My wife and I recently located to Oly from Tucson - we were there for some 30 years... we have a bead on quality Sonoran food. We've tried numerous latin restaurants in the area since moving here, but just hadn't found our go to joint yet... until now! Service is attentive and super friendly! Ambiance is a classic south of the border vibe! Food... the tacos dorados and quesabirrias are absolutely top notch! Been hard to deviate from our two lunch favorites! This is really good home cooking!! We've been several times now and absolutely love this place! If you haven't tried 'em yet...do yourself a favor and check 'em out... lo mas pronto posible!! read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - Tacos Dorados - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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My new favorite place for Mexican food that's not on Olympia's west side. Some may balk at the self-serve chips and salsa, but I dig it. The chips were super fresh when I was there - they must have put out a batch moments before I walked in the door. There were three types of salsa, one red and two green (one mild and one spicier). All were tasty. It just so happened I was there during happy hour, so I sampled a few treats from the happy hour menu. The Tacos Dorados were awesome, so awesome that I know to order them immediately next time I visit. I also splurged a bit on the deep fried ice cream, which was very good. Overall, the vibe is fun, the service is very friendly, the prices are reasonable and I will definitely be going back again. Yay! read more

Chicken tacos for lunch with rice and beans is always an excellent choice. Nice ambiance and friendly service make this place a top choice any day of the week! read more

Really cute bar area! Outdoor seating too! Pozole is damn delicious. Enchiladas are great. Absolutely love that you get your choice of sides- the veggies are a hit and the black beans won't let you down. All the servers here are very fun and friendly. Oh- and they have Pacifico on tap! read more

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Friends recommended Equal Latin and we were not disappointed! Authentic Mexican-finally! Huge menu, orders cooked to your preference. Food was served hot, with generous servings of meat, and proportionate servings of rice and beans. We both left with a generous second meal. Not crazy about the self serve chips and salsa (ewww) but understand the convenience. Wait staff is friendly, helpful, personable! Without realizing we seated ourselves in the area to the left of the entrance, without AC, and on a 87* day.... It was warm and without much circulation. We learned there was great outdoor seating for next time! read more

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SUPER GOOD FOOD!! Like, really damn good! And the 3 different salsas for the chips are also very delicious. The atmosphere and cleanliness are both great. Bathrooms are fine and clean. We went back only two weeks after our first visit and will be back again soon! Very friendly staff as well. Nice selection of taps at the bar as well as alcohol to choose from. There is nothing I would change about this place! read more

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This is our regular weekend lunch place. My hubby and I go here for a little late morning buzz into the weekend. He always gets a Bloody Mary, and I the jalapeno margarita. I mean, I think it could be the best jalapeno margarita of my life. At least top three (and I've been to Mexico). They always accommodate my vegan diet. I usually get the veggie burrito but they made me street tacos last weekend. Strongly recommend! Every time I eat at Equal Latin, I feel the warmth of a full stomach and flushed cheeks, and the bite of jalapeno throbbing on my lips. It has created this association of always leaving warm, buzzed and satisfied. Thank you, Jesus for Equal Latin read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - Best Jalapeno Margarita you will find! - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Had lunch with a friend, we both had never been, and were pleasantly surprised. I like the bright colors of the restaurant. They have a cart when you go in with bowls of tortilla chips and several different salsa's to choose from, all 3 were delicious. Their burritos are large, but delicious! Our server was very nice and attentive, we got our order rather quick. Fresh and hot. I'll very likely be back to try some other items on their menu. read more

We found this restaurant by accident! We stopped in for a margarita and stayed for lunch! I had the chile renellos and my friend had the chicken enchiladas and both were delicious. Maria, the ownerand her brother were very welcoming. We'll be back read more

Clean, well decorated, nice staff. Love the owners story. Chip bar is fun. Margarita was good Loved the salsas although their red was extra sweet? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Delicious carnitas quesadillas! Street tacos were good but not the best I've had. Not very big portions. But that's ok! We don't live in the area so we likely wouldn't be back next time we're in town. read more

Funnily, I'm not really a fan of Mexican food in general, but there are about a half dozen dishes I love. As an 80 year old woman dining alone, one never knows how one will be treated as a sole 'elderly' diner in any restaurant. Not only am I always greeted with a friendly smile, but any reasonable special requests are always accommodated. This is a comfortable restaurant for singles, couples, or families with young children. read more

first time here & this is one of the best authentic mexican food spots i've had in my area! i def would recommend to try this restaurant! i ordered the shrimp enchiladas but i wanted them to be really soicy so our waiter offered to make them with their diablo sauce & omg they were SO good ! my husband ordered the carnitas burrito which came with avocado, & was very filling for him because it's quite big! the margaritas are also delicious ! the inside of the restaurant felt very authentic too! def our new fave mexican spot ! our waiter was very attentive & very friendly ! c: read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - mangonada Margarita (flavor) - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Love Equal Latin. Great food and great service. Love to chat with the staff. My favorite, the enchiladas, but the other offerings are always tasty. Plenty of good veggies. read more

