Let's start by saying, I have never seen another customer here. I think I am the only one who eats here. The waitress says they get super busy and have karaoke on the weekend, I went at what would be peak time. Still saw nobody but the staff. This is not a bad thing, it makes me feel special like it's my own hidden gem. I love the plate that has the steak, enchilada, and chili rellano. Also their salsa is fantastic, they really season it well so it is fresh and garlicky. Yum! read more

Cocina Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Not a very exciting exterior, but as soon as you enter, this place is nice! The owner greeted us with smiles. There is a large-screen TV and a nice full bar with 12 seats, which can accommodate large groups with a bar booth area. My daughter and I had tacos and nachos. The food was excellent. Prices are fair, in my opinion. They also offer space for bands, karaoke, etc., with a stage and a decent sound system. read more

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Came here for a private event - great food, decent drinks, kind staff, & the vibe of the place is par restaurant, part bar/lounge with the bar & mini stage. May come out during their regular business hours to see what their menu looks like! read more

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Super strange place. Whenever we're there it's empty. It also looks like part restaurant part club. It's odd. They couldn't make the drinks we requested so we ended up getting margaritas. They were okay, but nothing special. The food was also mediocre. On top of all that the service was awful. No attention from the server and there were things that we needed. Won't go back. read more

Went for lunch, place was completely empty but the service was great and the food was really good. One of the better chili rellenos we've had in WA. The ambiance is hard to describe, combo club, karaoke, floor show. read more

Hired them for catering. Ordered about 120 people worth of food with only 90 wedding guest total ( it was 90 degrees during my outdoor wedding) and they didn't leave me any left overs. Nor did they bring the proper dish ware or communicate about changes I was unaware of in the plan. They also showed up an hour and a half late and won't refund me a fair amount. read more

We went here for lunch before heading to the Tacoma Mall. It was empty one other group at a table so we were seated right away. The staff were very friendly and attentive, we had waters and chips and salsa delivered shortly after we were seated. The food was alright, the birria was very tender, it did same it came with consume but there want a cup or bowl of it brought out so that was a little sad. The fries that came with the carne asada fries were a little soft, it was well dressed but underwhelming. The cheese quesadilla was pretty standard as were the rice and beans. read more

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I just moved from Arizona and I was scared that there wouldn't be any good Mexican restaurant in Tacoma. I am glad I found this restaurant. The food is delicious and very flavorful. The staff is polite. I would recommend people to try this restaurant if they're looking for good authentic Mexican food. The location is very spacious and very clean. read more

Cocina Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Looking for a great Carne Asada? Enchilada? Chips & Salsa? Then head over to Cocina Mexicana in Tacoma. Located near the corner of S. 38th St & S. Cedar, you can easily miss this place if you're driving by. But if you're craving great Mexican food, then it's definitely worth stopping in to check this place out. read more

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So good!!! Best Mexican food I have had in a long time. Super great service. We will be back!

Not sure if this is the same people that had Casa Moreno, but I assume not as they scrapped the entire interior. I only ate at Casa M once and the food was good, but the service was terrible. They got my order wrong, overcharged me and then had an attitude when I called it out. I decided to try these guys and was not disappointed. The menu was simple, but there was plenty to choose from. Service was fast, but the place was dead, we questioned if they were even open as no one was inside on a Friday night. The food was served warm, not hot. I like my plate unbearably hot; it tastes better and stays hot longer. If you can serve my plate without mitts, it's not hot enough and that was evident by the cheese not melting on the beans. Listen the food was tasty and this is far better than Azteca, Tonala or Moctezuma. It's seriously far better than expected. I got two knocks for this place. 1), the temperature of my meal. 2) the fact that everything needed salt. That said, salt did wake up the plate and made a mediocre meal magical. I think if this place leans into their roots and serves well serviced plated served hot, word of mouth will generate a lot of business. These are hard working honest people, they just need to realize they don't have to compete. When you serve amazing food, people will come. read more

It says online it's open, and has a sign outside the door that it's open, but it wasn't. I made an order for pickup online. I went to the store and it was locked. Super lame. read more

Great Food!!! We loved the drinks! And some of the nicest folks taking care of you! We will be back!! read more

