I have now been here a bunch of times over the years, but finally decided to write a review. We always look forward to stopping here on the way to or from Oregon. The family that runs this place has taken great care to create authentic food from Michoacan state, where they are from. You can ask One of the ladies there to tell you their sfory. You can always count on a good meal here. The mole is especially good. When my son was younger, he was perfectly happy with rice and beans, so you don't need to worry that there will be too much spice for kids. read more

Definitely among my top choices for Mexican fare anywhere! I love the bright and vibrant colorful atmosphere as well as the family feel of the staff. The food is wonderful and simple, not deep fried and cheese laden. The corn tortillas are amazing! I asked once how they made them and was invited to come and learn with "mamma". read more

Amazing fresh made food and tortillas. Everything is homemade. Rich mole sauce. Horchata tastes real because it is. Pickles carrots are bomb. Cheese quesadilla recommended and tastes like home read more

Great food!!! Pickled carrots, instead of chips and salsa. I LOVE the adobada tacos! The youngest waitress is AMAZING and so friendly!

Great, welcoming customer service. Very authentic and yummy food. I really liked the veggies they bring out as a starter.

Some of the best mexican food I have ever had! I grew up in California tasting some of the best authentic mexican food around and this place has it down. Nice runny beans. Carnitas cooked to perfection. Large chunks of meat that just pull apart. The corn tortillas are fluffy and light. Perfect. Anytime I am passing through Washington on I-5 I will stop here. Amazing!! read more

Great mexican food. Excellent friendly service. Colorful restaurant, lots of knick-knacks. Chili Colorado was superb. Adobado taco delicious. The pickled carrots on the tables are great. Eat them! Chicken on the side of enchiladas was a little dry read more

I agree with Jon C that this is one of the best Mexican places in WA. This is a small family run place and always packed with locals. Don't expect your usual chips/salsa when you sit down instead you get some pickled veggies. So far I have tried all their tacos (Pork, chorizo and chicken), steaming tamales, chicken mole, Carnitas and bistek. They do have some desserts such as flan and arroz con leche. I tried them both and flan is good but the acl is not bad. Owners are very friendly and on my first visit they figured out am new to the place and made some tamarind drink! Supposedly according to the owner Salma Hayek is been here and also some famous mexican singers! This is my I-5 treasure#1!! ))) They are closed during holidays for a month ((((( read more

The family was on a mini vacation to Great Wolf Lodge and once we were a little early and it was lunch time we pulled it. It was a great thing we did as we found a great place to come for true Mexican food. The place is family owned and even keeps to the Mexican culture. The waitress on your first visit goes over the information about where the family is from, that they don't serve chips and salsa (because they don't do that normally in Mexico) and what they recommend. I tried the carnitas and tamale and was greatly surprised at the size of the plates and how excellent it tasted. My wife had the chicken tamale and adobada taco which she hasn't had such good Mexican since leaving California. My two daughters ate the cheese quesadilla with rice and beans, and just the rice. For two picky eaters they cleaned their plates. All in all the food was great, service was excellent and if ever in the area again we will be going back. Although it isn't the first Mexican restaurant you run into off the I-5, it is well worth driving the extra bit to get to it. Oh and the bill for the whole thing (to include tip) was $48.00. read more

Fantastic little place with an aura of authenticity. From the quirky pickled carrots serves in place of tortilla chips, to the wonderful freshly made tortillas, this place is well worth going out of your way to. I had the bisteca something or another that was a daily special. It was perfectly flavored. Daughters tostadas were wonderful as well. The service was prompt, warm, and had a nice small town feeling to it. Loved the place, and will definitely go back if I'm in town. Very worth visiting. read more

What a fun little find while passing through Centralia! La Tarasca has a beautiful little dining room with very cozy regional Mexican knick knacks. Family owned and operated, one of the sister's took our order, advising us along the way and throwing in little extras as she glanced up to make sure Big Sister wasn't watching. We had the special of the day, a Chicken simmered in red sauce. It was full of flavor and a super choice. I recommend you go with the sister's recommendations for the day. I love Carnitas. These were good, nut not great. Honestly they were just a bit dry- common to many Carnitas at other places. On the other hand their Chili Verde sauce was very good and made up for the slightly dry Carnitas. We will come here again and again anytime we stop in Centralia. read more

