives, which I happen to hate. I ask where my carnitas tacos are and she says "oops I guess I hit the wrong button". I think to myself...that's more than one wrong button to hit. Wrong entree, wrong meat, extra olives lol I was super annoyed. She offered to have them make my original meal. I said please put it in a to go container as I've been here forever and have to go. She obliges the request. So the bill comes. Get this, she comped me for the wrong meal but I still had to pay for the rest! Lol after all that I should have received the whole thing for free. And the folks next to me as well! Imagine receiving a bill for the food you ordered but never even got! Both our tables were extremely unsatisfied. This place is understaffed, unconcerned with customer service and clearly plays favorites. You likely won't get service here at all, expect the wait staff will go out of their way to ignore you and not make eye contact as well. Needless to say I won't be back, they need to reevaluate how they do business. Food was very mediocre as well. Do yourself a favor and give your business to Red Mill instead. read more

Love this place, I've been coming in for years and so happy it survived covid shutdowns! Their portion sizes are very generous, and all the food is amazing! We got the veggie burrito (pictured) and they accommodated to add all 3 "wet" sauces, plus the fish tacos, and black bean dip and chips which is one of my all time favorites! They've also added a lot of veggie "meat" options to the menu to add in the tacos/ burritos, etc. which I appreciate read more

Pesole is so unpredictable, but most forgettable. Over all their food is not worth it.

If you get anything with meat, your meal will be great. Lots of delicious meats! If you want a veggie option, you will be left wanting more. Veggie burrito is lacking vegetables. Its was edible, but I felt a bit let down. The burrito is rice, beans, pico, with a couple avocado slices... I didn't leave hungry, it was okay at best. read more

When you go to a restaurant and find yourself eating the food to be polite. Yep. That's what just went down. Based on prior reviews I was anticipating yummy Mexican food. That is not what I received. We ordered the Breakfast Burrito and the Enfrijolada. Both were not good (& I am trying not to say 'nasty' but I want to). The BREAKFAST BURRITO - Soggy, Bland - Clearly buttered the tortilla. This is fine but if you do that, it should be cooked - Tortilla was soggy - Potatoes inside were very mushy and gross - The entire burrito was soggy to be honest, and whatever was inside was not well seasoned. The ENFRIJOLADA - Pasty, Bland - *I forced my boyfriend to switch his burrito with me after taking a couple bites - Unseasoned eggs over easy that ran all over the corn tortillas. Egg paste on bean paste. - The queso fresco inside corn tortilla with canned frijoles on top & large onion slices plopped over the beans - Chunks of fried potatoes, this was good, just didn't go with the plate (also served BLAND) - This plate, the way it was cooked/served did not mix well I DO NOT RECOMMEND. The 2 stars are for good coffee and mimosa. Perhaps this place should stick to drinks? i will add that based on reviews I was expecting to hear some hardcore, metal or punk musics and what I ended up hearing the entire time i was eating this "Mexican" food was country. Insult to injury much? lol. NEVER AGAIN Chupacabra, not going back. (Phinney Ridge - Sunday, Brunch.) read more

Chupacabra is now one of my favorite restaurants. Im glad I gave it another try years ago. I love their authentic quick and dirty margaritas. Salty chihuahua is still their best work IMO with only two ingredients. Apparently you can only choose one kind of meat with your soft tacos now, no more mix and match. Weird. Its still super packed almost everytime but weve got the scrappy routine down. This was my original review: "The "theme" can be described as skull and crossbones of hipster meets dia de los muertes. That's great, I love black and Iggy Pop. Tattoos and dread locks are also welcome. Too bad the jukebox didn't work. The "hostess" or "busgirl" was pretty darn rude. I asked her two questions: "Is this open seating" and "do I write my name on this list or do you?" There was an awful amount of turse scoffing in reply. The half an hour wait then commensed. There was no room in the bar to have a drink. And the bartender was rude too." We finally sat down and our waitress was SUPER nice. Too bad the waitresses are left with the customers who have been all but insulted for the duration of their wait. The food was also amaze-balls, the only complaint that I have is that the chips were stale. I ate them anyway. How can they be warm out of the oven and stale at the same time? HOW??? Tons of vegan/vegetarian options too. Almost the majority is vegetarian. Our food came promptly and I was far from dissapointed about my fake chicken soft tacos. There were a lot of left overs. Sadly I will probably come back. Absolutely not with a group though, I can't imagine having to deal with the seating/billing for a group there. Hopefully they won't spit in my food after this review.... read more

Fabulous outdoor seating now with probably the best heaters in town and nice clear sidewalls

By no way is this 'authentic' Mexican, but I like what they're trying to do here. Good late night place to get $2 PBR, steak nachos (check out my sick looking picture), and yes... posole stew. Word to the gueros, posole will keep you from getting that mean headache in the morning!! read more

