Visiting a customer from Los Angeles. To be honest, I was a little frightened when she chose this restaurant- Seattle isn't known for their Mexican food and frankly the Yelp reviews didn't help. Figured I'd get a quesadilla or something safe. The decor/ambiance is super casual and fun. We started with the guac and salsa. I was pleasantly surprised. Both were very good. The Cadillac Margareta was perfect - not too sweet or strong. So that made me brave and I decided on the shrimp enchilada. Wow. It's was great. Sauce was flavorful, not spicy but good. The rice and beans were good too. My coworker - also from CA, got the steak burrito and said it was great. Service was fast and friendly even though the restaurant was full. I really enjoyed the experience. read more

El Chupacabra - Shrimp enchiladas with Red sauce. - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This restaurant host a sense of alternative probably by the name alone. It has comfortable seating inside and out. With a polite staff. The food is American Mexican food. But don't let that stop you. For lunch/dinner the enchiladas are the go to! Don't forget to start with chips and salsa. The salsa alone is enough to stop by for Recently tried their brunch and was pleasantly surprised. With a little more authentic selections read more

See all

take out to hang at Ridgewood! tots were expected but omg that fish burrito was amazing. the fish was so crispy and flavorful I was so surprised. definitely the spot I'd go next time I'm brewing it up nearby. Food: 7/10 Value: 6/10 read more

El Chupacabra - idk what mexi fries are but these are tots to me - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

I've been going here for years! Not sure why they are rated lower than a 4 or 5! The burritos are huge and so good. All the delicious flavors all together in one wrap. Count me in! When I need a burrito fix this is my place! It's small inside so you may have to wait a bit. They also have an outdoor patio which is lovely when the sun comes up. I love their homemade salsas and sauce that comes on the burritos. Get your burrito wet! They also have happy hour daily from 4-6 & 10-midnight daily. read more

See all

Affordable & delicious, El Chupacabra's patio is a must on a beautiful sunny day. There are gluten free, vegetarian, & vegan options (dairy free cheese!), & my partner enjoyed his margarita. The neighborhood is walkable & very quaint. Definitely check it out! read more

See all

I usually start by reviewing food, but with El Chupacabra I have to start with the ambiance. I adore their big front deck, winter or summer. Seating (inside and out) is comfortable, and tables are spacious and far apart. This place has a rustic "old Seattle hippie" vibe that is so comfortable and relaxing. Great place to hang out with a beer or margarita. The food is old-school "West Coast Mexican." In addition to the usual burrito and taco offerings, they have crispy tacos, which can be hard to find in Seattle. The fillings have some non-traditional flavorings, but they're tasty because the ingredients are good quality. El Chupacabra is generous with their (three types of) salsa. read more

Turns out if you sit at the bar (as long as it's just 1-2 people), you'll have a better experience here. I still can't stand the layout of this restaurant, so when we saw how crowded the place was - both inside and out, we were discouraged we would end up seated in one of the dreaded tables near the pillars, so we took our names off the list and sat at the bar instead. We for sure knew we wouldn't be able to get one of the booth tables, and the empty bar seemed like the next best option, since I was so hungry and just wanted to eat. The bartender was attentive the entire time we were there, unlike the service we got in the past sitting near the pillars. Again, our chips arrived AFTER the tacos, which is so strange to me. The bartender must have noticed because she gave us guacamole with our chips and salsa when they finally arrived. That boosted my rating by up to 2 stars. The tacos themselves were lacking in flavors. I got one red chicken and one green chicken, when apparently I'm not supposed to order different kinds, but the bartender was nice enough to put in the mixed order. I had to dump a lot of the guacamole and squirt bottle sauces on the tacos. Thank goodness for those being available. read more

El Chupacabra - Happy hour chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

