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La Cocina & Cantina

3.5 (436 reviews)
Closed • 3:00 pm - 10:00 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

Order La Cocina & Cantina Takeout or Delivery

La Cocina & Cantina Photos

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LA COCINA & CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - La Cocina & Cantina

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Half 1. 1/2 Chicken
Elise P.

I always get great service when I come here. A lot of times I mostly come for drinks, but on the rare occasions I do eat here I'm pleased both with service and my food. There's nothing more pleasant than sipping a raspberry daiquiri on their patio on a hot sunny day.

Guacamole and chips.
Kesia G.

I stopped in today for chips and guacamole. The owner was friendly and even included a few salsas with my order, which I appreciated. The bill came to $10, and I tipped $5 for a total of $15. When I got home, I was shocked at how little guacamole I received -- barely 3-4 bites -- next to a container overflowing with chips. What made it worse is that the owner looked right at my order before handing it to me. If I had been dining in, I'm sure the portion would have been more reasonable. For the price I paid, this was really disappointing and felt careless. Not impressed, and I wouldn't order guacamole here again unless the portions are made fair.

Pork tacos
Jennifer H.

Stopped by here after an event nearby at a wine bar. Needing some dinner, my friend and I saw this place and thought Mexican sounded perfect. They do have happy hour and a large regular menu to choose from. I really liked the ambiance here, with lots of art and fun decor. It felt very low-key and family style. Prices are pretty good too. I ended up with 3 tacos with pork. It was seasoned really well and had a good amount of filling. We also received complimentary chips and salsa! The service was very friendly although we were indecisive so she had to return a couple times until we were ready to order. The waitress was pleasant about it though!

Shrimp tacos with beans and rice.
Ken K.

I've been coming here since 1996. I've had everything on their menu at least 10 times and it's easily my favorite Mexican Restaurant in Seattle. Came here today for lunch. Had the shrimp tacos. Spot on as usual. The staff knows me well and always greets me with a huge smile. I will continue to frequent this establishment until I can't make it up to the hill any more.

Paulina H.

This place is AMAZING!!! Their drinks are HUGE and the services are the BEST. I have been to this place a couple times and always get to feel tipsy! I got a super mango daiquiri! That drink gave me a brain freeze! Haha so make sure it warmed up a bit (the slushy melt) then drink it! I also love their beer! It's in a huge mug too! I ordered half chicken and I did not expect it was actually half chicken! Haha I was expected it chop into pieces for me. But anyways it was really fun to rip the chicken and enjoy this juicy chicken! They also offer hats and special hat for my special girl! She got a free dessert! I highly recommend this place if you want cheap food and cheap drinks! I love their happy hours!

"Street tacos"
Alisa P.

Yummy drinks and food but they totally failed me on my street tacos! Got them to go and didn't know until we arrived at home that they didn't include anything but meat and tortilla. Sadness

Happy Hour Wings ($6.95), Chips & Salsa, Guacamole
Wendi K.

Stopped by for late night happy hour. Fun cantina-like vibes, reminded me if the cantina bars in SD :) Complimentary Salsa and chips are always welcome note: *happy hour prices listed below* House margarita ($8.95) was okay very sweet and clearly from the mix. The wings ($6.95) were a nice snack Guacamole (menu lists seasonal price and I forgot what the receipt said) was fine The staff member helping us out seemed slightly confused. Don't like how the house marg was pushed on us when there was a better margarita available

Chimichanga Dinner & 2 Item Combo Tacos
Sapphire L.

Go here if you're ever in the mood for very authentic tasty Mexican food! The food and drinks are sooo delicious. Next time you're in I recommend ordering the virgin pina colada and trying the shredded beef chimichanga or the mole chicken bursting with flavor in every bite. This family owned restaurant has amazing attentive service. The rice & beans alone take me on a journey back in time to my grandma's kitchen, I highly recommend if you're ever in the mood for drool-worthy & authentic Mexican food you can find it here in the heart of Capitol Hill.

Julia L.

Worth a try. Staff is really nice, and it's a really good deal. I ordered the 3 item combo and two fish tacos, and it was way more than enough for 2 people. Just the combo would have been enough. Downside is I did get a piece of plastic in my fish taco. Not a big deal to me, but not great.

Combination - chicken burrito & Chile Relleno

This was my first time dining here. The service was excellent. It gave off family vibes. My piña colada was bomb. The combination I got was a chicken burrito and chile relleno and both were SO good. The salsa on the chile relleno and burrito was so flavorful. The music playing was on point. Bar area very relaxing and nice. Everything was wonderful and I'll be returning here for sure.

me n my fricken chicken

Amazing food. Alma, our server, was the best!!! So nice. We had a great time. The chips and salsa were very good.

Chile Colorado

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4 months ago

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4 days ago

La Cocina and cantina is a lovely family restaurant that has bus Capitol Hill for decades.

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1 year ago

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10 months ago

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6 months ago

Great food, friendly service! Great margaritas for a good price! Love coming here on a sunny day or for their taco Tuesday deals

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4 years ago

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Page 1 of 11

Ask the Community - La Cocina & Cantina

Will they bring back the buffet?