El Chupacabra - steak nachos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is very laid back. I have been here twice - no problems with their service. I have had the vegetarian burrito with enchilada sauce twice (about 3 months apart). It is consistently very good.... I plan to order something different next time. I really like their chips, too. Something about this place reminds me of LA / Venice and I like that a lot. read more

A delightful Mexican place with plenty of veggie options to choose from. We snuck in right before the crowd came and didn't have to wait - apparently we were lucky! The mango margarita I ordered was quite good and definitely priced reasonably. The staff is pretty eclectic which keeps things interesting. While we were there a woman was starting her first shift with El Chupacabra, definitely a go-getter! The waitress I had was friendly yet not overbearing. The taco salad I ordered was stuffed to the brim with goodness! A nice presentation and everything was cooked perfectly. I would most certainly eat another one. By the time we were leaving the place was packed. I'll definitely have to choose the right time, but I'd like to try other items on their menu. read more

We got stuck in a downpour at the zoo and we were getting hungry. Some friends suggested meeting them at El Chupacabra for dinner. Since it was raining the outdoor patio was out of the question, but it looked big and I would definitely go for it on a nice day. The inside is pretty tiny with a skinny little bar to the right as you enter. The restaurant was about half full and there were 5 of us but only 4 tops left. We told them we would be happy to squeeze, especially since one of the 5 was a 2 year old, but they told us they couldn't do that. OK, no problem, we added our name to the list and were seated shortly after. My friend swears by the fish tacos, but I wasn't super hungry so I decided to share a quesadilla with the little one. We ordered some chips, guacamole, and salsa for the table while we waited. The chips were bland and sad, which was disappointing. The salsa was pretty good and had a nice kick to it. The guacamole wasn't great, it didn't have a lot of flavor and was a light green, I suspect underripe avocados. The quesadilla was huge and melty, it's hard to mess up a cheese quesadilla. I took a few bites of my husbands chimichanga. It was good and again had a nice kick. Everything worked together and it was served with a side of runny black beans and Spanish rice. If you're into the dive bar vibe and Mexican with a kick then this might be a good place to check out. read more

My first time eating here and I would definitely go back. Visited my BFF for the weekend and she wanted to bring me here (one of her favorite spots) for dinner. Based on just the taco salad I ordered, I really liked it and great chips and salsa. Good portions, tasty ingredients, variety of hot sauces, and great bar. read more

El Chupacabra - Taco salad - YUM - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We ordered several dishes from the restaurant to be delivered, including a single enchilada made with Morning Star cake meat, as one of us is a vegetarian. The enchilada was very disappointing-- literally a frozen Morning Star sausage patty cut up and plopped into a tortilla. We don't hate Morning Star; they have some great options for meat replacement, but this use coming from a restaurant at the price point advertised was very strange. The chimichanga was fine, and the beer battered fish tacos were okay, too, but overall very underwhelmed by the whole experience. Still pining for decent Mexican food in Seattle. This did not cut it. read more

I have finally found excellent Mexican food in seattle! I ordered the chimichanga and it was a plate of beauty. So pretty in fact, the table behind me asked what I ordered to make sure they got the same thing. I am a unapologetic meat eater but this place is also vegan friendly as well. The chips are nice and crisp and the salsa tastes fresh and refreshing. Loved this place so much went back the next day for dinner! read more

Finally made it here and was pleasantly surprised. Burrito was yummy(esp the red sauce) and filling. Beers were fast and inexpensive. Service was good. Overall a good, inexpensive, fun Tex-Mexican place. read more

Holy moly... Where should I begin? How on earth is this place this busy? The filthy, sticky menus should be the first indicator about the level of hygiene the management enforces. The second indicator is the disgusting, dirty bathrooms. Every surface, including the walls near the ceiling are covered in filth. And to top it off, there is no soap. Do employees wash their hands? Soap rhymes with: NOPE. Then there is the bar area. Again, covered in a layer of who knowns what. After watching the bartender use a scoop with one hand to fill glasses with ice, and using the other hand to funnel the ice into the glass I was thankful I ordered a beer. Then he proceeded to "flick" the ice that fell on the bar mat back into the ice tub. So unsanitary. Then he muddled drinks using his hand to cover the glass, getting the muddled contents on his hand. Then he handled cash.... Then made another drink in the same fashion. Then with the dirtiest of hands, unloaded a freshly washed bin of bar glasses, cross contaminating them with all of the heinous things covering his hands. He never washed his hands. Not once. If management cares, it was your male bartender on Sunday, May 21st around 7pm. Check please!!! I'll grab a bite to eat elsewhere. read more

El Chupacabra is mediocre at best. We stopped by for happy hour and, while the margaritas were fine, the nachos were terrible - a small soggy pile of chips under heaps of pico, with no spice or flavor at all. With all the other amazing Mexican food out there, even in the same neighborhood, I'm not sure why anyone would choose this place. read more

