El Quetzal Bar & Lounge Reviews

Authentic Mexican neighborhood restaurant. Simple and informal. Enjoyed seeing items on the menu that I hadn't seen before like the Huaraches Gigantes. I had the NORTEÑO version of this. They were very friendly though at times it seemed we had been forgotten and we ended up having to try and wave down someone to get a second beer. A very local clientele, I got the impression they have a lot of regulars. It's not a place many tourist stumble across. We did have to pay for chips and salsa and a go-box, items we aren't used to paying extra for in our hometown. But overall a good experience and good food.

Friendly, comfortable neighborhood family place with the best fish tacos. Always moist pieces of fish with crunchy slices of granny smith apples, creamy spicy sauce on fresh little tacos. I try other things too but always come back to the fish tacos. While waiting we munch on the fresh crunchy taco chips and salsa. El Quetzal also has a bar and serves all kinds of drinks.

El Quetzal is one of the places you don't want to tell people about because you want to be able to get a seat every time you go there. However, if you want authentic Mexican food this is the spot! Prices are reasonable. 2 entrees, 2 drinks, 30 bucks! Loved the neighborhood vibe, families are welcome. Variety of tequila's not just Cuervo.

Not a critic, just a lover of good food :) Would recommend to anyone who has that itch for some great Mexican food! Had the huaraches, fish tacos, and a healthy reposado! Yummmmmm!

I dislike Mexican food because at home, its pretty much beans and rice (dried out, no flavor, and burritos). This is the real deal. Epazote is used. enough said.

Everything about the Beacon Hill restaurant is perfect. Very inexpensive, easy to find, flawless service but mostly is is unique amongst Mexican restaurants in Seattle...and there are a million great one's, let me tell you. I think the menu is mainly Oaxacan (southern Mexico) and the portions are massive. I like any of the Tortas and Huaraches. Absolutely wonderful owners and staff too.

I was planning to meet friends in the Beacon Hill neighborhood that evening, but we had not yet determined just where. At a nearby event, I overheard the host recommending El Quetzal to another inquiring guest, so I shortly thereafter suggested it to the couple joining me later. Admittedly, from the outside, it looked a little sketchy, but let's face it: Beacon Avenue South is NOT where you're going to IMPRESS anyone, is it? That being said, inside was warm, delicious-smelling, welcoming and noisy with friends, couples, families all enjoying some great Saturday evening eats. Despite the noise, normal-level conversation was to be had, as we pored over the not-so-gringo menu options. Wanting a bit of liquid sunshine on a struggling-to-be-spring day, I opted for the sangria and my friends followed suit. A fine choice, if you're wanting something not-so-mojito to drink. Food was location-appropriate cheap and was served up hot and delicious. Although, for my first time out, I stuck with a safe chicken-flauta-like dish, next time, I'll take my authenticity-scrutinizing Mexico-raised boyfriend and delve a little deeper into the menu. In any case, it's a totally acceptable place to drink and dine if you're in the neighborhood.

We were nearby and decided to try El Quetzal for dinner. So good! Terrific service and tacos. The four of us ordered tons of tacos and margaritas and the entire bill was under $80. Highly recommend.

Authentic Baja style mexican food. Small restaurant, but amazing

This is the most authentic Mexican restaurant I've found in Seattle. The food is well priced and the atmosphere is small and cozy with plenty of street parking.

Love the Enchilada Verde! The owners are soooooo nice and take good care of the customer. Now that they have expanded, it is more comfortable and inviting.

Stopped by Monday at noon for lunch. Very friendly with attentive service. Fish tacos were very good but would be even better with hard taco shells. Also the halibut was very good but should be a little more crispy. The red salsa sauce with tortilla chips that were served at the start were very tasty - chips were fresh and light. Wife loved the steak tortas but the bun was too big - a thin panini type bread would be perfect.

You're not going find find combo plates 1-25 here. El Quetzal menu offers a large selection of authentic Mexican dishes on the menu as well as several nightly specials. Their ingredients list include cactus sauce, breaded flank steak, mole, and pork cracklings among others. They also have a variety of Tortas Gigantes that can best be described, by me as Mexican inside out pizzas. To finish it all off, surprise!, one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had at any restaurant. Prices are very reasonable for beer and food along with friendly service.

We were visiting Seattle and staying in the North Beacon Hill area and stumbled upon this lovely little restaurant. The food was authentic, wonderful ambience and the service was great. The red salsa is divine - rich and smoky flavour and I had a superb mushroom and cheese quesadilla and my Dad had a Huarache. All delicious, and washed down with a long, tall margarita. Great place for a taste of real Mexican food.

They make really awesome fish tacos. We don't look for all-star service when we come here. In fact we usually order to go.