Awesome place to eat dinner! They only serve corn tortillas. I ordered mole chicken with 3 large jalapeños they were the best!!!! Highly recommended. FYI they don't serve chips and margaritas read more

Great authentic Mexican food!! Refreshing horchata and fast service. We ordered Chile Verde and carnitas both served with hand made corn tortillas. Fantastic flavors. read more

Californians are Mexican food snobs, and from Jalisco to Seattle, the best I've ever had is in Centralia. (Maybe top three if you count one dish at Money Panchos, or the taco shack on the pier in OB.) If you want strong flavor, don't order tamales or carnitas. Get the jalapeños, mole, or a saucy/spicy special. read more

I did get to try the pork adobada tacos. They were terrific!

La Tarasca is a favorite stop when I'm in the Twin Cities. As a former Lewis County guy, I have to say that I found it hard to eat down there, until I found this place! Located in an old Dairy Queen, the place definitely lacks ambiance (costing it a 5 star rating). It's small and the little kid making motor boat noises for the first 10 minutes of my stop confirmed it. Onto the food! First off, there are no margaritas or baskets of chips. Beer and wine only and a bowl of pickled carrots to start your meal. Friendly service too. I usually have the carnitas with the homemade corn tortillas. A killer meal! But everything else I've had there is great too. Chicken en mole, tacos, etc. All wonderful. So, if you ever find yourself hungry in Centralia, hit La Tarasca. You'll be damn happy you did. Any questions? read more

Best tortillas in western Washington. Everything's delicious & fresh. Although I know the carnitas are famous -- and they are very good -- I'm a bigger fan of the Chili Colorado & Chili Verde because of the sauce. But overall, their pork is the way to go. I'm not usually that big of fan of flan but theirs is really delicious. Worth the drive! read more

I'm hoping that my wife and I hit this restaurant on a bad day. Based upon the numerous high ratings, we tried out La Tarasca. The woman who greeted us was very friendly and her canned explanation of where in Mexico their family came from and how it influenced the dishes they serve seemed sincere. She explained that slow cooked pork was the signature dish. I ordered Chile Colorado and my wife had Chile Relleno. My pork was on the tough side and dry, although there was plenty of sauce. The relleno was lacking in sauce and somewhat bland. Also, the prices seem to have gone up by about 20% since the great reviews have been posted. My dish was $16.49 vs. $13.49 as mentioned in a previous review. read more

Amazing, authentic food. They even make their horchata from scratch!! Best Mexican food in Washington (and I'm from AZ, so I know good Mexican food)!!! read more

Excellent home-style Mexican in a casual atmosphere. Stop and eat here. It's worth the detour. Daily specials rotate; they will accommodate vegetarians. Some of the best mole around served up with a side of attitude from one of the helpful family members who wait tables. No chips and salsa (and if you're smart, you won't ask for them, either) - just pickled carrots and jalapenos. Sopes are fabulous; tortillas are hand made and luscious. The tomatillo salsa is yummy. Generally packed with returning regulars and locals at lunch and dinner, but they do take out as well. Flan is as flan does. read more

Authentic Mexican food unlike what you've traditionally experienced as "Mexican" food. Delicious and well-portioned in a comfortable and colorful little space. The potato enchiladas were, surprisingly, not too heavy and very good. My husband's house special carnitas were "very good" but not great. The kids' quesadilla was small but the homemade tortillas were thick and yummy and the refried beans were all-consumed by the kiddos, where usually they're untouched. The clientele here is familiar and loyal. We were the only table (of 5 or so) who clearly were first timers. The owner was very friendly and checked in on us, but the sister, who was our primary server, seemed a bit bothered by our newness -- a tad put off by our questions about the menu and request for chips and salsa. There is one option for vegetarians and my inquiry about spinach in place of meat drew a snicker, as did my husband's request for tortilla chips. (Tip: don't, whatever you do, ask for chips and salsa! For shame on us. Like Cinco de Mayo, chips are, apparently, an Americanized tradition that elicits a scowl from the purists.) We'll be back for the food as it is a gem of authentic Mexican on your journey between Seattle and Portland. Next time, I hope to be welcomed -- or at least feel -- like "regulars" who have journeyed in before, without expecting chips or spinach enchiladas. read more

