El Encanto — Restaurant in Kirkland

Please don’t waste your time here for real traditional rich Mexican food. I can confidently say this, being from Durango Mexico, all my guests were as well. We first come in and the older gentleman bluntly says “what do you guys want?” Already having an attitude and unprofessionalism, (also at a restaurant what else would you want?)we politely say seating for 3 please :) we don’t have a reservation. He quickly guided us to a seat al though it’s a sunny bright day, we ask for outdoor seating and he turns around and looks at us appearing slightly annoyed “everyone’s coming in because of the breeze are you sure?” We say yes and we proceed outside. We ordered mushroom tacos, chile relleno, a torta stilo Durango, a side of tortillas and guacamole for the table. For 85$, (COMPLETELY NOT WORTH IT) The guacamole came in a SQUARE wooden plate, This would never come ina SQUARE container, the guacamole gets stuck in the corners, and it doesn’t come with “traditional” (as the restaurant proceeds to say) chips they come with these weird corn circles with holes in it ( not tostadas or tortillas), we eat it it’s fine. Our order comes and the Chile relleno is absolutely horrendous, it’s CLEARLY tomato purée on top, not fried and very small. The mushrooms tacos didn’t even have salt! I kindly asked the server for salt and she kind of takes a while (whatever it’s fine)They were so small COLD and only came with one tortilla ( small tacos should come with two wrapped together) they barley had pieces of arugula, ZERO onion or cilantro. The “Carmalized” onion wasn’t even caramelizado , I don’t even know how to possibly achieve this because onions themselves carmelize when being cooked alone unless there’s water added. The mushroom also seems to have been cooked with water therefore they were left soft and mushy, they’re are many ways to cook mushrooms to replicate a meaty texture but oh well I guess they like there differently.understandable. But to be cooked with not even a broth? There was zero flavor in the mushroom. There’s no diced onion or cilantro or salsa picante… girl HOW?! How plain!! There’s nothing but mushroom ona tortilla…Anyways our side of tortillas come on parchment paper, in Mexico we have specific plates to keep tortillas warm!! Please incorporate the cultures dishes for what they’re meant for!!!!! I then see the people in front of us order watermelon with what seems like a white powder or grains? In Mexico we eat fruit with Tajín… I srsly am so disappointed in the lack of acknowledgment of my beautiful culture in this new “Traditional Mexican” restaurant. Clearly they’re catering to a population that doesn’t have flavor or value for spice and rich flavors, from tomatillos tomato garlic at a basic cooking level this menu didn’t even have beans and rice.. this is the MINIMUM expectation for Mexico. Srsly my entire guests lunch hour was ruined by the completely white washed food. There’s probably not much they can do either but every single waiter is white and every assistant was Latino.. there’s nothing wrong with anyone learning our culture and it’s genuinely appreciated when they try to pronounce the food correctly but like come on y’all have the Latinos here but they’re not front line with the costumers and I know they’re not making as many tips as you would as the main server. The brown clay plates are also not traditionally Mexican. they’re like a clay knockoff with zero of our artesania. It really felt like a slap in the face of a racist white take on Mexican food, I could not have been possibly more insulted asa Mexican and someone who knows how to cook regular meat meals and vegan meals. This is NOTHING like our beautiful rich home Durango. Durango and Mexico are filled with rich flavors cultivated from spices, legumes, vegetables and salsas. Btw here are justa few authentic spots from latinos to support that are delicious, beautiful, and nutritious -Taqueria El Kiosko (Seattle) Cantina...

We tried El Encanto for dinner last Saturday evening for the first time.

I agree with other reviews that the ladies in the front are not welcoming and have attitudes. Not sure if this is the vibe they are going for, but it is a deterrent.

We were seated at an inside table, but by the patio and it was so cold, it actually made the entire experience incredibly uncomfortable. We asked to move but were told there were no other tables available. We were only two people but were sat at a four person table which was also odd. Given this is supposed to be a high end restaurant, why they can't afford heaters or increase the heat when everyone is clearly cold is unclear to me.

Our waitress was young but lovely and the majority of the staff also appeared young and inexperienced. The whole experience was rather chaotic and no one seemed to know what was going.

We ordered two Palomino cocktails. 50 minutes later we had to ask where our drinks were, and 5 minutes later they finally arrived. Watered down and not delicious at all. $17 each.

The guacamole was decent but the crispy pork belly pieces were mostly burnt and didn't seem incorporated into the dish but rather just poured on top. We found a bug in our food and luckily Eric, the manager, came by and took it away and off our bill.

Weirdly enough, the food arrived very quickly which I found odd. As if the dishes had been pre-made and were just awaiting to go out which doesn't feel fresh and is absolutely not worth how over-priced they are.

We ordered the crab tostadas which were OK, but not worth the price. The manager recommended the short rib tacos. They arrived and although the taste was OK, the presentation was horrible. There were three tacos with a large slob of meat on top and some sort of green sauce slathered on top.

We asked for our check before we even finished the food and got out of there as quickly as possible. Our waitress even apologized and acknowledged what a "horrible experience it was" for us. My body was freezing and I had to turn on my seat warmers in the car, in the end of June! Our bill was $100 for chips and salsa (which was the only good thing we ate), 3 short rib tacos, 3 tiny crab tostadas, and two drinks.

I would not recommend this place at all. They have a lot of growing to do and the food needs to be revamped completely. To me, it felt more of a scene and for what is supposed to be an upscale Mexican restaurant, there is much to be desired. Getting a reservation here isn't easy partly because it is new and I think people are expecting Cantinetta and Como level experience. Couldn't be more...

Frustrated and Highly Disappointed Review

My two friends and I recently had the pleasure of dining at this restaurant, but unfortunately, our experience was anything but pleasant. From the moment we sat down, our server displayed a level of incompetence and unprofessionalism that was truly shocking.

First of all, it took an eternity for him to even acknowledge our presence. And when he finally did, he seemed more interested in rushing us to place our orders than actually providing any kind of attentive service. To make matters worse, it took over 30 minutes for our order of sparkling water to arrive, and only after I had to personally request it from two other servers.

One of my friends ordered a margarita, which amazingly enough, was delivered towards the end of our meal. It was as if our waiter deliberately avoided our table and preferred to cater to all the other tables around us. It was particularly disheartening to see that even tables of non-POC individuals who arrived after us received their food and drinks before we did. It's hard not to wonder if our server's behavior was influenced by race, especially since he was a person of color himself.

I must give credit where it's due though. The other servers and staff members went above and beyond to compensate for the shortcomings of our waiter. They provided recommendations for our food choices and consistently checked on us to ensure we were taken care of. In fact, they practically did his job for him.

Towards the end of our meal, our waiter decided to make an appearance, but it was too little too late. Not only did he show up when it was time to pay, but he also had the audacity to make some highly inappropriate comments.

Despite the disappointing service, I must admit that the food at this restaurant was truly outstanding. However, it is clear that the server in question is in desperate need of some serious improvement or perhaps he should find a different line of...