Matador Reviews

Great drinks! Had the nachos, which are enough to feed 4 people easy. Fast and friendly service. West Seattle favorite.

We enjoyed our lunch at the Matador. The restaurant was not crowded, and we got a table by the front window. The menu was what one might expect, but the food was well-prepared, and the service was very good. This is worth a visit.

Stopped in to warm up on a typical Seattle day and tried a flight of tequila. Our server had recommended several options and she was right on! Great options for snacks and a very cool atmosphere!

Great vibe. We enjoyed appetizers - ceviche, nachos, and entrees - burritos. And drinks. All were generous portions. Fresh ingredients. Friendly staff. Neighborhood destination. Will definitely stop in on my next visit.

The quality went down. The music is awful and too loud for dining. They skimp on the steak. The salads got boring. I used to love this place. Very disappointing.

I went here on a date night with my husband and enjoyed their center bar around a fire pit. It was nice to have that on a cool and drizzling evening. We had the draft beers and the nachos. I don't know how they did it actually, the nachos were piled high on a small place, so they must use something to keep them contained as they melt the cheese on them. The chips and salsa were good too. It seemed to attract the 20s/30s crowd and there were a lot of diners there, so things must be good. Great for happy hour, although the happy hour price is in the food, not the drinks.

It's a beautifully decorated, stylish restaurant on an expensive side. Food is decent but nothing that you think of as "delicious" afterwards. So somehow you don't feel good about going there, which is surprising, taking into account that you sort of have nothing bad to say about the place. I would suggest going there for drinks rather than for dining.

Way cool food at a fun Wash-Mex restaurant. Great selections and great tastes that tingled our tastebuds. Wait for it, wait for it, Yumsters! Yes another Yumsters for this West Seattle junction watering hole.

(Been many times over the years. Had rated, but not written review.) Good happy hour, love the decor. The food has always been good as well. It's not the best if you're looking for a romantic spot - well, depending on your POV. If you are at the stage where you can sit side by side to eat, and lean into each other's ears to talk, okay. With all the lovely wood inside, there is no sound dampening, so it's a rather loud place to be romantic. Take a pal or learn to lip read.

On the trip to Seattle from Portland my partner kept talking about the steak nachos at The Matador so the evening we arrived I went with family to see if the claim could be validated. Because they were so large, we decided to split an order of the nachos and just to be sure ordered a plate of enchiladas pastor. The nacho plate was heaped about 8" tall and smothered in steak and all the typical condiments. They were definitely delicious and worthy of the praise previously heaped (pun intended) on them! But the real treat was the enchilada entree. I've been a Mexican food lover for nearly 50 years and I would put these enchiladas in the top five of all I've ever had. They were simply scrumptious. Our dining companions also had the nachos along with shrimp enchiladas. They also enjoyed their selections and the enchiladas were described as delicious, no small compliment coming from the accomplished sous chef who ordered them. Our service was fantastic with multiple staff attending to our needs, not just our assigned server. It was a very enjoyable meal and reasonably priced as well. We will be back.

We had the ribeye, which, while a bit fatty as ribeye is and in need of salt, was none the less excellent. We also braised beef shoulder tacos, which were really good. The black beans were excellent. The rice was good. Chips and salsa were great. We hope to be back again!

We finally tried Matador, and wish that we had gone sooner! Wonderful food, fun atmosphere, and reasonable prices.

This place is very special. Located in the heart of West Seattle with good free parking. The menu is not big but it has something for all. The shrimp enchiladas were out of this world. Flavors not found anywhere else. I can't wait to return to try something else.

