I know this will sound odd, but they have the best T-bone char grilled steak I've ever had at any restaurant. There are two different styles one has sautéed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, which is my favorite. They also have a senior menu which the portions are smaller and very reasonably priced. It is family run and always great service. read more

Delicious food, fast service and friendly employees! The food is reasonable. Our waiter was very nice and very attentive!

Excellent service provided by friendly and engaging staff. Thank you Kristine. The decor has an apparent theme, which is trees, I believe cherry blossom? Live plants and comfortable seating. The chips and salsa were quite good, and were satisfied with our meals. Their portions are *generous = enough for lunch the following day! I ordered a combination meal, the tamale was excellent. Mr. Wonderful had the Chile Verde. The only disappointment was their corn tortillas are not made in house. Their prices are reasonable for Kalama. Good experience. read more

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The food was delicious. Chicken enchilada, taco & cheese burger with fries. Fries are awesome. Best Mexican food and service was fantastic. We will definitely recommend and return. Thank you read more

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Service was good, food was good prices are what you would expect from a restaurant like this

Food tastes great, service was awesome and the pricing was fantastic. Great place to get a good portion of food. Restaurant was clean and very well setup read more

Wow! I haven't reviewed this in over five years. DEFINITELY needs an updated review. Let's go! Service is the number one calling card for this location. They are ALWAYS the FASTEST I've ever experienced. They get the food out so fast, you may say it's TOO fast! It doesn't change the high quality of the food either. That's my next topic, the food. WOW is it HIGH QUALITY, and ALWAYS the same HIGH quality! I honestly don't know what else I need to say about the food beyond that? I love the chips and salsa more than most any other place, just like the food? Sure, but I'll leave it there. I hate to be slightly negative, because I don't fully think it's their fault, and I one hundred percent don't think it ever ruins the restaurant for me. It also is partly due to the extremely tiny town it exists in. But, it's a fact I have to mention...there's no parking. I think you can fit a handful of people, but after that you're on your own. "It's every man for himself!" You've gotta just find open spots nearby. Lucky Dragon is also an unfortunate recipient of this pain. It's just a fact, and never makes me not go to the restaurant. Also, and I'll keep this one brief: it's a smaller inside of the restaurant. OKAY ENOUGH NEGATIVITY! I love the inside, it's a very good atmosphere. I'd say all the available seating is well-kept and doesn't REALLY feel cramped. You just know that, they have about as many seats as they do parking spots. I guess the real issue is that they make SUCH good food and have SUCH good and fast service, that they should be able to hold more people. OKAY SERIOUSLY THAT'S IT! This place makes very tasty, high quality food, and gets it to you fast. They serve you with a big smile, and seem to be extremely happy to be providing a brilliant restaurant experience. I would HIGHLY recommend visiting if you're interested. Just, maybe don't bring a large group. I do not speak for the bar attached to the front. read more

Okay, you went from a 3 to a 1. Why? COVID!!!! Come on, wear your darn mask! The food was just okay. Nothing to write home about. The tortillas were microwaved warm rather than warmed on the grill. That took away from the flavor. Chips and salsa were okay. If you are looking for the best chips...um, nope. These are not those. They are just okay. So why not 3 starts. I was telling my husband how excited I was that the place had spread out tables and put clear plastic between some of the tables/booths (not Plexiglas) and all the employees were wearing their masks as they were having a random conversation during down time (we were the only customers). As we were leaving, what happened? The manager walks out of the kitchen with his mask to his chin. NOOOO!!!! That made me wonder just how long he had been doing this. If he does it, then he is not strict and will allow his employees to not wear their masks for whatever reason. It's the whole, "What they don't see won't hurt them" mentality. They are handling our food! This is what ticked me off. This is not easy for any of us. Please don't make me regret going to your business. WEAR YOUR MASK! (Please) read more