The food here is OUTSTANDING! We drove through the area and decided to stay for dinner because my husband remembered the review of this place on Yelp. No doubt about it- hands down the best Mexican I've had. We stopped in at about 4:30pm on a Sunday and only one other table was occupied (they have about 9 tables plus a counter to sit at). We were quickly greeted by one of the sisters who informed us of their specialty (carnitas- a pork roast) and asked if we'd been in before. When we said no she showed us the map on the menu to let us know where their food is based from. One of the other sisters brought us out the bowl of pickled carrots I've read so much about on here. Yes- they were good! They were *really* good. My kids didn't care for them, but that just meant more for me! When it came time to order I went with the carnitas- which I was told was not spicy, the hubby went for his standard fare- chili verde- and our kids opted for quesadillas (we asked for enchiladas but were told the sauce was too spicy so they didnt offer it as a kids plate). We also decided to order a single adobada taco to share. The food arrived really quickly- within 10 minutes I'd guess- and we quickly got down to it. First up was the taco and man oh man was it tasty. Served in a corn tortilla without any condiments it didn't need any. This one stands on it's own. I highly recommend trying one. The carnitas were good- and I was told correctly- they weren't at all spicy. In fact I would have liked a bit more spice so I loaded my corn tortillas (which are surprisingly light and fluffy- they are that fresh) with lots of the salsa and that spiced things up quite nicely. I tried my husband's chili verde and OH DEAR GOD- it was heavenly. Spicy and a bit tangy- I could taste the ingredients still but the heat was definitely there. WOW. The kids snarfed up their beans and rice, quesadillas were a no-go for one (she's the pickier of the two- I think it was the tortilla), and the other cleaned her plate while proclaiming it the best food EVER! Oh yes. We were ooh'ing and aah'ing the whole way through. And as if that wasn't enough- we were totally full, but when asked if we wanted dessert, we couldn't resist trying the flan. I chuckled to myself a bit when I saw our server reach into a refrigerator and pull out a baking dish with saran over the top. It was a good thing- knowing our dessert was made from scratch and seeing it being loaded onto the plate made me feel like I was visiting a friend's house and had stayed for dessert. The flan was delicious. I was practically fighting my 2 year old for bites of it . Bottom line- we only live about 20 miles away but we'd drive back out here in a heartbeat! It was so worth it! I only missed the chips and salsa a teeny bit. ;-) read more

Finally some authentic Mexican food in the area! I tried the soft adobada taco, chicken crunchy taco, and the pork tostada. The adobada had waaaay too much seasoning. I couldn't taste anything but seasoning! The tostada and chicken taco were delicious and yummy. I was bummed that they don't serve chips with their salsa, and their menu is super tiny. WHAT!? No burritos!? Weird. Overall this place is the place to go for some real mexican, BUT it's still expensive =( read more

I had a hankering for Mexican while traveling between Olympia & Chehalis. I launched my trusty Yelp app and found two restaurants. This one was a bit further, but had higher star ratings. Wow, I was not disappointed! The owner was very informative and even let me try a little of the evening's special entree. I ended up choosing Chile Verde. I'm kind of a sucker for that dish and I have to say... A M A Z I N G!! It's not 14lbs of food on a plate covered in equal amounts of cheese, it's completely authentic Mexican that's been seasoned perfectly and served with the most amazing homemade corn tortillas. It was a little pricey at $15 for Chile Verde, rice, beans, tortillas and a soda, but I'd definitely come back on my next business trip. read more

Awesome place for traditional mexican food. If your wanting a margarita, this will be your only disappointment......no hardtops at this place. But that is fine, the food and service makes up for it. Great food. ...Great time read more

Casual, light filled place with friendly folks and good food. Worth the mile off I5 when driving between Portland and Seattle. The tamarind drink is super refreshing. The pozole was yummy. My wife tells me the tamales were awesome. The tacos were ok, but the tortillas on them (who tastes tortillas?) were really tasty! The menu makes it easy to order a la carte so you can get a light bite and don't head out stuffed. read more

Stopped by on our drive along the I-5 and hubby was craving some Mexican food. This place is awesome! I got the chili relleno with rice and beans, daughter had a chicken tostada and my honey went with the pork carnitas. Their corn tortillas are homemade and delicious. Everything was excellent and we will absolutely return anytime we drive through Centralia. read more