Went at 11am on a Saturday. We had amazing service and delicious food. We had a mole chicken enchilada and chilaquiles. Place was clean and convenient to freeway. Self serve chips and salsa. read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - Chicken enchilada with mole sauce - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Service was great and the guacamole.... The best! I want to use profanity to explain how good it was, but I won't. Simply amazing!! Plus huge tv and college football was on. Great lunch choice! read more

Great food. Fair prices. Good service. Much better than expected. Very large menu. Wish there was better info on gluten free options. read more

While we absolutely LOVED the food and visited because this place has been highly recommended by a lot of people in our community, I think our next experience will be taken out. The florescent lighting inside is super bright and the waiter had to much cologne on that it was difficult to really enjoy our experience. read more

A friend invited me to this spot as my first time and I was very impressed. The parking lot can be a bit crowded and the bar area can be somewhat limited however the staff was awesome. My tacos were top tier and I think they make their own tortillas which is always a plus in my book. The interior seemed cleaned and put together nicely. I'd come back for the food. read more

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Came on cinco de mayo... Mole enchildas were okay but sauce was watered down. Normally love their food. Had the server Kiki, he said that we had to explicitly order happy hour margarita to get $4 off. That has never happened to me before. Usually when you order during happy hour the drinks are discounted. I asked him why we didn't get happy hour price and hé said oh those are different drinks but he was lying as I have been here during happy hour. If you are looking for somewhere to go for cinco de mayo, go to la patrona. Way better food, way better prices, and better service. read more

This place was not too bad. Service was nice and the atmosphere is relaxing. We were seated very quickly and the good did not take long to come out. Now they do have chips. But those are already pre made in the baskets and you just grab one and get your salsa from the salsa bar. This is convenient as you don't have to wait for someone to ask if you want more. But....? This also allows them to get stale sooner. After our second basket? Was a bit on the stale side and the replacement we grabbed was stale without a doubt. I'd still come back. The food was really good and so was the service. read more

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Equal Latin is the third business I've gone to at this location. One of the locations that's Meant a lot to me over my years in the Olympia area. Equal Latin ironically is ANYTHJNG but equal, if ANYTHING they stand out. Here's the first stand out, crazy clean interior and well executed with tasteful accents in the Millworks. (Molding/ trim etc) for once there isn't a lot of wall paintings or over loud Mexican music. From there I wanted to say the self service chip bar is an absolute standout with 5-6 unique dipping sauces for your chips, that YOU choose! No apparent limit to them. Our wait staff was extremely congenial and well spoken. I got the chicken enchiladas with mole, and my wife got the Chicken Mole with soft Corn tortillas. Both dishes We're thoroughly enjoyable without a complaint to Be heard from either of us on either dish. The beans had great flavor. Would have liked a bit more Texture but that's my own preference. My enchiladas were very good! My wife said her chicken was tasty but the chip bar set her appetite back a bit so some came home. This is a place I can't go back to soon enough. It was enjoyable and a great newer place to go to for Mexican food locally. Highly Recommended. read more

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Best in Olympia! We were there during happy hour! $8 margaritas, $6 tequila shots! Yes please! Food was great! Service was amazing! Place was spotless! A family of four and drinks for $80! We will definitely be making this our regular Mexican spot! Wonderful place!! read more

Great food, Great Service, and how can ya not love the architecture of the building! Our waiter was wonderful! I had the sopes - chicken - yummy! My friend had a margarita on the rocks and veggie enchiladas. She said they were both great! The only negative is finding a parking spot downtown at 5:30. Especially, in that area, it can be tough. I'm glad for the businesses, because that means they are busy!! I am just not currently, a fan of parking very far away and walking if I am alone. read more

I came here for dance classes. Haven't tried the food yet, but it smells delicious! Drinks are fantastic. Staff is very nice, friendly and professional. read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - a margarita in a glass - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

This is my first trip to Equal Latin and it was not a disappointment. I have driven by the restaurant for months, curious but not enough to stop. I work nearby and wanted to stop and grab a quick lunch and realized what I had been missing. I was immediately greeted by who I suspect was the owner. She was friendly in a way that made me feel as if I'd been coming there for years. Upon picking my table, I made a trip to the self serve chip bar where there were 5 different salsas/sauces for the chips. The chips had some light seasoning sprinkled over them that was delicious by itself. I ordered the lunch chicken enchiladas with red sauce. Some will not like it because it's not the gloppy, cheesy, canned sauce enchiladas of most "Americanized" Mexican food. The enchiladas were just a little on the spicy side if you don't like heat - I love spice and they were perfect. The sides I chose were rice and beans but there were many to choose from. The meal was fabulous and it has already become one of my favorite restaurants. While waiting for the food I read the owner's journey in opening her own restaurant. It was a true American dream story with her arriving in the USA with nothing at 16 years old. 24 years later and she owns her own establishment and what an establishment it is! It is a standout and I will definitely be back. read more

