Everything tasted super home made and hearty. The owner is this adorbs mexican lady who greets you with a smile and explains the menu. We had pazole which was super yummy...has a little kick tho so if u don't like spicy food it might be too much 4 u. ....the kids had about 20 cheese quesadillas.... those were soo yummy! The pork tacos were so fresh and delish. read more

La Tarasca - The yummy pozole soup - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

Me: What's the special? Server: Today my mother has prepared for you... Me: I'll have that. What do you have to drink? Server: Today my mother has prepared for you... Me: Sounds good. No chips and salsa, don't ask. Get a tamale as an appetizer. You ask and they just hand you one like they magically knew you wanted it. Everything on the menu is awesome if there is no special that day. Also, best Molé ever! read more

Food is good. Homemade tortillas as always hot and wonderful. They are pricy but better Mexican food than anyone else in town. Due to the quality I am a repeat customer. Average price is $19 per item so with tax and tip it's $24 person. Service is wonderful and they care about your experience. read more

Amazing food. Don't order any tamales. Save them all for me. We drive an hour or more to eat here, and take home "leftovers."

Outstanding! We were driving through the Washington State and needed a place to eat and found this place on Yelp. The food was great! Tacos, chili relleno, carnitas and chicken tamale were all prepared to perfection. The owner was great! Stop and try if you are in the area. read more

I went here with an empty nesters group and the food was very good. They serve spiced carrots in the middle of the table which was a totally original treat. read more

The best meal I've had in quite some time, and some outstanding authentic food. Their salsas + pickled carrots are delicious. We got the enchiladas w/ chicken, chicken (crunchy) and adobada (soft) tacos, Chile relleno, chicken tamale, and the flan. Everything was delicious and super satisfying, especially the salsas, adobada tacos, enchiladas, and flan. Definitely a must stop for us everytime we're driving through centralia. read more

A perfect stop on the way through Centralia, it is the #1 eatery here for a reason. I put the Mexican food in the B+ catagory but the charm at A+. For sure the thing to eat here is the pork as it is the family specialty. The family is ALL working here and are great to talk to and really, the best part. It makes me happy to see these folks seeing such success in this and their other businesses in the area. As a Canadian living in a city with no regard for old interesting or historic buildings, I also just appreciate the free standing building which has all the hallmarks of a Mexcican fiesta. read more

Always amazing service and the food is the best. Try their Thursday special with flan for dessert.

Got service pretty fast food taste amazing decorations is nice the people were nice good

Foods good. Attitude is not. Every time I got in I feel like I'm bothering them I thought maybe they're busy I can understand a bad day but their attitudes don't change anytime of say I walk in. That in itself will make me run the opposite direction from this place. So sad. read more

Been coming here is I was young, food has always been spot on, from the quesadillas, tamales, sopes, you name it. Everything is freshly made and tastes it. Most traditional Mexican restaurant I've ever ate at. Not one thing on the menu I haven't tried and have not liked. Owners/staff all very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the food. Make sure you try there flan, it's the best I've ever had anywhere. I live about an hour away. I try and make the drive to this place as much as I can. It's that good. read more

One of the best Mexican restaurants we've eaten at...and we like to EAT. The food is incredibly fresh and flavorful. The homemade tortillas were soft as silk and they offer options for vegetarians. We also loved the fact that it's family-run, focusing on, as the woman helping us said, "...mama's recipes". So good!!!!! read more

The food was delicious and the service was great. The tamales and Tacos were very good and the flan was amazing!

What great food! The chili Colorado was amazing. The carnitas were delicious. The fresh and homemade corn tortillas are a fantastic addition the the meal. The interior is clean and nice and has an authentic feel to it. Plenty of parking, and clean rest rooms. The staff was friendly and helpful. My only knock: they are too authentic. They don't serve chips, and they don't serve guacamole. read more

La Tarasca - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

Que rico! We just enjoyed the carnitas and crispy chicken taco. I felt like I was at someone's mother's home and getting wonderful comfort food full of love and flavor. Those house made tortillas are something else too! We were just passing through town and felt lucky to have found this little gem. Gracias! read more

Cute family run restaurant. Second time eating here. Husband wanted to eat here due to high reviews. No chips here FYI. Instead you get pickled carrots. Yum. It would be good to dip chips in the beans & salsa. Chicken enchilada comes with two huge bone-in chunks of chicken on the side. Food is average, flavors we didn't really think stood out. Good in town Mexican place, clean but if you eaten at places like La Fonda Catrina, you will be underwhelmed. Tortillas were soft & fresh. Service was friendly but rushed. Solid three and a half stars from me. read more

We plan our trip to Gig Harbor around stopping at La Tarasca for lunch. This is our favorite Mexican restaurant. Though we stop only once or twice a year they are always friendly. The food is hot, service is fast and reasonably priced. read more

Well,, an awesome meal! Found this little out of the way place. Not that for off the hwy, and oh man, what a great place to get a great Carnitas Plate! Soooooo, good! read more

La Tarasca - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

Everything was delicious. Fresh and the flavors were excellent. I will definitely be back when we are heading north from Vancouver.

