Happy hour is where it's at... you can't beat a giant plate of nachos for $7 , guacamole and salsa for $7, etc. in general the staff are friendly enough and food is enjoyable. The drinks lack though. Not worth the price tag and margaritas taste watery. This place can get crowded so come early or be prepared to wait a bit. read more

It is rare that I give a full 5 starts because it's difficult to exceed expectations on all fronts. With that said, Matador Ballard earned every star today! From the moment we walked in, the young man who greeted us made us feel welcome. He was so gracious to seat us inside a large table so that we could fit comfortably with the stroller next to us. My daughter had asked to sit outside because "he might cry, we don't want to disturb anyone". The young man immediately said "not at all! we love babies here and the inside isn't full yet, come on in and get comfortable". Our server was the same; warm, friendly and attentive. From there, we had the full menu, the happy hour menu, and the Restaurant Week menu to choose from and they all included incredible options that were so reasonably priced. Happy Hour included the Romaine Salad which was delicious, the dressing was creamy and the pumpkin seeds added crunch. The brussel sprouts were delicious; perfectly cooked and the flavor was insane! The carnitas tacos were also great and priced at $7 for 3 minis. The guacamole came with three salsas and a bowl of chips. All good! We also ordered the chile relleno with carnitas. Unlike anything I've ever eaten before! The chile relleno is filled with rice, beans, cheese and options of chicken, carnitas or picadillo. They come dressed with tortilla chips and with a sauce to dip them in on the plate. Try these! The cocktails menu is extensive - wines, beers, 3 different sangrias, multiple margaritas. All creative and with top notch spirits. The vibes are fun, low key, not stuffy. Playing 90's R&B and Hip Hop and the décor is beautiful; large lanterns and chandeliers throughout the restaurant. Stop in, you will love it! read more

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The Matador in Ballard is a really fun spot, especially if you like a lively bar atmosphere. This location feels a bit different from the Redmond one. The main restaurant dining space is a good size and feels comfortable, but the downstairs cantina is much smaller and can get overly crowded. We came for the Illegal tasting event and it was a great time, but the cantina got packed really quickly and I don't think they managed the small space very well for that kind of event. The food here is always good and the portion sizes are great. I almost always end up bringing leftovers home, and a lot of the dishes work really well for sharing. I also love their happy hour menu. It's perfect if you're just going by yourself or want something smaller without committing to a full dinner. They also have a great bar with lots of drink options, and they make really good margaritas. Overall it's a fun place to go, just expect the cantina to get crowded when there's an event or when it's busy. read more

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We love going to the Matador whenever doing something in Ballard. Very good location so it is pretty easy to use it as a meeting hub. The food is very good Mexican food. The dip flight is one of our favorites, it comes with bean dip, guacamole and queso dip. The salsa is also very tasty! They also have great and flavorful drinks that we enjoy! Fast and friendly service. Lots of conversations going on around you so it is a little loud. Not so much that you can not have your own conversation though. As I said great meet up hub with very tasty food and drinks. read more

Matador Ballard - Three Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Yummy food. Fine drinks. You could definitely get better for cheaper, but it's still a nice place! read more

Matador Ballard - Bar area - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

One of my favorites. The atmosphere in this restaurant is like nowhere else - lit with candles and amber lights, beautiful wood, high ornate ceilings and a gorgeous bar. It can get loud when it's busy, but I wouldn't let that deter you. Service is prompt and friendly. The food is outstanding. I had the opportunity to try the ribeye fajitas at my last visit and was blown away... best fajitas I've had in my life. I chased that with a mezcal flight that featured three different types of mezcal. Matador is definitely on my visit list anytime I'm in Ballard, which isn't often enough! read more

