I like this place but the service could be better. I mean it's the service industry. If you want a good tip from me step it up. The food is good not the best Mexican food but it is the best I Tacoma for sure. Love the cucumber jalapeño marg!!! read more

The Happy Hour food here is pretty good! Try the nachos with steak. Service is also good. Unfortunately, it's wildly overpriced otherwise. Only go for Happy Hour. Just not worth it outside those times. read more

This restaurant is a diamond in the rough. There is very little around in the downtown Tacoma area on Pacific Avenue. I am glad that we stumbled across this location. We showed up around 5:15 PM on a Saturday. The wait for a table was 60 minutes. I am not sure if the crowd was because of Happy Hour or because of the concert at the Tacoma Dome that evening. Luckily, while waiting for a table, two spots at the bar opened up and we grabbed them immediately. Bar is open seating and full menu. The Happy Hour menu is limited but still has some nice options. The Chicken Tortilla Soup was incredible. Easily the best I've ever had. The broth is so good and had just the right amount of heat. Shredded chicken was perfectly tender. The right portion of accompanying vegetables. For Happy Hour, I was expecting a cup but received a large bowl of soup. I also ordered shrimp tacos which were also very good, but I was full after the soup and couldn't fully enjoy them (still ate them). Wife ordered the Carnitas Street Tacos and was very happy. Service at the bar was great. Very attentive and quick to replace our drinks. read more

Some food memories are just too good not to repeat! We first found this place in May 2026 after spending the entire day moving into our new place near 11th & MLK Street. By the time we finished, it was late, we were exhausted, and our stomachs had officially declared an emergency. One bite in, and we knew we'd found a winner. We loved it so much that about a month later, we came back just to relive those same delicious meals--and of course, we couldn't leave without an order of nachos to go! Sometimes the best restaurants aren't planned--they're the ones you discover when you're tired, hungry, and just a little lucky! read more

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What happened to the old Matador?! This used to be one of my top favorite restaurants in Tacoma, but the past few times we've dined in and ordered takeout, we've noticed a steep decline. Their dip trio used to be one of the best things ever, a must-order for our family. Now it's completely changed. The black bean dip, which used to have sour cream on top, now looks like refried beans with some sort of gross white sauce on it, easily the biggest downgrade on the menu. The whole dip flight is different: the guacamole, salsa, and queso used to be delicious, but they've all changed and now taste cheaper and less flavorful. Don't order it. Their chicken street tacos were also my go-to, especially during happy hour. They were a great price and SO good. They've completely changed for the worse: the chicken is bland now, there's less sauce, and the presentation isn't the same. It used to come with a generous helping of radish, onion, and cilantro. Now it's sloppy, and the tacos are just plain bad. The cocktails have mostly stayed consistent, except recently my partner ordered a michelada that tasted and smelled rotten and he couldn't drink it. The server was great about it, comped the drink, and he got a cucumber jalapeño margarita instead, which was delicious. Service is extremely slow most of the time. Occasionally we get a good server, but it's really hit or miss. I genuinely want to know what happened. Did the recipes change? New ownership? New chefs? Did costs get too high? Or do they just not care anymore? I miss the old Matador and hope it makes a comeback. read more

Happy Hour at Matador is the best! Dragonfruit margarita is my favorite! Along with queso and the poppers! read more

Matador Tacoma - Dragonfruit Margarita - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Don't come here unless it's happy hour. Extremely overpriced and it made me remember why I only come on happy hour. I visited today for lunch and ordered a shrimp quesadilla, three small steak tacos and three drinks. The total came up to $91. How am I paying for tacos and quesadillas for 91? I won't be back unless it's on a deal. This is why people have stopped going out. read more

Matador has always been awesome and I've been to the Redmond location. It has been years tho so we had checked this one out! We actually weren't intended to come here and had a 'reservation' for another restaurant in the area, but since it was New Year's Day, they were closed and didn't inform us :( Tacoma was pretty dead and eery that night. So as an alternative, we saw that Matador was open! When we got in, it was packed! Luckily, they had a booth for us and it was enough space standard size to fit 4, even tho it felt larger than that haha. The ambience is beautiful; their tables have cool designs. Our server, Alexandria was literally ON IT! She was SUPER attentive and kept checking back. Asked if we wanted more drinks and had our waters refilled without really having to ask :) I got their house margaritas which was 1) the tamarind ginger -- this was good and tart! 2) my fave -- the strawberry mangonada, it was perfect and you can definitely taste the strawberries. The quesobirria tacos, bacon wrapped jalapeños and ahi tuna tostadas were all phenomenal appetizers! The bacon wrapped jalapeños -- thank you for removing the seeds! Less spicy with a kick! I had the cheesy chicken tamales which were SO good! They were coming off of their Specials menu. My bf got the taco salad, he wanted more vegetables like lettuce and pico than the meat itself and my friend got the coconut shrimp tacos. We got so full that we needed to-go boxes since they served chips with salsa and we had like 3 bowls of those lol. Great establishment overall! read more

