this is only a few blocks from my house so of course I like it for that reason. But also, I enjoy any place with a decent deck in Seattle. As far as the food, I'm pretty basic so I was pleased and of course having gluten free and vegan options is nice... for people who want it. The service is kind of a 'no bulls*it' type place but not too in your face about it so I liked that, others may not. I'd reccomend for a decent but quick and cheap bite of mexican in the area! read more

Props for Mexican food with vegan options. I just wish they had vegan sour cream and didn't charge more for the vegan cheese. Stiff drinks at the bar. read more

Their web site: "El Chupacabra is casual dining. We're best described as Mexican style cantina with a punk rock roots...The music can be a bit loud and the wait staff sassy but we're out to show you a good time!" My review: The music is loud, the place is a dive, and the food is ordinary. read more

My wife and I have been eating here for years, love the food, but last night, we had the heavy-set waitress with the tattoos, that didn't smile once, waited on others that came in after us, walked up to our table and said nothing until I asked if it was still Happy Hour and she said she didn't know what time it was. Really? Very UN-appetizing, not to mention unfriendly. Will make sure we don't get her if we go back. read more

The next time you and your friends are having a craving for Mexican food, you have a little time and/or patience to spare, and you dont have your entire roster of family members, go to El Chup! If you dont have the latter, go to Rosita's or Jalesco's - those place will seat you immediately, and the food will satisfy your 'mexican cravings' sufficiently. El Chup is not your typical 'family style' restaurant. The wait is often 20+ minutes, the tables are tightly packed in a pretty small area, the servers are not oozing midwestern charm, the menu is sparse, and the music is loud and obnoxious as all hell. That being said, it's some of the best mexican food in Seattle proper. The menu is simple (enchiladas, tacos, burritos, etc), but the food is delicious. The tables are supplied with 2 bottles of homemade salsa (pineapple and spicy varieties), which are so good! I got the jalapeno poppers and salsa verde chicken tacos. The poppers were obviously made in-house, and were excellent. I eat a lot of poppers (they were 'my thing' of 2009), and these were in the top 3. The chicken in the tacos was seasoned well and had a nice texture. the tacos were topped with a generous wedge of fresh avocado. Last words - my dining companion ordered the tequila shrimp over cornbread pancakes. I thought it was VERY good, but she thought it was too spicy. So, if you are sensitive to spice, be wary of some of the items on the menu. read more

Best food and drinks and they have awesome vegetarian options! The veggie burrito and tacos are delicious on their own but they now offer meat substitutes as well. Fun atmosphere and no-nonsense service. Love it! read more

I love this place! The food and service is always great. The casual atmosphere and heavy jukebox are always just what I'm looking for. This is definitely one of my favorite bars and mexican restaurants in Seattle. I also love the fact that they don't supply hi-chiars for customers with children. read more

Just ate there for the first time. TERRIBLE service, awful environment. Food was so-so. Don't go there if you actually want to converse with your dinner companions. Really, just don't go there. So many better places in Seattle. read more

The service was terrible at 2 pm on Monday! After sitting for 15 minutes, we finally served ourselves glasses of water. The waitress served another table that was seated 10 minutes after us. We were not served chips until we asked if we could also have chips as other people were eating. Then the waitress took my and my grown daughter's order, then served us after the other tables ordered and the food appeared congealed, as if sitting for a while. We were polite. What happened? We eat out all the time and find Seattle lovely....everywhere else. Someone, give that waitress a few days off! She has lost you some potentially very good business!! read more

Not sure what all the Service gripes are about, must be hit or miss and depend on who your Server is; we went on a misty Saturday afternoon for lunch, we loved the Day of the Dead Mexican decor, loud-ish music, great deck when of course it's not raining and good comprehensive Mexican menu. Everyone in our party of vegans, meat eaters and vegetarians had a GREAT meal, GREAT Margarita, and best of all SUPER FRIENDLY, attentive, pleasant, competent and error free Service despite all the special requests and changes we made with their menu........As for our actual Service which encompasses all of the above plus attitude, execution, communication and genuine concern for one's patrons was....wait for it.....WON-derful! I feel extra compelled to say it here, you get what you give and if you go anywhere and are a rude, condescending customer you are likely to get rude, condescending service in return; especially so in the proliferation of restaurants here in snotty Seattle where that's tolerated and encouraged by management. We didn't get her name but she was really quite good, young brunette alt/hip/tatt/chick with an eye-patch. We are all former restaurant servers so we are picky and precise and the fact that we all remarked on her attitude and performance is a testament to her professionalism, skill and abilities. We all promise to return soon and if you've been there and had bad service, give it another try and be nice to your Server! You never know, you might get a smile in return and you might get the kick-a** service that we got. read more