Okay, first, I need to confess, I am a professional Mexican Foodie! HAHAAA. I know good Mexican food. The place, the vibe the ambiance is gorgeous. I love this sexy little dungeon of a feel. Very beautiful lighting. I love the bar. It's in such a fun location. A great date night place. Great selection of tequila too... esp if you like a nice sipping tequila. The bartender was busy, so kinda slow... but that is okay. The three dips with chips was the bomb. I loved my spicy prawn dish and the guac is really good here. My hubby's soft tacos were SO SO GOOD! We loved the steak the best. I loved everything about this place. Funny side note, I wanted to go to this other fabulous Mexican restaurant across the street (which I love and adore), but my hubby wanted me to try Matador --- so we did--- and I LOVED everything about it! read more

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Sooooooo salty the vibe is nice but I couldn't finish the carne asada fajitas. They also overcooked it to medium well It gets loud so it's not really a place for conversation unless you're ok shouting a bit read more

Matador Ballard - Carne asada fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This burrito was $19 lmfao. I would've NEVER purchased this if I knew it was sub 6 inches. Also the 4oz sauce containers are 2oz full. My partner and I eat here a lot. Recently we noticed a complete turnover of the staff, and the quality has really degraded. I advise you to try wallingfords TNT, or Ballards El Legendario instead. read more

Matador Ballard - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Another fun night at Matador. Great service, a beautiful save w/ a great vibe. Very busy night yet not too loud, we could hear each other talk yeah! read more

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Went to Matador on a Sunday at 4:30pm with friends and we all really enjoyed their happy hour. Service was good and the ambiance was warm and festive feeling. We shared the roasted Brussel sprouts (amazingly good), guacamole, and chips and salsa. I also got two steak tacos for $7. They were delicious, but wish there had been a warning about the spice level. Both the pico de gallo and red sauce on the tacos were too spicy. Admittedly, I am a lightweight when it comes to spice! Maybe it'd be perfect for you? If you're looking for an affordable happy hour with a fun atmosphere, check out Matador. If you don't like noise, show up earlier at 4pm or 4:30pm and there will be less of a crowd. Also, this is a 21+ place so leave the kids at home. 12/21/2025: Just heard their policy has changed and they now welcome the under-21 crowd. So bring your kiddos! read more

After hearing people rave about this place for happy hour for a while, I finally came. I got a margarita, nachos, and street tacos and everything was so good! Can you believe the nachos and tacos are only $7 each? I even brought home leftovers. I also got the guacamole which came with two salsas, both were so limey and so good. I sat at the bar and shared my margarita with my partner, the bartender was really nice and asked if we wanted it to split into two little cups. It was definitely super packed for a Tuesday at 5pm, and I can see why. -1 star because there are no drinks on the happy hour menu, but the food is so worth it, plus they give you chips and salsa to start as well! read more

Matador Ballard - Nachos, Matador Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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One of the better happy hours out there! Most famously known for their grande nachos, which are $7. Add $3.50 for most protein and $5 for marinated steak. I happen to see the menu advertising free nachos if you download their app so I did - basically $7 discount since the protein surcharge is not included. We also got the guacamole dish for $7 which also had 2 different types of salsa. I think just go for the nachos because one order is more than enough to feed 2 people. When we saw the plate, no kidding. This is on top of complimentary chips and salsa. We pretty much paid $12+tax+tip for 2 dishes which is very hard to beat for happy hour or even just a meal in Seattle these days, and we had leftovers of the nachos. It was not too busy Monday 5:30pm, just know that happy hour is 4-6pm for the earlier times. read more