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Cocktails were delicious. I thought the carne asada wagyu top sirloin would have had some marinated flavor, it just tasted like a grilled steak without seasoning. Nice building with impressive interior decoration. Our waitress was good. The prices weren't overly inflated, like most places downtown. read more

Matador Tacoma - Carne Asada Wagyu Top Sirloin - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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The restaurant is located on the corner of 7th and Pacific Ave. There's street parking everywhere but it can be difficult to find a spot depending on when you visit. We came for the happy hour nachos. Delicious! It is stacked with cheese, beans, guacamole, sour cream, pico, and green onions. You can add meat for an additional fee. I finished maybe a third of it and took the rest home. Service was quick but not very attentive. However, they were super friendly and great at the little small talk when ordering. It took a bit of time for us to get their attention for our bill. The restaurant and bar area is on the smaller side. The booths are tall so it feels intimate. read more

Matador Tacoma - Happy hour menu - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Yikes, Matador... this was rough. I used to hype this place up for work events, but tonight? Total meltdown. We waited 90 minutes for a table of six at 5:25pm. Finally get seated... and our food comes out before our drinks. How does that even happen? It wasn't slammed, just a normal Friday. Then the birthday desserts show up and the brownies are straight-up burnt black. Not "crispy," not "overdone" burnt. At that point we were all just staring at each other like, is this real? Super disappointing. Matador, you've gotta do better. read more

Matador Tacoma - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

My husband and I were in the area and decided to visit. It was okay. I wasn't wowed like I was on my first visit and I forgot what I ordered, but it wasn't as good as I remembered. I got some tacos and the brussels sprouts. They weren't nearly as good and flavorful as I remembered. The drinks were fine. The service was nice and I got a chance to walk around, on the way to and from the bathroom, and I saw features that I had not noticed before. We ordered some of the food and it tasted a touch different than it did on my last visit. We were literally looking at the artsy places in the area and decided to come in. I could have made another selection of eating spots. This place has gone from a "gotta go visit" to an "if in the area and I have some time, I might..." situation. read more

We went here for Cinco de Mayo happy hour and had some drinks a a chicken taco. It was lively at the bar with great service and smiles all around. I was disappointed that they did not have special food for the holiday, but there were some specials on drinks just for the holiday. We had nachos and they were delicious! This is one of our favorite places for happy hour! read more

We sat outside and loved this spot! The service was great, we had a sweet server, and it was super delicious food! We are vegetarian and we're really happy with the options available on their menu. We shared the elote to start - soooo good - and then I had the gaucho bowl with the Beyond picadillo, and my wife had the Matador quesadilla. We were both so happy with our dishes! read more

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First time visiting, I'm from out of town and I really enjoyed this place. The ambiance was great, food was very good and the service was above and beyond. Our waitress was so sweet and attentive. The food came out super fast. Overall a really good first time experience, I wish there was a location near me at home lol read more

Matador Tacoma - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I've been to this location twice for their super duper happy hour. They offer HH every day from 4-6, and 10-close. Their HH menu has options at $6 and $7, and they have a 3/$7 or 5/$10 street taco offering. As far as I know, they don't have drink offering for HH, but that's fine as their margarita prices are totally reasonable and feel like HH prices if you come from southern CA like myself. The marg selections are pretty good. I recommend their nachos, as they take they time to cheese up and top each layer of nachos so that each tortilla chip has something on it when you pull it from the stack. This plate is huge and a great shareable. The 5/$10 street taco plate will fill you up, and you can choose multiple meats including Beyond picadillo. Actually, they offer Beyond picadillo anywhere you would normally select a meat. Their chicken tortilla soup is flavorful, as well as their brussels sprouts. The servers are nice and quick. They seem to have lots of servers and food runners on the floor. The interior is giving vampire's lair underneath an ancient, crumbling cathedral. Alternative and romantic. read more

