The food was awful. There was absolutely NO flavor. I would not recommend this place at all. My mother in law had to put so much salt in her beans to even have some flavor. read more

Tried here because they've smelled amazing when I've picked up for Door Dash. Smells aren't everything. Their salsa has a bit of a kick to it, so that was good for me. My wife got a chimichanga with shredded beef. It was not "fried to perfection" as the menu claims. She said it was more like steamed. Her meat tastes more like pot roast. I got the Pollo Al Cilantro. Nothing impressive about it. There was almost no flavor to the chicken, but it was cooked well. I needed the pico de Gallo, sour cream, and rice to make it have any flavor. Oh, and our service wasn't great. We had to ask twice for extra salsa, and twice for our check. Not a great stop. read more

I've been going to the Lacey El Sarape (30+ year) since they opened up in what use to a Pizza joint. My wife and daughters loved their food, and we all craved their enchiladas. I probably was going once every 1-2 weeks on average up until their grand reopening back in March/April 2025. The enchiladas were swimming in liquid and no longer appetizing to me, the rice and beans were served in separate plastic black bowls, and luke-warm at best. I miss the Old El Sarape traditional style of Mexican cooking and based on my last experience probably will never return to this place again. The waiter was good (tall young handsome man) and had been there many years. I wasn't so keen on the upscale chic look they were trying to achieve from the remodel, but I was super disappointed in their food. Lost a long time El Sarape patron. read more

In line with one of the recent post, we too have been coming to El Sarape 2-3 times a month since 1984, and just visited the since the re-open and were very disappointed. While the place looks very good on the inside, the rest was not good. My wife ordered a quesadilla with chicken that cost $26.49 and it came with fries, not beans and rice. I ordered the asada street tacos and that's all I got, again no rice or beans and it was $23.99. Many other normal mexican restaurant items are gone. Our bill was over 25% greater than what we had paid in the past for the same order. We will not be back. read more

First time here, fast friendly service. Menu had some good selection of items to choose from. Great salsa and chips, salsa had slight amount of heat but manageable and very flavorful. No pictures, is was so good we forgot to take pictures. Definitely be back to try more dishes.. read more

I'm so disappointed where is my favorite bartender. A blonde usually but sometimes different colored. I think her name is Melyssa I won't be back. And no more happy hour. Bummer el Sarape:( read more

We are a long time customer of El Scape Mexican Restaurant before the update to the menu/interior. I don't know where to start: the food is overpriced; no silverware provided; over seasoned food; no kids menu. The interior is updated and looks nice. We will not return. read more

Wow! Didn't expect this! The food was fantastic! Large servings! Service was good. I can see why the place is packed! Would definitely come back! read more

Best atmosphere, service and food around. We travel from Lacey and pass up 15 different Mexican restaurants just to come to this location. Another tip is that they have an incredible Happy Hour Menu!! read more

El Sarape - Outside seating - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

See all

The new version of El Sarape, in my opinion, will be out of business in less than 6 months. The new menu implies that they are wanting to be more of a steak house. Hardly any Mexican offerings. Also, who goes to a Mexican place for pasta? My family were weekly regulars for well over 10 years. We went once after they opened and will not be returning. So sad. Was our favorite place. read more

Like other people said, food was a little expensive for the quality, but the service was great and the drinks were strong

We had only been to the Westside location for years. This time we were headed to Lacey so we stopped here. They were the first location and are just as good, if not better, than the Westside. My wife got the Pollo en Mole and the Mole sauce was excellent. She couldn't eat it all so we had it cold in the flour tortillas for breakfast. I didn't have much before dinner and I was hungry. I got the Sonora Enchiladas. One was in Mole sauce and the other in their chipotle salsa. They were both excellent. read more

El Sarape - Sonora Enchilada Chicken Enchilada, one in mole and the other in chipotle salsa - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

See all

We've been coming to this restaurant for years, they do a great job with Mexican food. The service is always quick and friendly, and they finally bought back their old menu! Their table salsa is good, it has just enough heat. There are so many choices, on our most recent visit, hubs ordered one of his favorites, tortilla soup. I tried the enchiladas espinacas, with spinach, mushrooms and a tomatillo sauce. They also have yummy fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, arroz con pollo, chili verde, and a lot more. Hubs thinks their street tacos and carne asada are the best anywhere. Their salads are always good. Esta buenisimo! read more