This place is fabulous and one of my go to places for vegan Mexican options locally. I've been to all the locations and am very sad about the closure of the Lake Union one. This location is closest to my house, but can present parking challenges and unfortunately I love many other food options in this neighborhood. The patio here is great for a nice sunny day, but because of this it may get crowded. The inside has a very cool vibe, but can feel a bit loud and cramped. I always forget that I should add this in to my brunch rotation. There is a twice daily happy hour. I love this place because it is especially great for me with a plethora of items that can be easily veganized. They have 4 different fake meat options (3 vegan), but I usually alternate between the mock green and red chicken. I love that they aren't skimping on the amount provided and that the fake meat does not come with an additional charge on most menu items. Do be warned there is a fee to add non dairy cheese or sour cream (tofutti). Of course you can get vegetarian Mexican food at a ton of places, but i's really nice to feel like you aren't having to miss out on anything with being able to enjoy meat, cheese and sour cream. The guacamole is delicious and my current favorite menu item is the chimichanga. Chips and salsa are an additional fee, but there are 3 delicious taco sauces you can sample to spice up your food free of charge. My non veg partner always enjoys his food as well. They always seem happy to make accommodations as requested. Service is attentive and there is a full bar. read more

We love this area of North Seattle and stopped by for a late lunch before a masked trunk or treat with friends. We wanted to sit outside and ended up waiting a bit for an opening-it was a sunny Saturday so we were happy to wait. Once seated, I got the bartender's margarita which was SO yummy. We enjoyed munching on chips and salsa ($3) while we waited for lunch. I got the carnitas chimichanga and it was delicious. The pork carnitas was flavorful and a little smoky and the beans that came with it on the side were great too! Some of the outdoor seating didn't allow for 6 feet between different tables (so we just sat farthest away from those tables) and our wait time to order and get our drinks and food was longer than the 2 other tables that were seated about the same time as us. Otherwise it's a fun and delicious place to go if you're in the area and want sit down Mexican! read more

El Chupacabra - Chimichanga (no sour cream) - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We love el chupacabra! As Seattle transplants, we have been searching for good, classic Mexican food for 4 years and this is our favorite place by far. Good price, good service. The enchiladas and fish tacos are fantastic. Absolutely recommend. read more

We really like this place. My fiancé loves their Beer Battered Fish Tacos. Says they're well cooked, the sauce it great and the tacos are not too busy with too many fillings. I tried their chimichanga with mock chicken and red sauce and really liked it. The mock chicken was juicy and added to the flavor of the filling. And our friend couldn't get enough of the hot chocolate! They also have a good bear selection. Definitely wanna try their margaritas next time! read more

We came here for a late dinner and the burrito bowl I got was so good! I'm vegetarian so it was a great option for me and my friends. They were able to get their faves, and I was able to get a bowl with plant-based steak. They had MORE THAN ONE meat substitute option which was crazy to me! I will definitely be going back to try their other vegetarian options, and know my partner will have plenty of great finds there too! Oh, and they let us hang out there for a long time and play card games since it wasn't too busy. Super kind staff! read more

El Chupacabra - Vegetarian Burrito Bowl - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great late night option; we stopped by for dinner around 9:30pm (they're open until 11pm, thank goodness). Food was okay but largely flavorless and a bit dry. We ordered enchiladas and chimichanga. I needed lots of sauce and extra seasonings for the food to be palatable tbh. They got my order wrong but otherwise the service was great. The hostess who also helped serve was awesome, especially for a relatively busy night. Everyone was kind and smiley. Solid 3.5 star place. Mediocre food but happy to have a late night weekday option at hand. read more

First of all, YUM. The food and drinks here are classic Mexican fare, from the margaritas and nachos to the delicious burritos and enchiladas. The service is fantastic, and my group really appreciated their "checking in without hovering" approach. We ordered burritos, nachos and tacos, all of which were delicious. El Chupacabra is sober friendly, serving non-alcoholic beer as well as a good variety of lemonades and sodas... but the drink menu is nearly as expansive as the food menu, so there's something for everyone. Overall, a fabulous place to meet friends for drinks and shareable bites, and huge portions. A couple of small concerns: the menu is a bit confusing about what is and isn't gluten-free, and while they can accommodate the gluten-sensitive, I don't know that I'd recommend this spot for those with celiac disease. We also were divebombed by a pesky yellow jacket, which was definitely not their fault, and which they were very cool about helping us remove. It didn't sting anybody, so no harm, no foul. read more

