Great authentic Mexican food. Not always the friendliest staff but the food is always good. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

Thanks to Yelp we stopped here tonight. Fast and friendly service. I had the chile verde and my husband had the carnitas. Mine was spicier, which I like, and the pork was swimming in yummy sauce. I loved it. The carnitas were slightly dry but great flavor. We'll be back to try the tacos and tostadas. Very friendly and quick service. read more

I read the reviews before going in last weekend. So I thought it would be good food. I didn't think it was going to be as heavenly as it was. The flan was perfectly sweet. I ordered the carnitas. It was sooo good. The pickled carrots even more amazing. And just the over all atmosphere and the personal attention you receive from the staff. You feel very at home. I cant wait to go back again when I'm in the area. read more

We were in town staying at the Great Wolf Lodge, we found this place from Google and were not disappointed! It's very authentic Mexican food, so be prepared to expect the unexpected. Love the marinated carrots, tamales, and carnitas! Everyone left happy and full! We will come back when in the area again! read more

Best Mexican food on the west coast. Seriously amazing food. I have never had such amazing Mexican before. The flan is home made. Their mole sauce is old school, thick, spicy and a bit greasy. It is worth the drive. read more

This is hands down the best Mexican restaurant, there food is amazing. They are so friendly and it's beautiful inside.

The best Mexican food around... REAL Mexican food. The kitchen is open and you can watch the ladies cooking authentic food from abuelita's recipes. This is one of the VERY few restaurants, and the only Mexican restaurant, that I've ever been to where I didn't need to do anything to my food. The way it was served is the way that I ate it. No extra sauce, salt & pepper, or anything. The flavor was amazing, the home cooked texture was awesome, especially on the tortillas, and the company was great. Loved chatting with the server and the cooks about Mexican culture and their background. It was just an all-around great experience read more

Awesome food, the carnitas was incredible. Friendly staff and the owner is very proud of what they make, and she should be. Definitely take the time to stop in and have a meal. read more

Love the food and the staff are very personable. My favorite dishes are Carnitas and Plato Tarasco (only served on weekends I think).

Wow!!! Excellent all the way around. Food is fantastic. Great service. Surprised people are not lined up outside. GREAT!!! Authentic dishes with homemade tortillas. One of the best Mexican restaurants in Washington! read more

This place does not have chips - nor should they! The food is about as real as it gets without going to Mexico. It's a bit of a hole in the wall, but the service is great, and the food is well prepared and delicious. read more

Just got back home from eating at La Tarasca. I thought I would take my wife of 32 years out for a Mother's Day lunch at some place we have never been. I would say that the food is not bad, it actually tastes O.K. but there is just something about it that makes me not want to try it again. It is probably authentic as you could get and Mexican food is different by regions. Nothing was the same as other Mexican places. Pork & Chicken is the main dishes. I am used to the American version where you get a whole dinner and you don't have to buy extra side dishes and having chips and salsa, not salsa & carrots. Not all reviews are accurate and this is what I went buy in determining where to go today. It was worth a try but the whole experience is "different". You can do better just down the street and cheaper too. read more

Great authentic Mexican food. I was surprised to see this quality food in a smaller town.

It is an ok place for Mexican food. The last 2 times we have been there were disappointing. The mole recipe does not seem the same, and they have increased their prices. Good thing I found another place in Chehalis with fantastic mole. read more

Definitly authentic. Food was great. Do love the homemade corn tortillas. Pickled carrots and salsa instead of chips was strange but still cool to try. Food was also crazy fast. Took them 3 minutes to have our food,after ordering it. Overall really good. read more

Note: the BEST FOOD in Centralia (regardless of genre) is found at La Tarasca, a small regional Mexican restaurant . . . where Mama is in the kitchen COOKIN! . . . and what comes out of her pots is nothing short of ambrosia . . . the food of the Gods! Had the Chili Verde last night, and went to heaven. Very thankful it is served with fresh tortillas, which saved me from the humiliation of being seen licking my plate in public . . . the sauce is THAT good! Don't expect chips and salsa, and gobs of cheese and sour cream, it's not that kind of restaurant. read more

