My grandma was from Mexico, and I've lived in San Diego most of my life, and Malena's are some of the best tacos I've had. Definitely best in Seattle. Big portions, the sauces are excellent, everything tastes so fresh it's incredible. I come here every time I'm back visiting Seattle. They're so friendly and quick (when it's not crazy busy). I love sitting under the tree out from to enjoy. Ate them too quickly to take a picture. All the tacos are good but the abodaba, pork and asada tacos are my favorite read more

Authentic Mexican food, great prices, very friendly service. They were very accommodating of the developmentally disabled client I brought there. Limited seating. read more

Surprisingly not bad! If you're in a quick pinch for an absolutely massive burrito missile, then this is a decent place to go to. Immediately upon entry I felt a strong sense of disappointment because I saw bags of Costco tortilla chips. I knew I wasn't going to get a lot of homemade ingredients, but that's fine. They made the most with what they were using, and combined all of their Costco ingredients into a satisfying and gargantuan burrito. I would recommend eating it fairly quickly after receipt, though. Since it's so packed, the tortilla takes on moisture quick. If you're bringing it back home, you may have a soggy burrito before it's time to dive in. All in all, the carne asada wasn't anything special. It's not too flavorful, and it certainly doesn't have those nice crispy bits. But they do have these nice chopped up bell peppers in there that provide the same textural contrast. That was an unexpectedly nice addition. I didn't expect much, but I just slammed this whole thing and forgot to take a picture! read more

Best tacos in Seattle. Get the Asada or the pork tacos. The Asada burrito is great too! You have to take it together there's no eating in.

Tacos were awesome. First time here and I think I'll be returning every week. Great prices and solid asada taco combo

Very, very disappointed in my experience after all the hype around this place. We got take out as it's a small establishment with minimal seating. We ordered an adobada burrito and quesadilla. The burrito comes unwrapped, and is prone to falling apart. It is very thick, but not in a fun way. The meat was plentiful, but extremely dry. There were more soggy onions than beans or rice combined. I had to resort to a fork at the halfway mark as the bottom fell out. The quesadilla's meat to cheese ratio was actually terrifying. It had extremely thick cheese in some places with no meat, and the same dry meat in other places with no cheese. Both were dry, bland, messy, and just plain disappointing. Salsa was available but pretty mediocre. Also to note, there are a lot of online menus floating around that have VERY incorrect prices. For example, the burrito was advertised for $5.75 online, and was $15 at the shop. A burrito this bad, may have been worth it for 5.75, but not 15. Do not recommend. read more

Always good! Classic authentic neighborhood taco/burrito spot among residential and small neighborhood commercial street. Always busy with locals. Mostly take out but few tables for dining outside. read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Asada burrito - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Amazing food! Service is great. They do not have seating inside so we usually do take out. Huge portions for a reasonable price

Looking at one review in particular, whoever said the burritos are not good is a full time hater, or just a competitor being shady. I always get some version of the burrito and there is such a great combo of different flavors in each. The tortilla wrap is always excellent as well, with a perfectly warmed tortilla with just the right amount of crunch from the flat top (just a touch). Most times I stop in, It's the same duo working and they've got their system down to a science and they crank out so many orders per hour which is a testament to how great the food is here. And the salsas? Absolute fire. 3 options from mild to hotter , two reds and a verde, something for everyone, I use all 3. Bottom line: this place just gets it. Great food, great service, and burritos I'll keep coming back for. read more

These burritos are HUGE! I got the chorizo and it could feed 3 people. Nicest owners making everything fresh right on the spot. Great flavor, extra salsas for free. I'm gonna be full for a week! 10 out of 10! read more

Been coming here for years. Always satisfied. Today Sunday was not good. Carne asada beef burrito had lots of gristle in it, no flavor, not layered equally-- beans and rice one half and other half avocado no flavor. No green peppers or onions. Total $17. read more

I attempted to try three beef rolled tacos and it came with lettuce tomatoes guacamole and I opened the box eagerly and famished and they were BURNT! WTF so I took it back and they tried to offer me a refund instead I had them make me regular pollo tacos and it still wasn't hitting for me. Come again?? Naw. read more

Great service, this is takeout but they have a couple tables set up outside. They load it all up so be careful for take away as it could get messy. My only complaint I could have used a real knife to cut through my Chile relleno. Huge portions definitely can share. read more

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The flavors were good but in the 5 minutes it took to walk across the street and sit down the burrito tortilla was so soggy it had completely fallen apart. I couldn't even get one single bite in before having to resort to a fork. Not structurally sound :( also for $20 I feel like I shouldn't have had to pick at it with my fork. read more