Cocina Mexicana - Combo #3 ‍‍‍ - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Stopped here on my way home from shopping, and was not disappointed!! I'm a big salsa snob, and I'm a firm believer that if the salsa isn't good the food probably isn't either. Salsa was perfectly seasoned and fresh!! Not too much spice!! I had the daily special, but can not remember the name. Everything was soooo good!! I can't wait to go back and try more!! Don't skip this place!! The inside was beautifully decorated and very inviting! :) read more

Cocina Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Found this small Mexican restaurant on a Google search. Wow!! What a gem. Food was great. Best Chile relleno I have ever had. If you are in the mood for Mexican food, go to Cocina Mexicana! You won't be sorry. read more

We randomly decided to check this spot out as we were in the area and hungry. We got 2 blended mango margaritas and 1 blended strawberry margarita while we looked over the menu. Nice and strong. So many items on the menu sounded good to us...and several items you dont normally see on a mexican menu, like the borrego (Lamb). Chips and salsa were given to us too. Salsa was good! The portions were HUGE!! We ordered the queso fundido to start. The chorizo was nice and spicy. Super tasty app!!! For entrees, we ordered the Chile Colorado, carne asada, and their chicken fajita special. All came with the choice of corn or flour tortillas. We all got flour tortillas and appreciate their extra effort in toasting their tortillas. The chile colorado: beef was super tender and sauce was tasty. The carne asada: it was tender and the grilled onions were perfectly cooked. The special chicken fajita: super tasty enough for at leaat 2 meals! Service was good! Our meals came pretty quick! Everything was super tasty! Im so happy we randomly decided to come. All 3 of us said we would def come back again to support this amazing minority owned small business. So many things on this menu!! And Authentic! read more

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Always loved this place. Have stopped by a couple times in the last couple weeks and it's been closed. Not sure if it's open anymore. But give them a call. Great food. Although I wouldn't depend on a rice-heavy dish... read more

Clean, nice staff, good food, and a pleasant atmosphere. Complimentary chips are always a good thing!

My husband and I walked here while he was getting his car serviced at Dodge, walking in we were genuinely surprised to see it empty. The food is absolutely amazing and very HOT! Being from arizona we've struggled finding good authentic mexican food in washington, but THIS! wow! I was drooling over the carne asada tacos!!! If my stomach didn't get so full from all their other amazing dishes, I could've eaten 6!! This restaurant definitely deserves more business, we will be coming back!!! read more

Went inside and was immediately helped, seated at the booth it was extremely clean, the entire restaurant for a matter of fact was extremely clean. Almost as if it was their personal home and they had guests over. They had a huge variety of Mexican meal choices but they were all simple and easy to get behind. The food came out extremely quickly and was HOT. It tasted so fresh and nice. Sadly this place did not have the business it deserved. My wife and I LOVED our meals. They were made so deliciously, all authentic Mexican food, I have been to Mexico many times and can attest. We will definitely be coming back and everyone that sees this place should give it a try, they will be happy they did so. read more

Love the service and food. Vibe is warm and cozy. The bar cocktail special is delicious!

Good tacos, good atmosphere, complimentary tortilla chips & salsa, what more could you ask for? I ordered 3 of their chorizo tacos. Each taco @ $3.45 (a little more than what I usually pay for at taco spots but there's a first time for every spot). They have a couple different meat choices for your tacos. To me, the menu is a pretty good size, about 3 pages long. The drink menu is amazing! As well as the bar service. I probably should've ordered an equal balance of tacos but since I love chorizo, I went ahead and ordered all 3 chorizo tacos. The only thing is that the chorizo was a little too salty, more than I'd like, but still immensely flavorful. With a little lime and hot sauce, you'd end up ordering more. The highlight for me with the tacos are the TORTILLAS OMG. Probably the softest tortillas I've had yet. Some taco joints have a bit tough tortillas and kind of chewy, but with Casa Moreno's tortillas, it's literally perfect. Soft, but still strong enough to hold all the content. And any of us taco lovers can appreciate that. This spot is a little easy to miss. It's right next to the Chevron Gas Station and the auto part store. Parking is decent, but you can expect this place to be packed on a weekend evening. You may think this restaurant is super small from the outside, but once you walk, it will literally WOW you. I did not expect the place to be this big when I walked in. Overall: 9/10 recommend!!! (: read more