Playa Azul II - Huge plate! - Mexican Near Me - Kalama, Washington

I absolutely recommend this business!! Yelp wants me to keep reviewing Playa Azul ll. I love this place. The interior makeover is nice. The food and staff are top notch! Kalama is so lucky to have them! read more

Returning to Kalama for Mexican food. It had been a while for me but family and friends had been there recently so we decided to try it again. There were 3 of us for lunch and we were happy to see that they were offering a 2-enchilada plate for $8.99. In this day and age with prices going up and up, we thought that quite a great deal. We all ordered the enchiladas but a variety of pork, cheese, etc. Everything was delicious. Server was good but seemed pretty attentive to other tables with lengthy conversations. That would be the only negative was getting her attention for service. Other than that, a great place for Mexican and probably the best in the whole area. Delicious. read more

My family has been raving about this place, so we decided to try it. There was no wait when we got there. The menu was very standard for Mexican Food in the PNW. The chips were nice and warm, and the salsas were just ok to me. The red was good but the green didn't have much flavor to it. We got a side of the queso dip, and it was very good. I would highly recommend it. I love good carne asada, so I tried the carne asada super burrito. The burrito came out the size of a baby on this plate, loaded up with sour cream and quac on top. The burrito was stuffed with rice, beans, and carne asada. The meat had very good flavor, but the burrito overall was just so-so for me. There were several different people that attended to us that were nice. Our waiter was not the most personable person, but he did not hesitate to meet our needs. Decent experience overall, just didn't wow us. read more

Playa Azul II - Queso Dip w/chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Kalama, Washington

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Great food and even better service. A gem in Kalama. Margaritas are very good. Always a good meal at Playa Azul!

Pretty good. Their salsa is my fav in all of Cowlitz county. I'm glad they did a remodel because the ceiling would leak a lot when I would be in and it would disgust me.. the young girls working aren't very professional I've overheard gossiping and laughing at other people... just rude and immature. I make sure to tip upon attitude and service so I hope they know why they got 2% read more

Whenever I am in the area at lunchtime, I eat here. I cannot find a better meal anywhere else. Hands down, this is the best food I've eaten. The ambiance is really nice, recently they remodeled and it's very pretty. The service is 99% of the time is very fast and very courteous. I love this place. I wish I lived closer, I'd be there most days. read more

This place is great! Service was fast and the food delicious. And the restaurant is so clean. We will come back, even though we don't live near it !!! read more

We drive 30 miles each way to go to this place. The food is terrific and they go out of their way to accommodate our dietary restrictions. The chili rellenos are the best we have found and their servings are big enough that with my restrictions I get several meals out of one visit. read more

Nice place to have lunch on your way to Portland. Friendly quick service. Good Mexican food. We love the enchiladas.

They have delicious food. Excellent service . My favorite go to for Mexican food. Margarita Especial is my favorite.

Pretty average Mexican food We may be a bit spoiled coming from an area with very good Mexican food, but this place just wasn't what we were hoping for. I had arroz con pollo that just didn't taste right and was loads different than what I've had near home. My partner had a chile relleno that was more cheese than anything else. I will say the portions were huge - so if you find a dish you like, you can have a few meals out of it! And another pro was friendly service. I really wanted to like this place but it was pretty 'meh'. We drive through the area coming and going to Long Beach, WA a couple times a year and will check out other restaurants in town. read more

Pretty good for a small town restaurant! We eat there all the time and we always enjoy it! New York Ranchera Style is hard to beat, but everything is always good. read more

Love this place!! Always accommodating to my almost vegetarian orders. They always get my crazy orders right. Service is excellent and food is fantastic. We eat here at almost once a week. Thanks for all the great service and for keeping up with Kalama's demand for Mexican food during the quarantine. What a pain in the ass it's been for you all, I'm sure, but it's much appreciated. Beth and Steve AKA Veggie and Pork Burrito peeps. :-). read more