Well here I am again, a few years later and this remains one of our very favorite local spots. There was a rough patch for awhile when our vegan orders came out decidedly un-vegan, and the margaritas were not so great. But we love this place and we kept going, and the last year or so, the service has been great and the food has been made vegan on the first try! Woohoo! Shout out to the bartender who was working on Friday night. He made me the most delicious jalapeno margarita ever! read more

Always a pleasant stop. I have been there a couple times now and the second visit resulted in booking a spur of the moment trip to Vegas; don't know what to quite make of that yet. Drinks were good, meal was good, appetizer was mediocre. Arrive early for outdoor seating, inside is cool but outside is much more relaxing.... read more

I don't see the point in tip-toeing around the truth so here it is. When I was younger I "blossomed early". Meaning, when most of you were still giggling about kisses on the cheek, I was already well into hardcore German Porn. Yeah, real shit homie. I've grown numb in my older years and it's become increasingly hard to find something that truly excites me (you know what I mean)...... that was, till I had the fried ice cream at El Chupacabra. 2 bites and I was harder than a diamond in a ice storm! It felt like heaven opened up and whispered to me (in Spanish). Anyways, I take most of my tinder dates here now. read more

Although our waitress was very nice I am going to give this establishment one star due to the meat. It was absolutely disgusting. My family came and we all got the carne Asada. Honestly I'm not sure what the meat was that we got. But it was awful even after only having a few bites of it the thought of it makes me sick. Really cool atmosphere and has potential and nice waitress but food was absolutely gross. read more

This place is underrated...the food is fantastic, the drinks are cheap, and the ambiance is exactly what you want at a Mexican place (lots of Mexican themed decorations in a colorful and well lit house). I got the wet burrito and it was really tasty, with lots of avocado, the red sauce wasn't my favorite though. read more

It's a kitschy, hip, little Mexican restaurant/bar. Cheap prices, lots of style, great tortas. The service is slow -- they need to have a few more servers when it's busy. I don't understand why some restaurants don't hire an extra server for weekend nights -- if people are annoyed, they tend to not return. read more

El Chupacabra - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Writing the first Yelp review of my life so that I can spread the word about this place. The El Chupacabra smothered fish burrito is the best burrito I've had in my 24 years. It's crunchy, cheesy, saucy, and the right proportion of all the things. I get the large and eat it as two meals-- it's still so good the next day. If I had friends in town for one night, I'd take them here! read more

I dream about how delicious El Chupacabra's chimichangas and salsas are. Love this place!

Tried it.. I could not stand listening to 80s hair bands while eating mexican food.. killed it for me . Food was ok though. Was the music for the bartenders or the customers? Also.. watch for the 10% auto gratuity .. I'm a 20% most the time.. woulda been 30%.. I find it shady to toss that in after eating and drinking there . I'm will not be returning.. so shady.. I ate and drank there and ordered something to go. read more

Fish burrito. Order large and wet. Tasty and great portions. family friendly. Good music and neon lights. friendly staff. Good prices, ample seating, street parking, clean bathrooms. Very pleased. read more

I really don't want to write this review, but El Chupacabra is all-around, pretty terrible. My partner and I have tried many things, attempting to find a single menu item that was passable in a fix. We live around the corner and it would be incredibly convenient if the food wasn't so bad. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the $2.99 microwave bean and cheese burrito from Trader Joe's is tastier. If I must go, as social occasions sometimes require, I order a scratch margarita and the bean dip. read more

I live across the street and have been here many times. Food is ok. Service is TERRIBLE AND VERY UNFRIENDLY. Management needs to get their act together and learn how to manage a restaurant. There are other restaurants on the street which provide better service and tastier food. read more

Come here for brunch on a Saturday. Was a little lost upon arriving as a sign said come get a drink at the bar and seat yourself, but the bar was full and there were plenty of free tables. Grabbed a corner booth on the patio, it's a really comfortable place with clean tables and a pleasant spot outdoors in the shade. Ordered a couple drinks, a tasty mimosa served in a cocktail glass for $3 and a pineapple agave cider in a can. I ordered the Enfrijoladas vegan style (no eggs & dairy, add vegan cheese) and my dish was extremely delicious they really nailed the melty cheese and everything was tasty & fresh. The enchiladas themselves were rather thin, didn't really seemed to be stuffed with much. The home fries I found to be bland and maybe store bought (my partner disagrees on this theory). Disappointed there was no egg substitute, a small tofu scramble on the side would have made my day. My partner got the Breakfast Nachos which were piled high with toppings and served with two eggs. We also got chips and the black bean dip vegan (no cheese or sour cream). Glad we got this as the chips were fresh homemade and the dip was warm and savory. Really liked this location, brunch may not be the best time to come though due to the menu and the amount of families hanging around. Not as big or busy as the Alki Beach location, but worth a visit for sure! read more

