Restaurant was within walking distance from the hotel we stayed at while visiting Walla Walla. Was recommended by a local we had just met. Pretty standard mexican restaurant. Nothing outstanding as far as drinks or food. Restaurant was clean, colorful and inviting. Nothing to rave about, but still decent service and food. read more

El Sombrero - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

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Dirty plate! Food was Mid, to be honest! Stop at this location as a convenient place to wait out of the hot Eastern Washington sun. Initially, I went in on Saturday to use the restroom and decided to sit at the bar and have a drink. The bar area was unattended. After 3-4 employees walked in and out of the kitchen without acknowledging me, or letting me know that someone would be with me, five minutes later, the person I assume was the bartender came and greeted me with a basket of chips and two different kinds of salsa. I sat there and had a shot of El Jimador tequila that cost me about $10.89 and I left. Their restroom was clean. The atmosphere is very chill. The second date I returned as a convenient place to wait for my date. Initially, I was going to sit at the bar again, but I wasn't really impressed with service the day before so I have the young lady sit me in a booth where I could charge my phone and hang out for about an hour or so. The waitress greeted me with the same basket of chips and two sauces, and I requested refried beans. After she walked away, I couldn't figure out what I wanted so after two or three times of her coming by, I decided on the two chicken enchiladas with rice and beans for $12.99. Food presentation was just OK. After taking one bite of my enchilada, I realized My plate was dirty! I understand these are family owned restaurants and I didn't want to be that "kind of person" that sits and eats and find something to complain about so I could have the item removed from my bill. My plate had dried parsley to it, and as you can see, the meal did not have parsley on top. Instead of making a stink about it high let the meal sit there and after being there for 30 to 40 minutes I was offered a box and I didn't want to waste or throw the food away in front of them because I understand how hard it is to own and operate a business. I believe I paid about $26 for the enchilada and the shot of tequila I had and I left. Unfortunately, these kinds of details must be paid attention to. Instantly, when I seen the dried food stuck to the plate, I realized why my husband does not like to eat out. I've had food poisoning and I was sick for five days this year and I don't ever want to repeat that. The food was just OK to me. The atmosphere is chill if you need a place to get out of the heat, but my plate was dirty, and that ruined my appetite. So, to the person or persons that on the restaurant, please require your staff to make sure the dishes are clean. This is a health hazard, and a lot of people cannot afford to be sick. Highly unimpressed. Maybe it was just a one time lack of care but this is disgusting! read more

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Another great tasting meal at El Sombrero. Service excellent and timely. Chips and salsa a great way to start then the meal comes. read more

El Sombrero - Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

Wow, what can I say but AMAZING! We went in at 6 p.m. on Friday night and were seated instantly! Our wait staff was amazing. The bus boys were super efficient. We got our delicious food SO quickly! And our waitress was by every five minutes to see if we needed anything else, but not naggy about it. She was just fantastic! The host was incredibly organized and put together. The kitchen was so quick but did a complicated request, a mid rare steak on a carna asada, which is super thin cut, and nailed it. The chicken breast fillet was seasoned to perfection and so tender, and the shredded chicken burrito tasted like it took all day to make, the chicken was so nice and the sauce was so delicious. It was so hard to stop eating long enough to take a picture because the food was so great! read more

El Sombrero - Everything delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

Outstanding. I frequent this place when I'm in town for work. The staff here are friendly and go out of their way to make me feel welcome. The churros are made perfectly! read more

I am not sure why business hours are not listed, but I think they close at 10 or 11 pm on Saturday night. I was worried they wouldn't be open when we decided to head over for dinner around 9 bu they were! Right across the street from Best Western, we headed over here for dinner. We ordered: - Peach Margaritas (drink special of the night $4.50/glass) - Burrito - Chimi & Enchilada plate - tacos - under $14/plate the chips come with 2 different salsas, I liked one of them, the other was funky with cabbage in it. Everything was good, no complaints on the food. Service was good too. read more

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My quest for memorable Mexican dining has taken me to too many establishments. On a weekend camping trip, I found myself in El Sombrero. Standard Mexican food with little difference to make it stand out from any other place that I've been. Wait staff was friendly and able to answer any questions that I had. Service was on point; likely helped that my table was only one of few at that given time. The indoor area atmosphere is fun; maybe slightly over decorated. The outside patio area was depressing. Outside of my table and chairs, dirty and old furniture lay about. An indication that it may have been a makeshift area. Would I done here again? If someone else wanted to. El Sombrero is clearly trying to provide an enjoyable dining experience. read more

Ate here on September 4, 2022. Got food poisoning from the guacamole and ended up spending the night in the Providence emergency room. Ruined our trip and today I got a bill for $1200. Avoid this place. read more

Excellent service, food and margarita's!! Restaurant is gorgeous!! I would highly recommend after a day of wine tasting!

