Recommended by someone we know, Avocados is the best traditional Mexican restaurant we’ve found in the greater Everett area. We visited on a summer Saturday evening, and had a great time. The menu prices seemed to be a few dollars higher than other Mexican restaurants in the area, but we found their across-the-board quality to more than justify it.

Food: With a name like Avocados, we couldn’t pass up the avocado shake. It was tasty, but we couldn’t really taste the avocado, which makes sense because avocado seems like more a texture than a flavor. Next time we’ll have to try the avocado ice cream. Grandma’s chicken mole was quite good and the semi-sweet mole sauce certainly had a homemade rather than store-bought taste. The Mexican short ribs were sublime - not in need of any slathering of sauce for cover-up, these were perfectly tender and flavorful on their own, true perfection. For dessert, the lava cake was molten and well-complimented by the ice cream with a small dollop of whipped cream on top.

Service: We were warmly greeted, and shown a table. Wait staff stopped by quickly with chips and salsa, and then regularly checked in at appropriate intervals - the wait staff worked well together, making the overall mood even friendlier. Our waiter made sure we were well taken care of throughout dinner. When we left, the host staff at the entrance made it a point to thank us for visiting.

Atmosphere: The mood inside was overall cheerful and joyous. While we dined, boisterous versions of happy birthday were sang several times to different tables by the staff with the obligatory Mexican restaurant sombrero passed around to embarrass the birthday folk. The only thing that would have made it better would have been hearing Las Mañanitas.

Ambiance: Clean outside and in, we appreciated that the interior was floor to ceiling wood paneled, with high ceilings, decorative paintings on the walls (including one of avocados, of course), wood-decorated lighting, and tables and seating to match. Like the parking lot outside, though most tables were occupied, there was enough seating available inside the restaurant that we didn’t need to wait.

Parking - the lot around the restaurant is as full as you would expect from a popular restaurant, but not so full that it was difficult to find a space, at least on the night we visited. There are enough people regularly entering and leaving the restaurant that the lot felt secure and safe.

While we didn’t see it listed in the menu, the bill came with a small, reasonable surcharge for credit card use, amounting to about 3%. It clearly listed the bill in cash and the bill if a credit card was used. Similarly, the listed recommended gratuities on the bill were all reasonable, with a recommended gratuity of 18, 20, or 22%.

Overall, five stars across the board, and an excellent value — we can see why this restaurant is so popular, and look forward to try more of their menu later.