Tacos are some of the best I've had in WA and I loved here from San Diego where there's a plethora of excellent Mexican food. Hands down their carne asada and carnitas tacos are to die for! It's really all about the meat and their homemade salsas including the habanero and salsa para chips. Beans and rice and guacamole are excellent too. Service is impeccable every time. Shot out to Martha for excellent service today! read more

Food is outstanding. Service is even better.\n They treat you like family. Been there 5 times we take a different friend each time we go. They all agree it is the best read more

Finally found a great spot for tacos in Tacoma!!!!! Came by for lunch and ordered the tacos al carbon with carne asada. The steak grilled to perfection and amazing. Even the tortillas were perfectly grilled and fresh. They give you a cute little salsa menu and let you pick two. I doubled up on the habanero sauce and it was super spicy but had great flavor. Server was friendly and attentive. For authentic Mexican food this is the best spot I have found in the area, and I have tried a lot of restaurants!!! read more

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This hidden gem such an authentic Mexican restaurant. They take the time to have real clay dishes and cups to serve their food. The food was amazing and so good! You can taste the Smokey taste of the meat. The service was so good and the sweet lady was so accommodating when we had a small child with us. We will be back and you need to support this amazing place. read more

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We love everything on the menu! Always receive a warm greeting. Once seated they hand you a card with salsa options. You pick 3 and they return with chips and your selections. If ever you need more, you just ask and they will happily replenish. Very cute decor, family friendly with a small sectioned off bar area. Tonight we decided on sharing the Mini Carbonada. The meats are flavorful and cooked to perfection. The beans were fresh, rice not too salty or watery and there were just the right amount of onions, peppers, corn and cactus. We got both flour and corn tortillas. Washed it down with Mexican Coke. It really is an awesome platter to share when you are feeling like a little bit of everything. We have come on Tuesdays for their tacos. Great value, they are not stingy at all with the meat. If you are in the area, make it a point to try them out. You will not be disappointed! read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - MINI CARBONADA - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Stopped in today and grabbed lunch. Wow the quesobirrias were really good. I've had some other items before but these are now my favorite! Stop in and try their food, it's really good! read more

Every once in awhile you come across a hidden gem. Ok maybe it's not hidden per se, but it's in a strip mall and not quite as noticeable as a big restaurant chain. Here is my review on La Ilusion Al Carbon. Honestly, my family and I were initially going to a different place that we know but our plans changed. My daughter searched yelp reviews (thank you helpers) and found pretty good reviews about this place. For anyone that has read my reviews about mexican food, you know how picky I am so I was a bit hesitant but off we went. This place is located in a strip mall and it's a bit nondescript but thank goodness for the signage because we sure would have missed it. In my party we had 7 adults and one toddler just as an fyi. When you enter there is a half room for seating and half room for a kind of waiting area. The decor is heavy on cactus plants, I think for the most part fake. The counter to ask for table had a beautiful colorful xmas sombrero in place, which was beautiful. There are tv monitors in place, 3 to be exact which shows their menu selections. Next to this area to the right, is another seating area which houses more seating. We were greeted by a very nice waitress who put together seating in the front area. I was a bit hesitant because we were right by the door but it proved to be ok. We kept our sweatshirts on. The table has beautiful mexican pottery which has water in the bigger pitchers which are on the table for this purpose. Also in place are mini cups which are on a wood holder that has La Ilusion al carbon. Beautiful work actually. Here's in a nutshell what we ordered. 2 of us ordered the asada plates, two of us ordered the birria tacos, I ordered the nachos with asada, two ordered enchiladas, one with red and one with green sauce, both with chicken. For the toddler, a quesadilla, rice and beans. Two margaritas were ordered, one coca (mexican cola, I love it) and everyone else opted for water. To start with had two orders of the queso fundido with chorizo. I'm going to comment on each of these separately, because I'm hoping that the restaurant can look at this and note what worked and what didn't. The waitress also gave us a menu of being able to select two sauces. Two hot and two not. We chose the habanero and the green salsa; then the red sauce and pico de gallo. The margaritas were standard margaritas and were absolutely awful. The people in my party stated that it tasted like watered down lime juice. They shared that it appeared that rose's lime juice was used and maybe not the best tequila. They had a hard time drinking these and would not order these again. Yikes. The appetizers of queso fundido. The appetizer comes on a top of a candlelit holder which is meant to keep the queso warm. It sort of worked for a bit. The queso didn't stay the warmest and it became a bit hard to eat. The chorizo was absolutely delicious. The fault with this appetizer, along with keeping it warm, was that you are served chips in these tiny little baskets. They look like very miniature deep fryer baskets and are a cute idea, but they hold maybe 8 chips. So with 8 of us...do the math. We did ask for more and we did receive more but I would change this to full baskets of chips. The asada plates were delicious. The enchiladas were delicious. The birria tacos were absolutely standout. Best shells that I've seen cooked in a long while, the consomme was great also. My nachos...a cheese sauce was used and while I asked for no jalapenos, I got them anyways. The asada was ok, some tough pieces, some not. I am not a huge face of cheese sauce and I would ask for regular cheese to be used if you aren't either. I missed this; my fault indeed. I want to mention that the portions are huge and we ended up packing up a lot to take home. Being that the portions are huge, paying 33.00 for carne asada is a lot and given the location, this might seem a bit much. Pros: amazing staff, very friendly, exceptional food, huge portions. Cons: The margaritas, simply awful. We ended up waiting a long time for our bill and containers, etc. Suggestions: It was a busy night, have more wait staff, especially during the holidays and during peak meal times. Try providing chips and salsa to tables from the get go. This will also alleviate the wait time to actually receive your meal. Change the presentation of the queso fundido (note all of my comments above). This place is definitely on the right track. I would say though be careful not to out price the cost of the meals, you have a huge mexican restaurant chain not too far from you, that has some lower prices on food items and they are established. Many mexican restaurants have made the mistake of charging too much and not having the clientele to support this; this place is really putting out good food. This was a long one. My question at the end is always, would I come back to this place again? Yes. Would I come here instead of my usual place that I go to? Yes again. read more