Pretty standard American Mexican restaurant. The place itself is festive and there is a nice bar. It felt the service here was severely lacking in pleasantness and attentiveness. Our waitress had a bit of an attitude and also forgot to bring our appetizer. We also never had a refill of the chips and salsa until after our food had arrived. The food was fine. Nothing to write home about. Our order came out ridiculously fast. Seemed to only be 5 minutes or so from placing our order. Definitely regretted eating here and would not recommend. read more

When walking into the restaurant and there are two standing up front not to even welcome you in I find that to the be start of a not so great experience. Luckily Jesse whom is working hard to clean is the one that helps assist me to my just cleaned table and provides me with water, chips and salsa. During my time there I had more interaction from Jesse the busses at the beginning than my own waitress only to get my order, drop off my dinner plate without saying a word to me and me even engaging with a "thank you." I also never received or was asked if I wanted any more water as I was constantly shaking the ice around to drink. I told Jesse thank you for welcoming me in as even my own waitress did not or the two at the front. The two at the front acted as if I was a ghost but Jesse saw this and I welcomed me. Food was decent say a 3/5 but overall, not so good. Table busser had more hospitality. read more

The pancho villa and tres hermanos platters with local walla walla beer and tequila shots. Food was amazing! read more

El Sombrero - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

Delicious and beautiful inside! Thank you for the great meal and yummy drinks :) we will be back!

We are visiting Walla Walla and were recommended this place. This restaurant ruined our first dinner, so fair warning. Seems like there are much better restaurants in town. This place may have been good sometime in the past, but our experience was quite bad. Server was rushed, though polite. Took our order half turned to run elsewhere. The food was so bad, completely tasteless. We couldn't wait to leave. Avoid. read more

Here in Walla Walla for wine tasting this week with high hopes of the great Mexican restaurants I've heard about in Walla Walla. This evidently, was not one of those restaurants. Crisp taquitos were ordered and arrived swimming in a pool of sauce. Supposedly deep fried chimichangas arrived like soggy,undercooked French fries. One of us ordered an enchilada and tamale and it was proclaimed as OK. Everything was evidently rushed from the kitchen with little concern for food quality. Our waitress was not focused on our needs once she learned we would not be ordering alcohol since we were suffering from wine fatigue and that our bill would be smaller. On the plus side, the place is pretty new and clean. Look elsewhere for good food. read more

Fun atmosphere, clean and inviting and lots of seating. Charming Authentic Mexican feel to the place. Service was excellent, our server was very attentive. We just came in to grab margaritas and an appetizer. We ordered guacamole and I was very disappointed to realize there were onions in it as the menu only said tomato and spices (I realize guacamole often includes onion but I only ordered it because I was surprised when the ingredients were listed out and there wasn't any, typically hard to find). Drinks were ok, salsa was ok. Service and atmosphere was a 5, food and drinks were a 3 so I'm averaging them out to 4 stars read more

El Sombrero - National margarita day! - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

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Last time I was here the renovation was not complete. Now it is and it is spectacular. The wait staff, food and drinks are wonderful. Great service. Great flavors from the Arroz Con Pollo to the beef and chicken soft shell tacos. The waiter made sure the kids had refills and extras they forgot to ask for when they ordered. Alway a great place to go. read more

El Sombrero - Arroz Con Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

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Great Food and Great service! Today i went on a 410 mile motorcycle ride and stopped off at the El Sombrero for lunch. I was quickly greeted and shown to a seat. The establishment was clean and very busy. The food smelled incredible. Right after I was seated I was able to order one of the lunch specials and handed a fresh basket of chips and salsa to enjoy while i was waiting for my food. The food came promptly and was nice and hot! The lunch was delicious, the chips and salsa were fresh and great tasting. The service was prompt and very polite. While on my next ADV-Ride, i will be stopping off there again! :{) read more

Really yummy, service was great, food was good, drinks were good. Place was clean and food and drinks came out very quick. Our server was very sweet! read more

