The Best Mexican Food in Seattle
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The best Mexican food in Seattle, according to the experts: The Infatuation, Seattle Met, and Esquire have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Fogón Cocina Mexicana comes out on top.
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Lupe’s Situ Tacos and Alebrijes Kitchen hold the next two places. Seattle Met shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The Infatuation next.
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Rank 1. Fogón Cocina Mexicana
Mexican
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 21 Most Fun Dinner Spots In Seattle
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
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Rank 2. Lupe’s Situ Tacos
Mexican-Lebanese
The tacos here are pinned with toothpicks and dropped straight into the fryer, which tells you most of what you need to know. This snug taco shop on Ballard Ave serves deep-fried tacos built around Lebanese-spiced beef or herby cauliflower, a family recipe from the chef's grandmother. Soups round out the short menu. Pale pink walls and floral oilcloths set the scene. Esquire named it one of America's best new restaurants in 2025.
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: The Best New Restaurants in America
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best New Restaurants
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: #18` · The 25 Best Restaurants In Seattle
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
- Seattle Met Seattle’s Best New Restaurants
- The Infatuation #18` · The 25 Best Restaurants In Seattle
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Rank 3. Alebrijes Kitchen
Mexican
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: #7 · The 25 Best Restaurants In Seattle
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Rank 3. Asadero
Mexican Barbecue
The awards
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s 50 Best Restaurants
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
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Rank 3. Cactus Bellevue Square
Southwestern Tex-Mex
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 3. Cactus Kirkland
Modern Mexican
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 3. Poquitos Bothell
Mexican
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 8. El Cabrito
Oaxacan
The mole coloradito here comes from a recipe the chef started learning from her grandmother in Oaxaca at age five, and that kind of timeline tends to show. This is a small Oaxacan restaurant in Burien, colorful ceramics on every table, a handful of seats inside and a covered patio out back. The molotes, fried masa dumplings buried under smoky morita and avocado salsa, are a good reason to arrive hungry.
The awards
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Rank 8. Jackalope
Tex-Mex
The awards
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
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Rank 8. La Garrafita Antojitos
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 11. El Moose
Mexican
El Moose is an all-day Mexican spot in Ballard where floral oilcloths and papel picado do the decorating and café de olla does the reviving. It's casual, priced like a place you'd go twice in a weekend, and the out-late-last-night crowd fills the room by mid-morning. The alambres come with cheese that melts on contact, and a fried egg on top is the sort of move the brunch gods tend to notice. Arrive early.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 17 Best Restaurants In Ballard
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Rank 12. La Marea
Seafood Mexican
A seafood counter tucked inside Fair Isle Brewing, La Marea brings Mexican coastal cooking to a city that usually prefers its seafood left alone. Hamachi and tuna arrive over tostadas, sliced with a precision that suggests sushi somewhere in the team's past. The scallop aguachile and chile morita aioli do not shy from heat. The brewery's farmhouse ales and saisons make good company, and the shared space keeps the whole thing loose.
The awards
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 13. El Encanto
Mexican
The patio hangs so close to Lake Washington you could lose a chip in it. El Encanto is an upscale Mexican restaurant where the room is very white, the crowd is very photogenic, and the chef quietly runs circles around the decor. The chile en nogada, made daily with help from his mom, is the kind of detail that earns its reputation. The cocktail list takes the tequila selection seriously, which helps when the selfie-to-taco ratio tips the wrong way.
The awards
- Seattle Met Seattle Met: Seattle’s Best New Restaurants
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Rank 14. Xochi
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 15. Taco Time
Mexican
The awards