Just returned from an excellent breakfast at El Moose, which used to be Senor moose. Luckily they kept the same menu and food is still BOMB!! From the service, to the colorful decorations, to the awesome reggaeton playing, I don't think it could have been any better!! Oh, and even their coffee was amazing!! I can't wait for my next visit there, and I live in Edmonds. read more

The best time to go to go before the eating hour. Otherwise you will have to wait. And if you are allgic to spices/peppers they have foods that you can eat that are not mixed with peppers/spices. It is loud but not by music just by the people normal talking voices. This is a place that is Ballard's kept secret. Hole in the wall. Kinda pricy but good. Service is good. Can be slow depending on how busy it is. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Ballard. Fresh food, clean, everyone belongs. Good drinks and food. I would recommend this place along with La Costa in Burien! read more

This is a small restaurant with about 10 or 11 tables and some bar seating. It has a very casual feel. We ordered guacamole, with chips and salsa as an appetizer. You get (3) 1oz size cups of different salsas. The salsa cups are tiny and barely shareable, but the green salsa was very tasty. The guacamole was pretty good and I really liked the chips. The chips are not your ordinary store bought chips. For our meals we ordered tacos. Both Al pastor and carnita tacos. They were very good and we received 4 of them each. They come with slices of avocado and salsa on top. The tacos are small, but very filling and they have great flavor. The only downsides are the front door of the restaurant is left open all the time and it's winter and cold during the dinner hour. The salsas are also too small and served in little plastic disposable containers. It feels more like take out with little plastic disposable cups. The food tastes great though and we really enjoyed the taste and speed of receiving food. read more

This review is near and dear to my heart because, as a LA native, I am definitely a taco snob. I have heard that the Mexican food in Seattle is definitely not up to par. So I carefully researched where to try to not disappoint myself since moving here. The Yelp reviews and friends' recs were quite complimentary of this place, so this is the first Mexican place I've tried in Seattle! I ordered the carnitas tacos, chips & salsa, and horchata. Ordered over the phone for pick-up, and they told me to come by in 10 minutes - pretty impressive for 5 PM on a Friday (mind you it was also the smoke-pocalypse, so maybe traffic was a little light). We'll start with the tacos because that's what I did. These are rough times, so takeout is usually not the optimal mode of acquisition. That being said, I think Mexican food in particular does not travel well because it's often greasy and juicy, and these tacos were definitely slick after a 5 minute walk home. So while it may seem counterintuitive to eat the tacos before the chips, I think it was the right call. The carnitas were on point; tender, flavourful, good balance of fat, a tiny hint of spice. I am a big cilantro fan (and thus obviously do not have *that* gene), but they put it right on there with the onion, so you should say something if you don't like that. I'm not sure why they couldn't just give you the toppings in a deli cup to be honest... I like avocado, but that's also something I'm not used to ever eating with tacos, and you would have been hard-pressed to fit it into the taco with the existing fillings. So that seemed a little unnecessary. The chips were slightly on the overfried side, which is fine; they were closer to pita chip crunch. The salsa verde and salsa roja are a tad on the watery side. One of the four salsas that I got was a peanut salsa - this was a red flag for me because what if you had a peanut allergy and you pop open the box with the salsas and there's a deli cup of your worst enemy? Peanut salsas aren't super common; I've probably seen it only twice before among over 100 places I've tried in my lifetime, so I think anyone used to west coast Mexican would not be expecting it, and there is no listing of it anywhere. Just something to keep in mind because I don't think the average person thinks "Mexican food...oh yeah let me mention my peanut allergy to them." It was very good though, as someone who does not have a peanut allergy, and with some real kick! The portions are probably what you could normally expect for 4 people. There isn't too much to say about the horchata. I thought it was a solid variant with good amount of cinnamon, not too sweet, and good consistency (you don't need to re-stir). A few logistical notes...there seems to be some discrepancies between the menus. If you order through Yelp for example, it lists the chips and salsa for $2.25, but it's listed as $4 on their website, and when I ordered it, I was billed for $3.00. To top it off, it says 3 salsas on Yelp and their website, 5 on my bill, and I got 4. One other note was the online website says the dinner tacos are 5 tacos, but I only got four, which seems to line up with what other people have gotten (so I didn't get cheated, nor do I think it's a temporary COVID-related move based on timestamps from online pics). That's relevant because... I factor in price more than the average Yelper. I'm not looking for non-GMO, organic, pampered ingredients when I get Mexican food; I want greasy, cheap food. I am generally queasy about paying more than $2.50 for a taco at most, and with the revelation about the # of tacos here, that put them at $3.50 per. That's steep for me for a traditional taco (i.e. not some extravagant Americanized one like you get at Torchy's Tacos [Texans will know what I mean]). I get that this is Seattle, and more specifically, Ballard, but it's pricey, and I suspect that's mostly related to the avocado based on the prices I see for those things here. Then while I was eating the chips, I was thinking...if I went to a sit-down restaurant in LA like this one, they would probably give me complimentary chips and salsa...why am I paying $3 for this?? So there's that too. This isn't to say that the food is a bad deal, but at some point, it's gotta be pretty mindblowing to justify the cost versus somewhere else. This is a 5-star in flavour alone, but 4-stars with price factored in. As far as COVID stuff goes, you order and pick-up at a window, and they're good about distance, but I think they only have an old card machine, so they have to take your card and then hand it back to you AND you have to sign the receipt. They give you a presumably clean pen and then you put that and the receipt in a cup, but that was a noticeable shortcoming since contactless pay, or at least hand readers that you just stick a chip card into, are widespread these days. One reason to consider ordering through Yelp. read more