Wowwww! I'm so happy to know about this place. It will definitely be our go to for Mexican food. Everything is very authentic and seasoned perfectly. The portions are very generous. Service was fast and friendly. The restaurant is clean and decorated nicely. Very highly recommend! read more

It's hard to describe how authentic the flavors and environment are at Al Carbon, as someone who's traveled, it's hard to get this kind of thing in Washington. Which makes it a diamond worth seeking out. Two major highlights worth trying are the queso Birria tacos and Al Pastor served up in a charred pineapple, they are absolutely incredible. read more

this place is okay, but not my #1 spot to go for mexican food. my fiancée loves this place for their drinks and carne asada tacos. as for me, i only eat chicken and i dont love their chicken tacos. it seems like its just grilled chicken, no marinating so i feel like the chicken tends to be dry. the rice and beans are okay, the beans were a tad bit watery in my opinion & they make them kind of spicy? the rice had vegetables in it which i found strange for mexican style rice read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - rice & beans - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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We had such a good dinner there. Very authentic. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Very cozy place.

Chicken enchiladas were delicious. Beans and rice were perfect. Will stop by again. Definitely will try the rest of the menu.

Everything was ok. We had take out so I can't comment on the service. The ambiance is ok

Great spot for amazing Mexican food. Tried the asada and birria and looking forward to trying their other dishes. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Birria - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The service is horrible , probably due to language barrier . They messed up my order and told me they could not replace it because the food they made me would now be trash if I didn't take it . They just apologized and said they would not give all my money back just enough to compensate for the mistake. The food is bland , not worth the prices. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Elote on a "stick" or elote "cob" - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Llegamos durante Happy Hour y ordenamos una Paloma (Squirt Soda y Tequila) Las Paloma's y la comida estaban riquisimas. Buen sabor! read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - a drink with a straw and a cactus - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Amazing food, amazing service. Don't sleep on this place, try it out. The wife and I found our new stop, that is for sure. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Pozole was amazing. - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The food is so fresh and great, the authenticity is there even with the plating. Absolutely love the customer service when ordering and drinks (they have a bar sit in). The ambiance is peaceful and authentic. The margaritas and tacos 10/10 as well as the guacamole! read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This is the one guys! This is the one! Authentic delicious Mexican food! We decided to stop by on cinco de Mayo as my usual Mexican place had a 3 hour wait. I'm so shocked at how underrated this restaurant is. Service: the workers were so kind and friendly! They were constantly moving and checking in on customers. Drinks: we ordered the corona margarita and they weren't anything special but good nonetheless. Food: The grilled elote was amazing,don't forget to ask for limes with it. The Chile Relleno was the best restaurant Chile relleno we've ever had! So flavorful and juicy. The Carna asada Gordita was perfectly made! The rice and beans were to die for! Overall, we will be back weekly! I'm so impressed by this hole in the wall Mexican spot. Hands down some of the best in Tacoma. read more