El Sarape - Enchiladas de Espinacas - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

See all

Best Mexican restaurant we've found in the area! Really lovely atmosphere inside, service is always nice and really fast, and we've been impressed with the variety of meals we've ordered. read more

Beautiful remodel, but where is the food we love???? Our whole family has been coming here since 1999 and normally we love it. I was excited to see the new remodel, but only saw two familiar faces, whole new staff. The menu is not really mexican, pasta and expensive steaks? Where are the enchiladas, combination plates, tostadas? Now they only offer "Prime" carne asada, of course which is priced about $10 more than it used to be. I understand they wanted to change things up, but they had a loyal customer base with the menu items they served. I ordered the Serape nachos, which were good, however they don't come with ground beef anymore, you can choose carne asada or chicken or shrimp for an extra charge of $5 and up. I chose chicken, which tasted good, it was like fajita chicken but the sizes of the chicken were too large, I had to break it up so they wouldn't fall off the chips. I just feel that the new menu is a miss. I think a lot of loyal customers will find it hard to adjust, when their favorite mexican foods are just not offered. They said they will be expanding the menu, hopefully soon, otherwise we will go elsewhere for mexican food begrudgingly. read more

Melyssa is the absolute best! I've traveled all over and she is the best bartender, best server, the best everything. Every time I come here I am treated as family by everyone! The ambience does not miss. I absolutely love this place and recommend it to any and everyone read more

TLDR; If you don't want food poisoning and bland waaaaayyyyy overpriced food don't come here Service: very quick for a Monday night Ambiance: no complaints Food: I'm going to start by saying 2 out of 3 of us got food poisoning tonight. Obviously, this wouldn't be great even if the food was good. HOWEVER, this was some of the blandest Mexican food I've ever had. No spice. No flavor. The salsa tasted very bland, almost like tomato paste, and it was a very thin consistency. Like the jarred pace salsa from the grocery stores The rice was very pale, almost plain. Worst of all, I'm now stuck with a messed up stomach. I am from the southwest and am used to eating much spicier food than what is offered in the PNW. This is not an issue of not being able to handle Mexican food. This is a matter of food being contaminated or poorly stored I am really not trying to be mean, I don't like leaving bad reviews. But I genuinely cannot in good conscious not leave a review warning others of this place. read more

The food at this place is fabuloso. I had the Enchiladas Rancheros which were some of the best I've ever had. The refried beans and rice were average, but the enchiladas were so flavorful. The salsa had a nice kick to it as well. The booth cushions were sprung, so I needed to sit in the middle of my side. This worked because there were just two of us at a four top booth. The prices were reasonable and the staff was attentive. It is located in a sketchy area of town, so be aware of your surroundings if you are afoot. read more