Found myself here because it was one of the few restaurants open on Memorial Day. Eh, I'd rather have gone hungry. We had the: Two enchilada lunch plate ($7.70) - Over-sauced, bland and no texture, disappointing. Ask for the rancho beans instead of the refried beans that typically accompany the entrees, they're healthier. Horchata rice drink ($2.50) - it was tasty, nice vanilla, cinnamon flavor. The glass was 3/4 full of ice which is annoying, three sips and it's all gone. Fortunately, refills were free. Ask for little/no ice and save your waitress several trips. Service was friendly, the place is ornately decorated and family friendly, but the food is just so-so. read more

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I Had the number 99 and I am stuffed. Plenty of food. Very good tasting. Waiter very friendly. Not to expensive. Very timely. I see a few bad reviews on yelp. But I did not experience any of the complaints. If I find myself in the area again I will be back. Yummy read more

I love 'bad' Mexican food. You know that overly cheesy, what's all that lettuce for anyway? -- type of plate. We all know, it's not 'real' Mexican food...it's the American Mexican that we've all come to love. This is more like bad 'bad Mexican'. Service was attentive and friendly. But that's where anything good kind of ended. Flat enchilada sauce that tasted like it was poured from a Costco style industrial sized container. This on flabby tortillas. Dry as bone chicken stuffed inside. No flavor, no texture...no bueno. A greasy beef taco without any flavor, despite its neon orange color. Don't even bother with the Chili Colorado (please, trust me on this). Tiny bits of tough beef swimming in a sauce that I swear was made from Campbell's tomato soup (just seriously nasty tasting). You get a lot of food for the $$'s spent. So you will likely leave with leftovers, so that's a plus. The chips served at the beginning are fine. The salsas served with are good. Perhaps we've ordered the wrong things and this place does some dishes in better 'bad Mexican' style. But not sure I have the strength to eat my way through the menu to find out. read more

I must admit, I expected better based on the reviews. Even 2 stars is pushing it, as the service was spot on. The food though....ug. It wasn't rancid nor did it taste bad, it just wasn't very good. I make it a habit of visiting Mexican (really Tex mex) restaurants in towns I spend a night or two in. I have eaten at many, most being decent. This wasn't. I know I am in trouble when my meal comes out in under 5 minutes. The rice was the best part of the meal. The chips were stale & the salsa seemed to be premade with a few onions thrown in. In my main dish, the shredded beef was hot, but the cook forgot the spices, as it was bland. The hard shells were just as stale as the chips. If I ever visit Walla Walla again I know I won't visit this place again. read more

Great new building. With exceptional Mexican food.....large seafood Mexican dishes, colorful menu, and reasonably priced read more

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El Sombrero has been in Walla Walla since I can remember and I've never had a bad experience there. They just re-did the restaurant, total rebuild, and it is GORGEOUS. It definitely gives the restaurant a fancier feel and it is way bigger, so if those were any previous issues you had with El Som I highly recommend trying it after the remodel. That being said, the menu is the same, which for me is good, but if you previously didn't like the food that didn't change. The service is usually phenomenal, but when I went last night it was satisfactory. She took our orders and brought us drinks and our food, but she only checked on us once (after we got the food) the whole time and were there for 2 hours. The food isn't the best Mexican food I've ever had but it is still delicious and if you want something fancier than a taco truck or Mi Pueblito I recommend it. read more

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Love this place. Delicious food. Covid safety: masks required, staff all wearing masks, sanitizer available. Would eat here every week if I lived in Walla Walla. read more

We stopped by this restaurant for dinner last night and got a chicken taco and two cheese enchiladas. Portions are huge, Price was fair, the food was amazing!!! We can't wait to go back!! read more

The atmosphere is great - the food NOT so great. I ordered the chimichanga and it had a burnt taste. I flipped it over and yup, it was burnt. Save your money and stop at Taco Bell. read more

The architecture is beautiful, the service was terrible and the food was terrible. For the price I expected better service and quality of food. read more

Was in walking distance of the hotel and recommended by the hotel staff. We were not disappointed! Clean, cozy mexican environment, great staff and food! The waitress misunderstood my order (or I confused her in my questions) and brought out the wrong meal, without questioning she took it back and brought the right meal... fajita salad, instead of the fajitas. She was sweet, kind and apologetic when though I don't think it was all her fault... Definitely recommended! read more

Average food, fast friendly service, got our food quickly. Not a bad place.