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Service was good. Pretty disappointed when looking for an authentic Mexican experience. My refried beans were pinto beans in a thickened soup. Margarita was terrible no flavor besides tequila. I squeezed many limes at the table. I ordered the pollo adobado and it came with yams. Overall just not good. Wouldn't come back. read more

Went in for a late lunch, diner feel with a counter to sit at. I do like the art work, I think it is for sale as another customer was asking about prices. I had the "sopes de tinga"....pretty good, 2 mini masa corn cakes with the shredded tinga with some sour cream, jalapeño for a lil kick (got a lil sweat bead going) with some frijoles negros on the side. (Black beans). Good size lunch plate and satisfying. Waitress gave me some delicious spicy hot sauce on the side too that flavor boosted my mouth! Whoa! Got me a horchata to wash it down and put out the fire in my mouth too. Tasty drink, they offer it cold or steamed. Service is ok, I came in during the lull from after lunch but before dinner. They were playing some music, a little singing, habla espanol all around! Lively bunch. Probably will come back to check out other items. read more

El Moose - Sopes de Tinga y horchata. - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

As you can tell by my review history (should you choose to stalk me) I don't like to give out 5 star reviews any more often than necessary. Señor Moose deserves a full 5 stars. Just off the well-beaten trendy path known as Ballard Ave, Señor Moose serves up incredibly authentic (and delicious) Mexican food. As a southern california native (not to mention boyfriend to a woman of mexican decent) I know good Mexican food. Señor Moose serves up some of the best fare in the PNW. Oaxaca is all the rage, but Señor Moose is the dark horse bringing up the rear, and fast. From their home made paletas to their horchata lattes, to literally ANY item on the menu you will NOT go wrong here. Pro tip: try to avoid this place at peak meal times if you're spoiled and don't want to wait. read more

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I had the vegetarian option - a stewed mix of zucchini, potatoes and other vegetables and it was fabulous ! Had it with rice and beans. Wasn't a fan of the cheese but it's a great non meat alternative. read more

Great service. Friendly workers. Bomb food. Definitely would come back! Menu was the perfect size.

Love this hidden gem! They serve cafe de olla! I've been here for breakfast and lunch several times and their fare is OH SO DELICIOUS! So many yummy items to choose from, a varied and original menu. We aren't vegetarians, so I'm not sure how difficult it would be to order vegetarian food here, but I am a gluten-free eater and have no difficulties at all. The restaurant is so colorful, comfortable, and clean. The staff attentive and kind. We are working our way through the menu slowly and deliberately and happily. Parking is on the street and you just have to get lucky with it. read more

Great food ! Love the ambiance n waiter was so nice and helpful . Highly recommend and will return soon.