I was so excited to try the vegan options on this menu, I have missed having good Mexican food since going vegan 4 years ago. It ended up being not a good experience. We walked in and were seated promptly, the place was clean and nice inside. After being seated for our table of 5, we were greeted by Ilse G. We asked for a drink menu, she said I had to scan a card on the table. I don't know how to do that, so I asked for menu options. She said they had Pepsi Products. My guest had to prod her further to get which Pepsi products there were, it didn't seem like Ilse was happy to be at work that day, and the reason I know her name is from the receipt, because she never introduced herself. We order our drinks and decided upon a vegan taco Guadalupe, and my daughter got the Vegan Tamale. My non-vegan guests got the Taco Salad, Fajita Burrito, and the Regular Combination. Food came promptly, my guest asked the waitress for lemon for her water at this point, and we were all hungry and couldn't wait to dive in. Once we took a couple bites, I noticed that there was ALOT of cheese on my Tacos. Vegan cheese is much stronger than regular, so you need half the amount, or it's overpowering. I opened my tacos and there were three small pieces of soy pollo, and 1 thin slice of red pepper and 2 green. But there was loads of cheese. It was incredibly bad. My daughter had the same experience with her tamale, and the combination plate my niece was eating was swimming in cheese as well. We waited a good long while but the waitress never came to check on us. While we sat there waiting for her to come back, I was visiting with family I hadn't seen in forever, so I didn't want to leave the table to go hunt the waitress down. Also, our food was not edible, so we were watching my 2 guests eat, and we were famished! After about 30 minutes the waitress came back, she still didn't bring the lemon, but she had the check in hand. I told her that our 3 meals were unsatisfactory, that there was way to much cheese, and me, my niece, and my daughter told her to please take the plates. All of our food was still on the plates, and I opened a taco to show her the massive amounts of cheese, but she just didn't say anything at all, she just seemed super bored and tired. My daughter, who is 7, was still hungry, so I ordered her something different, and just decided to forgo getting anything new for myself, and my niece felt the same way, appetite ruined. My daughter asked for a side of rice and beans, and soy pollo side, hold the cheese. I also ordered a Vegan Burrito for a take home order for my husband, and asked for very light cheese. The waitress returned with our orders. Still no lemon for my sister. We had to ask her to pick up the plates on the table, and we were going to order some Oreo dessert, but once again she brought the check. I didn't feel she wanted to help us, so I just called it a night. When it was time to go, I picked up the check, and nothing on the check had been removed. She was just really uninterested in working, because when I started wondering when she was going to come back to take our bill, she never showed. So, I got out of my seat, and found her reclining at the hostess stand. At this point I was pretty irritated, but just not in the mood to try and right the wrong. I just paid the bill, and thought long and hard about leaving her a 0 tip. That is seriously unlike me, I normally tip waitstaff 20% for ok service, and 30% for great service. Our tab was $122.00, and most of us were leaving hungry. I decided to leave her 10%, As she did do some work, but she didn't do a good job at all. My hubbies burrito was delicious, he loved it very much, and I now know to ask for no cheese or light cheese if we go back. Ilse G. needs some more training on how to wait tables, and how to care for customers, because she lost her $30 tip that I would normally leave on a tab this size. She didn't credit back my daughters tamale, or offer me or my niece anything else to replace the cheesy craziness we got for food. I am super dissappointed and also pissed I paid $134.00 in total with tip, and I left hungry and so did my guest. Do better El Sarape! read more

El Sarape - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Although the restaurant is a favorite and has plenty of seating, I personally don't recommend this place. The food is subpar, but the customer service is decent. The main reason that I will never eat there is experiencing horrible food poisoning from eating there. My whole party ended up with food poisoning, and I will never go back. We all steer clear of this restaurant now. read more

I ordered chili verde yesterday and couldn't believe how bad it was! There was no taste and next to no sauce, it didn't smell good. I will never buy anything from the restaurant again! read more

the food was really good, didn't get the price, the service was pretty good they gave us refills and got out our stuff quickly. the style was good. read more

We've been here at least 5x and do our best to try something new on the vegan menu. Everything is super yummy!! Avocado enchiladas, Mexican pizza, Nachos, Burritos!! Even their virgin margaritas are super good! One of our favorites and we keep bringing friends along too! Thank you for all the amazing options for us! Always such a treat! read more

El Sarape - Burrito Gordo - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

See all

Sit in the bar. The bartenders are really friendly and make good drinks. The carne asada and quesadillas are delicious.

We ordered direct online for pick up. When we got there, kinda wished we'd eaten in because the atmosphere was very nice. All of us were astounded that they made food that good that quickly. Within 15 minutes they had a complex, order, including vegan entrées and many customizations, made to perfection. Our plant based brothers and sisters will not go hungry here. Full vegan menu of real Mexican entrees, not some token salad option. The staff was super friendly when we picked it up, they double checked an unusual request to make sure it was not a mistake. Generous portions. The price did not seem high once I saw what we got for the money. A+ to El Sarape! read more

Food was terrible we'll never eat there again I warned you service great but they don't cook

Im sure the service is outstanding but not a fan of the food. Maybe I was there a bad day!

Never had such bad rice before. Good ambiance and service but would not make up for the bad food!