Matador Ballard - The spread - IG @bougiefoodieboi - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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A quick errand run in Ballard turned into a full-blown quest to survive the parking madness, find a killer late lunch, and secure a well-deserved Marg....enter Matador! This area of Ballard requires patience for parking. There's a small paid lot across the street and another next to the restaurant, but with the sheer volume of restaurants and cars crammed into one area, you'll probably do a few laps in the one-way-street labyrinth. Bring your game face or better yet, just Uber. Once inside, the place is a total vibe. Intricate ironwork decor is everywhere (apparently crafted by one of the owners himself), adding to the cool, rustic aesthetic, more so Spanish Spain Vibes than Mexican. Next time, we're snagging seats at the end of the bar near the door because there's a cozy little fireplace situation happening there. We landed right in that golden hour transition between late lunch, happy hour (which, by the way, has a killer menu), and dinner. Solid, solid Mexican food. My husband's Matador Quesadillas were next-level definitely an upgraded version of the classic. That garlic crema was absolutely unreal, they should put it on everything. My Matador Bowl with Chorizo was a hefty portion, super flavorful, and exactly what I was craving. The Margs? Fantastic. They know what they're doing here. My strawberry pomegranate margarita for Margarita Day was just delicious, not too sweet, slightly salty, and made with incredibly smooth tequila. Definitely the kind of drink that goes down a little too easily. The only slight buzzkill........We thought the chips and salsa were complimentary... until the bill arrived with a sneaky $2.50 charge. Not a dealbreaker, but a heads-up would've been nice. That said, we'd still pay for it again because the salsa is fantastic, it had this nice roasted fresh, homemade flavor. Definitely some of the best we've had. Guess it's just a sign of the times with inflation hitting everything, even the once-free chips and salsa aren't safe! Also, the 20% auto-grat with no option to adjust was a bit of a surprise, what if we want to tip more? Don't get me wrong, we're all for recognizing hardworking hospitality staff, so happy to pay for it. But it's always nice to have a choice. Service was a little stretched thin on this visit, our bartender was also running the door, and while our server greeted us promptly, placing our order took a bit longer than expected. Would we come back? Absolutely. There aren't a ton of spots the other side of the bridge in Seattle serving up Mexican food with this level of quality and freshness. Plus, that happy hour is worth the trip alone. Next time, we're coming in an Uber, sit by that fireplace, order more margs and extra garlic crema. read more

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Once again reiterating, this is an unbeatable happy hour. The food is good and our server was also very friendly! The haba prawns stood out to me, but you can't really go wrong with this HH imo! read more

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The food is delicious. I ordered Dip Flight it is certainly worth every bite. All the three dips were well decorated and very tasty. Matador bowl is another tasty dish. It is more than enough i quantity. The interior is dark and a bit noisy. The staff is nice. The service was slow. But that gives you time to chat. There is a wait time and no reservations. (They lost a star for that) read more

Matador Ballard - Dip Flight - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Best happy hour in Seattle! Food was great quality and great price Parking is free street parking Great for a late night meal! read more

Matador Ballard - Take & Bake Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It took a while to get the food, but it's understandable since they have to climb up to heaven to source their delicious Cali-style habanero steak burrito on a busy Friday night ;) Also a very cool atmosphere. Love the real candles all throughout the place. read more

Matador Ballard - Cali-style habanero steak burrito - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The ambiance here is great and so is the staff!! The nachos are so tasty, and loaded up, there's a bunch of them! They also have a non alcoholic mint drink that was quite delicious as well. Really loved it here read more

Matador Ballard - Nachos with carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Beautiful summer day so we sat outside, took some time for someone to come take our drink orders. Drinks were yummo. We got a variety of dishes and they were all delicious. Guacamole, quesadillas/ chile releno was delicious and we tried beyond street taco ( def a surprise) will go back fur it. Ended with a mezcal flight. read more

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Food was good. Got quesabirrias and street corn on the cob delivered. Took an hour to cook the food. Update: the restaurant reached out to me and it turns out my experience was a one time thing. They weren't aware that DoorDash orders update slowly. My food shouldn't have taken long to cook. They were so nice and kind. I'll definitely seek out their restaurants when I'm back in town. Changed my review from three to five stars. read more