My favorite restaurant. I have been going here for years and the staff is friendly, the carrots and salsa are amazing, and the food is spectacular. read more

This was a great place to get amazing food. We enjoyed the fresh tamales and tortillas. The chile verde and steak tacos were a hit. We will be back. read more

We live in CA and were introduced to this fantastic place by my sister and BIL. The food here is unbelievably wonderful. This is the BEST place! Family owned, authentic Mexican food. Everything is excellent. The Mole is to die for! We will continue to make the trip there as long as they are in business. FAAAAANNNNTAAASSSTIC! read more

We moved to Seattle a few years ago after 12 years in Texas and have missed really great interior Mexican food. While planning a trip to Great Wolf Lodge I stumbled upon reviews for La Tarasca. We went and PTL! Heaven!! We liked it so much we went back the next day again and also bought tamales to bring home. We had the carnitas, adobada tacos, and tamales - all fabulous. Even the beans and rice is the best I have ever had. And the Flan is out of this world. We will be stopping at La Tarasca every single chance we can get. Among the best meals I have had in the PNW EVER! read more

This was delicious. A little off the beaten path but worth it. No chips, but who needs them when you have amazing marinated carrots. No WW points in carrots. My girls had carnitas, I had chili verde. Amazing. Homemade corn tortillas are fluffy, unlike packaged corn tortillas! And the flan...custardy, eggy, caramel deliciousness. Oh and my sons kids quesadilla....that cheese just kept a stretching! read more

Don't know what the hype is about. Saturday 2-4-2017 lunch. Tasteless chicken taco, good masa in tamale but filling lacked seasoning. Carnitas just ok. Very disappointed. read more

While at Great Wolf Lodge, we saw the ratings for this place compared to the other local mexican restaurants in the area, and took the longer drive to get here. It did not disappoint. Very authentic, and we quickly moved past that they didn't have chips, guac and margaritas, as the typical american-Mex places do. The pickled carrots in place of chips were awesome, as were the carnitas. The kids ate everything, and I'm very happy that we found such a great place halfway between Portland and Seattle. read more

Very good homemade food. We go here frequently. Service is always good. Husband misses his chips and salsa when we go here, but the pickled carrots are a much better appetizer in my opinion. Very homey atmosphere. read more

Meh, nothing special. No chips served but service great. Fresh tortillas, carrot and onion pickled dish instead.

We have eaten here many times, and it is a 2 hour round trip that is worth it to us. No chips and salsa is just saving us calories and fat better used in the food, so we look forward to the carrots. I always have the same thing: Authentic pork chile verde with homemade corn tortillas, beans and rice. It is the best and spicy like it should be. I am getting hungry writing this so we may go back tomorrow for lunch. My wife had the tamales this time and loved them. You really need to expect this food to taste different than at the Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta type of chain places. Keep an open mind and if you like spicy, try the chile verde. You will thank me. read more

I have found my new favorite tamale! And the house made tortillas and outstanding. The server is gracious and welcoming. I cannot say enough about this gem in a small town read more

Delicious! I had the special and it was fantastic. My girlfriend had the enchiladas and was amazed at how traditional they were. The fresh corn tortillas were great. This is a fine place for glutten-free. read more

Excellent food and service! Will definitely go back. Stopped through on way home. I loved the carnitas and homemade tortillas. All gluten free!! read more

On a trip to Portland, three of us needed a food stop and I remembered a rave review in The Stranger for this place. A quick consultation with the smartphone and we were able to navigate to the restaurant with no difficulty. Though it did satisfy our hunger, we found the food to be fine, but hardly worthy of that review, or all these yelp accolades either. We were kind of underwhelmed and disappointed, actually, and found it to be pretty ordinary. Nice people though. read more