I wanted to take my family out for dinner to celebrate the new year and to give my dad's new wife a break from cooking. My dad and I have gone before for salsa dancing so the space is beautiful. Speaking of the face, I love all the pride flags. Seems super welcoming. We finally decided to try out the food as a family. The service was friendly and we loved that we can serve ourselves chips and salsa. We may have gotten like three baskets of chips. There were four different types of salsa and all four were amazing. I ordered the sopes based on our server's recommendation. My partner got the traditional burrito, my sister ordered the fried burrito, my brother ordered the enchiladas, my dad ordered the shrimp cocktail, and my dad's new wife ordered the quesadilla. We had a great time eating and talking. read more

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Yelp is incorrect. This is not solely a vegan restaurant. There is also not wheelchair entrance. The entrance is not suitable for even able bodied people. The food was good but eating in the restaurant wasn't a good experience. We loved going to the downtown location so tried the new location with family in town. The entrance is not up to code with the door opening onto the steps. The windows and door are all tinted or has an external mirror on it. It's very small inside. We went at 4:45pm on a Saturday and the main eating area was crowded and a few free tables. It was very loud in there and the sun shined in so it was hot. The service was terrible. Three separate people tried getting us a table. We were taken to a table with like ten menus on it and no table service. We asked for a children's menu twice. Just by the unattentiveness, slowness, and disorganization I knew we should have ordered food with our drinks but my group couldn't hear what I was saying because it was so loud. We were not informed about the chip situation. I guess it was/is self serve? Table service was also self serve. The salsas were not labeled. The wait staff seemed to not really care about anything. I wanted to order something that was on google menu for the restaurant. I showed a picture and I don't think they recognized it. It wasn't on the menu either. The menu was huge and overwhelming. Food was brought out and the portions were large. It all tasted good and we decided this place might be best as takeout. Once food was brought they pretty much forgot about us. Half our party went outside because of the terrible environment. It was still another 10-15 minutes for boxes and the check. We won't be returning. The restaurant is loud and small. Over half is the bar area which may have been a different experience but we had a child. We might get a carryout if they do that, though the entrance is an accident waiting to happen and made me nervous. read more

I always have a wonderful food experience when I come here. The chips and salsa bar is great as is the food. My go to has been the refried burrito as for the other that I have tried are the dry and wet burritos. As they were good my favorite has been the refried. For the food I would give a five star, however I will have to give it a 4 because the alcoholic drink is not the best. They recently relocated to their current location. Cute place. They were in downtown Olympia before then. The service has always been great. read more

Chipotle chicken and creamy garlic chicken. We both loved our dishes! So delicious! Loved the salsa bar! The service was great. Everything was great. Highly recommend! read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - Chipotle chicken and creamy garlic chicken - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

I like the place. It's family run and you can feel it. The food was good the one other time I visited about a year ago made it memorable enough to come back When I came in alone on a Saturday around 4:00p there was nobody at the front counter to greet. The two ladies behind the bar just looked at me.. zero greeting. I don't know if they were doing something other than talking to some patrons at the bar but i never was acknowledged. After about 10 minutes standing looking dumb. I decide to be bold and mosey to the front table right behind where the front greeter person would be. It's a bar table and the bartender would cover it. About five minutes later the lady bartender did notice me sitting there, she was one of the two ladies mentioned earlier. there was just a glare, a long glare of acknowledgment, but no verbal acknowledgment. About another 10 minutes later she finally zoomed by the table and says something in Spanish to the effect what do you want. I told her all in one hit what I wanted, a Dr Pepper and arroz con Huevas. I don't believe I could've made the order any easier or faster for the individual and she seemed to acknowledge so and then I never saw her again come to my table acknowledge me or anyone the more than a dozen times she walked by pacing or taking food somewhere. I am not sure my food was ever placed in to make but after about 30 minutes of more of waiting and eating some chips from the self serve chip bar. I tired of simply not being acknowledged for a half second that she knows any of us exist and just waiting and left. From what i could hear, there was apparently a big party in a room area on the far side of the bar. All i saw was endless food going to that area and zero acknowledgment of any of one in the bar area. i give lots of grace to anyone working in food service but to just ignore all else, not even a nod, not cool. Also, besides the two ladies out front in the bar area, one of the ladies boyfriends was there sitting at the bar and she made him a food runner for a moment(s). Then he would sit back down after each run. So it not like the main bar lady couldn't acknowledge other's. Also I counted 5 people in the kitchen area (i could see in from my table) and i would like to think at least one was a server for all else in the restaurant dining area. I don't know though, none seem to leave. Also know several other folks came in after me, over this time I was there and got such minimal attention at the bar area too. The older grandmotherly lady (who might own the place) was the other lady present and she tended to go hide a lot.. so I dont know After nearly an hour of all the above, sitting, waiting and such i just left a $10 on the table and left. Never got my food but did eat some chips and some water I went and got on my own. I probably should have left nothing but we all got a live. Not sure I will go again, I remember the food being okay and the restaurant has okay ambience but my time is worth something too. read more

