The place is tucked in a rural downtown. The interior looks authentic. The service was nice. Chicken burrito is great tasting with black beans. The steak fajita has good collection of vegetables. But the meat was chewy. So overall the dish was not pleasant. The Taco with steak was also very good. That meat had much less problems. Overall it is a quiet and friendly place to visit. But I would not order steak again. read more

Would 100% recommend!! Fast and good service, we sat down, ordered, and got our food in about 20 minutes! They serve great drinks and the food is delicious! Would recommend any of their enchiladas and/ or margaritas. read more

What a little gem of a restaurant in Carnation. My husband is from California and considers himself pretty picky when it comes to Mexican food. This is one of the best we've had. My husband's burrito was so hot and fresh. I had the taco and burrito combo. The chips and salsa were a notch above everywhere else. Love to support local businesses like this. read more

The food is to die for, so fresh and large amounts to savor and share. We eat a lot of Mexican food where ever we travel, and this is by far my favorite place. Amazing execution comes out of their little kitchen.. if you want to enjoy a nice little drive eastside of Bellevue head to Carnation near the Tolt River. ..you'll be so pleasantly surprised. Call ahead for a table we had to wait 30 minutes but it's not a complaint. read more

Ixtapa - This is the perfect place order a taco, tamal, enchilada, flauta and a tostado all on one dish. .. - Mexican Near Me - Carnation, Washington

Excellent experience! Great friendly service. Fast kitchen. Tasty margaritas. Good start w warm chips and fresh salsa with just the right amount of bite. Hard to find al pastor and their tacos were perfection. So much meat!! Retried beans done right, tasted homemade. Husband loved his carne tacos and the hot salsa was just right. read more

Mexican family cuisine, like you expect. Food comes fast, is excellent quality, and pricing is reasonable. Service is always great. Tons of chips served gratis with tasty fresh salsa. It also has a small bar that is nice for sports games whenever that becomes safe again (and they served a stiff margarita!). read more

Called 15 minutes from the restaurant with a party of 6 and was able to seat immediately on arrival. Our waiter brought our menus and drinks as soon as we got seated. We had an assortment of burritos that were huge and extremely good. The steak ranchero burrito was stuffed with tender meat and large chunks of jalapeño peppers. Highly recommended by everyone. A wonderful experience. read more

If this is the best in the area as some reviews mention - suggest you leave the area. :) It wasn't "bad" - just on the bland side. There isn't much in Carnation on a Sunday afternoon so that is why we stopped. The building is old and showing its age especially the bathrooms. Communication is an issue as is conscientious customer service. My wife asked for more water and the waiter retrieved the pitcher - reached over my empty glass and filled hers - then left. Service was also a little slow. The food sizes are good for the value and if we are ever in this area again on a Sunday - would probably stop - any other day we would go across the street to the pizza place. I had my Tortilla soup and as I said it was bland - there was a lot in at (chicken, etc.) but it could have had more taste. read more

Ixtapa - Lunch - Mexican Near Me - Carnation, Washington

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Looks aren't the strong side from the outside but when you step in, you better be ready for some unbelievable Mexican food. My wife and I decided to share a burrito and fajitas and we could have picked one or the other. The meals were huge! The problem was, everything was so good that we just kept eating! Had a great ice cold beer and the margaritas were obviously a hit seeing how many people were ordering them around us. The staff was awesome and we will be regular customers from now on. I always like to look at the negative of a restaurant so the biggest negative of Ixtapa was no Ice in the water. I'm a stickler about that! read more

Ixtapa - Ranchero burrito and steak fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Carnation, Washington

Excellent Mexican food. Family atmosphere and laidback. Would recommend it to anyone. Try the no names

I will be ecstatic when indoor dining is allowed again. The service here is always fantastic and the food never disappoints. I always sit at one of the tables in the bar area as the restaurant is very family friendly and that's not always something I want, so it's nice to have options. During covid restrictions they have always followed the rules and provided a fantastic amount experience on the patio in the back. read more

Got take out and was skeptical of the price...then got home and realized they gave us a weeks worth of food. Really good as well, HUGE portions , the no name was perfect. Overall great and we will definitely be going back. Don't let the price scare you , it's worth it. read more

Ixtapa Carnation is by far my favorite ixtapa there is. The food here is made with love and you can tell they really put effort into it. The staff and servers are very friendly and will most likely remember you if you become a regular. The tortilla soup is unbelievably good, loaded with avocado and grilled chicken. Their salsa is the best you can find anywhere. If you're there to stay for a little while, order a Natural margarita! Don't miss a visit to this family restaurant if you're in town! You'll leave full and happy. read more

