In short:
Good food, great vibes, incredible bar program.
In long:
These guys are one of the several family-style Mexican places up here that have expanded into a mini-chain. Each spot gets super busy. They're not just family-style for customers, either--there's a huge clan of brothers and sisters running the whole operation, and probably quite a few other relatives on staff, too.
The Everett one is near-ish to the arena, with street parking and plenty of other businesses bustling all through here. There's a little sidewalk patio and then you're inside to a tiny waiting area. They have fully packed as many tables and chairs in here as they can, so no space is wasted for standing room at the door. What they DO have just inside the door is a small stand where they're heating up fresh tortillas and adding a bit of butter and salsa. Complimentary! They're delicious, too.
The bar is similar to the dining room in having booths and tables crammed together so they can accommodate the crowds. Even a bit before the dinner rush yesterday, every seat was already taken, and I'm sure things got busier from there. They've fully embraced the Silvertips here--signed jerseys, beer signs, other memorabilia. I love it. The Tips are in the playoffs right now, but there was no game last night, and the place was STILL packed. You know it just bumps all the time here.
We started with a couple margs. They are justifiably well-known for their bar program. They have hundreds of tequilas and mezcals, plus dozens and dozens of whiskies, too. The margarita list takes up a big page on the table. We had the tamarind and the jamaica (smoky mezcal, not rum), and both were fantastic. Margs are well priced here but a pint glass full of ice leaves little room for the actual drink, so it's a very solid value if not a screaming deal. I also had a mezcal flight, even though they were super busy (I couldn't resist). Nice one, and now I want to come back when I can catch the bartender and talk through some pours. Maybe mid-afternoon some weekend.
Ceviche (with shrimp...definitely not tilapia)
Tons of flavor, great consistency, awesome heavy chips. Fresh veg. Easily recommended, and a huge portion for the price.
Mexican Pizza
Another incredible value price off the appetizer list. Huge tortilla covered with really tender and flavorful carne, plenty of cheese and olives. Somewhere between an actual pizza and extremely-well-organized nachos. These two plates could easily have filled us up. We left 3 slices of pizza.
Carne Asada
Same meat as on the pizza--excellent. Nice soft chewy tortillas, good guac. Everything you want.
They don't use lard in anything here, so you might notice a bit lighter taste and a bit less umami (especially in bean dip and refrieds). I fully enjoyed this; you could maybe say it's like a 1%-different craving than lard-based cooking at other spots. Everything here has flavor aplenty and the more-healthful approach definitely has its place in my rotation.
Service here was right on point throughout; we never waited for anything. Prices are excellent--tons of stuff on the menu here is a bargain compared to similar places.
Dig hot sauces? Ask for the habanero and tomatillo house salsas. They sell them to go, too. We went through a ton at the table and took some home, too. read more