Machaca is no more $13. It's close to $18. Size of the portion still the same. The quality of the food is really tasty. The prices on the yelp pics are old. But is it worth $18 plus tax? Honestly don't think so. $15- $16 is right on. So what made me pay $3 more? I was in a rush so I needed something as a carryout. The waiter mentioned they can have it ready in 15 mins. Sounded nice. But they made me wait 25 mins. I took a bar seat while others are enjoying the hot chips with fresh guacamole. I can't be any more hungry. The waiter never ever looked at me or even care for asking a drink since he got to know I am waiting for my carryout. They took close to 35 minutes for the carryout and plus 5 minutes to just hand me the carry out that was placed on the table. The service was disappointing but taste was excellent. read more

You can taste the love in their food! Omg!! I've never had Mexican food like this before in my life! Omg! The flavor!!! The spice!! Everything was legit! We ordered: -Two house lime margaritas on the rocks -agua fresca -fundido dip -carne asada -manchamantelas -sangria! Everything was perfect! Full of flavor! I cried. Omg. I'm so happy. That steak in that asada and those peppers! I'm telling ya their food is made with love. And side note: that guacamole alone is worth the visit! read more

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Love how this is an authentic Mexican restaurant with a great vibe. Spicy margarita was delicious and my steak with rice and beans was delish! Great pick in Ballard read more

Where do I begin? This place is legit. I've been searching for some genuine, unpretentious and honest Mexican food since I left NYC just over a year ago. Finally I've found it. The atmosphere is lovely in this place - there is an intimate restaurant, a bar area at the back and a second bar area near the kitchen were you see the food come out. The service is very friendly, attentive but still relaxed. I've been twice already! Drinks - the house margaritas are a shining example, nice and tart and made with fresh lime juice. Now onto the food......I knew I'd found a good spot when I saw a massive crate of tomatillos in the kitchen. The food is amazing, Mexican home cooking done very well. The house made chips and sauces are divine, perfect guacamole. We had a round of tacos and enchiladas the first time we went. The sauce on the enchiladas was just the right level of spice, a good tingle with a touch of heat. I usually go for green, but I enjoyed this red much more. The second time we carne asada & some corn which was delicious. The meat so flavorful and tender. Can't wait to go back, this is a special spot to have in the neighborhood. read more

El Moose - Cool bar area - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It's my first time here because I asked a passenger what favorite restaurant is and she mentioned this place. I highly recommend it. I'm not hung over but I heard the Chilaquiles are awesome if you are. read more

El Moose - I'm not hung over but I heard the Chilaquiles are awesome if you are. - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Lines can get long here usually, especially on days with good weather. There's always usually a wait, so be prepared for that and come earlier if possible. If you don't mind sitting at the bar, they have 2 seating area options, if those seats are free. I always order something with eggs and chorizo if it's the breakfast, lunch, or brunch menu. The chips and guacamole are more expensive than most other Mexican restaurants in the area. They should at least have free refills on chips for that price or have a happy hour menu. read more

I really like this place, good grunge Mexican but very damn time they mess up the The younger waitress does not speak English very well which is okay except she routinely misunderstands and then argues. When she repeats items back I cannot understand her. I cannot have avocado and order beef tostados as I do each time and she brings me avocado. In addition I said no pico de gallo she in the avocado already has mixed in! So yeah I would not order this. She looks me some in the face and tells me no and makes me press her to fix it! That really pisses me off I would not order avocado! And I don't want to feel like I have to push to get the item ordered. Side not the tostados are amazing. read more

Overpriced - you have to pay $4 for hard and stale 'homemade' chips and a trio of salsa - each salsa is about 2 tablespoons in disposable cups, $9 for guacamole and chips or $12 for chips, guacamole AND salsa. Each lunch entree was $14-18 dollars. The street tacos and quesadillas were tasty, but charging for crappy chips left such a bad taste in our mouths, it was hard to enjoy them. It's a shame because they were a nice waitstaff. We won't be back. read more