Went here for lunch with two friends for the first time a few weeks ago. It's a cool little converted house on Greenwood and the servers were pretty nice. I ordered a single grilled cod taco, one of my friends ordered the full grilled cod taco plate and my other friend ordered a veggie taco plate. While we were there I had no complaints. the service was friendly and pretty quick, the food looked pretty and tasted ok. The problem came that night. Both of us who had ordered the cod found ourselves unable to be more than a foot and a half away from a bathroom. I was pretty sure that everything i have ever eaten was trying to escape my body. Ay one point I was sure i had shat out my liver while vomiting up a lung. At first I was afraid I was going to die, then I was afraid I was going to live and turn myself inside out. My poor friend who had eaten the entire cod taco plate was out for a full two days while my recovery was closer to 24 hours. I would not go back here if it were the last place open on the west coast. I feel about this place the same way i feel about jagermiester. Never again. read more

There should be 6 stars. I would give them 7. If you cant tell I love this place!!! They have vegan and gluten free options and the food is F----ing great. I take all of my out of town friends to this place. El Chupacabra thanks for the strong drinks and the good food!!! read more

a haiku for my beloved chupa: fan of the fake meat but servers here are surly... dos equis on tap read more

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I had dinner at El Chupacabra's Greenwood location, where we've been eating regularly - and enthusiastically - for over a year. We're both vegan and we have loved it - LOVED it - there. During last month's visit, I ordered the vegan green chicken empanadas, and the plate came out covered in non-vegan cheese. When we pointed this out to our server, she took it back to the kitchen, where they remade the empanadas and gave me fresh beans without the cheese However, they were put right back on the original (cotija cheese-laced) plate, so the new vegan food still was contaminated with dairy. First time that's happened in all the time we've been eating there, so we tried to put it out of our heads. However. Last night - June 14 - we went back for dinner, and my boyfriend ordered a vegan steak chimichanga; the plate came out with vegan cheese, but the chimichanga was filled with PORK. He ate some of it (and so did I), before we realized that the "meat" was MEAT. I can't even convey how upsetting this was and what a tremendous mistake it was on the kitchen staff's part. We have trusted El Chupacabra to value our patronage and respect our food choices (and to, you know, provide us with what we ask and pay for), and that trust has been violated twice in a row. I shudder to think what might have happened if someone with a dairy or meat allergy, or someone who avoids meat for religious reasons, had been mistakenly served meat. They could have violated someone's religion (as it is, our deeply-held morals and ethics were compromised) or made someone very ill. They have a great reputation amongst vegans, and we've loved it there, but two mistakes in a row - and one at this level, involving flesh - is unacceptable. It indicates a carelessness and disrespect towards customers that cannot be denied, much less overlooked. We are quite sad, but we are more disgusted and angry, and El Chupacabra has completely lost us as customers. read more

so great.. but i wish they were nicer ......... but this restaurant is from the guys from sf..... but good burritos...

brought my dad here when he came to visit. for the price, this is some damn good mexican. our server was very helpful. i had a burrito and thought the red sauce rather bland. dad had some enchiladas with the pollo verde - way tastier. i'd recommend that. read more

Visited El Chupacabra for my birthday after asking the folks in a quiet bar where the best nachos in Seattle are. A friendly bearded stranger spoke up and mentioned it. The bartender agreed. My boyfriend and I set off on foot from Wallingford and arrived tipsy and ravenous. I ordered the nachos before I even looked at a menu or sat down. Once that was taken care of, we also ordered drinks and a side of three soft tacos. While we waited, we played with 90's edition Trivial Pursuit cards conveniently-located behind our table,The place was pretty busy, but our server was attentive, helpful and cool. The nachos arrived and holy hell, they were perfect. They hit all of my nacho requirements: black beans, avocado, sour cream, salsa (three types to choose from!) and quality chicken. The portion was big and I was very satisfied. I liked everything about El Chupacabra and can't wait to go back. read more