This is one of those reviews where 5 stars come from customer service. The staff here are very kind and friendly, and we witnessed them show empathy and kindness to an unhoused individual at a time when we often witness the opposite. This spoke volumes for us; we will happily continue eating at Malena's! We ordered pollo asado & carne asada burritos and refreshing Jarritos, which are always a treat for me in Seattle. While I typically prefer burritos without beans & rice, they offered me this option; I opted for beans and rice and probably wouldn't next time as the burrito was thick and hard to fully wrap while eating. Nonetheless, I found the burrito to be tasty, especially with the addition of their house salsa along the way (it could've been spicier, in my opinion, but I am also Mexican ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). I look forward to trying other items, as their menu offers many authentic options, and we were happy with our first visit! Gracias, Malena's, por su amabilidad. read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Tasty burrito with a view :-) - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Unexpectedly found Malena's with a friend of mine from Korea and was excited to find some great Mexican food in the city! With really quick service and a little bit of seating outside, Malena's is a great place to come on a Sunny day. We ordered the Chicken Tqcos and it was tasty and the salsa was memorable. read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Pollo Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is so good! It's tucked away in a cute neighborhood, and everyone here is so kind - the service was great. We came here on a Saturday afternoon, and it wasn't too busy. There are no seats indoors, but there are a few tables outside. We got the carne asada taco, the hard shell beef, the fish taco, chips & guac, and a chicken burrito. The guac was really good although the chips were a bit stale (still yummy though), and the tacos really hit the spot. The best one by far was definitely the fish one. If I came again, I would probably just get the fish and carne asada. Their salsas are all delicious, and I had a lot of fun trying them. The chicken burrito was also pretty good, although it had a lot of beans and I don't really like beans LOL. Would definitely come again, highly recommend! read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Hard shell Shredded Beef Taco, Carne Asada Taco, and Fish Taco - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We found Malena's while picking up goodies across the street in the morning, and decided to order takeout for dinner based on reviews. It's a super small spot, essentially just a kitchen with an area to order, so takeout only. They are incredibly friendly, and went over our order with us to make sure they got it right. I also forgot to order a side sour cream for our daughter and they gave it to us for free, which is a small but nice thing to do and wouldn't happen at a lot of places. Our large order was ready right when they said it would be. The food was great: my son loved his cheese quesadilla, and our four orders of chicken fajitas were great: ample chicken which was well cooked and seasoned (not too salty but still flavorful). The rice and beans were rice and beans but the beans come with a ton of cheese, which the kiddos loved. My only nitpick is they only have flour tortillas for burritos, so when we swapped our corn tortillas for flour, we ended up making burritos instead of tacos/ fajitas. Like I said, a nitpick. Overall an excellent experience, and highly recommended. read more

One of the few places I'm returning over and over. They don't have dine in but have couple tables outside, good for takeout. Usually I order chicken quesadilla which is absolute nice, big and tasty I recommend this place for takeout, and delicious quesadilla! read more

I love this place! Great food, friendly people, all at a good price. Places like this are becoming a real rarity in these parts, so show them some love, and your tastebuds too! read more

I was introduced to this joint recently despite having lived down the hill on Queen Anne for over three years ... Damn. Best asada burrito in town, in my humble opinion. You won't find a burrito stuffed with more flavorful ingredients (meat) anywhere else in town for a more reasonable price. Great hot sauce too. Go to any other more trendy Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant and you'll pay more for ginormous burritos stuffed to the gills with filler (rice and beans) with very little meat and very few peppers. Not so at Malena's. Don't judge this book by its cover ... Awesome local hole-in-the-wall Mexican food. read more

The food is so fresh and so good and authentic here! You can watch them make your food and it's so worth it! The service is so friendly and the people are so nice here! And sooo worth it! The ambience is great! It's a very small space but there is a counter to sit at and if it's nice out there are a couple tables to sit at outside. This place has been here for 47 years and it's obvious why! I hope it's here another 47 years! It deserves to be! read more

Stopped here for a quick bite before an appointment. Easy street parking. Convenient location. Quick turn around for a carne asada taco that was packed with meat and a yummy pork tamale. The salsa was roasty and there was even a small salad with tomatoes. $8 after tip. I sat outside at one of their few tables - it's a small place, but I was the only one sitting in rather than taking out. I might make Malena's a regular thing when I'm in the area! read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Carne Asada Taco and pork tamal - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I ordered a shredded beef taco, and the asada tacos with extra rice. The asada was tender, flavorful, and fresh. It came with onion, Cilantro, and tomato on top! It was really good, and and rice on the side was perfect. I liked the salsa that came on the side, it was kind of mild in flavor, but still good. The star of the show was the shredded beef taco. I wish I ordered more of those. The hard shell was obviously home made and it was extremely crispy and delicious. I don't remember the last time I had a hard shell that was as delicious as this one. The shredded beef was good and tender, and the cheese inside the taco just completed it! I ordered my food to go, but there was on small table inside and a small bench seat if you wanted to eat inside. But I got the vibe this was more of a to go kind of place. Very yummy and affordable, check it out! read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Shredded Beef Taco - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I've been here three times and each time it was mediocre at best. No seasoning or marinades, I was very disappointed with the bland meat tacos. Also, the wait time is typically over an hour just for take out. read more