Cocina Mexicana - Chorizo Tacos w/ Lime and Hot Sauce 9/10!!! - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Sorry guys. I think it's been tough given the amount of space you have and Covid. Your staff is excellent but, you are taking short cuts I ordered a shredded beef burrito. I got little pieces of overcooked steak? Flavor was good, but chewing on shoe leather is not my thing. Also, margarita for $14.95? I can still get off the bar stool. I wont be back. If you only cook a few meals a day during lockdown, then dont serve leftovers. Nothing special, except for the staff, cleanliness. read more

This is a family-owned restaurant with a full bar and karaoke, and is quite large inside. Service is great and food is amazing! I'm definitely going back to try their other dishes. read more

Cocina Mexicana - Carne Asadadelicious. - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I was craving Mexican food and I just so happened to be passing by this place. I was very impressed not only by how beautiful the restaurant was on the inside but also how delicious my burrito was. The tortilla was fresh, the Mexican rice was very flavorful and the chicken was very tender and easy to chew. I'm glad i found this place. read more

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Delicious Molcajete! Sauce and meats are really good! It's also only $23.99, cheaper than most Molcajetes at other restaurants which is a big plus. My only complaint was that we got two orders of it to go at night for my coworker and I, but the employee didn't separate them evenly. Meaning when we drove off, my bag was full of carbs, (two orders of rice and beans, tortillas and chips). His bag had all the meats! We had to meet up in another city to separate the order in our bags after we discovered the error. Maybe the employee thought my coworker and I lived together or something? But I'll still give them 5 stars for price and taste.... read more

This place is great! Came here around ~1:00 pm for a late lunch on a Saturday. To start I got a frozen margarita, it was made with fresh ingredients but it was just okay. I think next time I will try it on the rocks. As soon as we sat down we were greeted with chips and salsa. The chips were nice and hot, just the way we like it! For meals I got the tortilla soup, which is something I normally don't order but I was in the mood for something soothing and warm! It was amazing, it may actually become one of my go-to's here! It's warm, soothing, has avocado and the right amount of chicken and tortilla. My fiancé got the 2 dish combination. He ordered a burrito and an enchilada! That combination was also delicious. The burrito was slightly better than the enchilada but they were both great. They have a happy hour from 3-6 so we definitely will be back to go! This Update: came back and the on the rocks margarita is 1000% better. This time I ordered the chicken fajitas, they are also really good! Huge portion though, definitely can be split between 2-3 people! read more

So unexpected, this relatively new restaurant is a nice little Tacoma secret. The location doesn't do it complete justice because of all that surrounds it (car wash, Sherwin Williams). Though located in an apparent industrial area, the low light and casual decoration make for a solid escape for that area. The somewhat concealed location and ambiance is probably the best take away, with second place being the service. David, our bartender was timely and pleasant. He had great suggestions and arrived quickly with orders. The food, was the low point and that's saying a lot. We enjoyed the steak and prawns. Really great, simple flavor. It was the carne asada fries and fundido were unfortunately underwhelming. Overall great experience. I think it comes down to what you order. Enjoy the photos. read more

I am shocked by the number of good reviews of this place. The only positive thing I can say is the waitress was kind. Otherwise, it is all negatives. We ordered a chicken quesadilla, guacamole, and a carne asada burrito. The quesadilla first came out with cheese only. This was corrected, but when we tasted it, it was the most bland food item I've tasted in a long time. The chicken was definitely taken from a Fred Meyer rotisserie chicken... The sour cream was clearly watered down too. The burrito was even worse. Absolutely no flavor at all. The food was just a waste of calories. Not to mention, both items were $15+. The guacamole was $12 and was barely larger than a shot glass. Also, watery. Even the water tasted bad, like it came from the melted ice of a cooler. There are some places that should just not stay in business and this is certainly one of them. Please do not make our mistake and go literally anywhere else. read more

Very authentic I loved it ! They are also very fast. I've been looking for good Mexican food