It PAINS me to have to write this review, but I have given this place so many opportunities for redemption that just never came. In my experience, it is almost guaranteed that something will go wrong with the bill, the food, or the service. I'm vegan, so when I moved to the Greenwood area, El Chup was the first place I wanted to try. I ordered a burrito with mock green chicken and vegan cheese. And guess what - they gave me CHICKEN that I ATE before realizing it. I'm not a psycho and I understand mistakes happen, so I politely asked to have my burrito remade. Easy fix. My issues with the bill include charging for sauce or sour cream that I never actually received, on at least 2 occasions. Again, no biggie, just slightly irksome. I continued to frequent this place for the vegan options and the margaritas (yum, I love the strawberry one). I increasingly began to notice with each visit that the serving staff must hate working there. I have never encountered so many disgruntled servers in one restaurant. There is one in particular (I'm sure she knows who she is) who makes me feel as though serving me was an inconvenience or annoyance, on more than one occasion. It should go without saying that I am very empathetic to food service employees, but I just cannot understand the extent to which some servers here make their customers feel unwelcome. *note: 2 stars are for the cutie bartenders and bussers - who I have never had a bad encounter with. Finally, my experience last night may have turned me off this place (at least as far as ordering off the food menu) for good. I arrived slightly later than the rest of my party so I asked for a water from our server twice, before I eventually ended up walking up to the bar to ask for one. I ordered vegan nachos with mock green chicken and vegan cheese. My nachos came, but with mock steak instead of chicken. Server offered to have it remade but I was open to trying it since I never had before, and it was actually delicious! The mock steak was crispy and the nachos are so yummy and come in a huge portion. Then, at 2am, my body woke me up from my dead sleep to eject the nachos from my body. After reading other reviews, it looks like I was not the only person to get sick from food here. I am incredibly disappointed. This neighborhood spot has such charm, with the patio available to enjoy year round (they have heaters), fun decor, and pretty solid vegan options. I'm hopeful that with eventual staff turn over, better kitchen standards, and perhaps a new approach of management, this place could be incredible. Because of the convenient location, I could see myself returning to the bar for margaritas, but I don't see myself risking becoming sick from food here. EDIT:!!!!!! I cant believe i forgot about this but one time my friend was eating and pulled a hair out of her mouth :/ read more

This place is my jam. I CANNOT resist a good quesadilla, and this place always delivers. I've tried it with pretty much every meat know to man...they can even do mock chicken or steak. Still amazing every time. El Chupacabra also makes a delicious scratch margarita when you feel like being fancy. Outdoor seating is nice in the summer. One of my go to places! read more

This place is always busy + parking is a pain. That said, the food is good and I like the options for vegan cheese + GF dining for our friends. Our first visit we went for lunch. He ordered beer battered fish tacos with cabbage, homemade white sauce, and pico. I opted for the pozole. The soup was excellent and full of pork, hominy, celery, carrots, onion, and slices of avocado. Tacos come three to an order and you can order a single if you prefer. My companion was still hungry after his three so he ordered an extra one with carnitas! My second visit was with a friend who went with their veggie tacos. She said they were delicious - packed with veg (lettuce, whole pinto beans, onions, avocado slices, and black olives) plus rice. They have a variety of meat and non-meat options: carne asada, chicken verde (green sauce), chicken tinga (slow simmered in red sauce with and roasted tomatoes, carnitas, al pastor, plus fake meats from Morningstar and Gardein. Items marked with initials can be made vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free. Daiya vegan cheese can be substituted for an up-charge on certain dishes. Our server told us that we could buy salsa to take home. I nearly did because that chipotle, garlic, and pineapple salsa is addictive! read more

Absolute must try. I'm usually never 100% satisfied with wet burritos that I order from other restaurants...but this place absolutely changed that. The meat was tender and they give you the right amount of sauce (what's even greater is that you can have both red and green). Definitely a place you won't forget flavor-wise. read more

El Chupacabra - Small, Pork Carnitas, Mission Burrito with Red & Green Sauce - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My wife and I stopped in here for a quick lunch. We split chips and salsa and a carnitas burrito, both were excellent. It's a great vibe in here with plenty of tables, a nice bar, and cozy fire place. The Halloween decorations were also on point! Our waitress was very friendly and helped us decided on our burrito. We will definitely be back! read more