Service friendly and timely. Suprema Quesadilla w/ steak was fresh tasting and steak tender. More than enough for 2 meals My wife had Shrimp Molcajete and said it was wonderful. We will be back for sure. read more

Love the fajitas here, and the margaritas are HUGE. I think they have more Tex-Mex options here, but they have excellent service and their restaurant has a nice ambiance. read more

have been eating here for about 20 years, weird night tonight. had the enchiladas carne asada it tasted like the meat was rotten, I had about three bites and decided something was horribly wrong. paid the crazy price and went home to see if I was going to have food poisoning, decided I was done with Ixtapa (Duvall and carnation) sad to see a couple of my favorite places become overpriced and low grade (bordering on dangerous) food. read more

UPDATE: They serve their food very fast and have awesome service! Margaritas are awesome and food is awesome :) Nice waitress with glasses always remembers me and my bf! read more

Very good vegan fajita!!! Not on the menu but they made for me without giving me a hard time! Very fresh...good flavor ! The chip salsa is spicy!!! read more

I've lived in either Texas or Colorado most of my life and room for granted the amount of decent Mexican food I could get growing up. But Ixtapa is that family style Mexican place I know and love from growing up. Huge plates, everything with a side of rice and refried beans, and really amazing Margaritas. What else could you ask for? read more

I love this place! I live in Duvall and even though we have an Ixtapa here, i drive to Carnation instead. Food is much better here than the one in duvall. Everyone is so nice too! read more

My girlfriend and I both ordered the steak (my girlfriend had fries with hers). Food and margaritas were excellent as well as the friendly service. Great old school Mexican restaurant atmosphere. Looking forward to a return visit! read more

We find the food OK and the service really good. They were closed for a week the end of July to remodel during the road construction in Carnation. Parking is really a challenge with the road work and new construction on what was their parking lot. They do a lot of take out and we took advantage of the service often during covid. read more

These lovely people are so friendly and inviting. I love going there and the food never disappoints. Great service!

Literally the best Mexican food in the US. Everytime I go to a different Mexican restaurant, I'm so disappointed now! The staff is the absolute best! So efficient and the nicest people ever. Their salsa is so stinking good. My daughters get it mild and drink it! I love there chicken and beef and just everything! Oh and the natural margaritas!! So thankful this restaurant is in my town! read more

Love Ixtapa! Both this one in Carnation, as well as the one in Duvall. Great margaritas, and I love their 'No Name'! Staff is always so friendly! read more

Ixtapa is hands down the best Mexican food in the Sammamish/Fall City/Carnation/Issaquah area. I LOVE Mexican food so I have tried them all. My family and I love coming to Ixtapa every chance we get. The staff is friendly and accommodating and the food is reliably delicious and fresh. They offer the usual Mexican fare and I would highly recommend the enchiladas which seem to be a cut above all others that I've had. My husband likes the carne asada tacos. Their salsa and guacamole are exceptional, way better than what is served at other restaurants. The kids menu has a wide variety of options as well. One thing to note: They do not offer crayons or a coloring sheet for kids so come prepared. The restaurant is always clean and tidy, as are the restrooms. It can get a bit crowded at times since it isn't a huge place but that is probably a result of the great food. We've never had to wait too long (more than 15 minutes or so) and we often come with a group of 7. This is a family owned business with the owner and his family working and running the restaurant. All of the staff is very accommodating and pleasant, they go out of their way to make each dining experience I have there memorable and enjoyable. I would highly recommend Ixtapa. read more

When was the last time you were served bottomless, fresh, hot tortilla chips with bean dip and salsa? I can honestly say in my time here, I've only been to one other Mexican restaurant (which closed last year) that offered this, and it certainly wasn't bottomless tortilla chips, so this place wins. The food is delicious and the staff are really friendly and attentive. I wish I had more to say, but I don't. read more

Ok great drinks and they actually put cheese on your food, bathroom was horrible I mean worse than a carnival portable potty. The woman's was overflowing with trash and used paper towels all over like a waterfall out of the garbage, there was pee all over the only seat. This was just the woman's single toilet really need to get that situation handled. Since I'm guessing employees don't have a separate bathroom, sick! read more

Now, I'm not saying this 5 stars means it's the best Mexican food ever, or even the best in comparison to what I've had at other more authentic places - but for Carnation, and based on what I was expecting (crappy chain restaurant food), Ixtapa was GREAT and I'd definitely return if I was back in town. At someone's suggestion I tried the Enchiladas Suizas - chicken enchiladas with a zesty green sauce, and smothered in cheese. As usual the platter came with rice and beans. I expected Azteca level of quality, but it was GREAT! I've never been a fan of green sauce, and this stuff blew me away. Good quality rice and beans too - overall just great. Friendly hostess (I ordered takeout so I can't comment on the rest of the service). read more