Best queso ever had. Green sauce over enchilada was excellent. Chips and Salsa was great. Refried beans could be improved. Mexican rice was excellent. The combination meal with two items is more than enough food for anybody to eat. If I lived here I'd definitely return. Oh also great service. Attentive and friendly. read more

This place is a gem, because we were on a road trip, pulled over in the next exit to find a place to eat and spotted this, no online research prior. When I walked in two customers waiting for their food told me this place was great. If the locals come here it's a good sign. Anyway the 7 of us ordered a variety of items including the tacos al carbon rice+beans and their signature Playa Azul dish. I've eaten Mexican in NY and Vancouver and this is one of the best I've had. The tortilla chips came out of a tortilla specific warmer very crispy and fresh, their salsa and salsa verde lacked a bit of punch or zest, but service was good and washrooms were clean. Overall a great place to dine. read more

Always great food, drinks and service! Highly recommend them! Super lucky to have such a great place to eat and hang out in a small town

Such a great place to come relax! Food is great , customer service is above that. My drink is made when I sit down with little waiting even when slammed with customers. I'm here quite often and when I decide to have change it up and have Chinese next door I order it while I have a cocktail here. I highly recommend this establishment to everyone! Thank you Playa Azul. Also the biggest tequila selection of anywhere I've been ! Over 60 different kinds. Great for a let's try something new attitude. read more

It's an OK place for this part Washington with some likable qualities. The Mex fare is pretty basic and not super authentic. I had a chicken enchilada and ground beef hard taco lunch special for $7.50 and Negro Modelo $4.50. I was hungry and it tasted good and there was nothing left. The waitress/bartender was nice. It's a local hangout and I'll be back. Enough said. read more

Playa Azul II - Chicken enchilada and ground beef taco for $7.50 - Mexican Near Me - Kalama, Washington

First time I've visited this restaurant since moving to the area. The chicken burrito was excellent. The guacamole was fresh and flavorful, and the salsa was typical restaurant salsa. Having said that, the seafood chimichanga left much to be desired. It was extremely dry, although the flavor was good. What really ruined it though was the fact that there were numerous crab or shrimp shells in it. That's like nails on a chalkboard for me. I can understand missing one shell (I've done that myself) but to bite down on one every three bites or so isn't as easy to write off. I will eat here again, and I just hope the sous chef spends more time prepping the seafood. read more

If I could give less than one star I would. I've worked in the restaurant industry for over 15 years and always give new places a chance. I guess if you're not a local you're not treated kindly. I watched our server be so kind to EVERYONE around except us. Which we couldn't figure out why. I've never in my life had an experience like the one I had today. ALL the food was bland. Service was so rude. I'm not sure what our servers name was. Some older chick with blonde hair. Felt very rushed from the second we sat down which was odd because they weren't busy at all. I've never tasted such BLAND food, they must make it days in advance and microwave it. Definitely a red flag when I see the dish bin when walking past the kitchen and most plates still have a ton of food left on them.. I should have just walked out. Obviously I wasn't the only one that hated the food. I ordered a steak burrito and my husband ordered a Chile relleno. He had to return his plate, it was THAT BAD. I cut into my SOGGY burrito and somehow the meat was dried out. My plate was extremely hot, I definitely could tell they just microwaved it. Kinda ridiculous. Mexican food is easy to make, if I wanted to pay for a microwaved meal I would have rather gone to the frozen food section in ANY store. I barely touched my food. The server never checked on us. If I noticed my table not eating their food I would do something about it. She just didn't care and still charged me for it, even if I barely touched it. Kinda messed up. We still paid and tipped but god honest it was the worst experience in a restaurant in my life. My first time in kalama and I will NEVER return there ever again. read more

Fast service, authentic Mexican food. The tortilla chips were not the most fresh, but other than that, the fish tacos, enchiladas, steak pic-ado, were outstanding! Would stop here again! read more