Came in on a Friday afternoon when it wasn't busy. No wait when we got there. Ordered two scratch margaritas which took almost 30 minutes to arrive. The drinks were tasty but small. The guacamole is flavorless. Likely won't be back. read more

I'm not sure what was saltier, my pozole or the server. Anywho, large portions, decent price and we were grateful they were open later on a week night. read more

5 stars for service and location/ambiance, food is bland as fk tho, 1 star for that, but what should I have expected.

Racist AF. I whole ass work down the street AS A BARTENDER and they would not let me sit inside to drink a cup of tea before my shift. Very rude staff - Stephanie, Cedar, and Jamie. Do not know what their deal is but I will never go here and let everyone I know know. Crazy that they would be racist to an AfroLatinx woman when the restaurant theme is a fake mexican experience complete with knockoff artifacts??? Quite interesting...... read more

Great decor and atmosphere. Service was on point. The food wasn't exceptional. I ordered the torta and the flavors were too subtle. read more

See all

Love this place! First time there. The food was good, fresh and pretty reasonably priced. Something for everyone. I had 2 tacos (one beef and one fish). My friend was super happy as they have a lot of vegan options. It's a nice place with a touch of dive bar. read more

El Chup is a solid stand-by for big ass burritos and good all-around Mexican food. It may not be the very best or most authentic Mexican food I've ever had, but the value here is for real (they do not mess around with the size of their burritos) and the quality is pretty high. Their chips and salsa are super tasty, and they've got a great selection of Mexican beers on tap. Their patio is a also great place to hang out for lunch or dinner in the summer, and they've got heaters for when it gets a little chilly. Overall, definitely not a poor choice for a meal in the Phinney area. read more

El Chupacabra - "Small" burrito, smothered with half/half (the small is enormous) - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Vegetarians, you're in luck. They'll make almost anything vegetarian or vegan, and always delicious! My go-to is the Morningstar crunchy tacos, but they have a wide variety of meat substitute options. Everything on the menu goes well with a margarita ;) The atmosphere is neighborhood chill meets Dia de Los Muertos. I like to sit at the bar, but the outdoor patio is covered and heated for Covid times or just a rainy day. I've been living on their takeout, which they have dialed in. read more

The margaritas are fantastic and will definitely be coming back for more. I would say the food is average, but I'm also picky about my Mexican food. I don't think you'll be disappointed though. The service my second time there was lacking. It does get busy, so they ask you to leave your number so they can text you. They even encourage walking around and just coming back once they call or text. We did exactly that. We decided to come back after 15 because we had not gotten a call or text. They told us that they gave our table away. No call or text. I even showed them my phone and told us we would have to wait another 20 or so minutes. One of the servers has the nerve to tell us that we shouldn't have left, even though it was their recommendation. No apology, nothing. I even heard the servers talking about the situation negatively as though we couldn't hear them. I will be coming back because it is a cute little place but I highly recommend thinking about how you treat all customers, not just ones you like. I don't think you were professional and an apology should have been given right off the bat. That was truly what would have made the difference. Once seated we didn't treat you rudely, we asked for things nicely and tipped you. All we wanted was to be treated like anyone else there. Again, treat this review as a one time thing and I hope that my other visits aren't like this one. This place a great to check out if you are looking for yummy drinks and great atmosphere. read more

Had lunch today on the front deck at El Chupacabra. Quite pleasant on a nice day to be outside. The overhead heaters kept us toasty. Two of us ordered tacos. I had fried fish, chicken and shrimp tacos. My friend had the same except grilled cod instead of chicken. The only taco that either of us liked was the fried fish. None of the other tacos had much flavor. Actually I think just going out for fish and chips instead would be best. My niece had a small mission burrito, wet, with carne asada. She enjoyed it a lot. If you do go, the mission burrito is my suggestion. I walk by this place very often. Usually it's pretty busy. I'm not convinced exactly why, but more power to them. You always want small businesses to succeed. However I doubt I will return. read more