I am in the city for a few days and really wanted to find an authentic Mexican restaurant. I received recommendations from a retail sales lady and the hotel receptionist but the average price (according to tripadvisor) was more then I wanted to spend. Although I am staying in the heart of the city, a short 7-mile drive to this restaurant was worth it! The server was very friendly and didn't make me feel stupid when I never heard of a few of the menu options. The food came very fast and I could have easily shared it with another person. I also ordered an horchata and it was fantastic! The place is small and a little on the rough around the edges but the food was great! Their salsa has a nice kick to it - I wouldn't recommend the place for someone who doesn't like any heat in their Mexican food.

We were staying at a B&B in the Beacon Hill area and didn't want to go very far to eat out one evening. Searched TripAdvisor and found this neighborhood jewel only a few minutes from our place. The atmosphere and decor were simple, rustic and welcoming. Service was outstanding. We were seated quickly and waited on attentively but in a way that was unobtrusive to the overall experience. The best part was the food. I ordered the chicken enchiladas and was very pleased. My wife had the fish tacos and loved them. Great flavors with simple, fresh ingredients. We loved the verde sauce so much, the owner packaged some up and sold it to us for a pittance. If you're in Seattle and in the mood for some great authentico Mexican dining, you should try this place.

I had the happy hour pastor pork tacos with pineapple. The salsa and chips are to die for, the salsa is smoky and just the right hot. The margaritas are hand muddled and house made sour mix. I also had the flan which was very authentic, not really mexican, more latin american. The bartender was very attentive and gave me lots of good info for my travels

El Quetzal is a very good little restaurant on Beacon Ave. The service was very good for the half of dinner but then they got distracted by preparing for two large groups. The food on the other hand was excellent. The chicken mole was delicious. I will go back for the food and hope for a more consistent experience with the service.

Definitely the best margaritas and food in beacon hill, georgetown, and possibly capitol hill as well. The atmosphere and lighting is not great, but the prices are, so it gets 5 stars for me. La Catrina in Georgetown has better atmosphere and great service, but the food and cocktails are not near as good. This place is way better and cheaper. Also beats Baja Bistro which saddens me. They were my fave for a long time but their drinks just can't compete. Unfortunately it's not open late but the bar serves food after the restraunt closes.

El Quetzal is simply the best Mexican Food in Beacon Hill, and is also one of our favorites in Seattle (the White Center area offers strong competition). I would not consider it straight "traditional" Mexican food, but rather a fusion of Mexican and the regional flavors the owners grew up with. Our family has tried a number of dishes, and they have all been wonderful. Everything is served hot, fresh, and is not overly-greasy or oily. The tortas are HUGE and probably one of the menu's best values. But, in my opinion, the best dish is hands-down the fish tacos; the best in Seattle. They are also a special menu item, but I can't recall a time when they weren't available. Every meal is served with complimentary chip n' salsa, which is delicious. But, just know that it is not typically bottomless. They don't charge if you ask for more, but they simply don't go out of their way to keep refilling them for you like one might find in other places. The ownership and servers are all friendly and hospitable. The ambiance and decor very nice, with plenty of room and seating. As for the pricing, it is a bit high; perhaps higher than average. However, it is worth supporting a great local spot and family. Don't miss this wonderful Beacon Hill spot. It is a great meal, and you won't regret it!

We started going here periodically when we were in the area. It has quickly become a regular destination when we want Mexican food. The food is outstanding. The service is excellent. The drinks are delicious. Treat yourself to some great ambiance, service, and food and try it out.

This is a really cozy place where English speakers and Spanish speakers feel equally at home. I'm always looking for Mexican restaurants that sell something different from everyone else, especially in the category of vegetarian food. One of El Quetzal's specialties is their "huaraches," which they describe as a pre-Colombian oval corn dough pocket. Nopales (cactus pods) are one of the toppings available. It's a hearty main course for vegetarians and omnivores eager to try a vegetable that might be new to them. The drizzle of cream, tomatillo green sauce, and red salsa atop the bed of frijoles and lettuce is divine. I've never ordered anything else there, because these are so good!

Passing through Seattle, we stopped here for dinner and enjoyed our meal. The place is cute and cheerful on the inside. The staff is friendly and genuinely concerned about pleasing the customer. And the food is tasty, authentic Mexican at a decent price. That said, if you are coming here with a burrito in mind, this is not your place. Authentic means they don’t serve a lot of the stuff one is accustomed to seeing in a Mexican restaurant in the US. Since we weren’t well-versed in authentic Mexican food, we ordered what we saw on others’ plates that appealed to us. Turned out to be a chicken and cheese quesadilla for me and chicken tostadas for my son. We also shared chocolate ice cream cake for dessert. Dinner comes with chips and salsa, and they were delicious. We devoured two baskets. The quesadilla was a large, thick semicircle of lettuce, chicken, and both melted cheese and queso fresco. I liked it, especially with the spicy red sauce that accompanied it. I did not try the tostadas; there were four of them, and my son found them tasty. The chocolate ice cream cake was much better than we expected it to be, so we ordered a second slice. We’d eat here again; there were a lot of exotic offerings we‘d like to try.

