Interestingly enough, my first visit to El Sombrero came after a very candid conversation with a restaurant manager friend of Mexican decent. He had just taken us to our first visit to the Pasco Weekend Flea Market and toured us through some phenomenal hispanic eats. We relaxed over some delicious Oaxacan food and he began to try and answer my question: "Why do so many Mexican restaurants feature such low quality, assembly-line food and crappy margaritas?" He smiled and appreciated the candor with his agreeing nod. His explanation? He calls it the 'Azteca Factor' Essentially, these restaurants have degraded and dumbed food and ingredients down to what THEY THINK gringos want, based on what gringos USE to want. Disheartening, yet, not an answer I didn't suspect. Hmmmmm....it explained a lot to have this guy know where I was coming from and why I was confused. Pasco Flea Market vendor food was better than 95% of every Mexican family restaurant I've ever eaten at. It's a shame, because I think more of the general public would appreciate more authentic cuisine in this day and age of 'the foodie'. El Sombrero falls in line with most of the "American-ized equation", I'm sorry to say. My search in the Walla Walla area continues, as now, surprisingly enough, Pasco Flea Market has set the bar for the region, IMHO. El Sombrero prices are reasonable and as can be expected for a family restaurant. Portion-size: decent/good. Decor/ambiance: typical. More on the 'louder' side; again, falling in line with Azteca-shtick. Booths (mounted low and awkward) are set on both side of service aisle with very little privacy to conversation. I found myself speaking extremely quiet, as I could hear every conversation the couple next to us was having. This makes the comfort level a bit strained. Especially in a small town. Food was typical and run-of-the-mill. Lard beans. Lots of sour cream. Bleah rice. Bagged chips. Enough SYSCO products to ensure bulk discount ordering. The pictures on the menu of what I thought might be 'more adventurous dishes' looked lackluster, so were avoided. Maybe I'll sift through reviews here for specific recommendations on dishes. All in all, El Sombrero still rates a 3-star in comparison to what else I've experienced in the 'Mexican Restaurant' category around here. Our very warm and personable greet at the door was memorable and appreciated and staff was prompt, friendly and energetic. Here's hoping El Sombrero continues to raise the bar in a town that could use a flair of authenticity in the food. read more

Excellent meal during a road stop between Spokane and Portland. Generous portions. Flavorful meals. Very prompt service. Definitely a come back to restaurant! read more

We love this place. EVERY SINGLE TIME...its amazing!! Enrique is the best. He treats us like family and remembers the little things! This is our favorite restaurant by far! read more

This is one of those places that just keeps you guessing! Started with the chips and salsa and I must say they were very good. Then ordered some guacamole and not bad either. But when we ordered queso they said they didn't have any. What no queso?? Isn't this suppose to be a Mexican food restaurant? OK it wasn't the end of the world. I ordered a taco and enchilada and they were pretty good, actually they were real good. The beans and rice were both cooked properly and the food came right out. Service was great as well. But no queso.. read more

I found this place to be your typical Mexican restaurant. I went here with my friend despite the bad reviews on Yelp and was expecting the worst. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I got an Express burrito which tasted great and was the perfect size. We both got Margaritas which might have been one of the best I've ever had. All in all it was a good experience and I would come back. read more

El Sombrero - Good chips and salsa! - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

We met some friends at this restaurant for happy hour. Our friends knew something we didn't. you get a free plate of food if you order drinks. So if everyone at your table orders a drink, each of you gets a plate of food. You have 3 choices as I recall, and what I had was very tasty. I rated this 4 stars because it's incredibly economical and for the price the food was not bad. One plate of food was certainly enough to fill us up on top of a drink or two :) If you're looking for fine dining in this Mexican restaurant you won't get it. If you're looking for a comfortable environment, to share with friends and have a drink and a dinner, this is a really good choice. read more

Standard/basic Americanized Mexican chain food type restaurant. The queso was pretty blah, main entrees were decent. Large portions! My meal was enough for 3 meals. Very bright throughout the entire place. read more

We loved El Sombrero- we used to come every week on Friday. It was our tradition! Delicious salsa, piping hot food, fast service. Until i was doing my credit card bill a couple months later and saw that our waiter had stolen 10 dollars from us, saying that I had left a 20 dollar tip instead of 10. We haven't been back since. read more

