EL TRIO LOCO III — Restaurant in Rockaway Beach

As the III suggests, this is the third location for the El Trio Loco family, with other restaurants in Manzanita and Gearhart. We became fans of the one in Manzanita, but we live in Rockaway, so this one is in walking distance.

The staff is friendly and has made a point of opening up to the community; they had a regular table at our Artisan Farmers Market all summer, selling aguas frescas and tamales between the organic farm table and the Rockaway Renaissance Artists.

My current favorite is their chile relleno, a big, fresh poblano chile blistered and peeled, then filled with cheese and wrapped in a thin, delicate egg layer more like a crepe than an egg dip. It's available in the usual combinations, but the flavor of roasted chile transports me.

If you're very hungry, their chuletas de puerco are superb. The dish includes two generous pork rib chops (think prime rib of pork) in a warm, savory spice blend. It's served on a bed of sauteed onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños, so heat is available if you want it. But be hungry: the first chuleta will satisfy an ordinary appetite (especially if you're on your second bowl of chips and salsa).

They also do whole fish (tilapia) al mojo de ajo, with a crispy golden crust over tender delicate white fish. That's another that's suitable for sharing. And because the crust is made from corn meal, it's gluten-free.

Drinks include a wide selection of tropical-themed libations, including several unique twists on the margarita. One favorite is the Margarita Oaxaqueña, which uses mezcal (a smokier version of tequila, made by roasting the agave plant instead of steaming it) and Grand Marnier, all with a Tajin rim (salt, chile powder, and dried lime). They also use the Tajin rim on my new favorite, the Jamaica Margarita. In this case, jamaica refers to the dried hibiscus flower used to make a tart, refreshing beverage. When you add tequila, triple sec, and Tajin, it raises it to a whole new level.

Perhaps best of all, El Trio Loco is open till 9 PM most (all?) nights—a rarety in Rockaway. (In the past, we've had to explain to visitors looking for dinner at 7 PM that they're out of luck: most places here are...

The atmosphere would have prolly gotten a better rating if we were seated outside or if the room we were seated in had any ventilation, or it wasn't a 95 degree day at the beach. It was hot and uncomfortable in the restaurant. So perhaps the perfect storm to have a poor rating for atmosphere.

The table we were seated at was in a room that had no good air movement and it was HOT! It was also a smaller room and very loud and echoey... if that's a word. It was a challenge to have a conversation without yelling over all the ambient noise.

I ordered the combination dinner with two enchiladas and a taco. The server couldn't comprehend English, he misunderstood what i ordered and there was like half meat in one of the enchiladas and twice the rice. One enchilada was overflowing with meat and was even difficult to cut with a fork it was so awesome and full. The other one had like 3 small strands of meat. And it was the wrong kind of meat from what I ordered. Taco was good.

The food was good now that I think about it, but it's hard to give a high rating for the food when it wasn't what you ordered. I really enjoyed the rice and beans, and the rest of the meal was alright, but I wasn't happy about the mix up. I didn't say anything because of the 3 workers that I spoke with, communication was very difficult. And it was really busy, I don't like to complain or make things difficult.

I would imagine that if the servers spoke English better, or if I spoke Spanish, that this restaurant would be a great experience. Especially if they had better air flow inside.

I would MAYBE come back to give it another try if someone i was with really was in the mood for Mexican, but if it's up to me. I've checked that one off the list and would go...

Friendly and attentive staff. Huge menu, maybe a little too big. We got chips and salsa while we were trying to decide, the chips seemed a little stale and the salsa wasn’t spicy enough for our tastes but it was fresh! My son enjoyed the Mexican Coca-Cola in a glass bottle, my spouse got a large Modelo amber on tap, and I got a Cadillac margarita which tasted like a mix - I asked for lime wedges and once I squeezed the equivalent of one lime into my drink it was much better. It was hard to decide but I got beef mole enchiladas, my spouse got the wet chicken burrito and we talked our teen son into getting the Molcajete Familiar (it came in a big lava rock dish). Mole is so different from region to region and this one was dark and earthy but some of the earthiness was lost in the sweetness, beans and rice were good. My spouse enjoyed his burrito but wished it was wrapped tighter. My son was a bit overwhelmed by the Molcajete but he made a good dent in it considering how much food was in it. My spouse was happy to take his leftovers back to our rental to have with breakfast the next morning. Overall a great choice if you are on the coast but it is dumbed down a bit for the typical...