Stopped by on a drive down to Portland. Wonderful service and friendly people. The daughter of the restaurant owner was attentive and made sure we had a good experience, as far as service went. They are proud of their southern Mexican cooking and they stated they are very authentic. They do not serve chips and typical salsa, so if you are looking for those you will have to search elsewhere. They give you homemade salsa and a bowl of pickled carrots and onions in lieu of chips and salsa. The flavors were not my favorite, but my husband was somewhat satisfied. As for the main dishes, I ordered 2 Sotos (one chicken and one pork) with a side of rice. My husband, who is a staunch vegetarian, ordered fried chili and beans (they do not let you order substitutes or mix sides, so he was stuck with just beans as a side option). My dish was satisfactory, the chicken was great, the pork was good. The rice didn't have much flavor. On the other hand, my husband's dish was horrible. The waitress was boasting how most things on the menu can be made vegetarian and specially recommended what he ordered, so he was excited. It turned out to literally be one small green pepper stuffed with a little cheese, deep fried in dough that fell apart and a HUGE plate of beans. The entire plate, except for a small chili, was beans. They had no flavor and to him, they tasted like they came from a can. We left with the thought we wasted our money and will not be back. I would recommend this place, but go in expecting options to be limited and stick to meat-only dishes. read more

We were craving good and authentic Mexican food, paired with homemade chips and margaritas. Well, I guess the food is supposedly authentic (according to the owner who proclaims it over and over). The beans were tasteless and my carnitas were meh. No chips and no margaritas (or mixed drinks at all). Pickled veggies are ok, but nothing amazing. Food is expensive for what you get. Decor is cheery, but I really wished we had gone elsewhere for dinner. I grew up in so cal and have eaten at a lot of "real" Mexican restaurants - don't know why people are raving about this place. We were very disappointed. read more

We would never have been here if we didn't use Yelp. We were on our way from Portland to Seattle. We decided to checkout the outlet stores, which didn't have much. Then looked for a place for lunch. Surprisingly, this place had high reviews. Now I see why. I ordered an enchilada (my usual order at a Mexican restaurant). When it arrived, it was so different. You had a huge piece of chicken in sauce on the plate, not in the tortilla, and the cooked tortilla had the beans. The flavor was so delicious! Then we decided to have the flan. Amazing! Will definitely be back! read more

Best Mexican food in the state of Washington. Tamales made fresh and getting some for lunch tomorrow

I am tempted to tell you that it is not good so that there will always be space for me when I go. Seriously this is the best Mexican food I have had in a restaurant. I had carnitas and my husband had chile colorado. Fantastic but the real stars are the basics: beans & rice. They are just like home made. In fact, the rice is somehow better than home made. Its like the home made you wish you could make. And the beans are made just right. Going again this weekend. read more

Great family establishment, with a fun and authentic story. Handmade tortillas and tamales are excellent. So was the pork in both the Carnitas and Child Verde. read more

This restaurant is not for the picky or the close minded. Do not come here expecting them to bend over backwards to accommodate you. Not going to happen. If you can get past that you will have a wonderful experience. They don't do modifications on anything and have a very limited menu. Everything I have had has been phenomenal and I hold back from licking the plate clean every time. The menu is authentic to the family's specific region of Mexico. Your order chicken enchiladas, you will get enchiladas with a chicken, ya a whole one, on the side. The carnitas are what they are known for but honestly go for the Chile Colorado or Verde. Same delicious tender pork, but in an amazing red or green sauce. The tortillas are to die for. They only serve corn but they are so hearty you won't miss the flour is that is what you are into. They don't serve liquor, just beer and house wine. This is a rare place in Washington and i don't get down to Centralia often enough to dine here. read more

This place lives up to it's reputation! Friendly service and delicious food. It's worth the drive down from Olympia for sure!

So disappointed. Can't believe this got 4 1/2 stars. No chips and salsa to start with, and our chicken enchiladas came with a big slab of chicken with a random drumstick on the side. No salsa at all. read more

authentic fare from the mexican state of michoacan. you know you're in for something different when the friendly waitress explains that instead of the ubiquitous chips and salsa you'll be getting tasty pickled carrots. since i'm avoiding meat at the moment, i ordered the chile relleno... it was one of the best, if not the best, i've ever had. well worth the little trip off I-5 if you're traveling between seattle and portland. read more