We saw the good reviews and wanted to try it, but it left much to be desired. The atmosphere was fine enough. The service was great- very fast. BUT (and this is a big but) the food was not great. We had the 2 chimichanga platter and a taco salad. The meat in the chimi was bland and boring. The chimis were very greasy-fried. The taco salad was a boring dish as well. It was pretty much a boring bowl with some meat on bottom then a whole bunch of plain Iceberg lettuce and a tomato on top. No guacamole, no sour cream, nothing exciting. I even guessed it might not be a great dinner from the salsa and chips before the food came out. Would not recommend. read more

I have gone here two times with family from out of town.waitress was rude and never got appetizers like we asked food was cold had to send it back ask for more salsa never got any. Service has gone down hill. The owner was there But service not good.family was not happy and I wasn't either happy read more

I'm a suckered for a good chili rellleno, so I came here hoping for the real deal. Starting with the chips and salsa, it was a great meal. Good service and fast delivery of my meal. I'll be back! read more

El Sombrero - The rellleno combo plate - Mexican Near Me - Walla Walla, Washington

When I want Mexican food in Walla Walla, this is the place I go. The owners are super friendly and the staff are quick and pleasant. I used to get the shredded beef burrito which always filled me up. Then I switched to the bacon wrapped shrimp plate which is always tasty and comes with rice and beans ( which most of their dishes do). You can get the refried beans or black beans. Also, never ending chips and salsa! My only drawback is the selection of beers. Is it too much to ask for an IPA in a Mexican restaurant? read more

Met some local friends here for lunch. They have a very nice room with tables that seat 6 easily. Quick service, good food, and the husband loved their Mexican rice that came with his meal. read more

The food was gross :/ my mushrooms in the pollo a la crema were clearly old and our waiter kept forgetting about us. I asked for a side of sour cream and it has food crumbs in it like lettuce and cheese. And to make matters worse i spent a lot on this nasty food. read more

if i could choose 0 stars i would. horrible service and rushing to leave. do not recommend at all. and way over charging for disgusting food and alcohol beverages do not ever come here or waste your money for these nasty people. read more

Not sure what happened but our meals seemed smaller than usual and our ground beef enchiladas were totally dry, no sauce. Salsa was in small thimbles. Seemed like a money saving environment. Hope they are ok. read more

After 30 minutes to get a drink and a fight with the waitress about the wrong meal (twice) I think I would pass on going back. If watered down salsa and American Mexican food is what you want go for it. read more

I will never go back. Was looking forward to some tacos but I was very disappointed. I ordered crispy chicken tacos. What came were tacos in a taco shell out of a box, laying on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. One of the shells was torn completely in half and they were both so soggy that I could not pick them up. They must have been sitting in the tomatoes for awhile. I ate the tasteless chicken and left the rest. I would think that a Mexican restaurant would at least cook their own tortillas. I could have gone to Taco Bell and got a better taco! The waiter was nice enough and the restroom was clean and the decor was colorful but that's all they have going for them, IMO. The bf had a burrito and said it was just ok. I wish I would have taken pictures. read more

This restaurant is a favorite of mine and my family. Today there were six of us enjoying the friendly atmosphere, the delicious food, and the beautiful new building. We've eaten often at the old restaurant and that will continue at this gorgeous new structure. read more

The food taste great. I can't say it's the best I've ever had, but I'll continue to eat here. We had a long wait once, but management took the initiative to compensate our meal for the inconvenience. Definitely recommend the Cazuela (21+). read more

Jaime our server was unfriendly and inattentive. Did not even greet us. He walked up and said, " I am here to take your order." My chile relleno was the worst relleno I have had. The chile was canned and was wrapped with an egg wrap and not fried! No flavor in the beef taco nor the chicken enchilada. Terrible experience. Do not go here. read more

Was in town for a week . Ate at this place 3 times during that week . Paid with two different debit cards and once with cash . My card was charged for meal then charged an extra $60 each time on different cards . I have eaten here before and never had that issue . I feel like I was scammed to be honest . I will never eat here again . If u do pay cash or pay very close attention to your card statements read more

Omfg-Avoid! Worst Mexican meal I have ever eaten, Carne tasted like dry semiwarm liver was not juicy at all, meat was the cheapest cut and old. Poppers were straight out of the Sysco bag - horrible, unbelievably taste free, the refried beans tasted just like the guacamole which tasted just like the salsa, I thought I was on the Star Trek episode where the Aliens try to trick the enterprise crew into thinking that they are on the earth but everything tastes like nothing because they don't know what things really taste like. All they know is what food looks like through a telescope. Service was decent though because they made me another Carne Asada that tasted marginally better. read more