Wonderful family restaurant. Quality food and reliable service. Great track record for take out nights. Never missing anything and often get extra toppings read more

My family loves this place, and we've been going for years. We know the waiters by now, and the service is usually very good. The food is great. Try the tortilla soup! read more

Seemed pretty normal to me. I stopped here because there were a lot of bikers in front, which I take as a good sign. As long as you have a helmet with you, you have some "friends" to talk with... just don't let them see you ride a yamaha. :) Service was friendly enough. Decor was new faux Mexican... similar to Mexico in the same way that genuine imitation leather is like the real thing. I liked it fine though. If were in the area, I might stop. There aren't exactly a lot of choices nearby. There were lots of regulars apparently. They got excellent service. The owner even let one of them pay with a check, despite the 'no check' policy. read more

Ixtapa is the go-to restaurant for myself and my BFF, whenver time may be short for a leisurely meal. The service, is fantastic, speedy, accommodating and friendly. We've found it possible to make substitutions easily, and they are done with a smile. For example, this weekend, my friend ordered shrimp in her quesadilla, as opposed to a more traditional protein. No hesitation on behalf of the server or kitchen and a lovely shrimp quesadilla made it to our table. Another standby, are the strawberry margeritas...SO GOOD, so fresh and refreshing. The food is good, fresh, good sized portions and fairly typical of most americanized mexican restaurants. The service, however, is absolutely fantastic. I've tried quite a few different menu offerings and have yet to find something I don't like. read more

I've been going here for 20 years, several times per month. This is pretty much the best TexMex on the Eastside, and the best restaurant in Carnation/Lower Valley and I've tried most of them. The food portions are huge, service is great, get yourself a beer with dinner. I've never left here hungry and almost always have extra food for later. I love their Mexican Flag (Tres Cunados) special with Chile Verde, Chili Colorado. The rest of the menu is always great too. Try their Cheeseburger if you'd like a surprisingly great one. read more

As I was eating my leftovers for lunch just now, I felt compelled to write about how much we LOVE this Ixtapa. 1. It's absolutely delicious. 2. The portions are monstrous. 3. Love the staff. 4. Get the natural margarita if you want to party. read more

At first I thought the food was ok, but then my wife's shredded beef burrito came and it was a nightmare. Meat was as tough as leather, which was a huge surprise as I am a frequent patron of the Duvall location which has excellent and fresh tasting shredded beef. Why the one star review? I got some nasty, awful stomach cramps and vomiting a few short hours after eating here. I'm in pain as I write this. I won't be going back to the carnation location. read more

Great food and service, EVERYTIME! This restaurant has AMAZING food and drinks! I just LOVE the tortilla soup and the sangria is so delish! Yummy fresh tortilla chips and salsa always arrive quickly to the table when you sit down. The service is very friendly and efficient. Everything is reasonably priced too! Affordable for any budget. The decor and music makes the experience complete! I always go to the carnation location but I hear all the locations are great. read more

Such a feast. Chicken fajitas. Clean bathroom. Friendly staff. Nice music. Clean tables and floors. A quality place! read more

Ixtapa - Wow! What a delicious feast chicken fajitas! Ai carrumba! - Mexican Near Me - Carnation, Washington

My second favorite Ixtapa - which pretty much makes it my second favorite traditional (American) Mexican restaurant! I don't know what their secret is, but their salsa is spectacular. Everything on the menu is fresh and full of wholesome goodness. (The goodness is wholesome, not necessarily the wonderful loads of cheese, etc.) This location is always friendly, likes my kids, is clean and has fast service - especially at lunch. My favorite reason to visit Carnation! -- My standard rating disclaimer: I rate places as compared to other similar places. In other words a hot dog cart or taco stand can easily be five-stars when compared to other carts and stands. read more

I have to confess to being a sucker for Mexican. I especially like nachos and Macho Burritos. If I'm driving through Carnation between appointments, I'll stop in at Ixtapa in Carnation for their Super Nachos and sit in their bar. But, I order a tall glass of milk or a Coke. The super nachos (and I get chicken) are the best of anywhere I have ever eaten. They pile on lots of cheese, guacamole, etc. It's juicy and not overcooked. But the salsa is perfect. It's both sweet and spicy. Just right. If I'm in the mood for a burrito, I get one with a green chile sauce on it. It's a monster. Mmmm. The service is always personable and there is usually some interesting chit chat going on between the locals. This really is a small town with a sense of community where people actually know each other. Pretty neat. So, for what it is...a small town mexican food/bar, I give it 5 stars. read more