Expensive (for what you get). Bland and flavorless (the beans, the rice, the industrially-manufactured tortillas, the wan iceberg lettuce and tomato vegetable topping) The place just has an "OK" in terms of its health department rating The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is its roasted tomato salsa is pretty good. read more

Staying at an Airbnb in Queen Anne and I was looking for some cheap eats and I found this small gem. Prices are good the serving sizes. The soft tacos are so filling and the tamales are fresh. Came back again two days later and ordered the adobada burrito and chips and salsa. Burrito is huge! And the salsa has a unique taste to it, quite good, small kick to it. Staff is friendly too. Quite a popular place, people were waiting outside Saturday evening. Appreciate the small shop with good food' read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Adobada Burrito is huge! - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Oh Yeah! Two BIG thumbs up to Malena's Taco Shop!! Headed there last night to take care of the taco cravings that we were having late that night. It was the first time I went there, but had heard great things. The positive reviews were right ... Malena's is flat out good! Ordered two #2 combinations. Simple, yet delicious, beef tacos. The beef they serve is shredded (not ground, which I'm more used to). I absolutely loved their beef - especially the crispy edges that got a cooked a wee bit more than other parts of the meat. Served with lettuce, tomato, and cheese - we added sour cream and guac for good measure. They also provide a nice medium spiced salsa to go on top. The combos come with an order of rice and beans, which were equally great! All in all, it was a very filling and satisfying meal. Can't wait to go back and try something else on their menu. Maybe a burrito, or an enchilada, or ... well ... anything! If you're in the neighborhood and have a hankering for delicious and authentic Mexican food, look no further than Malena's. You'll be glad you stopped. read more

Delicious food. So unexpected from this little shop! Carne Asada Burrito was massive and tasty. Fell apart before I could finish it, but that was ok. I'll be back to try more things. read more

Our favorite spot! We moved to Seattle and someone brought us tacos from here the first night. We haven't stopped going since. We love everything we have tried but my favorite is the hard shell chicken taco. The salsa is some of the best we have had. Add the guacamole, but buy your favorite chips at the local grocery store (Ken's). read more

Food is always awesome, call in to go orders. Takes 10 minutes!! On my way to my friends house.. we indulge..

Love this place. I used to eat at their Ballard location all the time. They do whole beans and I'm a big fan. The salsa is great. I don't try ink you can go wrong with anything you order here. read more

Average Mexican food with very mild flavors, makes sense given the neighborhood but it's truly worth a drive elsewhere for good authentic Mexican cuisine read more

This place slaps. Carne asada tacos are the best thing on the menu and come loaded with guac and seared crispy steak. Great value and great food. read more

I haven't been this impressed with a new taco shop in forever! Huge tacos, kind service, the crispiest carnitas!

Worst burrito I've ever had. It was honestly more like a heavy amount of meat slapped on top of a flour tortilla with some grilled vegetables and guacamole. No beans or rice... which feels like it should be included in a burrito without having to ask. The burrito was given on a plate and it literally was not wrapped. I had to eat the meat out of the "burrito" with a fork. Totally disappointed and for $11, I'd expect much more. Definitely not coming back. Sad to write this review because I like to support small businesses, especially in these times but there was nothing acceptable about this order. read more

Malena's Taco Shop - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My quesadilla: About a pound of cheddar cheese, store bought tortilla, absolutely zero seasoning shredded chicken, diced tomato and shredded iceberg on the side. Nothing about this quesadilla was inspiring. I could've bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway and made the exact same thing myself. The store was at least 85 degrees inside which was not so much a problem for me but I was legit concerned for the employees well-being. There are a few tables outside to sit at which was nice. The chips tasted exactly like the corn tortilla chips from Costco and so did the guacamole. The only thing that was great was the salsa. My friend had a fish and a shrimp taco and said they were decent but tasted very Americanized. Simple ingredients very little seasoning, tasted nothing like good street tacos. More like tex mex without the sour cream. Not my cup of tea but based off the ratings it seems like it is somebody else cup of tea. Perhaps we ordered the wrong thing. read more

Malena's Taco Shop - a close up of a sandwich - Tacos Near Me - Seattle, Washington

$17 for a burrito that's half onion/bell pepper and half low quality meat? No cheese? No flavor?? I hate to be a bummer with local foods- especially this place, I've had great food here before. But charging this much for what customers are receiving is highway robbery. I was expecting to cut into a worthy $17 burrito. In hindsight, I'm better off cooking at home. read more

My boyfriend raved about this place so I had very high expectations going in. I was a little disappointed to be honest. I got the asada burrito and it is definitely loaded up with meat, but it was extremely bland. I found myself needing to pour hot sauce on every bite because it lacked flavor so much. It was also overly oily inside. They do give you a ton a chips (bag filled to the top), but the chips are very obviously Tostitos, so do with that info what you will. The service was fast and friendly, and the burrito wasn't horrible, but I probably won't return here. read more

Excellent Carnitas tacos, only taco salad I've found done with rice and beans at the bottom, all top notch and for a great price.