Food is phenomenal. Shrimp tacos, mushroom enchiladas & El 42 burrito were all delicious and so fresh. BUT the noise level had my watch warning me the whole time. Unbelievably noisy. Not going back unless it’s nice enough to eat outside. (Surely adding some Mexican blankets on the wall or something would help.)
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eunice Chung
Good nachos! Good brownie!Cozy, but can get loud.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nachos
Cali Girl
Excellent customer service the server was incredible. The duck taquitos are to die for absolutely amazing. The drinks were well blended. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. Very quiet little Cantina perfect for date night or a girlfriends night out. I will definitely return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sandra Diebold
Food was tasty but very dry in texture. Service was pleasant and attentive even when it got busy. Atmosphere was good but noisy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Gayle Rustenburg
We loved this place! The ingredients in our dishes were fresh and elevated from normal Mexican fare! We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Roger Probert-Baker
Parking: Street parkingWheelchair accessibility: Sidewalk entrance
Alyssa Rairdan
I showed up with some friends for a Birthday drink & it was a fairly busy night.We did not order food just few drinks & the wait time between service was abit slow however Mike the bartender along with the most of the staff were doing a good job keeping up good vibes.At the end of the night I lost my beanie & called the next day from abit before they opened all the way until they closed.I left 3 messages & a call back number to no avail. It was my favorite beanie :(But the fact nobody answered the phone all day nor called back was the most disheartening.For this I give 2 stars & would only go back to visit Mike the bartender because he makes a MEAN Monkey's Uncle xD
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Todd Rutherford
Great Margaritas and food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anika Peterson
The “el jefe” burger is back!!!! This place is amazing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lindsey Teter
Kid-friendliness: 21+ only; great for adult date night
We had an amazing experience with service and the food! The street tacos were the best I have had in a long time! I would highly recommend the prawn street tacos. The spicy margarita with the pineapple is the bomb also!! Zoe is the best with service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Isaac Johnson
Food was solid, unfortunately the service was poor. We began ordering everything all at once, making it clear we'd like appetizer out first, followed by our entrees. Everything sadly came out all at once, unable to enjoy either course to its fullest. On top of that, the server gave us flour tortillas when my wife made it clear she ordered corn. Unfortunately, we werent able to correct the mistake because the server didn't check on our status until 10+ minutes after our food arrived. To top it all off, our server still charged us for the extra corn tortillas when it was originally ordered as part of our meal. Food was solid, yet overall experience was just frustrating. Attention to detail is what matters. Would still come back because food was very enjoyable, hopefully the service improves upon next visit. When servers are more concerned about presenting the check vs delivering drinks and service, it is why "tipping fatigue" is becoming such a big problem.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Kulany Hanson
Great Spot on Front Street! Great Servers & Great Service NEW MENU NOT SO GREAT. Used to be our favorite spot with burritos & burgers (Yes burgers) that were by far the best in town!! Their short rib burrito was possibly the best on the planet (IMO)!! Gone, but not forgotten old friend, RIP ..Been there 3-4 times now to try & find something on the new menu worth coming back for to no avail. The tortas had the best chance but the last two had so many beans mixed in with the meat you couldn't tell which meat you even chose! No one's going there for hamburger helper, just jack the prices up if need be! If the old menu ever gets resuscitated El 42 Cantina will immediately bounce back to being our first choice & an amended review along with .. until then, once in awhile for drinks only .. Maybe
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa
Jaret Johnson
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke…El 42 was a staple for us for years. Arguably the best Mexican food on the Eastside, if not the PNW. A true hidden gem. The pibil burrito was a must. The house made chips and salsa near perfection. The taco salad was amazing, and the carne asada was lean, tender and grilled to perfection. And now, for some reason, it is all gone – including the burrito. But why? Surprised by the new menu, we decided to try some of the revised offerings, but they came up short – the carne asada was fatty and tasteless, the enchiladas were boring and bland, the salad, well now you can get swordfish? Not even the chips were spared from the downgrade. Did I mention the burrito is gone? Who gets rid of the burrito? Sadly El 42 will no longer be a part of our Friday night tradition. RIP pibil burrito, you are gone but not forgotten.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Julie Wilkins
Delicious nachos, great cocktails, and a great location on Front Street, particularly for street side people-watching. I couldn’t believe how reasonably priced the drinks and food are - especially given the location and atmosphere. Large portions that we enjoyed for leftovers the next day. We’ll be back !