After attending a concert at Benaroya Hall with my daughter,decided to prolong the evening and took the short trip to Matador in West Seattle. Parking on the street was not difficult and we were seated by the center fireplace, which has barstools. we were not wanting to stuff ourselves so picked calamari and street tacos. Their late night happy hour discounts food, but not drinks. though it took a bit of time to get our order, food was super hot and had a great crunch. If I was very hungry, would have ordered the nachos – they looked like a pretty decent mountain. As it was, we got just the right amount and had a great end to our evening.

really good food & lots of it coupled with a fun atmosphere in the heart of the West Seattle Junction

I have to say that this restaurant is just beautiful inside with the exposed brick, open tabletop fire, and dim lighting. My husband and I just stopped in for a late lunch and loved the atmosphere. He ordered a burrito (verde sauce) and I ordered tortilla soup. While delicious, they were both wayyyyy way way too spicy. Even the verde sauce said mild, but that was not the case. Unfortunately, my husband had to finish off my soup since my taste buds couldn't handle the heat. I often order tortilla soup when we go out for Mexican/southwestern food and never have any spice issues, so I was a bit surprised. But we did enjoy the good service and setting, regardless :)

Our friends recommended that we meet here for drinks before dinner. The decor is nice, though somewhat standard. The drinks are good. But the service is great. The next time we are in West Seattle, we will return.

A great meeting point for HH or weekend gathering of friends. The nachos are off the hook! Come hungry (and thirsty)

This place is very swanky and hip. Located in Seattle's West side, it has great food, ambiance, and super service. My girlfriends and I choose this place over all the places we go to for happy hour. They only do reduced price on food for happy hour, but the choices are amazing. Starting with the delicious nachos, they're not your typical nacho's. Piled high with steak, pork, chicken, or vegetarian, these nachos always come with freshly fried tortilla chips, vegetarian black beans, guacamole (and i'm generally not a fan unless it is fresh, and this is as fresh as it comes), all sort of veggies. They load up on the meat, so if you do order this dish, it's meant for 2 -- or a VERY large 1 person. I also get the ancho chile wings and habenero prawns, YUM! The wings are sweet, but not cloyingly sweet. They definitely have a subtle spice, then then build up a nice rolling heat. The habenero prawns are VERY spicy if that's what you're into, and also very delicious. I will say that a couple of times that I've ordered this (along with other food), it has failed to come out...i'm not sure if it's because they were out, or if the waitress just didn't put it in. Either way, I always checked my tab and it wasn't on the bill. Other friend have had the southwest egg rolls, and a few other dishes (they contained pork so I couldn't comment on those). The drinks are good, however, at times they can be watery -- if that's the case, just let the waitresses know, and they'll take care of you. As for beer on tap? *in a New York accent* Fah-ged-a-bout it! They have a great selection. One other thing about this place that makes it spectacular is also that it's located in a trendy/college/but upper area. It reminds me a lot of Georgetown (in DC), or various areas of Manhattan. You can also bar hop, or go to a few of the cupcake places that are right around the corner (like Trophy Cupcakes or Cupcake Royale).

Matador has the Best Happy Hour in West Seattle, You should try the nachos feed 4 easily, and are loaded with everything you need!

The Matador on California ave in W. Seattle was very close to our bed and breakfast and since we love good Mexican food we gave it a try. The atmosphere is upscale and casual--with lots of wood, and surprisingly quite dark--with most of the lighting toward the back of the restaurant provided by numerous votive candles--on the tables and in sconces on the walls. Fortunately our cell phone has a flashlight app and so we didn't have any trouble reading the menu(s). They have a wide range of Margaritas and after some debate I settled on their Smoky Mescal Margarita and it was excellent. The salsa that came with the complimentary and obligatory corn chips was very good, but the chips themselves could have been a little bit fresher. Nonetheless, we pretty much finished the whole basket (well, we were quite hungry after just having gotten off a six hour flight). My wife chose their spicy shrimp with rice we she thouroughly enjoyed. The shrimp was in a tasty creamy sauce and perfectly cooked with the tails already removed (a real plus in her view). I had their Carne Asada (a dish I frequently order at Mexican restaurants) and it was as good as any I've had. Interestingly it came with poblano mashed potatoes (very tasty) and Mexican street corn (off the cob), also very tasty. Service was excellent and quite quick. The restaurant was a bit noisy (but not so noisy as to be annoying) which was a bit surprising in that the place was not mobbed (and this was about 7pm on a Saturday night). Parking on California Avenue can be difficult to find, but their appears to be a public parking lot behind the restaurant. After circling the block a couple of times, we did find a parking space on California Avenue. Prices were quite reasonable. Overall it turned out to be an excellent choice. If you're in the area, its worth a try!