Matador Tacoma - Happy hour menu October 10/3/25 - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Redeemed! It has been years since I've been back. Last night we decided to visit our old stomping grounds and we ended up here. They have Happy Hour every day from 4-7pm w/ $6-7 options. I'm glad we chose to come back because I have forgotten that I actually like the ambiance. We were seated right away on a Saturday afternoon- 4:30ish. The September weather was perfect and we sat out on the patio for the first time. I recommend the patio 100%. The chips and salsa is everything you guys. Just go for that and drinks. You'll be happy. We got enchiladas and ribeye+chicken fajitas. Each enchilada filling had its own unique flavor (spicy chicken, carnitas). Comes with rice, beans, guacamole and the crema was a refreshing bite. The medium rare ribeye was mouth watering. The char on it was so good. They must've gotten a new chef and new management. Everything from service to the food was flawless last night. Props to our server she was on top of her game! read more

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I will literally fight people if they say there is a better Mexican restaurant in Washington. I'm not even a tequila guy but order the blood orange margarita every time. The chips are light and delicious. Order the chicken fajitas. You can thank me later. There is usually a bit of a wait due to how popular this place is, but we were lucky enough to be seated almost immediately since we went on Memorial Day. read more

Matador Tacoma - Chicken fajitas. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Rating: Four stars This is a great Mexican restaurant in downtown Tacoma. It has great ambiance, which is attributable to the decor and music. The staff is friendly. The restaurant has a wide variety of drinks and appetizers, so this is a great place to go with coworkers or friends. I got the shrimp tacos with rice and beans. The food was deceivingly filling, which was nice. I would recommend going here! read more

Matador Tacoma - Shrimp tacos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Matador is always a great experience. It was a busy night but we were able to sit at the bar right away. It was HH so enjoyed that menu. The service was great. Both servers at the bar were really cool and very attentive. read more

Matador Tacoma - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The happy hour grande nachos are ridiculous. And the service is great here i was tended by Honna and Ryan and they both had such welcoming personalities. read more

The space is cozy and fun with a fire table! Staff was absolutely amazing and so nice! The food was top notch. I hit happy hour and it was a lot of quality food for $6-7! Also had a side of bacon wrapped jalapeños and they were the best ever!! I don't even like them but told I had to try and so glad I did! They were great along with the entire visit. read more

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Super fun modern cowboy interior. The food and drinks were so yummy. I am dreaming about the blackbean dip. It was creamy and smoky so yummy. So happy they had some great mocktails. Best of all was our server. She was amazing. She was funny and helpful and the best ever. Will go back just because of our experience! read more

Only great things to say about this restaurant. It was surprisingly busy for a Monday evening, so I could see it being pretty packed on the weekends. Our server was super friendly and although we were sat in the corner it never felt like we were forgotten. All the food we had was absolutely fantastic. My wife and I split their street tacos, getting half carnitas and half chicken. Truthfully some of the best street tacos. Both meats were incredibly tender and flavorful. I believe you can split the tacos any way you want, so feel free to try as many of their meat options. My wife had the enchilas and I had the paella. Both were amazing in their own right. Mine had a decent portion of shrimp and chorizo. Great char on the fajita vegetables. read more

Matador Tacoma - Familia Street Tacos for 4 - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Matador Tacoma definitely provides a CONSISTENT five star experience. This is a sit-down Mexican restaurant, and not just a taco shop. It is 21+ (woohoo!) I've been here multiple times over the years and I've never been disappointed. They do get busy and they have a waitlist where they will text when your table is ready. Alternatively you can find a seat at the bar (if they aren't all taken!). Servers are polite and attentive. The restaurant decor has a lot of iron and red. Actually makes for a somewhat gothic vibe and I appreciate it! It is tastefully done and sets the tone for an intimate meal. I have been disappointed by PNW style Mexican fare since I am a San Diego transplant. However, Matador whips up a mean baja fish taco that rivals my memories of SD, and margaritas that wash away my stresses of the week. They also have an extensive tequila menu which also includes mezcal and sotol. The main courses are very tasty, and perfect for a date or even a work dinner. They have happy hour daily from 4-6pm, and late night 10pm- midnight (1am Fri/Sat). read more

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The place is a vibe! Sadly to say it was a bummer that they don't specify it's a 21+ only place and we have a minor in our family so we missed out on the first visit. read more