Great food. Not what we were expecting but better!! You're not getting chips and salsa here and that's ok. The people are super nice. I had never had pickled carrots like that but I barely shared with my husband and I think about them...A lot!!! Don't miss this place. Try it out. read more

This place is awesome. They have great Mexican food here. Everything taste like it is made with love. They also make their own fresh tortillas here. read more

Great food and the best flan of my life! I had wonderful tamales and some really great tasting rice. My friend had the carnitas which were also wonderful. The salsa verde on the table was fantastic too. Really friendly staff and fast service. The only drawback was they do not serve chips and salsa as it is not authentic to the area of Mexico they're from, which is a damn shame because I could have really used some chips to enjoy more of that salsa verde. Going southbound I-5 take the Centralia exit and turn left (East) and go about a mile. It will be on your left just after Yew street. Amazing! It is so close to the freeway I am kicking myself for all the times I have driven through Centralia and stopped at McDonalds instead!!!! read more

Amazing! Even my fam from out of town goes here multiple times when up visiting!! Love it!

Holy moly! Like others, I soooo wanted chips and salsa. I had super simple steak tacos--but they were sooooo flavorful and big. The flan is awesome. The ladies working were so welcoming too. This is our new stop when we drive from Portland to Seattle. Hot damn. Good stuff. read more

I met my daughter and grandson for dinner here off I five. I was coming from Portland she was coming from Seattle. The owners are delightful. They took the time to talk about the foods that they prepare the spices they use and how they've been there for 23 years. The tamales and the chili Releno were the best I have ever eaten. You don't go there for the ambience you go there for the food. Well worth the stop in Centralia Washington. read more

The food here is authentic and very tasty. I am from California and I have had a fair share of good Mexican food. This place is as good as it gets!! The staff is very friendly and helpful. The daily specials are awesome! You should come here if you are tired of commercialized mexican food and want to have some real fun! Only downside no margaritas, but they make up for it with their beer list! read more

Met my son there for Mother's Day lunch. Great food & atmosphere, felt like a family dining room! I had the Chile Relleno and it was one of the better ones I have ever had! read more

I've been eating at La Tarasca since they first opened, too many years to count. I eat there once a week. Yes, their prices are a tad bit more than generic restaurants, but totally worth it, you get what you pay for. It's not totally about how this food compares to other Mexican food, but that this food is as authentic as it gets. They may not serve chips, or serve a specific dish the same way another restaurant does, but you can count on 100% authentic, fresh & delicious Mexican food made with love from mama and family. What more could a food lover ask for? My second favorite authentic Mexican restaurant is Tacos Guayma's in Tacoma. Outside of that, if in E.Portland, the bestTex-Mex (and exceptional Tequila shrine) is at Esparza's. I gauge all chile relleno's by Esparza's standard and La Tarasca is spot on. Enjoy! read more

Outstanding, and authentic! Had the recommended Carnitas & Horchata. Everything made in house. The only downside is their location! Wish they were closer to Seattle. Super friendly staff/owners as well. read more

One word: tamales. If you come here, and you should any and every time you pass by, you must order at least one tamale. If they are out for the day, you can and should hate yourself for not arriving sooner. Now with that said, I have never had anything here that was not delicious. Don't expect chips and salsa, you will be disappointed. The pickled carrots and salsa make you forget chips anyways. The food here is made with more love than anywhere I've ever eaten. The family is genuine and friendly. Do yourself a favor and eat here every chance you get. read more

Great experience and all homemade food! Given the lovely greeting and short geography lesson we chose carnitas and her mothers award winning chicken mole served w homemade tortillas. All delicious and the mole was the best I have ever eaten. Husband has years of experience with flan and this was his favorite ever, tasting close to family Cuban roots. Taking home 1/2 the mole and a rice pudding for dinner. Looking forward to our next meal already! read more

La Tarasca - We appreciated the greeting and being it was our first visit she explained her family came from the area known for carnitas. - Mexican Near Me - Centralia, Washington

This is my favorite Mexican place, period. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the food, especially the dessert, and will return whenever we are in Centralia. He had the pozole and I had enchiladas with steak. Both meals were very filling and the delicious flan that we shared was amazing. read more