Food was amazing! The carnitas were moist and delicious, the mole was on point! Place is cozy and easy to find. read more

Been twice now, once for lunch and then for a date night dinner. Both times I thoroughly enjoyed myself. They did a great job remodeling the place that was formerly a dive bar. Maria, the owner, is great! The wait staff are personable and attentive. Now for the food: love the self serve chips and salsa bar! Chips were fresh and lightly seasoned. The Chipotle salsa was my favorite. I've had the Tacos Carbon and beef taquitos. Both were very good but not outstanding. Growing up in Southern California, I know authentic Mexican food. This is more like American Mexican food, which is the norm here in the PNW, but they do it very well. Looking forward to trying more dishes. read more

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Outstanding food imo. Service is friendly. Not far off 5-fwy. This is my lunch stop going from pdx to Seattle. Worth the stop!

This is my first meal at Equal Latin since COVID. It will be my last. My standard technique to evaluate a restaurant of this nature is to order a chilie relleno. A chilie relleno is a chilie filed with cheese then battered and fried. Its simple but tricky to make. I make them at home occasionally. This product was filled with mashed potatoes and cottage cheese. When the waiter stopped by and asked about our food I pointed to my disassembled entre I asked what that white stuff in my relleno was. He told me. I told him I don't like it. HE LAUGHED. Let me say that again HE LAUGHED. After that insult, if I hadnt been with friends i would have thrown a SCREAMING FIT. I was so furious I unable to eat any more of that meal. Then because I was with friends I was anxious for my them to have a good time so we we ordered three different desserts, none if which were any good. That gruesome experience cost me $90. And, yes I even left an 18% tip. I don't understand why this restaurant is still in business. Oh, and the chips were not crispy. read more

Excellent service...decor and food.. feels like your in Mexico at a fun and authentic bar.. singing and laughing all around..

Came here almost at closing time but they took us in with a smile. We had a few drinks and they were good. I had the chicken tortilla soup and it was very flavorful and just hit the spot on a cold night. My husband had the pozole and he said that was yummy as well. They also have baskets of chips and those were good too. read more

Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar - Chicken Tortilla Soup - Bars Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Don't go there unless ur Mexican. They talk sh*t and over-charge you if ur not. Dude was ok. But I don't reccommend

WAY OVER-PRICED for what you get! The salsas are not nearly as good as they were when they opened, so maybe the staff is cutting corners now, and the chips were stale, the spinach enchiladas were barely ok as were the beans and rice, but the flan was utterly terrible and again, overpriced --so overall, sub-par and unacceptable. The last time I was at "Equal Latin" I had the chile relleno with what(?) mashed potatoes inside! Ugh. Was horrid. Lacked flavor so not sure why I returned. Thought I'd give it another chance... My advice at this point: Make them raise their standards. Go out of your way to "La Tarasca" (in Centralia) for anything and support them! It's excellent all around. I am not returning to "Equal Latin" this year. As mentioned, it's better to go to Centralia to "La Tarasca" or else in town to "Casa Catrina." It's no "La Tarasca," but is much better than "Equal Latin." Drinks are fresh and good there too. So, if "Equal Latin" actually cared, they would clearly step up their quality control. The only thing "good" there in my opinion was the remodeled "atmosphere.." The service was not bad either, but just so-so. I'd give it 2 stars if that crappy meal hadn't cost me alone $35! read more

absolutely delicious!! I'm a foodie and LOVE mexican.. i was a little hesitant because of some of the reviews saying the chips were stale// service was bad.. BUT DO NOT listen to those reviews! This place was a whole vibe! food was amazing, as suggested by other reviews (yelp & google) i tried the deep fried burrito... it was to die for... I also had a skinny strawberry margarita, and it was so light & refreshing!! This is my new spot for mexican! I'm so happy that we gave this place a shot! Chips WERE NOT stale and the salsa bar was to DIE for read more

Again! This time I had the chili verde with beans and vegetables. Oh those beans!!! Yummy food great salsas. Friendly servers I will keep coming back. Thanks read more