Food is good but took a while to come out. Our server Haley was nice and kept checking in on us to make sure we got our food and apologized for the kitchen's delay. A different server filled up our water glasses and spilled cold water onto my leg. She quickly said sorry and walked away. She should've at least brought me a towel. Nice views. I recommend sitting outside on the patio. Parking validation is only for 2 hours of free parking.
Nastia
Really nice place with amazing view😍 Food was delicious tacos were good, but churros were next-level amazing)
Shaina
The food wasn't good. I ordered the braised short rib tacos and they were not good. The tacos were served along with rice and beans and that was the only thing that was good and had any seasoning. The tacos were tender but no seasoning at all. The tacos had me fooled, they looked like they were full of flavor and had nothing but a lot of oil. The dessert was also really good. I liked the flan. The drinks were trash. $20 for a water downed margarita. Then my waiter gave us extremely poor service. Not only did my party and I watch the waiter attend to everyone else a lot more and a lot more often than us but when trying to get his attention we were ignored. Then at the end of our meal when we paid and are getting ready to leave he decided to come to the table and ask us why we didn't leave him a tip. Then proceeded to try and play it off like he was just trying to figure out if his service was good. But not only was it weird to come up to us on our way out but the audacity to ask us for tip when we barely were even attended is outrageous. Not once along the reservation did he come up to our table like he did others to ask if everything was okay or we needed anything. I had booked the reservation there for a birthday of my husband and mother in law. I will not be coming back here or recommending. Awful service.
Brianna
Extremely disappointed with our service and lack of planning on the restaurant's part. We made reservations for a birthday weeks in advance, showed up on time due to their strict reservation policy, and were seated promptly. We sat down excited to be in their beautiful restaurant. Our server was very busy with a big party and additional parties. We were slow to order so we ordered drinks for 3 out of 4 people first. Finally got our drinks and never were checked on for the other girl to order her drink. Our server was so nice and actually the highlight of this experience, even though our service was messy and slow. He was obviously busy and had asked another service member to take over our order, there was a miscommunication and he assumed we weren't ordering anything else. We finally got all 4 drinks and were never checked on again. We also were told there was a $35 fee to bring in an outside cake, which we did to celebrate the birthday we were there for. The cake was never put in the back, never cut, never brought out. We had to ask for it before we left. After an hour of barely even receiving our drinks and not being checked on or ordering, I told the hostess I'd like to let the manager know what was going on- which I have quite literally never done before. The hostess was rude and when the manager was brought out he seemed annoyed that I even had a problem. I feel as though he didn't help his server who was struggling obviously, then when a problem a rose he did absolutely nothing to rectify it. I paid $85 for 4 drinks, was never brought the cake, and once I addressed the manager he was rude and dismissed me. Our server PEDRO, was the best part of this experience. Once he was aware of the problem and was properly informed he communicated how sorry he was and how he was extremely busy that night and he did everything he could to rectify it. He was so genuine and real about our experience and he is the only reason I would give this place a second chance.
Cheryl
Drinks were innovative, menu was interesting, food was well prepared and tasty although perhaps overly salty. We enjoyed excellent service from all staff we encountered - friendly and competent. Situated on the shores of Lake Washington at Carillon Point, the view is difficult to beat. This is the former Beach Cafe property. The Mexican-themed remodel has made it louder. We were celebrating our anniversary but could hardly hear one another above the constant din. Vibrant, I suppose, if that's what you want - my mistake! Patio furniture is stained and lumpy and so the patio space is not particularly inviting, despite the fantastic views. Nevertheless, it's a good value for the price and probably a good bet for a happy hour with friends but not for an intimate dinner.
Ashley
Overall pretty cold and uncomfortable experience. Menu was a bit difficult to understand (maybe the fonts, layout and lack of explanation) and seemed a touch over priced for portion sizes. Really cute aesthetic but that's about all this place had going for it. Service was not even mediocre. Pretty sad and unfortunate.
priyanka
The waterfront proximity and views are great, we went on a busy day and service was pleasant but lacking. We asked for salsa, it never came, neither did a sharing plate for my kids. The good to a while too. On the good side they had a couple of options off the menu for my kids, food was not big in portions but was on point in taste. Overall it was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed dining with the view but for the price expected better service.