What a wonderful summer evening meal. The dip flight was the best choice for an appetizer and we each loved our meals. The outdoor seating was cool too.

Funny thing-we seldom if ever eat off the regular menu here. What we love is a feast of happy hour special foods like the street tacos and wings and soups or seasonal salads. Many times we have come for a birthday just to pig out on the calamari and wings!! Please note that the whole establishment is considered a bar so no one under 21 is permitted. solid beer selection and great mixed drinks--we don't do tequila so can't speak to that directly expect to say it is a good sized menu of that fire water.

This place had a great ambiance and the food was great too. Everything tasted wonderful and the restrooms were very nice and clean. We would have given this place a 5 star rating, but the parking and service was terrible. Let me just say parking in Seattle is terrible. We are from Texas where parking lots are abundant and everything is a short walk. With that said it was about a block and a half walk for us to this restaurant, and the service was bad. They got most of the order right, but it took forever to get it. After a long day of walking around Seattle we didn't need to sit in a restaurant and wait for our food and then wait for our bill too. We were here an hour and a half and didn't have to wait for a seat and we were hungry and ate very quickly.

Fun place with lots of wood to seem more like a saloon. The gorda sandwichs are great and this place like to use the spice. A great place to come and hang for awhile, while you tank up.

I came in alone, waiting for my brother, who was packing his booth up for the West Seattle Farmers market. Matador is right in the midst of it. The server was very helpful. I ordered a lunch feature which included 2 options for $8.50. I had a braised beef taco and the romaine salad. Both were excellent. Free chips and salsa too! Highly recommend.

Had an amazing dinner at Matador. They had many tequila options in different price ranges. The black bean dip appetizer was out of this world delicious. Our waitress was so knowledgeable of the tequila and was able to offer options for us. Will definitely be going back here next time I'm in Seattle.

Good food, but somewhat pricey. Supurb appetizers. It's actually worth just ordering the appetizers instead of the entree. More selection and really good. That's what we do.

Fun atmosphere, great drinks & food. Sitting in the window during the Sunday market you can have some great people watching. I'm not a spicy person but the enchiladas poblanas I think it is called the third one on the list with the red sauce is perfect.

The food is okay. I do like their happy hour menu which has many good choices. I like going out to Matador because it has a good ambiance and the drinks are good as well. Usually have a good time here.

This was a smash hit!! Great atmosphere, amazing food, good prices, nice staff! Will go back if able and hope everyone goes. Trendy and delish!!!

Great food with a great atmosphere! Lots of options and reasonable prices - first meal in Seattle was a huge success. Lots of options for tequila if you are into those types of shots. Only got into the mojitos and they were decent. Food was a little salty, but that is expected as a Canadian in America.

We stopped for a late lunch, the Enchiladas al Pastor were excellent as was my wife's taco salad--shredded beef, black beans, guacamole and more. Restaurant has a nice atmosphere and good attentive service.

I went to The Matador for the taco salad and was honestly blown away by the presentation alone—beautiful, thoughtful, and far beyond what I expected. The taco salad was loaded with black beans, guacamole, cilantro-lime sour cream, serrano, vinaigrette, garlic crema, pickled jalapeños, and fresno chilies, with added shredded chicken. Every bite was layered, bold, and perfectly balanced. Absolutely delicious—and an incredible value for the quality and creativity on the plate.

Tequila bar with plenty of food options, all of which are reasonably priced and delicious. We dined on the two mahi mahi specials and could not have been happier.

The food here was great. The menu was very limited but what they had was good. The service, however, was dreadful!!! My husband and I had never been here but we had time to go through the drink menu, pick our food and sit for 5 extra minutes before anyone even approached our table. I asked to have something left off of an appetizer and they could not accommodate me. I ordered a frozen margarita (at this TEQUILA bar!!!) and they only serve on the rocks. We got our food and asked for more salsa. Twice. Finally halfway through our food we got it. Avoid!!!

I couldn't wait to go back to the Matador for the cheese enchiladas. I just loved the exceptional flavors but this visit they were fairly bland. The food was ok but not exceptional. My dining partners were very happy with there dishes though. I may or may not try it again. Lots of on street parking and also a lot in back.

