Last time I visited the Mi Patria food truck was back on 7/25/24 when it was in North Seattle in…read morethe Olympic Hills/Jackson Park area. Via an IG post & a Plate of Nations showcase, I was able to locate them again. Currently, their food truck is located in South Seattle in Hillman City right off of S Brandon & Rainier Ave S. Earlier this morning I saw a post that the pernil was ready. Pernil is marinated and slow roasted pork shoulder which results in tender, succulent meat. Omg, I'm so there! Traffic on I-5, I-90, and Rainier Ave S was merciful and I found a parking spot diagonal from their food truck. I ventured over after 12noon and was greeted by one of the owners. She was putting finishing touches on the specials whiteboard. There's their usual menu, as well as, today's featured specials. I ordered a pair of pernil empanadillas. With my order, I was given a sauce cup with cilantro aioli, which was recommended by one of the owners. I kept the takeout box open so the empanadillas would remain crisp. The tantalizing scent permeated my car. I was good and did not feast on one while driving. Once home, a brief nuke, cut it in half, first tasted the pernil on its own (amazing!), then the crust (thin & crispy), finally another bite altogether with the recommended dipping sauce. On point flavorful savory special! Look forward to coming back to try other menu items: appetizers, sandwiches, hearty entree plates, and mofongo bowls. Plus their dessert flan!

Good Puerto Rican food! The lady was very nice. She was friendly and welcoming. The rice tasted…read moregood and the meat was flavorful. The portion was big -- we shared one plate and still had leftovers. The quality of the food was good overall. They also have a place to sit and eat, but the seating area is a little small. Overall a good spot if you want tasty Puerto Rican food and good portions.

I really enjoyed the Desi Plate from Bongos. The pork was flavorful and tender, the plantain was…read moresweat and soft, the coleslaw was fresh and not too creamy and the pickled veg was great sourness to combat the rounded beans flavor. 10/10 would order again. Good spot for the summer since it's an order and pickup at the counter spot (with ringers) and a good post-Greenlake hearty meal. The service was quick and standard, no complaints and limited conversations so not too fussy

Caribbean-style fast food spot with a clean, brand-new interior and nice little windows for a…read morepleasant view while eating. Ordering is done at the counter, then you wait for a buzzer to grab your food, which made it feel more like a cafeteria or fast-food setup than a traditional restaurant. The food was okay, but heavily sauced and lacking the authentic Caribbean flavor I was hoping for. Being from the East Coast, I was really looking forward to some true Jamaican jerk chicken or flavorful oxtail, and unfortunately this missed the mark for me. The best comparison I can think of is making baby back ribs in the oven, pouring barbecue sauce on top, and calling them authentic BBQ ribs -- without the seasoning, smoke, or hours of preparation that make the real thing special. One big plus was the ample parking with generously sized spaces, which is definitely appreciated. Overall, probably not somewhere I'll become a frequent customer, but I could still see stopping in for a quick bite over McDonald's, Five Guys, or standard takeout Chinese food.

I have had Bad Chancla bookmarked due to various awards and accolades mentioned in magazines,…read moreblogs, and IG. Good thing I happen to see via IG that they were having a neighborhood celebration for their 2nd year in business (6/7/26). After circling, I did manage to snag a parking spot at the end of the block. This popular hole in the wall is located on E Olive Way between a cannabis shop and a hair salon. Folks were already queued up or seated at the array of sidewalk tables and chairs. The vibe was festive and upbeat. I was mesmerized with the culinary dance that had three, including chef/owner Jose Garzon, cooking all the incoming orders for onsite eating or takeout in such a tight space. Reminded me of an efficiently laid out galley. I tried half of the Tio Dan Cono Glizzy. A grilled hot dog with cream cheese, caramelized onion, and picadillo beef. I also took home a can of Yonder cider for The Homie. I overheard that each hour there's other featured food. Fried rice was next up after the hot dogs. While waiting for my takeout order, it was great to just take in the vibe of the front counter and cooking area. No seating available, so I just walked back down Olive and savored the grilled Fake Ass Cuban. Think of a cubano using a trio of Hawaiian rolls generously filled with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. The grill press, makeshift plancha, created a flavorful, cheesy end result. Omg, that was delicious! Another Capitol Hill culinary gem. Wishing everyone at Bad Chancla continued success!