I can honestly say we will never be going back here again. I went here with my boyfriend for dinner and the food was terrible. I ordered a burrito and he ordered carne asada tacos and we ordered guacamole to share. The guacamole and salsa were bland and pretty much tasted like just tomatoes and just avocado, no spice or flavor. My burrito was mediocre. It was not good, but at least it was edible. My boyfriend's tacos on the other hand, were not. The meat came out grey and looked as if it was boiled. The menu clearly says "sirloin steak grilled to perfection". Well that's a LIE. See the picture, but it looked even worse in person. He literally took one bite and didn't want to eat anymore. The worst part was when the waiter came to clear our plates, she asked if he wanted a box, he said no, and that was it. She didn't ask if he didn't like it or if there was anything else she could get him. Like come on! If someone doesn't eat any of their food and doesn't get it to go, don't you think you should just see if there was something wrong with it? I kept telling him we should say something but he did not want confrontation and at that point, he didn't think anything else they would make would be any better. So we paid for a meal that went in the trash. This place seriously needs to get it together... read more

El Chupacabra - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Let me tell you about nachos. I make THE BEST nachos. And I LOVE NACHOS. Whenever I go out, if they got nachos, I'm getting them. Now here's the thing... 99% of every restaurant makes crappy nachos. Every time, I'm disappointed. Every time I SWEAR I'm never getting nachos at a restaurant again. Well along comes El Chupacabra. I decided to Risk the nachos ... They have olives, a definite plus. These nachos, although not QUITE as good as the ones I make at home, are THE BOMB! The cheese is melted, the chips are crispy, the veggies are fresh... basically the three pillars of nachos, are complete. Well done, El Chupacabra, well done. read more

The staff is unnecessarily rude. Either hire more or new staff please El Chupacabra. The food and atmosphere is great, but the negativity of the staff will ruin your meal. read more

So I wanted to give a really thoughtful review on El Chupacabra because I really like this place, but I feel like I'm repeating many things other reviewers are saying. In essence, this is a pub that happens to serve Mexican/American food. Don't get me wrong, the food is still really good, but is it authentic Mexican food? Not really. With that being said, this place serves some amazing tacos! Just earlier this week I ate tequila shrimp tacos and it was actually pretty tasty! The shrimp was perfectly cooked, which somewhat surprised me. They also serve some legit chips and salsa, and while the salsa leaves something to be desired, the chips are authentically cooked, by cutting up tortillas and frying them in house. They also make their own sauces in house, and have about three options available at every table. These are all super tasty! While this is not an authentic Mexican restaurant, they sport some Dia De Los Muertos decor and have quite a few paintings and images of chupacabras in the space. Overall, this is a good place, with good food, good service, and you will leaving feeling good. Oh, before I forget, they also have a butt-load (like seriously, a butt load) of non-meat options for the vegans and vegetarians of the world AND they also serve gluten-free fare! Bonus point for that!! read more

Came here on a Saturday night. Our server seemed like she could care less and we were inconveniencing her with our presence. Got a few tacos, very bland. My husband makes better tacos. There was a tequila shrimp special that was also mediocre. Marg was ok, nothing special. Overall very underwhelming and still ended up spending 50 bucks. read more

Perfect chill spot for a laid back drink with friends. Friendly servers, varied menu, great music, just a very chill vibe. I wasn't thrilled with my margarita, it was a little small and a little weak. The best thing we had were the Mexitots with spicy ranch - that's something I'd definitely go back for. read more

Review from a person with celiac disease: I've eaten here a number of times and they've always been able to accommodate my dietary restriction. The tacos are DELICIOUS! I like to come at happy hour and get a big meal that's affordable and tasty. The tacos have everything I want in them and the gluten free tortillas are so good you can't even tell. The one thing I wish I could have here are the chips - sadly, they're in a shared fryer. read more

The food is amazing. The service is so interesting though... each time I'm in there, it seems as though there are half a dozen wait staff with unclear roles who look incredibly harried and busy, but the place is by no means slammed in terms of patrons. Go for the food and anticipate a wait. read more

I was hoping for a better experience. We sat near the bar and could hear the wait staff gossiping, glaring, and complaining about the customers. Food was not good. Breading on fish tacos was soggy and wet.'Soggy' and 'bland' were adjectives used by my dining companion about his meal as well. A lot of rice in the tacos... which is my last comment...rice in tacos? read more

Bland, boring, unsalted, cardboard like chips. Not cool. The "veggie" tacos are lacking in vegetables. There are olives, lettuce, and avocado...should be some other types of vegetables too, honestly. Plus the smell of BO when I walk in the door - Every. Single. Time. I am not going back. read more