This is by far our favorite place to eat off of I-5... We headed down to Portland for a convention and stopped here on the way down.... it was sooo good, we had to stop on the way back too. Way down to Portland: We had the Adobada tacos, the chicken tacos(crispy) and Chile Relleno. DELICIOUS!!! Way back: We just had the Adobada tacos. The pork is super tender, melts in your mouth, and the taste is ridiculously good... slightly sweet with a good healthy kick of heat to your tastes buds! Sooo delicious.... The owner, such a sweet and welcoming personality, insisted we have the Flan... OMG!!!! Sooo amazing... not too sweet, and buttery in texture and taste... YUM! It was sooo good we ordered Tamales to go.... I'll eat this when I'm home in a few hours.... a must if you're in Centralia or even if you're just passing thru. You will not be disappointed... this is true, authentic Mexican food... they don't saturate their food with blankets of cheddar cheese... Also, they don't serve chips and salsa because that's not true to the region of Mexico that the owner is from... which quite frankly wasn't missed at all.... Great Food!!!! read more

Great service! Delicious homemade food. Tortilla's are mouth watering. We would definitely frequent this place if we lived in town. Actually, we might make a special trip once a month. You won't be disappointed:-) read more

We were regulars here even before we moved to Lewis County. Really outstanding food, nice family service. Just the best.

We've been going to this little gem for something like 25 years. Our adult children are disappointed when they visit Olympia but don't visit La Tarasca. Is there higher praise? We think the carnitas and the chile colorado are especially tasty, but we've yet to find something that isn't both authentically Michoacano (a?) and exceptionally well prepared. When's the last time you had hand-made, fresh corn tortillas? And the owners/staff are so friendly! What's not to like? read more

We did not love it. It was fine, but not amazing. The dishes lacked flavor. Nothing was bad, nothing was excellent either. The place is small, service was very good. Prices are a bit steep for what you get, but being from a bigger city, my expectations might be higher than the average customer. I wouldn't make an effort to go back, but if friends insisted I would would go join them. read more

AMAZING. Authentic. Life. Altering. Charming. Heart and soul warming. Delicious. read more

Thank you Yelpers for leading us to La Tarasca! I had the potato tacos with mole, my husband had the shrimp soup. Both were excellent. It's not common to have mole offered with a vegetarian entree, so that was definitely a treat. Service was friendly and attentive, food came promptly. We look forward to eating here again whenever we are in the area. Hours on Yelp are incorrect as of this writing. La Tarasca posts their hours as 11-7 W, TH, Su, M; 11-8 F, Sa. (Closed Tuesdays) Also posted that they stop serving 15 minutes before closing, but the night we were there, they flipped the sign to closed about 20 minutes before closing. So you should arrive not later than 30 minutes before closing to be sure of being served and having time to eat. read more

La Tarasca - Potato tacos with mole. Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

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For a style of Mexican that is unique and tasty this is the place to go! We have been eating here literally for years, since our kids were little and now they too are grown. If you don't have room for dessert, order the flan to go! read more

Ordered Carne Asada Meat was severely overdone They don't give chips And the pickled carrots are not a good substitute read more

Amazing authentic food and wonderful people here. An absolute must try if you are in the area.

Fantastic and authentic food with amazing flavors. The pork carnitas melted in your mouth! All the meats were prepared to perfection. Treat your taste buds adventure! Also, fantastic vegetarian and non-dairy options. read more

Absolutely delicious authentic Mexican food. The mole is spectacular!! Definitely worth stopping for if you're n the area.