Located in West Seattle, Matidor is one of the best Mexican Restaurants in Seattle. The recipes are excellent and the green chili is authentic New Mexico style. The interior decoration is warm and inviting.

My husband wanted to go to a Diner, Drive-In and Dive restaurant while we were in Seattle. It was located in West Seattle...a bit of a hike from downtown. The restaurant was closed, but we liked the funkiness of the West Seattle neighborhood. We are Texans and this area reminded us of Austin. Anyway, we walked around a bit and found a restaurant that had a very good looking entrance. We eat enough Mexican food at home, but the menu and décor drew us inside. We had a few afternoon drinks (we were on vacation). Here is where I give a big "shout-out" to Adam; the creator of a muy delisioso cocktail. The Ranier Cherry...nope it isn't really sweet. I don't like sweet drinks or wine. This was really good! We didn't just drink, we did have lunch too. The Chicken Tortilla soup was very very good and I have eaten a lot of this in my life. My husband had tacos which contained wonderfully fresh ingredients and you can pick your own style. He loves chorizo and he said their chorizo was good and not greasy. Adam said that this restaurant is part of a chain and I don't fancy chain restaurants, but I was thinking this restaurant would do very well in Texas!!! I wish we had one.....I would go for sure.

I love the fire pit, the seating and the whole late night ambiance. The nachos are large and definitely fill you up. ( I usually share the, they are so big)

Mixed thoughts on this place. It was clean. The food and drink tasted good. I didn’t like that we were not greeted with at least hello upon entering. I felt ignored waiting to be greeted and seated. They don’t have a mild salsa. I would go again though.

Fun and funky decor, staff who go out of their way, but the food was disappointing. We sensed it caters to a younger crowd who maybe wants happy hour and drinks more than food?

Good warm chips and salsa and decent margaritas highlight the key food attributes here, plus great ambiance via candles along the walls.

The complementary Salsa and chips were very good with our House Margaritas. We had grilled asparagus, fajita's and an appetizer. They were all very tasty. I'd go back again

I am biased in this review as I was born and partially raised in Texas... that being said, the margaritas at Matador are good, the food however is subpar at best. I ordered a shrimp dish of the "Happy Hour" menu at it was terrible, the shrimps were small, obviously frozen, and listless. Chips and salsa are fair, but not awesome, and the rest of the food I have sampled has been no more than average, if that. As it concerns the "Un-Happy Hour". They have no price reductions on their drinks during "Happy Hour"... how does that even pass as a Happy Hour? Adding to my reasons for a poor review is the fact that they charged a cover ($5) for a pathetic Cico De Mayo party (Redmond location), where they were honestly playing Vanilla Ice. No more need be said.

Wanted to go to the place next door but it was 1.5 hour wait. This one place was next door. Seated right away...should we worry? Not at all. Exceptional service, good food and great drinks. A bit pricey but for Saturday night in the city it's to be expected.

Good Americanized Mexican food, very cool decoration (sort of "Dusk Till Dawn" vampire cave), typical Seattle service (insincere). Music too loud to talk, an individual speaker points directly down at each table, no way to escape the noise pollution. Have to yell at each other throughout dinner. So...we conducted a fun experiment and actually asked the waitress "why is the music so loud" and "have you ever actually asked the customers if they WANT that?". Of course no restaurant ever actually asks the customers, but she made up "actually the customers want the music loud". Really? Because in the first five reviews, I see two people complaining about the noise. Management at these joints always just *assumes* "customers want to fun atmosphere bla bla". Because yelling over dinner for an hour is fun.

Good service and food choices for happy hour.No happy hour drink prices which I found a bit unusual.At 5.50 per mug of draft beer the price was a bit high. Although a somewhat noisy and dark I liked the decor and private booth where we were seated.Overall it was a bit of a disappointment.

I've been to this place several times for happy hour and it's always been great. I tried the bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos and the street tacos. They both hit the spot. Inexpensive and filling. I'll be going back again.

Great service and a cozy table around a fire pit. Perfect first night dinner experience in West Seattle on happening California Street.

