El Ixtapa Restaurant — Restaurant in Medical Lake

Loved. This. Place.

I was in Washington for training with some friends, and one of my favorite things to do while traveling is to try some of the local restaurants. If you're ever in the vicinity of Fairchild AFB or even Spokane for that matter, this is a must-stop location.

The place is located in the heart of a little town. Parking is plentily available on the street.

Upon arriving, we were greeted promptly and courteously by the host. Service remained amazing over the course of our visit.

After perusing the menu, we ordered queso to start. It appeared to be made fresh in the restaurant. Waitstaff continued to bring out complimentary chips and salsa to ensure that we would get our fill. The chips and salsa also seemed like they were freshly made in-house.

The menu had standard Mexican-American fare, but the enchiladas verdes caught my eye. Interestingly enough, they were served with pork which made for a nice twist. The result was some of the most amazing and savory Mexican food I've had. The tomatillo sauce was absolutely fantastic, and there was enough to mix with the side of rice if that's your thing as well. As you can see, portions are generous, and pricing was pretty great too.

Definitely check...

We stopped by here for lunch after a Memorial Day hike with the family. We were driving to the store for some water and noticed they were open for dine in! We were happily surprised, nervous, excited- so many emotions haha. So we stepped in and noticed they had all proper social distancing in place and we decided to take the plunge into our first dining experience since early March. The food was so delicious, I had the enchilada and tostada combo and my kids and husband all went pretty basic ordering bean and cheese burritos. Everyone scarfed their food, we were all very happy with the service and the food. My 5 year old whispered “this is amazing” it was adorable. We will definitely be back- hopefully for dinner because it looks like their menu is a bit bigger for dinner, I see some pics of some really drool worthy shrimp fajitas and I can’t wait to come back for that. Thanks for being open and...

I first went here on the recommendation of a friend. The vibe that I got from this place was an authentic family owned restaurant that was popular with the locals as it was busy.

The service is top notch, and they were able to accommodate my dairy allergy without issue. They always keep tabs on you during your meal making sure your glass is full and that everything is alright.

The food is fantastic, I've been here well over 20 times already and they are consistent. The beef, chicken and pork options are all fantastic, their chips come out hot and fresh, and all their deep fried options come out golden brown with a beautiful flake.

My personal favorite is the taquitos appetizer. They might give you a lot of food, but it's always worth picking up an app to share before the meal.

For the price this place is a deal, and I hope I see you come in as I will be a weekly regular here for as long as...