Food is phenomenal. Shrimp tacos, mushroom enchiladas & El 42 burrito were all delicious and so fresh. BUT the noise level had my watch warning me the whole time. Unbelievably noisy. Not going back unless it’s nice enough to eat outside. (Surely adding some Mexican blankets on the wall or something would help.)
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good nachos! Good brownie!Cozy, but can get loud.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nachos
Excellent customer service the server was incredible. The duck taquitos are to die for absolutely amazing. The drinks were well blended. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing. Very quiet little Cantina perfect for date night or a girlfriends night out. I will definitely return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was tasty but very dry in texture. Service was pleasant and attentive even when it got busy. Atmosphere was good but noisy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
We loved this place! The ingredients in our dishes were fresh and elevated from normal Mexican fare! We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Parking: Street parkingWheelchair accessibility: Sidewalk entrance
I showed up with some friends for a Birthday drink & it was a fairly busy night.We did not order food just few drinks & the wait time between service was abit slow however Mike the bartender along with the most of the staff were doing a good job keeping up good vibes.At the end of the night I lost my beanie & called the next day from abit before they opened all the way until they closed.I left 3 messages & a call back number to no avail. It was my favorite beanie :(But the fact nobody answered the phone all day nor called back was the most disheartening.For this I give 2 stars & would only go back to visit Mike the bartender because he makes a MEAN Monkey's Uncle xD
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Great Margaritas and food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The “el jefe” burger is back!!!! This place is amazing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kid-friendliness: 21+ only; great for adult date night
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We had an amazing experience with service and the food! The street tacos were the best I have had in a long time! I would highly recommend the prawn street tacos. The spicy margarita with the pineapple is the bomb also!! Zoe is the best with service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was solid, unfortunately the service was poor. We began ordering everything all at once, making it clear we'd like appetizer out first, followed by our entrees. Everything sadly came out all at once, unable to enjoy either course to its fullest. On top of that, the server gave us flour tortillas when my wife made it clear she ordered corn. Unfortunately, we werent able to correct the mistake because the server didn't check on our status until 10+ minutes after our food arrived. To top it all off, our server still charged us for the extra corn tortillas when it was originally ordered as part of our meal. Food was solid, yet overall experience was just frustrating. Attention to detail is what matters. Would still come back because food was very enjoyable, hopefully the service improves upon next visit. When servers are more concerned about presenting the check vs delivering drinks and service, it is why "tipping fatigue" is becoming such a big problem.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Great Spot on Front Street! Great Servers & Great Service NEW MENU NOT SO GREAT. Used to be our favorite spot with burritos & burgers (Yes burgers) that were by far the best in town!! Their short rib burrito was possibly the best on the planet (IMO)!! Gone, but not forgotten old friend, RIP ..Been there 3-4 times now to try & find something on the new menu worth coming back for to no avail. The tortas had the best chance but the last two had so many beans mixed in with the meat you couldn't tell which meat you even chose! No one's going there for hamburger helper, just jack the prices up if need be! If the old menu ever gets resuscitated El 42 Cantina will immediately bounce back to being our first choice & an amended review along with .. until then, once in awhile for drinks only .. Maybe
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke…El 42 was a staple for us for years. Arguably the best Mexican food on the Eastside, if not the PNW. A true hidden gem. The pibil burrito was a must. The house made chips and salsa near perfection. The taco salad was amazing, and the carne asada was lean, tender and grilled to perfection. And now, for some reason, it is all gone – including the burrito. But why? Surprised by the new menu, we decided to try some of the revised offerings, but they came up short – the carne asada was fatty and tasteless, the enchiladas were boring and bland, the salad, well now you can get swordfish? Not even the chips were spared from the downgrade. Did I mention the burrito is gone? Who gets rid of the burrito? Sadly El 42 will no longer be a part of our Friday night tradition. RIP pibil burrito, you are gone but not forgotten.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Delicious nachos, great cocktails, and a great location on Front Street, particularly for street side people-watching. I couldn’t believe how reasonably priced the drinks and food are - especially given the location and atmosphere. Large portions that we enjoyed for leftovers the next day. We’ll be back !
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5