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For a fraction of the cost and none of the wait that you get at Moctezumas I can eat here!!! Sooo delicious. Nothing fancy on the inside, but who cares when the food tastes as good as it does. Great happy hour as well. Their guacamole is SOOO GOOD!!! The first word out of my mouth after biting into my taco, while chewing, yes I know i clearly have no manners, was OMG YOU MUST TASTE THIS. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The food was great, the chile renello was not too greasy or loaded with sauce which I enjoyed. The service was first rate. When we ordered our drinks (about 8 of them, including my mango blended tequila slushie) they came very quickly. The whole table was surprised. The Victoria beer I ordered next was quick and cold as well and the appetizer of tacos a la braza was good. The only improvement for myself is to have a wider desert selection, although they did have a slice of birthday cake for my homie Esteban. read more

Everything was amazing. We ordered the platter for 2 And it was plenty of food Could possibly feed 3. The shrimp in particular was our favorite It was nice and flavourful seasoned perfectly , You can add on the shrimp to your platter for $10, elote was good, I would ask tajin next time, or drinks were great, service was friendly, I truly believe this a gem in the dirt. Location is in a kind of a low-key spot if this was more In a city center it would be more lf a hot spot, it was that good. read more

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The nopales asado are the best! I am lucky to live so close to an authentic place like this one! Trust me it's a can't miss! A relaxing place to wind down, and we all need to wind down sometimes with one of 8 different margaritas! Don't change! Love this place! read more

Bone marrow, bone marrow, bone marrow. I believe this is the only place in the Tacoma area that serves bone marrow and I'm so glad they serve it well! I honestly have to order one order for myself, it's that good. One order comes with two pieces of bone marrow with cute little cheese quesadillas to eat it with. Pair it with an iced cold coronarita, YUM. I also enjoy their elotes and complimentary chips and salsa. I've had their al pastor tacos which were good, but a little on the dry side. I also had their shrimp tacos, but they were on the tough side. They have other meals that I'm wanting to try, so I'm hopeful that I will find a favorite entree. Service is hit or miss, depends on who you get. Some servers are more attentive than others. Parking is nice as its right in front of the restaurant. They even have dedicated stalls for their restaurant. Although I haven't found my go-to entree yet, I'll definitely come back for the bone marrow and coronaritas. read more

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My bff and I were looking for a quick yet good food. Came to this place and we were able to dine in. Drinks were okay. I was having a hard time with chunks of ice and hardly get at least a good slurp without choking on chunky ice. I couldn't finish as it was also slimy. Food came and posole verde was good. I would order that again and the size can feed up to three people. I didn't like the pineapple al pastor. There was no Mexican authenticity taste. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Pasole verde - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Refer to my previous review for details. I felt like I needed to review again because this place deserves to be busy and have lots of customers! We just left taco tuesday, combined with Happy Hour 2PM-4PM and I am SO FULL and HAPPY. They have unlimited tacos on Tuesdays and if you go during happy hour, you can grab some sides and drinks for a great price too! I still love this place, it is hands down one of the best Mexican spots in this area/town/city. They have changed things a few times trying to get customers in, but the food and service are always outstanding! Please don't assume anything from the outside. I did and it took me awhile to check it out, but I have no regrets and will shout to the ends of the Earth, how good this place is! read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Taco Tuesday during Happy Hour. It doesn't get better than this. - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Most outstanding meal i have had in a long time, had shirmp cooked in a pineapple, excellent tamales. Will be going back. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Food - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I really loved the shrimp tacos and the customer service was great. Although my friend did not like her carne asada tacos. I will be back again. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Received exceptional service and it was such a clean establishment. The food was delicious and the complimentary chips were enjoyable. And I was happy about the options on the kid's menu. It had perfect portions and had such good amount of variety for children. It was my son's first time trying tacos and he loved it. Would be back for sure. read more

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The best part about this place was that dag gone roasted corn with everything on it....man we had to get one to go! Hubby wanted to try a new spot and this one popped up. This is a very casual spot in a little strip mall area, next door to AM/PM basically. The set up is pretty basic, chairs and tables with some booths sprinkled in. I had a jalapeno margarita, and the carne asada torta. Husband had a carne asada burrito. We shared a corn. We were a little surprised that nothing came with our entree... (no rice and beans or chips and salsa before your meal here). We both enjoyed our food a lot though. P.S. We also got churros to go and yasssss what a great decision! They were warm and soft and filled with some sort of custard magic! read more

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Who said authentic Mexican in WA doesn't exists? This spot hits hard with flavors of Mexico!