This is my number one place to treat myself with a good meals Their Camarones Enchipotlados is simply to die for and I recommend all of our clients in Ballard over to this cute hole in the wall for the best Mexican food in Seattle in my opinion! All of the staff here is extremely genuine and sweet, you can really taste the quality in their food! Happy to support this business always! read more

El Moose - Camarones Enchipotlados - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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It's sad, senor moose used to be the spot for authentic Mexican. When I would get homesick, I would go here. They must really be struggling, the flavor was bland, everything felt like to-go, the chips were stale and the tortillas were store bought. I ordered mole, my fiancée ordered carne asada tacos. Two beers, 1 margarita and lackluster entrees and our total was $75. Totally not worth it. I'm crestfallen. I don't mind overpaying for quality Mexican food in a trendy neighborhood, but you can taste that they are cutting corners. Even my Canadian fiancé said the carne asada was bland. I mean seriously, you have to REALLY be bland to disappoint a Canadian. Either it's the pandemic or they are catering to White taste buds. I sincerely hope they find their way again. Yes read more

One word: chilaquiles. Okay fine, a few more, starting with a word of caution: the super crispy, perfect for scooping guac/esquites/sauce off your plate chips arrive fresh from the fryer. Don't burn your tongue!! You're going to need those tastebuds to enjoy, well, pretty much anything on the menu. But, my personal fave is chilaquiles verde con pollo y huevos. The husband is all about the machaca con huevos. The manchamanteles are also melt in your mouth deliciousness. You probably can't go wrong. read more

Caught wind of this place back in March when a local food website listed the best Mexican food in the Seattle-area. And yup, this place is well-deserving of it's place on that list. They are only open for takeout as the moment. For lunch, I ordered the street tacos in beef and the girlfriend ordered the fish tacos. My tacos were delicious. And the normally-picky girlfriend was so pleased with hers that she exclaimed, "This is better than Rosita's," and that is telling because we are both fans of that established restaurant, but consider SM to be right there with Rosita's; and in the case of SM's fish tacos, some may believe they do it a little better. read more

Just simply mind blowing. The carne asada was the choice and an extremely good one. Taco plate comes with 5 tacos, half an avocado, lime, and radish. Which means it's done right. The chips are made fresh to order and are on the top of my list for tortilla chips... EVER experienced. The atmosphere is above average. I chose to sit at the front bar where you can see them cook. Open style kitchen for Mexican food is rare in my experience and was actually interesting to see. This is authentic Mexican done right point blank period. Pro tip the margaritas are above average and equally as strong. read more

El Moose - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Love Senor Moose! The only reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 is because it's over priced for what it is. It's hard to leave without paying over $20, which just doesn't feel quite right in a dive, but I guess they have to pay their Ballard rent. I still go back regularly because it's definitely some of the best Mexican food I have had in Seattle. OK, you're right, I love it and I shouldn't fault them for the skyrocketing real estate costs in Seattle, I'm upping it back to five stars. They nail the basics - salsa is home made, chips are fried in house, guacamole is superb, micheladas of my dreams. Beyond the basics their mains are also incredible - my favorite is definitely the machaca con huevos with fresh avocado on top. Chilaquiles are also outstanding, especially with a fried egg on top and half red half green salsa. read more

After always noting how packed this place is, we stopped by on a weekend for lunch. We got in with no trouble and the staff were all very nice and attentive. This was not your average Mexican place as they served a variety of regional dishes I'd never heard of before. I tried a poached egg tomato like soup that was deliciously spicy and satisfying. I'll be back again to try some more of their unique foods. Pro Tip: The menu doesn't give a spiciness level of their foods. My husband's food was a bit spicier than his liking, so make sure to ask about the heat intensity before ordering. read more

Doesn't look like much when you walk by. In fact I did walk right by without noticing it, but then was recommended by a local shop owner. There is a wait list posted near the door. Just add yourself when you walk in and take a look at how many parties are ahead of you. We were 2nd in like and waited about 5 minutes. Service was friendly, large selections of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. I had the pork chilaquiles with red sauce. Just a little spice but overall a decent dish. I think it could have had a more robust flavor but I was craving them and it hit the spot. Maybe a tad pricy for what it is, but the neighborhood itself is on the pricier side so it's expected. read more