La Tarasca has been our mandatory pitstop on our way down to and back from Oregon for a number of years now (apologies for only now getting around to adding our rave review to the list!). My wife LOVES the pickled carrots that they start you with. We've enjoyed everything we've ordered, but our current favorites are definitely potato sopes and pineapple tomales. And the service is wonderful! Whether you live in the area or are just passing by, make sure to have a bite at this family owned and operated business! read more

Excelleni authentic food. Homemade tortillas and tamales. Actually everything sermed to be made there with family recipes. If you want nachos and a taco salad - go someplace else. If you want to try authentic family recipes and enjoy food that is prepared with care. You'll love this place. We'll be back! Would have posted a photo of our food...but we ate too fast! read more

This place is unreal! It is amazing. It's incredibly fresh and the tortillas are super soft and delicious. I was a little nervous when I pulled up because it's a small, unassuming place with a super tiny parking area on the sides of the building. The staff was super nice and attentive. We got the tamales, chiles rellenos, and some tacos. Not one thing was a disappointment. I was so surprised at how amazing the food was. It isn't cheap, greasy Muchas Gracias kind of food, but authentic, handmade food and it really shows. I am already asking when we will be going back up there so we can go there again. I absolutely recommend this place to everyone! read more

Message from Yelp HQ [ 3806334 ] Yelp HQ Add to contacts 8/25/15 [Keep this message at the top of your inbox] To: ***************@hotmail.com feedback@yelp.com AUG 25, 2015 | 11:42AM PDT Hi Nathan, I'm writing to let you know that we've removed your review update of La Tarasca. Our Support team has determined that it falls outside our Content Guidelines (http://www.yelp.com/guidelines) because it addresses a dispute with another reviewer. We understand you may have strong opinions, but please make sure your reviews focus on your own experiences with a business. We hope you will keep in mind our Content Guidelines as you continue to participate on Yelp. Removed Content: I decided to revisit La Tarasca, because some idiot named Brian C. (12/7/2014) gave them 2-stars, claiming that they served him carnitas "half immersed in a pool of oil." Anyone who knows anything about food can easily refute this claim with the understanding that it is total bullshit. I ordered the carnitas and they were NOT immersed in oil. They were immersed in juices...meat juices. You know? The stuff that leaks out of meat while it is cooking? If Brian C. doesn't know the difference between oils and juices, then he has no business reviewing and criticizing restaurants. To make matters worse, he expected the carnitas to be "crispy." WTF!? Obviously, Brian C. has never been to Chipotle, because pork carnitas is tender, not crispy...like the shitty chicken katsu I ordered the other day. In fact, all of the carnitas I have tried has been tender and juicy, like it says on Wikipedia: " The process takes three or four hours and the result is very tender and juicy meat..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnitas This was my impression of the carnitas at La Tarasca: tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. I also ordered a beef tostada that was absolutely delicious, but happened to be somewhat greasy. Why? Because ground beef is usually greasy. Did I care? Not one bit. Once again, everything at La Tarasca was fabulous, including the tiny, little women working hard to serve you....and not just because they make me feel tall and powerful, but also because they provide excellent customer service and spectacular food. read more

La Tarasca - Carnitas (not immersed or floating in oil), includes yummy corn tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

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Some of the best and most authentic Mexican food I've had in the US. I had the Chile Colorado which came with rice, beans, and home made tortillas. The meat was tender and the flavors were amazing. Just the right amount of spicy. Finished with the flan for dessert which was very tasty. Service was friendly, fast, and attentive. I'll be back. read more

Eighty four reviews, well now eighty five... almost five stars. I am so there. Doing a little GPS Roulette, find this restaurant and check out the info on Yelp, wow, what an amazing little find. Odd, no chips, they serve marinated carrots, well color me, confused. But I dug in anyway and guess what. Freakin' Delicious. There are plenty of a la carte items, we ordered tamale, pork taco, sopes and something else. It was so good, we took our time and savored every bite. What fun to order a bunch of items and share. Also, very vegetarian friendly if you have one of those in the bunch. The only bummer was Pepsi products, I just drank agua. My date had iced tea, really good. I took a little sip. OK, really my date is my husband , so half of his tea is mine anyways. If you find yourself in the vicinity, definitely stop by. read more

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The carnitas plate at La Tarasca is my go-to dish, especially when returning from an epic day at White Pass. Succulent pork can also be found in their adobada. It is like none other I've ever experienced. No chips, no problem. I like to order 2 adobada tacos and the carnitas plate. They don't have chips, and they pride themselves in going against the grain on typicalness. Not sure why, but I believe it because they want you to focus on their regional dishes and specialties, rather than be known as a typical Mexican restaurant, which they're not. The owner/staff are fantastically hospitable, too. read more

La Tarasca - Carnitas plate. Enjoy an authentic beer, too! - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

Great food, had the carnitas with beans and rice. The refined beans were some of the best I've had. Also great wait staff.