Caadxi Mezcaleria — Restaurant in Redmond

Finally!!! A Mezcalaria with Oaxacan food in Redmond. Just opened today and I couldn't wait to check it out. This used to be Eastside Beerworks. Now, as much as I loved hanging out at Eastside Beerworks, I'm incredibly thrilled that it is now a Mezcalaria with amazing cocktails and mind blowing Oaxacan food. They are in the soft opening stage, but they had everything we wanted on the menu. They have another location in Snoqualmie under the name of Caadxi Oaxaca.

The staff were very welcoming and friendly. Made us feel at home as soon as we stepped in. Shout out to David for accommodating our drink customizations and checking on us from time to time.

They have a big menu of a ton of exotic items. Lots of vegan and vegetarian friendly options. We started with the Caadxi Margarita and the Guanabana Mezcalina. The Guanabana (Soursop!) wasn't exactly what we thought it would be. The fruit itself doesn't have much flavor. David was gracious to swap it for a Mango Mezcalina.

We ordered a bunch of shareables. The Sopitos Oaxaqueno - was WOW! Tiny tostadas, with mole sauce, plantains (yes!), guacamole and Queso. The sweetness of the plantain, the earthiness of the mole and the freshness of the guacamole were a perfect medley of flavors. The chili relleno, as a side, comes without the rice and beans. A great option if you want to skip the carbs! The chili was perfectly breaded and fried on a bed of delicious tomato sauce! The third one we ordered was Rajas Con Creama - poblano peppers, corn, onion, melted gooey queso served warm with freshly fried tortilla chips. It's kind of like the spinach and artichoke dip but with a Mexican twist. The chips were too good! I'm not a fan of the ones that look and taste like they came out of a bag from a grocery store. This was made in house, upon order and brought out warm and fresh.

Everything was beyond amazing. There's a lot more we want to try. So, we'll definitely be back. So should you. Go give this new...

I'm glad I tried out this new restaurant, it's rare that you get a unique experience in the PNW and even less so in Redmond. Plenty of great food in Redmond, but Oaxacan is a distinctly new thing. Anytime you can say "I drank mezcal in a beautiful oaxacan restaurant" you have already achieved a winning hand.

I wanted my first Mezcal in 3 decades to be something similar to what I had in the past with a smoky unsweet flavor. It was nostalgia that influenced me and I also expected something bitter like you might find with low end tequila. I wasn't drinking fancy mezcal in my 20s, but I still liked it.

I was served Ramiz mezcal from an importer in Federal Way. It was not bitter, it was warm with agave flavors that filled my mouth with a small sip. Each sip finished with that nostalgic smoky taste I wanted. I'm not a heavy drinker so that one shot was my apéritif and digestif for the night. Perfect for both.

My entre was the camarones a la oaxaquena (Oaxacan style jumbo shrimp). Unfortunately, I have never cooked in this style so other than the shrimp, onions and mushrooms, I can't really describe more other than it was delicious.

What I can tell you is the corn tortillas were exceptionally soft, moist and chewy. Not your typical tortillas. The fluffy rice was perfectly prepared. I can't imagine anything from this kitchen coming out bad.

My meal cost $50 not including tip and I think of that as a great price for the experience I had. I will be going back and trying different mezcal and the tamales de mole are...

I really wish I could say our experience was as good as others who seem to rave about this place. With the ambiance and noise level of a train station... it was unreasonably loud despite only being half occupied. Our server... who informed us was new, was cute... but not at all knowledgeable about beer, or food... pretty much lacked any serving skills at all. A smile would have saved her but I'm guessing she had a headache from all of the noise... We went to the Redmond Taphouse because we were excited about 100 taps.... we were disappointed to discover there were far less than 100.... couldn't have been more than 80... and of those several were blown... apparently no one can change a tap?) They had no sours and very limited stouts and porters but tons of "sellout" beers.... that we can buy by the bottle at the grocery store.... for a lot less $$ All in all it was a pretty miserable experience... but for one redeeming quality that saved them from a dreaded one star review... the food...the wings were fantastic... the Mac N Cheese was incredible...

Worth going back for? Probably not.... not with so many other options available. To the owners of this store... you really need to think more about your customers experience and the value they are getting for their dollar.... we accumulatively spent over $150 that would have bought us a much better...