Very much enjoyed our meal here today! Food is authentic Mexican from folks from Jalisco. Service very quick, food hot and very tasty! This is not Tex Mex but good nevertheless. We would definitely visit again when in this area. read more

Never had a bad dish here. It's always bursting with flavor and you get plenty to eat on your plates. For those who are 21+...their drinks are amazing too. My favorite that I recommend is their Cadillac Margarita! read more

This is a really great place for Americanized Mexican food. The service is lways great and customers all know each other. In my opinion it is overpriced, but it is one of the best options in a small town. read more

Ate here over the weekend. I'd heard about it long ago and was driving by so stopped in for a bite to eat. I'm in San Diego a lot and eat some very good Mexican food and this is right up there with the best. I believe that this was the best Mole' I've had. My guests enjoyed their food as well and had heard of the place and had been wanting to visit. So over all, the place is mom-and-pop Mexican decor. Service is excellent and we didn't have to wait for our meals. Large portions too. Server checked on us during our meal. So if driving up or down the I-5 and you see a sign for downtown Kalama, stop by and check it out. I would visit again if in the area so I recommend this place. Thank you. read more

While Staying in Kamala for an extended weekend we found this place and decided to give their veggie/vegan options a try. I ordered the veggie fajitas and hubby ordered the veggie burrito (which they make but isn't on the menu for some reason). The waitress made sure to remove all cheese and sour cream from our order and let us know the rice did have chicken stock in it. That was kind of her. I went for the rice anyway. The food came out pretty quick. And there was plenty of it. The burrito was huge. Even a size queen would be impressed. The fajitas came out steaming with a great mix of veggies; onion, mushrooms, yellow squash, red bell peppers, broccoli and red bell peppers. It was really tasty. The only draw back which kept them from five stars was a little on the greasy side. But hey, that is personal preference. The meal got started with warm chips and two types of salsa, a red and a green. Definitely had a nice kick, needed extra napkins because it nicely opened the sinus. The place was clean. The prices slightly high for a small town but then again we have leftovers for lunch. The service was great. The atmosphere can be a little loud but overall we enjoyed our dinner. read more

Playa Azul II - Veggie burrito - Mexican Near Me - Kalama, Washington

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If you are in Kalama staying at McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge and tired of Pub Food visit this place. Hole-in-the-wall appearance but very good food, generous portions and not too pricy. If you are not in staying at McMenamins WHY are you in Kalama???? If you are not a McMenamins Cosmic Tripster why not??? read more

Usually not too bad as a last resort, but tonight was a sloppy mess. My wife asked for a dry burrito to go. She gets home to open the foil container and finds that it's soggy-wet. She called and asked for a replacement that is dry. I drove the burrito back, hand it to them and wait five minutes for the "replacement" (Why wasn't it ready already). Same burrito. Also wet. I call my wife and she says to come home. She calls the restaurant again and they babble their way through the conversation. Any other Mexican restaurant fills their burritos with plenty of meat - this carne asada burrito had MAYBE three ounces of meat in it. Oh, and the burrito was $10.99 in the picture and $13.99 on arrival (granted, picture was from 2 years ago). We'll just drive to Woodland or Longview - not worth 10 minutes of the convenience of staying local if this is what we have to deal with. read more

I consider myself a Mexican food aficionado. We go at least twice monthly. Large group personal or business. Great service and the best menudo besides my Moms. I've been at least 40 times. Have not ever been displeased. Thanks read more

Some of the best authentic Mexican food I've ever had. I'm a repeat contented customer!

Yum! We eat here a lot and it's consistently good. One meal is usually 2 or 3 for us (large servings) and the drinks are serious. The staff is super nice and the service is lightning fast. read more

Went into pickup to go food. Two servers not wearing masks. I asked my server to put a mask on and she scoffed and refused. I've had pledges from the owner that staff is masked but each time I think I'll give them another chance I get screwed they just don't care about Covid safety. Such a shame. Really wanted to support them through the pandemic. read more