We are back for our annual trip to Tacoma, and our first stop for dinner is Matador Tacoma. All I can say is, when you get to the bottom of your giant -- and I am not exaggerating, it is larger than any other plate of nachos I've had anywhere else -- when you get to the bottom of that plate and there's is still so much cheese that you have to cut the cheese string with your fork, THAT is the way nachos were intended to be. The chicken is moist and flavorful, and the pico, guac, and sour cream perfect accompaniments. The staff may be even better than the food. Our server, Ryan, was excellent. Warm and welcoming, attentive without being overbearing. Another terrific evening at Matador Tacoma! read more

The drinks are great here. Really good selection and quick service. The food was almost as good as the drinks. Get here early to get a decent table. Crowd can get interesting. Leave by 1030 to avoid that wild crowd. Great spot for happy hour or dinner. read more

One of my favorite happy hour spots. They have HH from 3-6 pm and have great food selections to choose from $6 or $7. Our server was wonderful and very attentive. Food and drinks and came out quickly. Always a great time here for a date night or hh with friends! read more

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I've been to the one in Redmond and it was good. Nothing that made we want to come back, but good. Our friends invited us for dinner here and this meal was better by far! It was so tasty. I could not stop eating. The location and parking isn't all that great but I thought it was worth the hassle. I would definitely go back. read more

Been coming to this location for years. And the happy hour food menu is awesome! The service is always great. And the atmosphere is very nice. Always recommend for happy hour read more

I went with a group for lunch, maybe not the best idea but the staff made it work! We sat in the bar, but still got to experience the atmosphere of the place - which was great. I always feel like Mexican food is one of the easiest yet most underwhelming food groups but this is the absolute exception to that rule! I had the lunch fish tacos - they were amazing. Perfectly crispy fish, without being overcooked, a great little slaw and some pickled red onions over the top along with a perfectly spicy sauce. Absolute perfection! They were served with Mexican rice and black beans and while I'm not typically a fan of Mexican rice, I can honestly say this was the best I've ever had. The slightly crispy edges took it over the line. I'll be back for a happy hour or dinner. It was that good! read more

They have removed the bacon cheese stuffed jalapenos from the happy hour menu. Another long standing HH item now gone. Really disappointing to see. My friends and I are long time regulars of the Matador and over the years, we have seen the happy hour menu shrink. R.I.P. to the southwest egg rolls, pablano shrimp, calamari, ancho wings, and now jalapenos. What's sad is that they aren't adding anything to replace what was taken away. The HH menu, once robust, now only offers a few good choices. What's next to go? The nachos? Matador HH used to be a great deal, but I can barely no longer say that. And this is a place that does not have any of their drinks on HH as well. I think it's time for a new spot. Thanks for the memories! read more

Great happy hour food. Great service and nice atmosphere. I wouldn't say it's authentic Mexican but still good. read more

Matador Tacoma - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Finally got back to the Matador. I travel a lot for work, my favorite restaurant in Tacoma! Always by myself and sit at the bar. Brittany was amazing! She was attentive to everything I requested, and she wished me the best as when I left for the evening. Best Mexican food and service in Tacoma by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Matador Tacoma - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Amazing food, drinks and atmosphere. We came down to hit some antique shops and needed lunch. I highly recommend this restaurant. Looking forward to coming back for happy hour. read more

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always busy... so get there early or make a rez. service is great. ambiance is dark and loud, decor is somewhat gothy very tasteful modern twist. parking in this area is always an issue so good luck! the menu is modern "mexican" not traditional but it is delicious. decently priced and large portions. i really enjoyed the braised carnitas and it was absolutely delish!! definitely recommend that. I've only been here one other time and had something that i don't really remember what it was but it was underwhelming so i was hesitant coming here again but delightfully surprised with the carnitas. my partner got a burrito and that was delish as well. they have an extensive amount of tequila! they also have a few beers on tap read more

Matador Tacoma - braised carnitas comes with tacos on the side - highly recommend! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Great service, we ordered the steak fajita and the ribeye elotes tacos which were exquisite! Shout out to our server, I'm not sure he's name but he looked like Joaquin Phoenix/ Morgan wallen; he was great! read more

Beautiful space, expert staff, unique margaritas... I loved this place! The chorizo + shrimp paella is delicious--very flavorful with a little kick of heat. Our server was very professional as well. Can't wait to go back! read more

We LOVE Matador. We come here every Halloween for our "date-a-versary" and it never disappoints. We come other times during the year too, and the staff is always friendly! The menu is very good and I haven't had one thing I hate. I would say happy hour is the way to go, thiugh, because you can get super cheap tacos, nachos, drinks, and other various appetizers! It is a pretty good authentic Mexican experience as well, and I always walk away full and happy Thank you Matador! read more

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