I don't usually eat Mexican, but I have learned to like it since my it is my husband's favorite. We went to this restaurant on a Friday night about 6:45pm. It was full of people inside, and we had a difficult time finding parking. The parking stalls in front of the restaurant were very limited, and the back looked crazy with large pot holes and cars just parked anywhere. It was dark and hard to see, but we eventually made our own stall and parked mext to the subway building which they shared lot space with. We get inside, and we are greeted immediately by the hostess and we are sat down right away also. A waiter shortly comes afterwards to take our order. Our food and drinks did not take long. And the waiter kept coming by to check up on us. I had the rice with prawns wrapped with bacon. OMG it was delicious!!! Also, if you get the white cheese dip, be forewarned that it is mildy spicy. I'd say besides the parking situation, this is a great place. The food was delicious and the drinks were made just right. Some alcoholic beverages are too strong, especially margaritas- but theirs was delish. We will certainly be coming back. read more

See all

This restaurant is not a place I would recommend the service was okay the chips are stale and the food was Luke warm the salsa was blow your head off and no drink menu when they have a bar. read more

Typical Mexican food but atypical service. Usually greated with smiles and greetings when I go to a Mexican restaurant, but not here. Bitter older lady server brings me water and chips without even an acknowledgement. Maybe it's the language barrier but a smile and a nod would be nice. Music is also too loud. Food came really fast and was pretty standard for a place like this. Nothing special here. read more

El Sarape - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

See all

Y IKES!! This was the most below mediocre dinner I have had at a restaurant this ENTIRE year. Hard to think I was checking it out as I was considering ordering a catering from El Sarape which would entail a significant amount of food for a couple of weddings coming up,, but after this disgraceful experience I am NEVER going back to patronize El Sarape on any level, to say the very least--and I hope others avoid this lousy place too. It used to be above average. It is far below average now and anyone that tasted the food I was served would agree! Lukewarm, slimy texture, no mushrooms (even when menu promised that would be included), no garnish, no attempt to even TRY to give reasonably good presentation OR good service. Ignorant food server had no clue as to what professionalism entails. Nor did he replenish water, chips or salsa,. This meal was far too expensive, and the side dishes tasted rancid!. Arrogant blonde manager was beyond reproach when I gave her my critique. Spilled water on my plate and yet they blamed me! May they go out of business and lose out to the food trucks! No atmosphere but who needs it since the food is this bad? Sloppy business . read more

Haven't been to this restaurant in years. However I ordered from Uber my favorite Pollo al la Crema. Creamed chicken breast folks. W parmesan, sour cream and salsa it's one of my favorites. App didn't allow for extras like tortillas or salsa. Called store and was told no mild salsa today. Hmmmm my mouth is sore and spicy would be agony. But, for 1x she did add 2 flour tortillas. It was a nice gesture but she continued to tell me it was free 1x only. Well DOH... I'D never take advantage of poor restaurant workers! App did allow me to tip restaurant $2.00 kinda odd since driver is being tipped too. YES I KNOW driver and restaurant are 2 different entities. My old favorite Mocajete isn't so tasty anymore... stick with a tried and true favorite. TY to all who are working during this tough time. We in WA St. are still on stay at home order until May 31st. Another month of boredom. read more

first time in this place! Our beautiful and rockstar bartender Melissa made us feel like we've been coming here forever! amazing food quality! well poured drinks! great happy hour prices! read more

Fabulous dinner. First family outing in months! Chicken fajitas, street tacos, chicken enchiladas, side burritos (bean & cheese and beef). Perfecta Marg, margarita on the rocks sides of guacamole and fresh chips! Excellent service from Salvador and Marta! Plenty of room to social distance, scan the barcode on the table and you have your menu and you can place your order right from there too! We had some custom orders so we had Salvador place ours! El Sarape in Lacey is the best El Sarape in town hands down! Glad to be back! read more

El Sarape - Out for dinner! - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

See all

Really enjoyable meal. Great portions, friendly and tentative staff, price very reasonable. Good Mexican food.

Best Mexican food in town with the largest selection of vegan options. Super friendly staff.

Terrific food; plenty; very nice staff - friendly, quick and responsive. Quaint and authentic looking cozy atmosphere. It's my favorite Mexican restaurant in town! read more

El Sarape - Love El Sarape Restaurant. - Mexican Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Usually we enjoy El Sarape perfect fine for its standard Mexican fair. But today we went in and the food was incredibly bland. The chips weren't particular fresh. The salsa was fine, but our lunch menu items lacked any resounding flavor. My husband asked "did they run out of salt in the kitchen?" But it went beyond that, because there just wasn't any sort of spices or other seasoning. The "tangy salsa" on my Expresso burrito tasted like uncooked tomato purée. Sorry I know Covid has hurt many restaurants but a little salt and oregano would go a long way here. read more

Coming from New Mexico my expectations are high for Hispanic food. This is the only place in olympia that has met that expectation.