I went to Whitman College 2000-2004 and I still crave this restaurant, and still get excited to eat here when I return to Walla Walla on wine weekends! Their food is SO good- their ground beef has the best flavor and the cheese in their enchiladas has this dreamy, sikly, melty texture unlike any place I have ever been. Not the typical rubbery cheese you will find at other restaurants. Love the family that owns this, love the food, love the new building. Can't wait for my next visit when we are in town! read more

This is a beautiful building with lots of seating and great for large parties. We were greeted warmly and seated fairly quickly given the large Friday night crowds at this place. You got chips and salsa upon being seated. The portions were generous and fairly priced and the food came quickly. I got a horchata which was delicious, but the food all in all was good but unremarkable. I would recommend only if you have a real craving for Mexican; then it might scratch your itch. But I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here. read more

We had dinner here our first night in town. I was so looking forward to chips and salsa. Their salsa is a very watery abomination that lacks flavor and the consistency reminded me of tomato juice after your ice has all melted. Holding out hope for the meal, my fiancé had the special and I had their chile relleno. Blah... The food was completely unremarkable at best. At worst it lacked flavor and appeal. Do not waste your time or money in this place. Yuck. read more

So tasty!!! I got the enchilada tamale taco combo. Very delicious and hit the spot after wine tasting.

Great food. Great service. Great margaritas. Short walk from Marcus Whitman hotel, out of the hustle and bustle of main street. Plenty of seating inside or out. Reasonably priced too! read more

Was staying across street at the Best western Suites. This was so convenient so stopped by. Had potato skins with chicken. It was so delicious and best I have ever had. Other meals were great too. Excellent service! read more

Great food! Coming from Texas we were skeptical, but the food was fantastic! Even topping the satisfying food was the wonderful service. They accommodated us as we came in right before closing, and they were welcoming and generous. I wish we lived here to come again, but instead I can just give it a great recommendation. We loved it! read more

Interestingly enough, my first visit to El Sombrero came after a very candid conversation with a restaurant manager friend of Mexican decent. He had just taken us to our first visit to the Pasco Weekend Flea Market and toured us through some phenomenal hispanic eats. We relaxed over some delicious Oaxacan food and he began to try and answer my question: "Why do so many Mexican restaurants feature such low quality, assembly-line food and crappy margaritas?" He smiled and appreciated the candor with his agreeing nod. His explanation? He calls it the 'Azteca Factor' Essentially, these restaurants have degraded and dumbed food and ingredients down to what THEY THINK gringos want, based on what gringos USE to want. Disheartening, yet, not an answer I didn't suspect. Hmmmmm....it explained a lot to have this guy know where I was coming from and why I was confused. Pasco Flea Market vendor food was better than 95% of every Mexican family restaurant I've ever eaten at. It's a shame, because I think more of the general public would appreciate more authentic cuisine in this day and age of 'the foodie'. El Sombrero falls in line with most of the "American-ized equation", I'm sorry to say. My search in the Walla Walla area continues, as now, surprisingly enough, Pasco Flea Market has set the bar for the region, IMHO. El Sombrero prices are reasonable and as can be expected for a family restaurant. Portion-size: decent/good. Decor/ambiance: typical. More on the 'louder' side; again, falling in line with Azteca-shtick. Booths (mounted low and awkward) are set on both side of service aisle with very little privacy to conversation. I found myself speaking extremely quiet, as I could hear every conversation the couple next to us was having. This makes the comfort level a bit strained. Especially in a small town. Food was typical and run-of-the-mill. Lard beans. Lots of sour cream. Bleah rice. Bagged chips. Enough SYSCO products to ensure bulk discount ordering. The pictures on the menu of what I thought might be 'more adventurous dishes' looked lackluster, so were avoided. Maybe I'll sift through reviews here for specific recommendations on dishes. All in all, El Sombrero still rates a 3-star in comparison to what else I've experienced in the 'Mexican Restaurant' category around here. Our very warm and personable greet at the door was memorable and appreciated and staff was prompt, friendly and energetic. Here's hoping El Sombrero continues to raise the bar in a town that could use a flair of authenticity in the food. read more

Excellent meal during a road stop between Spokane and Portland. Generous portions. Flavorful meals. Very prompt service. Definitely a come back to restaurant! read more