El Moose - Chilaquiles - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Just incredibly good. Chips and salsa were hot and fresh, food came out within 10 minutes of ordering. The pollo en mole (pictured) was maybe the best I've ever had, and my partner loved her chilaquiles and watermelon margarita. Please go support this place. read more

El Moose - Pollo En Mole - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I came to Senor Moose Cafe hoping that I'd finally have some great Mexican food in Seattle and I wasn't entirely disappointed. I thought the dish I ordered was yummy but it didn't amaze me. I don't think I ordered the most interesting item on the menu though so I would definitely come back to try other dishes - such as the chilaquiles. Overall though the meal was good but not great. read more

El Moose - Carne De Puerco Con Calabacitas - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great authentic Mexican food. Simple as that. There's not too many restaurants you can get a dish like the alambres with the shredded beef, green chiles, and poblano peppers all grilled together. Definitely recommend the alambres for brunch & the camarones al tequila for dinner! Super fast & friendly service as well! read more

What happened!? New owner? New cooks? Definitely new waitstaff. Today's breakfast was terrible and the service wasn't much better. Both of our dishes suffered from too much salt, and the chorizo was NOT any chorizo with which I'm familiar. Of course, one of us didn't even get what was ordered. I think we're done with The Moose Cafe, or El Moose as it now is named. Menu changes, price increases, preparation shortfalls, staff changes, etc. Too bad - after many, many years of patronage. read more

Overview: Huge fan of the interior decor, very colorful and filled with knick-knacks from Mexico! There is a pretty good amount of seating in the restaurant but there will usually be a wait during prime weekend brunch hours. The staff was friendly and you get that family-run feel which is always great. Food: Food was pretty decent! We ordered the carnitas plate and chilaquiles. I had high really high hopes that this place would be amazing and become a new favorite spot but alas I only thought the food was okay. I would still recommend people to give this place a try (especially since there are a lot less mexican restaurants in Seattle than I would like). I plan to come back and try some other items on the menu. read more

We visited Senor Moose Cafe for breakfast because it was close to our hotel. The food was fresh and tasty and the prices are reasonable. We got veg tacos (tacos de frijoles), eggs and toast and a chicken dish (hongos a la mexicana) We also ordered some warm milk (not on the menu). The server was very nice and made sure that the food was just as we ordered. We did notice that our bill included an item that we had not ordered and instead had a different item. The server got rid of that at the counter. read more

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Came here for lunch because my friend's daughter has an odd obsession with meese. Besides the server, noteworthy chips and salsa greeted us. Fair but edible guacamole arrived at our table as well (sorry, I made a way better table-side guacamole when I was a server in a Mexican restaurant). I tried their tortilla soup with chicken. Topped with yummy, thick chunks of avocado, it tasted quite differently from any I'd had in the past. The broth didn't have any kick or spice to it. It had more of a Knorr chicken bouillon taste to it. I threw in some dashes of Tapatio to spice it up. The service was fine and the mix of Mexican decor and a picture of the Dalai Lama made for some interesting things to look at. If I came back, I'd have to try something else, like the carne asada tacos and margaritas that the people next to us had. My friend had ordered a tostada and it just looked like a giant plate of lettuce that happened to have a toasted tortilla shell at the bottom of it. She wasn't super thrilled with it. read more

This is really a 3 1/2 stars to me, but I rounded down because when we were there it was really busy and it scarred me. We were starvin' and managed to get seats at the counter, rather than wait 45 minutes for a table. We ordered the jicama and cukes to start with and were happily munching away when our entrees came. I had the skirt steak and was about just getting in a groove when it happened. The horror. Vulture people. Because it was cold and wet out, people started waiting inside and lining the wall around the counter. Wet wool smells started coming from over my shoulder. Snarfy sounds and muffled conversation enveloped us. I carefully turned my head to see a big face staring over my friend's shoulder staring at our plates. There was a little teardrop of drool hanging out of the corner of the big face's mouth. Big face continued to crane his vulture neck to get a better view. I squeaked in fear and total paralysis. But, it was temporary. The best defense is a good offense. We spread out and flailed our elbows around randomly to clear space and establish our turf. We weren't giving in without a fight. After gobbling the rest of our meal down, we quickly paid and ran for our lives. We gave up our stools to the vulture people and hustled to the car. I hope they appreciated the warm seats we left. Food was good and I would come again. read more