In the area and hungry for some mexican food I used trusty Yelp to guide the way. Upon arriving their was a list to be seated and multiple people waiting so I thought to myself, 'it must be really good'. And the food was! Plus, a pint sized hand muddled margarita for $6!? That's A-okay in my book! What I didn't love was the service. We waited and waited and waited after being seated. It was busy so we were patient, but after 20 minutes and not even a hello we finally flagged someone down to let them know that no one had been to our table. He told a server who then bickered with him that it wasn't her section and she didn't know whose section it was. Once they figured out whose section it was we promptly received service but we wondered to ourselves how long we could have sat there without anyone noticing? Weirdly, no one even apologized for the mishap or anything. That kinda put me off, luckily the food was as good as the reviews had said, but I don't think I'll be going out of my way to eat here. read more

I like going to this place very often. Great food, great atmosphere, but sometimes there are issues. For example, ordered tachos before our entrees, you know since it is an appetizer. Our entrees came out at the same time as the tachos which is kind of irritating since I wanted that to be the lead in. Maureen is the best waitress though! I suggest going at around 5 pm to avoid large crowds. read more

I love the vegan options here! I have had the chimichanga, enchiladas, and tacos with gardein chicken and gardein steak. I appreciate the vegan cheese, too. My husband eats meat and loves this place, too. read more

Good, fresh food and tasty margaritas! Dive feel to it, usually loud metal music. Bartenders are always very friendly and the waitstaff are ok. Been half a dozen times and never disappointed. read more

To be clear, this review is for the Phinney Ridge location. This get's a one star b/c Yelp won't let you leave a zero and the waitress was super nice (after we were seated) so since she's the only positive of our experience, she wins the star. The food... was absolutely terrible. It's like someone took all the worst quality ingredients off a Sysco truck and tried to make bar food with a Mexican flare, but they'd actually never made food for human consumption before. Worth noting is that I hate having to leave such a terrible review and usually if I don't enjoy my experience and plan to never return, I just don't give a review - the whole "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" stance. In this instance though I think it's important that people have realistic expectations before planning to spend money here. I'm not a big drinker, so maybe the drinks are awesome and I missed the best part, but if that's the case then stick to what you're good at and just skip the food. read more

OK, unfortunately, I have to update my review because I went again and they totally pissed me off. I called in an order to go. I ordered two dishes and the chips with guacamole (the chips and guacamole are... $3.99? $4.99?). We walked the dog there and back from my house. Picked up the food, left a $5 tip, so the whole total was $32something. When we got home, the chips and guacamole were not in the bag. No big deal, it happens... but then I called and got some dude and I had to explain twice what I was talking about. Then he said "well I don't know who you are or what ticket you were or who your server was." I was like... I was literally just there 15 minutes ago. My server was (I described her). Then I heard him shouting to her about it, and she knew my name and everything because I was JUST there. So he gets back on the phone and says I can either come back and get it, or I can come back Monday morning because there's no manager all weekend and the manager is the only one who can authorize refunding me the $5 or so that the chips set me back. Really, no manager on the weekends? And the guy sounded suspicious, like I was trying to pull one over on him. They weren't even that busy. So I won't be back, which is too bad because the food is freaking amazing. Oh well. I don't like being treated like a scammer, especially since I always leave a good tip even for take-out food. read more

After my last unfortunate experience here, I've returned a number of times to my beloved friendly/feisty waitresses, fabulously made margaritas, and delicious guacamole. I am STOKED that this restaurant returned to being the great place I know and love. read more

This joint is pretty much excellent. They have the best jukebox in Seattle that I know of. The food is darn good and not too expensive; you also get 3 sauces that you can use to mix up the flavors of your burrito and make it like 3 burritos while listening to Quicksand. Ain't too many places you can get that. They make a solid mojito, and the deck outside is nice. It can get a little cramped at times, but I've never had to wait too long for a table. read more

SOOOO Delicious. Their food and drinks are the best in Greenwood. I have never had bad service or any bad food. I like coming in summer to sit out on the deck. I cannot wait to try the West Seattle one. read more

The only thing this place has going for it is their drinks/cocktails, they are amazing and decently priced. The food is just ok, the last two times I've ordered food with meat here it has been dry. Last night's visit was not good, we were never offered water, the appetizer that I ordered never came, and our waitress was a bit rude. Stay for drinks then go somewhere else for cheaper/better quality food. read more