Sadly, no. 😢

What are the days and prices for their lunch and dinner buffet?

Hi Kalpana, the lunch buffet price is currently $11.25 and the dinner buffet is $14.50. I love this place and was surprised more people hadn't yelped the menu and prices either. Enjoy!

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Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen

Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen

4.5
(449 reviews)
2.7 mi
•$$

What a relief that this place simply re-located from its old spot in UW, instead of shuttering its…read moredoors! It would be such a disservice to the community here if it were to disappear! Anyways, we stopped here for a quick bite, since it has a very unique Venezuelan arepas that you cannot find anywhere else in the city. We got the sifrina and the Seattle arepas, and the portions were ridiculously generous. The shredded beef and the cheese filled up the fluffy yet crispy arepa shell, which was a delight to eat. It also has a row of different sauces to try on the table we sat down, which made the whole experience more fun. Trying out chipotle sauce and comparing it to garlic habanero sauce was just added an additional layer of fun to eating it in the restaurant. The service was quick and helped us answer how they were prepared. You couldn't ask for more at a place like this. The vibes in the restaurant also definitely improved, since the last location. Much cleaner and more spacious. With the ample parking spots nearby too, it should be easy to access this location from now on. At any rate, amazing Venezuelan arepas place. I'd recommend if you were hankering for a good Latin American food place. Or if you needed some hangover curing greasy food!

It's been long I had good Arepa. I tried a place in Factoria mall in Bellevue but that was pretty…read moreaverage. I discovered Arepa several years back in Raleigh in NCSU campus and always felt that's the best Arepa I ever had. But then comes this place which absolutely set the bar even higher. Their Arepas are really good - given I just tried a black bean Arepa - no meat. I loved it. I also enjoyed their sauces and it is just fun to experiment with different sauces and enjoying the flavors. I won't be surprised if all their sauces were housemade. My friend got Chicken Empanadas and this was first time he was having Venezuelian food - he really liked it. We also tried Flan - it was okay. You probably don't want to try lot of desserts here. Ambience is pretty good here. Loved the dining area.

Photos
Dining area
Dining area
Pabellon (shredded beef, fried plantain with mozzarella cheese)
Pabellon (shredded beef, fried plantain with mozzarella cheese)
Pabellon arepa

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Pabellon arepa
Un Bien

Un Bien

4.7
(1.6k reviews)
4.8 mi
•$$

this sandwich was highly impressive as the main part of the…read moresandwich, it was pretty necessary that the pork be cooked to near-perfection, and i have to say it was here it gave off a deep, brown-ish color, which showed the extent of it's cooking and marination. It wasn't quite incredibly tender, but the marinade added an absolute ton of flavor. more importantly, it was present plentifully throughout the sandwich, so practically every bite came filled with pork I also have to mention how packed together the ingredients are between the buns. when you start eating, it's inevitable that a quarter of the ingredients will fall onto the wrap below, leaving a nice secondary meal to finish off after the sandwich is done. the sandwich is packed incredibly tight during the wrapping process, but it unravels a bit while eating. for me, the major highlights of this meal was the onions and the aioli Starting with the onions, these may be the best I've ever had on a sandwich. They're caramelized amazingly, placed onto the sandwich in astoundingly large pieces, are crunchy, and there's just a lot of them. They're just wonderful both texturally and taste-wise. This sandwich is absolutely lathered with aioli - practically dripping with it. This boosted the overall flavor so much, especially because this aioli was addictingly good. In my experience, the amount of sauce has been directly proportional to how much I enjoyed a sandwich, and when the sauce is this good - it's even on the top of the bun! - i absolutely loved it Somehow the lettuce stayed crunchy despite all the otherwise wetness going on in the sandwich. Props for that The jalapenos were great as well for that extra bit of spicy - I would've loved to have more of them while the bread was toasted well, the one downside was i thought it was pretty hard and tough, which made chewing kind of difficult. I found my jaw to be pretty tired at the end after eating this. I would've much preferred a softer roll that's easier to bite into I've had similar sandwiches from Paseo and Bongos, and in my opinion this does edge out both of those Comparing to Paseo, the sandwich there has way more oil, making it more sloppy and I do like the bread there a lot better, but the pork feels richer and better marinated here (although less fatty), and the onions are definitely caramelized better here as well. Bongos has a pretty similar level of pork with more, but onions are definitely a step down What moves this place above those two for me is the amount of aioli used here far exceeds those other places, which just makes the overall eating experience better For the price (about 14 dollars) this is a really filling meal

Messy, pricey, totally overrated…read more My family and I visited Un Bien and arrived approximately 45 minutes before closing. We ordered promptly, but were told we would only have about 10 minutes to use the seating area before it closed. When we asked for clarification because the restaurant was advertised as being open until 9:00 PM, staff confirmed they were open until then but said the seating area would close earlier anyway. After receiving our food, we were told not to sit down and were asked to leave the seating area altogether. The interaction felt abrupt and discourteous, especially given that we had arrived well before closing and had purchased food with the expectation that we could eat on-site. The food itself was average, but the poor customer service and inconsistent messaging about seating left a much stronger impression than the meal. There are other better places. Skip.