The service is terrible. We had a party of 8 on a Wednesday night, got there at 5:30, waited for an hour for a table, only to find out that the hostesses weren't talking to each other and seated people in parties of 2 pr 4 before us (making the promised table of 8 impossible). Claimed they called us and we didn't answer. .. we were literally standing in front of the service stand. They could see us clearly. One person said, yeah I got the number wrong. Member of party who wa there first said, yes I know, I gave you corrected digits. Staff suggest we sit inside. So we finally decide to sit inside and are told they won't pu two very movable tables together and if we want a table together we have to wait for an outside table. Again! Left and went next door to the Thai place which ended o being awesome. Very rude and disorganized staff. read more

Very interesting decor, the lighting is super dark and they play pretty good music. The staff was very kind and welcoming my issues unfortunately came with the food. Overly salted. Pretty limited selection as well. If you're a latino in Seattle looking for some comfort food this is not the place to go. Again, the only good thing about his place the employees. read more

The chips and salsa here are the best I've found in Seattle. The food is pretty good, it's a fun place to meet a friend for beers but also family friendly. read more

See all

Was excited to try this place but we didn't get a chance to. We asked to be seated and was given a time frame, we were ok with the wait, asked if sitting indoors was an option, and were told "it get kind of muggy inside" and were better off outside. Following which and employee suggested we might want to check out ANOTHER establishment down the street that can "accommodate us." The staff was rude and disrespectful! Will not recommend this place to ANYONE! read more

I was so excited to try out this restaurant. When we showed up for dinner, we got seated pretty quickly but after that, it took about 15 minutes for anyone to show up with menus and/or water and when the waitress did come over, she already had chips & guacamole (which is not free!) so we felt obligated to take it as she rudely said "you didn't order this??" When we had yet to even have anyone come to our table. Whatever - slow service, rude waitress, we can deal & wouldn't write a review for that. But what was the WORST is that my husband got FOOD POISONING from undercooked chicken in his burrito!!! As I was eating my quesadilla I noticed some of the chicken seemed off so I stopped eating it. He continued eating his burrito and got horribly sick a few hours after we left the restaurant. With all that being said, I am so bummed because I've heard great things but 3 strikes and I'm never, ever going back here. There's tons of restaurants in Greenwood so I say save yourself, your money & your stomach to head there. read more

Such a fun spot! Great location with amazing alternative ambiance. Décor drew inspiration from Mexican folklore and added its own unique punk/grunge flair. Food was incredible, super flavorful and good sized portions. Servers were all friendly and I can tell self-expression is encouraged. Awesome experience and I can't wait to go back! read more

Fine. Nothing special. Meat can be a little tough. Their margaritas are horrible. Gorditos and Tequila Taqueria are better value, cheaper and tastier. read more

Ah...Maze...Ing! This is what Mexican food is supposed to taste like! Moving to the PNW, from California, means a never ending search for AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD! El Chupacabra is like hitting the JACKPOT! Keep being awesome! read more

See all

They mess up our order a good 50% of the time. We're done eating here. We usually get food to go so we don't always notice there's fish in our vegan burrito until we get home and take a bite. The person who took our order was very friendly. read more

El Chupacabra is a hit or miss place. Typically the food is decent and the staff is sub-par. The redeeming quality is the variety of vegetarian and vegan foods, which makes this a good choice for groups. The guacamole, tacos, and burritos are definitely worth having. The vegetarian meat substitutes are great. read more

Terrible ambience and burritos no better than what you'd get at Taco Del Mar but at twice the price. They didn't even include salsa with the chips that were haphazardly thrown onto our plates. We ate at the restaurant but my burrito was wrapped in foil (just like Taco Del Mar). When you're charging $15 for a burrito, why wrap it in foil? Where's the presentation? Also, I never saw this bar/restaurant as a family place, yet there were loads of children running amok on the patio and screeching so loud it was hard to carry on a conversation. Parents learn to tune it out, but when you don't have kids that's hard to do. If you want a good burrito, I suggest Gorditos but their hours are inconsistent. It's hard to find good Mexican food in Seattle. Any suggestions? read more