This place is consistent, delicious, fresh and vegetarian friendly. In my experience the "rude" servers are few and far between and I've been coming here for years. The drinks are so good and they are strong. It an get really loud but it's worth it for all of the salsas. The pineapple chipotle salsa? I could drink that stuff. You gotta try it. Get here early as it gets busy, try to snag a seat outside and enjoy! read more

Plenty of options for your vegan, vegetarian, and meat-eating friends. Service is stellar and prices are reasonable. Wonderful location too. We visit El Chub at least once a month! read more

Pork buritto is amazing! Taco's are great. Hot sauces on the bar/tables are top notch. Cool atmosphere, good service. Highly recomend!

I want so badly to love this place, because I'm new to the neighborhood and Mexican food is my favorite. I'm not picky. But this place could really be improved. I've been there four times now, and every time I've had to send my burrito back to get microwaved because it was cold or luke warm at best (and I am absolutely not the "send this food back!" kinda person, but I don't want to eat a cold burrito). I agree with other reviews, the service is slow and not particularly friendly. I finally had to ask about my order. I used to wait tables so I'm well aware that your server should be returning to the table to ask if everything tastes okay and to ask if you need anything. But don't hold your breath on that one (I'm still waiting). I'm not writing this to be malicious. I'm writing this in hopes that someone in management will actually read it and possibly even respond to it. I want to go back but not if they don't improve. read more

My favorite after work watering hole! The juke box is bitchin, guacamole is soooo good, and the homemade chipolte pinepple hot sauce is delicious. The service has always been good and friendly (I've been going here every three months or so for 5 years). Don't believe the haters go have a beer and eat some good old american mexican bar food read more

I love their decor, patio, drinks and especially their burrito with red sauce. This is my favorite restaurant so far in the neighborhood.

love the fake meat and the pork carnitas! everyone that works there has always been nice, even when loitering at the bar waiting for a take out order. read more

This place is so f@*king good that I have had lunch here and then come back in the evening for dinner. The food is awesome. The pours are generous. The service is prompt and polite. The prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere is laid back and very comfortable. Even if all of this was not true I would eat/drink here just to play their jukebox. I give this place a total of six stars for going above and beyond the call of duty. read more

I love you guys so much! I was pregnant last year and would drive up from WS two or three times a week. Six months after all that and I'm still craving it every day. I dream of the carnitas and pineapple salsa, and wake up in a puddle of drool. Thank you so much for coming to Alki! read more

I've been here several times, and everything I've gotten has been delicious! They have great food, and I really appreciate their incredible number of vegan options. I've never had a problem with the service -- it's not super attentive, but it's good. The wait staff have always been friendly and helpful about answering questions. The decor and atmosphere are cool, and they have a nice jukebox and a fair amount of outdoor seating. read more

If you're easy going, don't mind too much noise, aren't intimidated by pierced&tattood wait staff, and love cheap and delicious Mexican food - this place is for you! Pretty much all of their entrees are under $8, are fresh and flavorful, and can be complimented by fantastic boozy drinks like michiladas and margaritas. For vegetarians they have numerous fake meat options, and for those who prefer the real thing there are plenty of delicious and savory meats as well. I've tried most items on the menu and have not been disappointed (except by the tequila shrimp...for some reason there is a ridiculously small amount of shrimp and way too much salsa to know what to do with). If you go on off hours (late or early dinner) they have a great outdoor deck in nice weather but line get crazy if it's a nice day. They offer Sunday brunch with $2 red beers and lots of great breakfast options like huevos rancheros and chiliquiles...however no breakfast burritos. Chupacabra...if you're reading this...put breakfast burritos on the menu! Overall I really love this place. read more

Our favorite place to eat within walking distance of our house! Honestly though.. before we lived close, we drove all the time. We love the food and service (We love getting drinks from curtis!) read more

great Mexican-American food, I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered the chimichanga which came with black refried beans and rice and sides of fresh guac and pica de gallo. Yum! Portions were huge. Other reviews stated that their chips are bagged, but ours were dripped from the hot oil, and served with fresh salsa with cilantro. Service was great, very friendly and attentive, our only beef was that the water is served without ice and at room temp (and self serve if you are outside). The margarita was tasty, but could have been stronger. Loved sitting on the deck and stuffing ourselves--we'll be back! read more