we have eaten at El Quetzal many times over the years. The food is always great and the service is friendly, gracious and casual. Tonight we went just to go to the bar. We sat outside on patio-it was great. I had the house Margarita which was delicious, my husband had a Victoria and they brought us chips and delicious salsa. They have 2 happy hours, second happy hour is 9-11. Great atmosphere. We walked there from our house but you can also take the light rail. Make sure to visit this place

While the shiny new light rail trains and stations of Seattle's new system are state-of-the-art and totally slick, the REAL amenity of the system is how it connects once isolated neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill...which makes small family-run joints such as El Quetzal more accessible to the outside. You can also get there by car, but hey...ride the rails! A short 5 minute walk from the Beacon Hill station will put you in the cuisine of Mexico authentico...El Quetzal offers the menu items and eats of the cental Mexico mega-metropolis...and having been that far south before, I would know...and I've tried every place in Tucson, which boasts the best Mexican in the country, and this rivals places down there...but remember this is authentic MEXICO CITY-STYLE, not Sonoran or TexMex. For example, the tostadas were light and crispy, with the specially-textured sour cream sauce that you can only find in something authentic. In addition, the atmosphere is real...the staff is incredibly friendly and chatty; what you would expect to find in a place like this. If you know Spanish, bring it in, even if you're rusty, and chat with the owners...it's the respectful thing to do anyway. If you want the REAL DEAL of Mexico, leave the icky chains behind and come here...bring your money here and support this fantastic family-run gem...you won't spend much, and you'll get a memorable meal that's second-to-none. Hurry, because it's a small cozy place...and when other peeps find out about it's secret, a line out the door will probably be standard protocol...and it might stretch back to the light rail train station that finally connects the wonderful and rustic Beacon Hill neighborhood.

This place has one of the biggest, tastiest, everything but the kitchen sink torta in town. The people are really nice. Try it!

The fresh food, daily specials, and service are always the best. I cannot wait to go back for fresh tortillas!

While awaiting a hair appointment we caught the tall end of happy hour, but did not partake of the specials, instead enjoying a margarita on the rocks with muddled fruit that was quite unique and the good as usual shot of Patrón with Modelo Especial. We returned got a light shared dinner in the bar. We continued the drinks trying suggested tequilas, one being a Milagro Reserve that was smooth and tasty. The back patio was full to bursting with bar patrons and those having dinner even add the family friendly dining room (next door) handled a brisk business as well. Our food choice was a enchiladas with beans and rice. It came a bit spicier than fire my personal taste, but it was not so unpleasant as to dissuade us from returning. The guacamole was flavorful and included cilantro, a favorite herb. Juan, the bartender was knowledgeable and pleasant and his drinks were in constant demand. We will return.... After

This is a family owned and run restaurant. we had chicken mole (a special), fish tacos, and flan. The mole was complex and excellent. There were three fish tacos in the order. The fish topped with sliced apples (yum) was fresh, moist and tasty. The flan was somewhat cake like but good. The guacamole was well prepared. worth a visit. The service responsive.

Okay, this is a nice little neighborhood restaurant with very good food. The place has a nice feel to it, and the service was basically good; not as attentive as you might hope, but this could be forgiven as they were pretty busy when i was there. The prices are reasonable, providing you only pay for meals once... There's the rub-- my credit card statement showed two charges for the same meal, one for just the food, the other for the food plus the tip. I didn't think this would be a big deal-- shot them an email at an address I found on the web for them. No response. We called and talked to a manager who promised to take care of the extra charge if we would email him details of the charges. Sent him screenshots of the postings, no response. Tried to call him back on the cell number he gave us and we get a message he's not available and does not have voice-mail. I've since disputed the charges with my credit card company. I understand how the mistake in charging us could have happened, but El Quetzal has shown no real interest in getting the issues resolved. Pay with cash or check your statement carefully.

Stopped by for late lunch and had a wonderful meal. We have been looking for Mexican food that didn't just use hot peppers for flavor. The food was so flavorful and delightful we will come back!

For a neighborhood that is a little light on restaurants, we seem to have a higher percentage of Mexican restaurants. I'm a huge fan of Baja Bistro, AND I'm still very happy that Quetzal is in my neighborhood. The two restaurants have two very different styles and I visit each relatively regularly - depending on which I'm in the mood for. I love the giant sandwiches filled with beans and avocado and covered in sauce. The complimentary chips and salsa are delicious and all the staff are super friendly. Not all the drinks on the menu are amazing, however Mis Palomas is quite tasty.