[inglés] admittedly, i've been a garzón enjoyer for awhile…read more i first tried the latinx street food on ubereats a few months after i moved to seattle in 2022 and i was hooked. i even went on to try it irl at the black cat. at first, i was devastated when it was announced the black cat kitchen was closing... but then i was overjoyed when bad chancla was announced to be opening in capitol hill! a small counter service spot with big windows on olive way. easy to find as the outside is painted a bright hot pink to contrast with the cool colours of the reef -- the building it's attached to. big letters in the window read "not your abuela's cooking," accurate to chefs jose garzón's and stefanie hieber's modern takes on staple latin dishes. i initially tried bad chancla during the soft opening back in the spring of 2024, and i thought it was good then, but i was even more impressed during the grand opening later that year. i think the menu was tweaked a bit, going from great to amazing. i've been back multiple times since; during normal hours and even special events. one of the coolest events was topless tapas, where the restaurant created a fixed-course meal in collaboration with other local chefs. the tickets were extremely limited and the menus were all different every time. i was lucky to get into one of them and had a blast. the "fake ass" cuban sandwich, while again non-traditional, is close enough to remind me of my roots in miami. the picadillo bowl sends me every time. some dishes are swapped out seasonally; my favourite so far is the encocado de camarón. and, of course, i always can go for their fresh aguafrescas, which rotate weekly. bad chancla just hits. if you know, you know. --- [español] lo admito, llevo un tiempo siendo fan de garzón. probé latinx street food por primera vez en ubereats, unos meses después de mudarme a seattle en 2022, ¡y quedé enganchado! llegué a probarla en persona en el black cat. a la primera, estaba muy triste cuando se anunció que la cocina de black cat cerraría... pero luego estaba feliz cuando se anunció que bad chancla abriría en capitol hill. un pequeño local de servicio en mostrador y grandes ventanales, situado en olive way. es fácil de ver, porque su exterior está pintada de vibrante rosa fuerte contrastar con los colores fríos de the reef, el edificio al adjunto. unas letras grandes en el ventana lean "not your abuela's cooking" (esp: "no es la cocinada de tu abuela"), una afirmación que hace honor a las interpretaciones modernas de platos latinos tradicionales que son creados por los chefs josé garzón y stefanie hieber. probé bad chancla por primera vez durante la marcha blanca en la primavera de 2024; ya entonces me gustaba mucho, pero estaba más impresionado durante la gran inauguración más adelante ese mismo año. creo que cambiaban el menú un poquito, pasando de bueno a increíble. he regresado veces varias, tanto durante las horas normal o en eventos especiales. uno de los eventos más geniales fue "topless tapas" (esp: "tapas sin camisa" ... más o menos), cuando el restaurante creó un menú de pasos fijos en colaboración con otros chefs locales. las entradas eran sumamente limitadas y los menús cambiaban por completo en cada ocasión. tuve la suerte ir a solo vez y me lo pasé de maravilla. el cubano "fake-ass" (esp: "falso," pero... muy despectivo) -- otra vez, no es tradicional-- me recuerda a miami. el bowl de picadillo es perfecto. algunos platos cambian según la temporada; mi favorito hasta ahora es el encocado de camarón. y, por supuesto, siempre me encantan sus aguasfrescas, están rotando semanalmente. bad chancla es el uno. ya tu sabes.

I love this place, it's like going to a friends house & have you stay for lunch, I'm so comfortable…read morewhen I'm there, love their food, love to shop for misc groceries, fresh meat & veggies TW Covington, WA

great to see new latino's business. the parking is amazing, the food super good. they have a fresh…read moremeat butcher shop (carniceria) i was received very warm and welcomed..I say support this business!!!

Fun spot featuring Latin food in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle…read more The place has two bars and seating areas. We sat at the bar as you walk in to the restaurant. Our bartender was attentive and friendly. It was cool to see him mixing drinks. Oh! The mojito is good and seems to be a popular drink there. I ordered a ceviche and it was brought out in a timely manner. The ceviche was surrounded by fried plantain strips that had been salted liberally (thank you!). Ceviche had shrimp, slices of oranges and the rest of the regular ingredients. Nice place to go hangout with friends and enjoy drinks.

Excellent vibe. You feel cool just hanging out here. I heard they have over 700 types of rum - the…read morebartender seemed to know all of them. True professional - his arms were a blur - you'd think he was part octopus! The Japanese Snow Monkey was tart, bitter, and chilled perfectly -- dangerously !delicious! The snacks are terrific. The beef brisket taco seemed small, but turned out to be just the right size. Solid corn tortilla, with an unctuous beef filling just oozing with flavor. The empanadas stole the show. Incredible pastry crust - flaky, chewy, and loaded with flavor by itself. They were stuffed to the seams with the respective filling, and the side slaw was a great palate cleanser. Kale and mushroom was delicate seasoned, each bite just melted. The Jamaican beef, though, was even better . The spice ratio was perfect. These are almost addictive. Note: don't know all the details, but two patrons next to me at the bar had little treasure maps and on the "hunt" to try all of the varieties by answering a bunch of questions. Check it out!