Woah! BEST mexican food in WA. Hidden gem. -Elotes appetizer, DIY messy n hot -4 Street Tacos, carne asada and al pastor were bomb.com -Torta Al Carbon (not pictured) amazing cheesy mexican philly Chips n salsa included. Get the Corona-Margarita, you deserve one. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - 4 street tacos ft. elote - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

One of the most promising restaurants i have been to in a while; great service, beautiful interior decor and their food is good! After passing through Tacoma and beeing hu gry searching for a new spot we found "La ilucion" their sign by the street is very small and you almost cant see it but being mexican when i saw the words "Al Carbon" i knew we needed to stop. We stopped at approximately 1pm with Mom and my Daugther. We were greeted and shown to our table. They had just received their alcohol permit so they can now sell the good drinks ;-) We chose to start with 2 appetizers the stuffed Jalapeños and the guacamole. We loved the jalapeños but were greatly dissapointed with the guac.. In an attempt to distance themselves from the usual they created an awfully disgusting guac and it does not work. We then order la carbonada which comes with all the meats (see pics) and the flavors were spot on. They were able to redeem themselves from that awful first start. The meats were seasoned really nicely and what we got exceeded the price we paid.. We were satisfied. Why a three star... The restaurant has not been open for very long i believe our waiter stated 3 weeks when we went. The reataurant wasnt busy and between the guac and lack of drinks it needs time to grow.. We will be back to update our review. read more

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Just a strip mall location in Lakewood but the food was oh so good! Wonderful service and great drinks! 3 of us split the carne asada platter. We also had an elote and esquites corn on the cob and corn in a cup. Delicious. Very affordable and worth the drive. We will be back for sure even though it's about 45 minutes away. A new little favorite for me! read more

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Looking in Yelp for something new. Found this jem. Soooooo good. Best michalada ever. Mexican corn, posole, tacos everything was delicious. Different from the typical Mexican food. It is hidden in a strip mall. Don't miss it. read more

La Ilusion Al Carbon - Posole Verde - Mexican Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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We went to dinner with friends. I had a strawberry margarita and my husband got a cantarito. Our food was great. I got the chicken quesadilla. I was happily surprised because it was not greasy or oily. It stayed together and was crunchy. Strawberry margarita was good, but I believe it was just a regular margarita with strawberry syrup, wasn't as fresh as I was hoping. Everybody in our party loved their food and we even took home leftovers. read more

My family and I visited this place for dinner and we all got sick, the water was dirty and tasted disgusting, the food wasn't good. Customer service was okay. read more

Let me begin this review with a huge Gracias to the wonderful waitress who served us on an extremely hot day. We ordered the Ilucion Carbonara mini (for 2) however unless you are very hungry this can serve at least 3. We added Shrimp 2 skewers came in addition to all the gloriously flavored meats. They have elotes that is so very fresh and delicious. Even though we were absolutely stuffed we still ordered chocolate cake and horchata. If you love the authentic vanilla flavor then you will melt with this chocolate cake. I normally can critique a restaurant on some area and this has nothing I would even come close to a negative critique. The horchata and all drinks are made fresh In house and so smooth and creamy, none of that powdered stuff. They have reserved tables I imagine for premier guests and we for sure will become one of those. Can not wait to come back . read more

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This place serves great Authentic Mexican food, I also enjoy the cups and plates they serve the food in . I Didn't give it 5 stars because of costumer service the lady kinda has a attitude but the food is good so I still go there. Being said if you're looking for good Food try them out. read more

We tried this restaurant when they first opened, we really liked the food but they had no bar yet, year later kind of want to give it another try (new owners) food was okay, but drinks not good at all. A Cadillac, and a strawberry margarita where not good prepared, and not from scratch. . Service was good, no ambiance. My fav were the salsas with the crunchy tortillas. Thats about it. Hope the make it better and hope they clean it better. Not sure ill give another try. We had to go somewhere else for a real drink. read more