We went for lunch with a group of friends on a Saturday. The decor is stunning, service was ok, food acceptable. We had reserved 10 spots, which turned out to be a long skinny bar table, so it was difficult to have a conversation beyond the people right next to you. It's that or a booth or the bar. Service was only ok; a bit slow considering we were the only table the server had when we arrived. Definitely pushing the drinks more than the food. The drinks were really good, the food rather monotone. The dip flight had two salsas and a guacamole, and chips (clearly from a bag) were refilled frequently, but they all had the same level of heat. When the food arrived, the heat level was again monotone--even the rice! The menu lists cojito, but there's a scant teaspoon dusted on the plate. Tortillas didn't arrive with the meal and needed to be requested. Portions were large but not delicious. The West Seattle farmer's market was in full swing while we were there. I kept eyeing the tamale stand just steps away, and wish I had gone there for food. I don't think we'll bother coming here again unless it's to meet friends for drinks.

Well, just went here last night. I've actually been a few times, and wonder why I don't come more often. Food is great. I had the braised carnitas. YUM! Plenty of food, and the pork was tender and moist, and very flavorful. UNfortunately, the items my friend and I had originally ordered, they ended up being out of. The GREAT customer service part is the manager came over to tell us the 2nd time, offered to pick up the dinners, and checked back again with us! So, delicious food, nice atmosphere (candles lit everywhere) and the manager quickly and I have to say very generously addressed an issue. YUM!

The Matador is great for friends but not the place to go for a date. The place is very noisy and dark. Food is good and the service is usually good. The bar is small and usually full so plan on a table. Lots of great Tequila options and mainly Mexican food.

My wife and I went the a couple of weeks back to catch the late Happy Hour. Nachos with shredded beef and a couple of Negro Modelos for a great price. The nachos were really good! Piled high with beef too. You can't do much better for the price - highly recommended in you are at the junction and a bit hungry and thirsty

street tacos were delicious, very tasty and moist. chips were not greasy, i like it. and the salsa was decent. i also like the calamari, very tasty, goes very well with my margarita. i would love to try their other dishes next time. thumps up!

My daughter took us there and I really like, everything taste so good and I loved their chips and salsa. It’s been a while so I neec to return one day.

This place looks really cool from the outside, black heavy ornate frame and door, inside you find a large space with Mexican décor including many beautiful crosses, candle holders and more. We wanted to try out their “Happy Hour” specials. I had the “Tortilla soup” of which I was disappointed, not in the taste, but in that it had so much corn, I felt like they were trying to plump me up like a chicken, and speaking of chicken, I should have asked before hand if they used white or dark meat, much to my displeasure they use dark meat, also unfortunately for me, it seemed that most bites I took where pieces with fat, I had to spit out. In the end, I left most of it, I only had the broth. My happy hour companion had the brussels sprouts, he was less than thrilled. The worst part of it all, is that there are NO drink specials on Happy Hour!! So, our “Happy Hour” wasn’t so happy. I will be back to try it again at a later date because I like the décor and the service was good.

Matador is Tex Mex. Their regular menu is terrific, especially their shrimp habanero enchiladas and their Carne Asada, but their happy hour is stupendous. Great selection and value.

This is our second visit to Matador in West Seattle. The area is so fun, and we enjoy this place -- especially at Happy Hour. We had the bacon-wrapped jalapeños filled with goat cheese (so delicious!) and the mini-taco -- all at happy hour prices. It was just the right amount for a light dinner, but we were disappointed that there were no happy hour drink offers to go with the appetizers. This would be a nice addition and no doubt, would bring in even more regulars. Nice atmosphere...and nice waitstaff.

We love many things about this place, especially the brussel sprouts and rocking salsa; also the cool window tables that make an amazing spot for a small party. Haven't tasted a dish I didn't love, and it's typically a hip and lively vibe.

The restaurant has nice Matador-style decorations. You feel like you've walked in to a part is Spain. The food was excellent and service was outstanding. My server was very attentive. My water glass was never empty and boy did I need lots of it. The verde salsa was sort of sweet with a spicy kick, loved it. The guacamole appetizer came with the free and red salsa and both were great. The enchilada verde and tons were both delicious. I'm visiting from Sacramento and highly recommend giving Matador a try.