Omg I saw empanadas and I was immediately hooked! I had the mushroom and cheese and it was warm,…read morefresh, ooey-gooey goodness! I loved it so much I went back again and ordered the same thing! Lol. If you're an empanada lover, this little hidden gem is a must-visit. It's tucked inside Pike Place Market and doubles as a small Latin grocery, stocked with sauces, spices, and other goodies from all over Latin America. Service is fast and friendly, and everything feels super authentic and homey. Just a little FYI: the yellow sauce isn't free, they charge $2 for it, so plan accordingly if you love dipping like I do! Perfect for a quick bite while exploring the market or grabbing a few specialty ingredients to take home.

Seattle (overpriced) Empanadas in Pike Place Market [Seattle WA]…read more Saw the empanadas in a glass case while navigating our way through the crowded Pike Place Market. It was a busy Thanksgiving weekend. They are located across the Farmers Market. Got two each of the beef and chicken empanadas. They are both tasty and delicious with lots of flavors but they are unreasonably priced at $8 a piece which wasn't stated anywhere on their menu board and only got the shock when I paid for them but the beef is made with lean ground organic beef and the chicken with organic shredded chicken breasts. Maybe that's why? I dunno, organic tends to be more expensive. Each beef or chicken empanada was garnished with onions, garlic, olives, pimientos, raisins, eggs, red & green bell peppers, some yummy spices and sauteed in olive oil and butter... that's a lot of stuff crammed in those empanadas. They also have salmon empanadas and ham and cheese empanadas. I'd probably get my empanadas elsewhere but this was the touristy Pike Place after all. Review #3615

What a relief that this place simply re-located from its old spot in UW, instead of shuttering its…read moredoors! It would be such a disservice to the community here if it were to disappear! Anyways, we stopped here for a quick bite, since it has a very unique Venezuelan arepas that you cannot find anywhere else in the city. We got the sifrina and the Seattle arepas, and the portions were ridiculously generous. The shredded beef and the cheese filled up the fluffy yet crispy arepa shell, which was a delight to eat. It also has a row of different sauces to try on the table we sat down, which made the whole experience more fun. Trying out chipotle sauce and comparing it to garlic habanero sauce was just added an additional layer of fun to eating it in the restaurant. The service was quick and helped us answer how they were prepared. You couldn't ask for more at a place like this. The vibes in the restaurant also definitely improved, since the last location. Much cleaner and more spacious. With the ample parking spots nearby too, it should be easy to access this location from now on. At any rate, amazing Venezuelan arepas place. I'd recommend if you were hankering for a good Latin American food place. Or if you needed some hangover curing greasy food!

It's been long I had good Arepa. I tried a place in Factoria mall in Bellevue but that was pretty…read moreaverage. I discovered Arepa several years back in Raleigh in NCSU campus and always felt that's the best Arepa I ever had. But then comes this place which absolutely set the bar even higher. Their Arepas are really good - given I just tried a black bean Arepa - no meat. I loved it. I also enjoyed their sauces and it is just fun to experiment with different sauces and enjoying the flavors. I won't be surprised if all their sauces were housemade. My friend got Chicken Empanadas and this was first time he was having Venezuelian food - he really liked it. We also tried Flan - it was okay. You probably don't want to try lot of desserts here. Ambience is pretty good here. Loved the dining area.

I thought i knew what feeling full was like. I was wrong. I've never enjoyed the environment along…read morewith the food in knee place like I did here. The staff are warm and welcoming the guests felt like being around family. Natalie the waitress was so attentive and made sure our drinks were full and the food was like having an organic after a three day build up. All three of us left with empty plates and sides to go.

This place is one of a kind and so delicious for Carribean and Jamaican cuisine! If you have not…read moretried -- you must! We were celebrating my colleagues birthday the day before and were going to see a show at the Royal Room! We got drinks and I had the caprihlana and the Carribean Star! The Carribean Star is a MUST- TRY, the flavors of that drink were amazing! Both the tostones and shrimp ceviche for appetizers was out of this world! The fried catfish was breaded and crisped perfectly and their sides, especially the collard greens are tasty, a bit tangy and phenomenal! I was able to sample my coworkers dishes (they offered of course and I did too) and the goat curry -- try this too if you like curry! Such amazing flavor and tender goat! They do not take reservations but it's peak around dinner time and weekends! We got lucky with the last big table! The menu is creative and colorful. Staff is amazing! They actually had a location in Kirkland but had to close it and this location remains and is a HIT!