Angel
Very underwhelming, i'm sure it was a one time thing that they were short staffed or the server was maybe fairly new but it was not up to par with expectations set up with prior reviews. Food was good and portions were a but not there with the price. Guacamole was really good and steak was good too.
Jeanne
Dinner was superb with seamless service and comfortable pace to dine . The food was exquisite . My carne asada was like savoring a filet mignon steak rather than the typical carne asada . Shrimp tacos were delicious! The view is unbeatable as well . My suggestion is to run , don't walk to this heavenly dining experience!
raphael hyde
El Encanto is a modern and contemporary attempt at mexican food, the space is very inviting and nicely positioned at the waterfront making it one of the better locations on a sunny warm day. If you're alright with very small plates that are probably 150-200% over their value, this place is for you. We ordered a few items, the pomegranate guac, few different tacos and pollo con mole. While the flavors are great and plated nicely - the portions are tiny. For a $18 guac I found the portion to be about 1/2 a cup with a few pomegranate seeds, not worth it in my opinion. We were told the chicken was one of the largest entrees on the menu being an entire chicken, when it arrived it was one of the tiny mini hens served with all the bones. I don't think there was even a single chicken portion larger than a chicken nugget after trying to get it off the bird, also without getting mole all over your hands you can't get much chicken out of the meal. The side of potatoes were good. Each taco meal comes with 2 mini tacos - I think if you're going to charge $10-12 per taco they should be larger. I would recommend upping the service if you're going to charge these prices, like consistent water refills or table visits.
I don’t normally post negative reviews, but the $15 gazpacho arrived in the smallest soup bowl I’ve ever seen. See for yourself. That’s a normal size dinner fork. I like everything else about this place, but I don’t suggest getting the gazpacho unless you want just a few spoonfuls!
ANA CRIS G G
A lovely experience, as a Mexican myself I really like the taste of the food, Heriberto was really kind and super nice and the rest of the people working there gave a super service, everyone so kind, I’m definitely coming back
AN
Mid food, slow service, just a nice place to sit
Irakli Zhuzhunahvili
The Benedict was one of the most unique and delicious I’ve had. Drinks were great. Sat at the patio and the atmosphere was amazing
Eva Espel
Totally recommended, all the waiters are very nice. The location is very good and when it is sunny it is wonderful to enjoy the terrace!
Food is good but took a while to come out. Our server Haley was nice and kept checking in on us to make sure we got our food and apologized for the kitchen's delay. A different server filled up our water glasses and spilled cold water onto my leg. She quickly said sorry and walked away. She should've at least brought me a towel. Nice views. I recommend sitting outside on the patio. Parking validation is only for 2 hours of free parking.
Really nice place with amazing view😍 Food was delicious tacos were good, but churros were next-level amazing)
The food wasn't good. I ordered the braised short rib tacos and they were not good. The tacos were served along with rice and beans and that was the only thing that was good and had any seasoning. The tacos were tender but no seasoning at all. The tacos had me fooled, they looked like they were full of flavor and had nothing but a lot of oil. The dessert was also really good. I liked the flan. The drinks were trash. $20 for a water downed margarita. Then my waiter gave us extremely poor service. Not only did my party and I watch the waiter attend to everyone else a lot more and a lot more often than us but when trying to get his attention we were ignored. Then at the end of our meal when we paid and are getting ready to leave he decided to come to the table and ask us why we didn't leave him a tip. Then proceeded to try and play it off like he was just trying to figure out if his service was good. But not only was it weird to come up to us on our way out but the audacity to ask us for tip when we barely were even attended is outrageous. Not once along the reservation did he come up to our table like he did others to ask if everything was okay or we needed anything. I had booked the reservation there for a birthday of my husband and mother in law. I will not be coming back here or recommending. Awful service.