Any restaurant where I find a bone in a chicken dish where it's not supposed to be is not acceptable. The chips and salsa came right away. The server took my order but never even asked if I wanted something to drink. read more

Wow. I'm from out of town and have gone here for years while I'm in Walla Walla on business. Brand new building and it looks great. Fast and friendly service and the mini tacos were great. I'll come back again. read more

I noticed this place had a 3.5 star average on Yelp and 4 on Trip Advisor. I am leaning toward the Trip Advisor rating because 1: I was seated promptly, 2: order taken promptly, 3: food served in a reasonable time and 4: it was very tasty. The decor was typical of West Coast Mexican restaurants with heavy woodwork and lots of colors. What stopped me from giving 5 stars was the lack of follow-up by my server. He was a polite young man but once he brought my iced tea and took my order, the only time I saw him was when he brought my meal and my bill. I like to be checked on, even if I don't need anything. Perhaps a bit of training is in order. read more

The food was okay, but that was the least of my worries. My family and I reserved an area for a birthday party, and I did not even feel we could enjoy our time because we were being rushed to finish our food and go. They kept bringing us boxes for our food without even asking and staring at our table impatiently waiting for us to go. The head server lady asked me to even move my baby from the side of the table to cram 7 people in the booth next to us. Also, all the servers looked way too stressed and annoyed and I felt like our party was an inconvenience to them when they could have declined to the party in the first place. Would not go again. read more

Excellent food, great atmosphere, as authentic as Washington gets! The enchiladas were great the chips and salsa were fantastic!

Clean establishment. Quick, friendly service. Food came out quickly and was prepared excellently. Will definitely stop in again when passing through Walla Walla. read more

Enjoy going to this restaurant they have nice food and the people are always pleasant. Love their taco salad without a card is on top and they have good home-made sangria read more

My husbands eat at this place everytime he come to town for business which is about once a month. Fast service, it smells amazing and TASTE amazing! I went with him on a trip and tried this place bc he always eats there. I don't like Mexican but I really enjoyed this place. A varied menu with some pictures and complimentary chips and salsa when your seated. Recommend to anyone and everyone! read more

Your typical Mexican American fare. I'm giving it four stars because I really enjoy the ambience, the service, and how quickly the food came out. read more

Yummy margaritas. Enjoyed the enchiladas. Pleasantly surprised. Would definitely come back since the margaritas were cheap :)

We were told by the concierge at the Whitman Hotel this was the best Mexican food around. We wonder what he was comparing it to. It was subpar. The service was good, the employees were friendly. It is too bad the food didn't match. read more

Food was fairly mediocre and prices were not in line with what you get. Service was pretty good though.

I ordered the enchiladas and was very disappointed. No flavor other than salt. The rice and beans were very bland compared to the last time I ate there, I heard this complaint from others as well. Also it seems I might be the only one to say that I don't particularly care for the new building. While it is beautiful, I liked the darker, more intimate setting of the previous building. Stars are only for the staff, the waiter was very nice. read more

If you are Vegetarian, this is the BEST Mexican food you'll ever eat. The Vegetarian Enchiladas are first class...taste delightful, not spicy, eight perfectly steamed vegetables inside and a lovely light gravy sauce over top. Just superb. read more

Great place to go to when you're looking for quick, well prepared, exemplarily food. Service was very kind and had no trouble with my order

Just had dinner at El Sombrero with my wife. I have to be honest this was the worst food that I have had in and around Walla Walla. We went hoping to have a simple, tasty and light meal. My wife ordered the taco salad and I ordered tortilla soup. The salad was comprised of, from top to bottom, a bit of shredded cheese, sour cream, one slice of tomato, iceberg lettuce, barely seasoned ground beef served in a slightly burned tortilla bowl. My soup was flavorless and I mean flavorless it had no chicken flavor at all. There were a few pieces of chicken, crushed tortillas, a couple of pieces of flavorless canned peppers in a rust brown broth that again tasted like nothing. We were very disappointed and saddened to see that they are building a brand new facility, much larger, on the back portion of their existing space. My suggestion would be to get a chef and really work on the food before ever opening the doors. I wish I could say we would give them another try but it is a rather expensive experiment. read more

Good, dependable, friendly, large portions, and is always a good value. I love Mexican food and in my opinion, there are only two kinds here in the states: Good Mexican Food and Bad Mexican Food...this is good. read more