Tbh I'm not sure why they have such high reviews, I mean don't get me wrong the waitress was super nice and all, not really attentive but super nice. The food was just bland (seems like there wasn't any seasoning in there) my husband had their enchiladas and it wasn't that flavorful. I had the camarones Al mojo and it was alright tasting. The strawberry margaritas were pretty good. We also got charged for a chimichanga combo? But only received a chimichanga (which is fine) she charged us $12.99 but it said it was $7.49 lol like I said she wasn't very attentive and probably wasn't paying attention. The chimichanga tasted very stale like they fried it a few days ago (and it was cold) idk how that happened but it did. We left and our stomachs were so sore, tbh I would not recommend. Will not be back for sure. read more

Came here on Cinco de Mayo. Walked in the front door and stood there for a while. No one was around. There we're about 4 to 6 people seated. They have a small bar which is cool. The guy came out and greeted us, sat us... And the hole time was yelling across the room at someone in the back. He sat us at a table with an old nasty water bottle already sitting at it. I say old and nasty cuz there was stuff floating around the bottom. Tried to order apple juice for the kid... Out Tried to order a tamal... Out Chips and salsa... Chips tasted hella old. Not stale but like they were fried in old ass oil. The salsa was ok. Not memorable. Kids cheese burger... Son said it was good. Chicken chimichanga... A la carte. Was delivered with rice and beans. Chimichanga was wet but good. Rice and beans were on point. Carne asada plate... It was good. Had flavor. Harchata... Milk. Looked like milk and tasted like milk. Ordered a plate to go and didn't get it. He forgot. Also forgot my tortillas. Has to have them make the to-go plate and re-do the final bill. Also never asked if we wanted refills. You really gotta flag them down if you want anything. Would have been 4 star if the service was on point. read more

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Came here for an early dinner for date night. Best Mexican food I've had in a long time. I had Chicken Fajitas and my husband ad the Chicken Mole. Everything was super flavorful and the portions are generous. We are both taking food home. Prices were average for a Mexican restaurant. Definitely our new favorite. read more

Cocina Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Having lived in Arizona for years, I'm a bit of a Mexican food snob. I moved up here and hadn't really found anywhere that hit the mark. On a whim, found this place and went. Came in on a quiet Sunday, and was promptly greeted. So happy I did. I've come a few times now and find it consistently great fresh food, great service. This is the kind of place my family and I will continue coming back to. read more

Cocina Mexicana - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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It was good food just not as fresh a vibrant as I expected. However the tamales I order were very delicious and moist.

Wow. Just wow. The interior is beautifully painted with murals and bright color pops. The molcajete was delicious and flavorful. Hubby had the super burrito stuffed to the brim. Side order of tamal in the husk were the best I've found in Tacoma, well seasoned chicken and almost fluffy buttery masa. We were the only customers the entire time we were there, which is surprising since the food was amazing! Service was on point with quick refills of drinks and chips (which were also light, crispy, and seasoned well). So glad we finally tried this place. read more

Cocina Mexicana - Molcajete and super burrito in background - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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We usually hit up Moctezuma's which is a sure bet. Decided to give this small place a try. One and done. Won't be back. Ordered Carne Asada which had rave reviews, but when dishes arrived pretty quickly, I started to get suspicious. Sure enough beans came spoiled which threw off the rest of the meal but even the meat was cooked unevenly. I've had much better food from food trucks. read more

Food was amazing! Best Mexican food we have had in a long time. Taste like TRUE Mexican food. Full of flavor!! read more

Cocina Mexicana - Food was the best Mexican food we have had up here in Washington. Full of flavor - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I've been wanting to come here for a while and finally made it a few weeks ago. There was another Mexican restaurant here prior to Casa Moreno which I also enjoyed and didn't know that they weren't around anymore so in that regard it was a bit sad to come back. The owners I believe have or had several Mexican restaurants over the years here in town. There was two incarnations of one on 6th Ave. but both have since closed so it was exciting to see another one of their restaurants open. I got their tamale which is meal size and not appetizer size. It was very enjoyable and I ordered rice and beans as well which also were good. Sometimes the refried beans at some Mexican places aren't that great but that wasn't a problem here at all.The chips and salsa that we got before the meal were excellent as well. I also got a Chile Relleno on the side which I enjoyed very much. Casa Moreno's is definitely a few notches above the typical Mexican restaurants in the area for sure! read more

This places is amazing and the waitress was even better, great food!! Definitely want to come back when I'm in the area :)