A great Mexican restaurant to eat at! Heads up, parking can be terrible and expensive. There are some free 2 hour parking spots, but it's a bit of walking to the restaurant. I had their enchiladas divorciadas ($18.5), which was pretty good! Portioning was good and the pricing seemed reasonable. The sauce on the enchiladas was very tasty and the chicken was well cooked. They give chips and salsa on the house and it was good as well. I enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. Very nice lightning and can be a place for a date, an occasion, or even just to hangout. There's plenty of seating here. The service was good. Server was attentive and helpful and the food didn't take long to make. If I'm around Ballard, I would definitely come back here! read more

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The happy hour was a great deal from 4-6 pm. I enjoyed the carnitas and fish tacos. The guac, salsa, and chips were also worth. The nachos are a really big plate so I would only recommend getting them if they are being shared between a few people especially if other sides are being ordered. I also enjoyed the decor and overall dining experience. We were also served our food pretty quickly. I definitely want to go back and try their drinks next time. read more

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Food was delicious, drinks were delicious, but the staff is what brought me back. Natalie, you are the kindest human. Truly such a gem and I hope this restaurant recognizes that. It was so busy when I was there busy nobody seemed to care because you were flying around that place with the biggest smile, and the best attitude. You made everyone feel important and that's what brought me back. Your crew matters. Always remember that. Also fyi your happy hour portions are insane and don't need to be that big for the price lol read more

Matador Ballard - Chicken tortilla soup Romaine salad - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Matador kills the happy hour game. For real. My friend and I have been going for the $7 nachos for years! Last night we tried the fish tacos and they were crisped to perfection with a really smoky chipotle aioli on top. Delicious. Also love that they put some guacamole on there as well. Never disappoints. Sorry for the dark photo, the lighting in there is the perfect date night ambiance. We got seated within 10 minutes of arriving and food was out in another 15. This might be the best Matador location honestly. read more

Matador Ballard - Baja Fish Tacos and Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My friends and I love coming here for their happy hour! It's one of the best happy hour spots in Seattle just because their food is always solid. We always get nachos to share and I also enjoy their brussels sprouts, black bean dip, quesadilla, and their free chips and salsa! I would avoid their happy hour drinks because it's not cheaper than just ordering a regular drink. The place is always really clean and I love the dim lighting and decor of the restaurants. Their bathrooms are always clean too. We usually go with a big party and the servers are always attentive. We get seated pretty quickly too. read more

Matador Ballard - Nacho and Crispy Brussels Sprouts - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Pros: the food is really good, and I especially like the dip for the free(!) chips. Cons: it's very dark after the sun goes down :( I very much enjoyed our fajitas (the steak was a little hard to bite through) and our flight of sauces (the black beans were SO good!). There was plenty of food, though I think I've been to slightly cheaper Mexican restaurants. Overall, would generally enjoy coming here, but maybe for lighting. I don't love parking in this area at all :/ read more

This place was poppin' even at around 9 or 10PM on a weeknight, and the ambiance is great. There's a bar area with plenty of sports playing, and the restaurant itself is pretty big. I tried their carnitas enchiladas, which I really enjoyed. Their passionfruit margarita was really tasty & refreshing. Our server was really nice, and actually put us in the separate back area where it was quieter for conversation. Really cool place to eat with quality food that opens late even on weekdays. read more

Matador Ballard - carnitas enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Came on a Friday night around 8 PM and there was a 30 minute wait but were able to snag a seat at the bar. Quality of food is not exceptional, but cocktails and large portions were pretty good. Really loud and busy environment. read more

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Review about the To-go service: I have ordered to go here a couple of times now and as the quality of food and the menu is fantastic, the consistency of the orders is sometimes faulty. One of my favorite things to get is the fried tacos. But in this to go order, they only put two fry tacos in the to go container when I have ordered previously there is usually 3 tacos included. Unfortunately, this time they only included 2. I do enjoy the food here, but the inconsistency is an issue. read more

Matador Ballard - To-go fried tacos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Run in the mill Mexican place. They occupy some prime real estate so I'd wager that has more to do with the popularity of this place as opposed to the quality of the food. Overpriced for what they offer. Doubtful I'll be back. read more