Extremely disappointed with our service and lack of planning on the restaurant's part. We made reservations for a birthday weeks in advance, showed up on time due to their strict reservation policy, and were seated promptly. We sat down excited to be in their beautiful restaurant. Our server was very busy with a big party and additional parties. We were slow to order so we ordered drinks for 3 out of 4 people first. Finally got our drinks and never were checked on for the other girl to order her drink. Our server was so nice and actually the highlight of this experience, even though our service was messy and slow. He was obviously busy and had asked another service member to take over our order, there was a miscommunication and he assumed we weren't ordering anything else. We finally got all 4 drinks and were never checked on again. We also were told there was a $35 fee to bring in an outside cake, which we did to celebrate the birthday we were there for. The cake was never put in the back, never cut, never brought out. We had to ask for it before we left. After an hour of barely even receiving our drinks and not being checked on or ordering, I told the hostess I'd like to let the manager know what was going on- which I have quite literally never done before. The hostess was rude and when the manager was brought out he seemed annoyed that I even had a problem. I feel as though he didn't help his server who was struggling obviously, then when a problem a rose he did absolutely nothing to rectify it. I paid $85 for 4 drinks, was never brought the cake, and once I addressed the manager he was rude and dismissed me. Our server PEDRO, was the best part of this experience. Once he was aware of the problem and was properly informed he communicated how sorry he was and how he was extremely busy that night and he did everything he could to rectify it. He was so genuine and real about our experience and he is the only reason I would give this place a second chance.
Drinks were innovative, menu was interesting, food was well prepared and tasty although perhaps overly salty. We enjoyed excellent service from all staff we encountered - friendly and competent. Situated on the shores of Lake Washington at Carillon Point, the view is difficult to beat. This is the former Beach Cafe property. The Mexican-themed remodel has made it louder. We were celebrating our anniversary but could hardly hear one another above the constant din. Vibrant, I suppose, if that's what you want - my mistake! Patio furniture is stained and lumpy and so the patio space is not particularly inviting, despite the fantastic views. Nevertheless, it's a good value for the price and probably a good bet for a happy hour with friends but not for an intimate dinner.
Overall pretty cold and uncomfortable experience. Menu was a bit difficult to understand (maybe the fonts, layout and lack of explanation) and seemed a touch over priced for portion sizes. Really cute aesthetic but that's about all this place had going for it. Service was not even mediocre. Pretty sad and unfortunate.
The waterfront proximity and views are great, we went on a busy day and service was pleasant but lacking. We asked for salsa, it never came, neither did a sharing plate for my kids. The good to a while too. On the good side they had a couple of options off the menu for my kids, food was not big in portions but was on point in taste. Overall it was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed dining with the view but for the price expected better service.
Very underwhelming, i'm sure it was a one time thing that they were short staffed or the server was maybe fairly new but it was not up to par with expectations set up with prior reviews. Food was good and portions were a but not there with the price. Guacamole was really good and steak was good too.
Dinner was superb with seamless service and comfortable pace to dine . The food was exquisite . My carne asada was like savoring a filet mignon steak rather than the typical carne asada . Shrimp tacos were delicious! The view is unbeatable as well . My suggestion is to run , don't walk to this heavenly dining experience!
El Encanto is a modern and contemporary attempt at mexican food, the space is very inviting and nicely positioned at the waterfront making it one of the better locations on a sunny warm day. If you're alright with very small plates that are probably 150-200% over their value, this place is for you. We ordered a few items, the pomegranate guac, few different tacos and pollo con mole. While the flavors are great and plated nicely - the portions are tiny. For a $18 guac I found the portion to be about 1/2 a cup with a few pomegranate seeds, not worth it in my opinion. We were told the chicken was one of the largest entrees on the menu being an entire chicken, when it arrived it was one of the tiny mini hens served with all the bones. I don't think there was even a single chicken portion larger than a chicken nugget after trying to get it off the bird, also without getting mole all over your hands you can't get much chicken out of the meal. The side of potatoes were good. Each taco meal comes with 2 mini tacos - I think if you're going to charge $10-12 per taco they should be larger. I would recommend upping the service if you're going to charge these prices, like consistent water refills or table visits.
Restaurantji Recommends
I don’t normally post negative reviews, but the $15 gazpacho arrived in the smallest soup bowl I’ve ever seen. See for yourself. That’s a normal size dinner fork. I like everything else about this place, but I don’t suggest getting the gazpacho unless you want just a few spoonfuls!
A lovely experience, as a Mexican myself I really like the taste of the food, Heriberto was really kind and super nice and the rest of the people working there gave a super service, everyone so kind, I’m definitely coming back
Mid food, slow service, just a nice place to sit
The Benedict was one of the most unique and delicious I’ve had. Drinks were great. Sat at the patio and the atmosphere was amazing
Totally recommended, all the waiters are very nice. The location is very good and when it is sunny it is wonderful to enjoy the terrace!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
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