Photos
Seating area
Seating area
Spicy scallop - so yummy
Spicy scallop - so yummy
Caribbean Roast

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Lenox

Lenox

4.5
(110 reviews)
1.4 mi

How have I been sleeping on this place??…read more Just got back from an awesome Friday night at Lenox, highly recommend. Food: We were thrilled with everything, including the beef empanada they sent out just because. Mofongo: prawns with mashed plantain and a broth to die for Pollo al Carbon: chicken with the right amount of smokiness and sauce Coco Greens: hands down some of the best greens and potlikker we've ever had Tostones - couldn't stop eating these Red Beans and Rice - perfectly cooked Service: outstanding from the host to our server Marcus to all the staff. It's friendly, comfortable and fun Ambience: Most of the tables turned over during our 6:15pm dinner but we were never rushed and while the restaurant was full, it never felt too crowded or loud. All ages were there on a Friday night from families to millennials to older couples out on a date. Fun to see such good food uniting everyone. We will definitely be back!

I was extremely excited to try this restaurant with my partner but the food was not good at all…read more The food is insured by Cuban and Puerto Rican/Nuyurican dishes. I have had my fair share of visits to NY but clearly need to trying the PR food there and also need to prioritize going straight to PR as well. Ive had the food in Cuba and this was nothing close to that so, let move on. We had the Pollo al Carbon, Coco Greens and Hushpuppies. For drinks we had the Rhude Boy and Sandia. The Pollo al Carbon was not good at all. The chicken was smoked (dry) and the sauce underneath it taste like nothing. The veggies and potatoes were good though! The Hushpuppies tasted more like cinnamon and were simply not good. The Coco Greens tasted like kelp and coconut milk. Service was also decent! Our server was kind and friendly despite us returning the first thing that came out, the Hushpuppies. The drinks were made and sat for about 5mins after the bartender made them while our server was stocking silverware. Despite the food being nasty and the drinks taking some time to be served, I appreciated that they included gratuity for the sake of supporting staff. Overall, I liked the drinks but truly could've lived without the food.

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Bar counter
Bar counter
1/2 & 1/2 - Habichuelas & Garlic Rice
1/2 & 1/2 - Habichuelas & Garlic Rice
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Santo Dulce
Maria Luisa Empanadas

Maria Luisa Empanadas

4.7
(120 reviews)
3.6 mi
•$

I thought these Argentine-style Empanadas tasted amazing, especially the Chorizo which was…read moreliterally dripping in flavor. The garlicky oily dipping sauce added even more flavor to the savory empanadas and gave me dragon breath all day but it was so worth it! There is a good amount of seating here. I love the futbol decor and airiness of the place. There is some lot parking out front and street parking is also an option and where I found parking. The only downside to my experience coming here recently is how they forgot to include my ham & cheese empanada in the to go box that was nicely packaged and sealed so I couldn't check to see if it was there until I unpacked my order and found that it was not there. I didn't want to deal with the hassle of calling them to get a refund for it or drive back for it. Also, I don't feel like giving them one less star right now on this review because of it. I'm considering it this time as a natural human error and donation to this nice small business. Hopefully, they will be more careful and efficient my next visit because their product was very tasty and I do want go back there again soon to try more.

In the past all the empanadas I had were hard and dry. This was so soft and delicious!…read more Came in the evening with some friends. Was a great snack to share. Staff were great, and quick!

Photos
Front counter (4/17/24)
Front counter (4/17/24)
Lomo, chicken, beef empanadas
Lomo, chicken, beef empanadas
Exterior (4/17/24)

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Exterior (4/17/24)
Bongos

Bongos

4.6
(1.5k reviews)
3.9 mi
•$$

I really enjoyed the Desi Plate from Bongos. The pork was flavorful and tender, the plantain was…read moresweat and soft, the coleslaw was fresh and not too creamy and the pickled veg was great sourness to combat the rounded beans flavor. 10/10 would order again. Good spot for the summer since it's an order and pickup at the counter spot (with ringers) and a good post-Greenlake hearty meal. The service was quick and standard, no complaints and limited conversations so not too fussy

Office decided to go here for lunch and see what the hype was about. It's good to see some more…read morefood options and this Caribbean flavor spot might just have done it......maybe. The food to me was heavily seasoned and then the sauce was added just to say that it was there. Beans were ok and looks like they were sitting in ready pan then slopped on my plate. The coleslaw, I didn't even touch, because it just looks drenched in mayo. My colleagues had the same type of aftertaste to their food as well. Nothing to be excited about. Service was.... Interesting. Asked us if it's for here or to go and we said it's for dining in, but yet it still came in a to-go container? Plastic utensils, to go cups for everything but the water. Not very environmental friendly. Salsa containers were empty so couldn't tell you how those were and besides ketchup, I didn't see anything else. The restaurant is huge. A lot of empty space and still using some for storage (so it seemed). Looks like they are going to build a patio outside. Only positive note: Great View on a clear day.

Photos
Caribbean island signs
Caribbean island signs
Shrimp Po Boy
Shrimp Po Boy
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La Cocina & Cantina - mexican - Updated June 2026

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