Came here for dinner and had a great time! The vibes are cool and the service was excellent. I ordered the Baja fish tacos plate with the house margarita and it was delightful! read more

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I decided to check out Matador after looking at picture after picture of delicious nachos. I have a weakness for nachos, especially when the chips are fresh and the toppings are on point. Matador also has a great selection of tequilas and mezcal. I couldn't finish the margarita or the nachos (so big!), but both were outstanding. Can't wait to come back! read more

Matador Ballard - Nachos w-marinated steak - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Downloaded Yelp just for you Cassie - stellar server, so friendly, so helpful, such a good attitude, and got us exactly the strange drink we wanted! She's a star, made the perfect moment even more perfect. Also the nachos here are so fire. So indulgent. Get them during happy hour, the value is insane. read more

Four of us arrived for lunch along with an 8 week year old baby. We asked for an outdoor table on the sidewalk completely detached from the restaurant. We were told that we could not be served because the restaurant is for 21 and over. Our baby is nursing and had no intention of ordering food or cocktails. City ordinance or otherwise, stupido es stupido! read more

This place still has great food. The seasonal specials are always a hit. They have mocktails which is really nice. I hate to say that service has gone down a bit. Things have been a bit on the "cold" side the last few times, which is fine, but it became an issue on the last visit. We tried to go last Saturday for a late lunch. We were greeted by the bartender and told someone would be with us in a minute, but no one ever came. It wasn't busy, no one else was waiting for a table, but we stood at the front for another 15 minutes without anyone coming up so we could check in or be seated. We eventually just had to leave. read more

Matador Ballard was a great experience. We got a table outside within minutes of arriving. The poor server seemed stretched thin... I didn't see anyone else helping them. They still had a great attitude and they were super helpful (fantastic earrings too)!!! I got the jalapeño cucumber margarita. It was flavorful and had just the right amount of spice. It was refreshing and cool. I was hoping to try out the sweet corn queso, but they were already sold out for the day. I got the Baja fish tacos... so good!!! The Serrano slaw and chipotle mayo brought this dish home! The bean and rice were delicious too! Great meal, great service! read more

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Very pleasantly surprised coming here. We were looking for food after 10pm and saw they had nachos; absolutely did not disappoint. We got chicken nachos and a ginger tamarind margarita. Every single staff member we interacted with was incredibly affable, indicating a healthy working culture. When we got our nachos, my boyfriend asked for hot sauce, and our server asked "what kind?" Simultaneously, I said "cholula" while he said "tapatio." I quickly said "Oh, tapatio - tapatio is fine." But she still brought out both :') Really reasonable happy hour prices. Highly recommend. Will definitely be coming back for their other unique drinks and entrees. read more

Matador Ballard - chicken nachos - Mexican Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Came back to Matador for lunch on a Sunday. The weather was nice so we sat outside on the patio. We have to get the black bean dip every time we come! It's so good and the perfect starter. We also got the nachos with the chorizo. It was huge! Definitely good to get for sharing. The chorizo was so flavorful. I also got the mango shrimp salad which was a good light lunch. Our server was very attentive and checked in on us a few times which was nice. read more

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My family and I didn't even make it past the front door. A blonde hostess denied my mother (who is visiting from out of town) entry because they required to see her ID--without offering any clear reason or explanation. When we asked for clarification, not even the manager could explain why this was necessary just to dine. We were left feeling nothing but discriminated against. It was an uncomfortable and humiliating experience. There are valid reasons why someone may not want to share private identification, especially when it's not related to payment or alcohol. But being turned away at the door for simply not handing over personal info--without any explanation--is unacceptable. This was not just inconvenient--it was offensive. Restaurants should be welcoming, not judgmental or invasive. We won't be returning, and I would caution others--especially families and visitors--about this establishment's disturbing policies and lack of accountability. read more