I love this place. It's like an awesome Mexican diner. It's been a little while since I have eaten here, and more's the pity, since I enjoyed it so well. But the impression remains vivid, despite not having been there since we were on our way to see Built to Spill...who have returned for another tour since that night. So, yeah. Little while. It's a very casual, very busy place in a fairly old building. They were missing a window pane the night we were there. Kinda drafty, but it just made it funny and fun, listening to the servers good-naturedly joke about "how ghetto" it was to be missing a window pane. The service was top-notch, friendly and fast and cheerful, genuinely a cool and outgoing crew. We sat at the bar and watched the hustle and bustle popping everywhere. There's also a whole dining room with booths and tables. The food was great, easily a phenomenal value for the prices charged. Familiar Mexican dishes with more of an emphasis on scratch cooking and some slightly more rustic touches. Yum. What really stands out in memory is the mexican hot chocolate. I ordered a mug of that, and the waitress came back with two. I looked at the other mug and she laughed and said "this one's actually for me. It sounded SO GOOD." She came back a few minutes later with two more for two other co-workers, laughed, and said "I think we have enough chocolate to make another one, but I am telling everyone else we're already out, in case you want another one." I immediately ordered another one. Man, that was some yummy hot chocolate. I'll definitely be back. Sooner than I have been, I mean. read more

I must say good call on me for picking Senor Moose for the yelp brunch this past Saturday. The food was wonderful I was boring and went with the huevos rancheros, if they couldn't do them right I wasn't sure if they could do anything right. Well guess what they did them right. They were tasty and filling and yummy and delicious and I can't wait to go back. Plus it was topped with a half an avocado and I love avocado so this was an added bonus for me. Speaking of avocado's what cracked me up is on the menu it's listed as a side and the price says "market price" just like lobster at a find dinning establishment it based on the market I found this funny for some reason. The place is tiny but they accommodated our party of 7 very well. It's also rather warm so I say go on cool day otherwise you might start sweating while eating and that's not pretty. I'll be back soon to check out their dinner menu but if you go for brunch order a mango mimosa to start your day so refreshing and a great way to celebrate my ROTD. read more

El Moose - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It's worth the wait! But if you don't want to stand in line, note that it's open at 5pm for dinner. If you do end up waiting, get some drinks on the bar side and maybe an appetizer. (And if you want the Fundido which takes 30-minutes of prep time, order it while you're waiting.) + Queso Fundido with chilles or chorizo, both good + Guacamole with chips, both fresh and delicious + Carne de Puerco con Calabacitas (pork with zucchini, corn, cheese) - YUM + House margarita, strong! +/- Tostadas, too much lettuce, no salasa +/- Enchiladas de Machaca (topped with spicy mole)...it's okay, not the best mole - kind of a pricey meal Great staff that is very attentive even when busy. They brought us some mango and coconut popsicles while we waited outside. I highly recommend this place! read more

Not sure how this place got so many reviews, the food was definitely average at best. If you've had real Mexican food, you'll know what I'm talking about. I ordered the camerón con tequila. the shrimps were large, but the dish was very simple- just some rice & beans on the side- and all this for $15! the portion wasn't even large :( though the food wasn't bad and the service was pretty fast considering we had 8 ppl in our group. However the real problem came to being when the waitress handed us just one check. since we all had cards, it turned out to be a huge pain in the butt. Advice to all the waiters/waitresses out there: plz take the time to separate checks, you'll get a larger tip that way i promise! I was pleasantly surprised to see how much bigger the place was than how it looked from the outside. it is located around a street corner, and parking can be difficult depending on the time of day. Overall a decent experience with the exception of the negatives i mentioned. probably won't be coming back anytime soon bc my big pet peeve is small portion sizes. i go to a restaurant because i am hungry, i expect to be full (really full!) after a meal, and i want the chef to put in effort to making something more than average when the restaurant is charging a good price. read more