La Cocina Port Townsend — Restaurant in Port Townsend

6/1/25 After being overlooked by Owl Spirit Cafe in Port Townsend, my husband and I quickly searched for a place to have lunch. To our delight, we discovered a small Mexican restaurant right next to where we had parked, and that's where we decided to eat!

The first thing I noticed was that the place was clean, at least based on what I could see. We didn’t use the restrooms, so I can’t comment on those. Our server, Riley, informed us that we could sit anywhere. She promptly brought us water and menus.

As I sat there looking through the menu, I noticed plenty of choices that caught my interest. However, I decided to opt for a "healthier" meal, as I usually do. While I was browsing, I glanced around the restaurant and saw that it was pretty full. One server was managing several tables and doing it so smoothly and with a friendly demeanor.

We placed our order after just a couple of minutes of waiting. I chose the Burrito Bowl Salad and selected cauliflower and vegetables instead of chicken, which I usually order with other meals. Plus they did offer a variety of protein options to choose from.

My burrito bowl arrived beautifully arranged, starting with a fresh layer of crisp romaine lettuce. On top of that, there was a generous portion of fluffy Mexican rice paired with hearty whole pinto beans. I opted to leave out the sour cream, but the dish was still bursting with flavor thanks to the rich salsa roja mixed throughout. To add a satisfying crunch and depth, the bowl came with perfectly seared cauliflower, along with sautéed onions and vibrant bell peppers. Overall, it was a delicious and filling meal that left me thoroughly satisfied!

My husband ordered Pescado Tacos, which are fish tacos made with wild-caught rockfish from Vancouver, BC. The fish was battered in gluten-free rice flour and fried, then topped with cabbage, chipotle aioli, avocado mousse, cilantro, and lime, all served on organic blue corn tortillas. He was thoroughly impressed by how perfectly the flavors came together.

Our server, Riley, was sweet and polite, making her an overall wonderful server. Early on, I watched her move around the restaurant, serving others with a smile. Even though the restaurant was almost at full capacity, she never seemed panicked and handled everything with grace.

We will definitely dine there again. We were pleased with both the food and the service!

La Cocina's location is 221 Taylor Street, Port Townsend, WA. It is situated right off Water Street downtown. Nearby places include O'Yummy Frozen Yogurt, Hanazono Asian Noodle Bowl, and What's Cookin' Kitchen Supply Store.

It's always awesome supporting a small business like La Cocinas, especially in such treacherous times of today.

Dont forget "Be kind to ALL living things" 🌲🐾

"In response to the owner: Thank you for responding to my review! I appreciate it. The reason I gave a 4-star rating instead of 5 stars is that I've noticed the restaurant isn't fully accessible for wheelchair users. I hope this issue can be addressed in the future, as I would love for everyone to enjoy your wonderful establishment. I'm sorry I failed to mention that, as I was wanting to get this...

While the food was good at La Cocina, and our server at the time was very friendly and helpful - this business does not have honest business practices.

When I received my bill, the prices seemed wildly high. When I called the restaurant to politely request that staff help me understand the pricing, I was told that the prices was due to very high-priced shot of tequila. I was told that the tequila was "top shelf" and that the bottles were "over $100 per bottle".

This is simply not true. The tequila (Espolon) is not a top-shelf tequila and is absolutely not $100 per bottle. The staffer was dishonest and La Concina business practices are dishonest and gouging customers.

When I calmly and simply stated that Espolon was, in fact, not $100 per bottle - I was then told that I was being rude and aggressive. Again, a dishonest claim. When I reached out to business/ownership to discuss that I had not received accurate information from their staff - I was told that prices reflect overhead of the business, staff pay, etc. When asked why staff told me that Espolon was top shelf (and $100 per bottle) - my question was never answered.

All in all - just a note of caution when...

Ok..so first off. There are no pictures because we started to eat it, before I could get good ones. Smelled to good! So they have a amazing staff. Very friendly, quick, and ask good questions about your order to make sure it is perfect. Second, some of the best tortillas ever. Yum. Third, normally I try to go low/no carb, so this was a splurge!! I really wanted to try the fish tacos. So we got the Shrimp Tacos, Vegi Tacos and Fish Tacos, beans, rice and chips. Ok..I know it is a lot of food. My husband and I have leftovers. All good. Isn't that what your supposed to do with MF? We also got the salsa, verde , guac and the hot sauce. All were very nice, mild, flavorful. The hot sauce was just right for me. Got a good hit of hot, but not over the top. If you like really REALLY hot, this will be mild for you. This is really clean food. The natural flavors melded and it is not over seasoned like some do with MF. My favorite was the Vegi Taco. Husbands was the shrimp. They do not skimp on the fish or shrimp. Big pieces. The vegi taco was almost to big for my hand. All had so many good flavors it was very good. Highly recomend this place....