Villa Escondida Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Seattle

Disrespectful Staff, Unsanitary Food, and a Defensive Owner – Avoid with Large Parties.

We visited this restaurant with a group—7 adults and 3 toddlers—looking forward to what was advertised as authentic Mexican food. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very disappointing experience.

To start, it was surprising—and disappointing—that they didn’t offer basic staples like aguas frescas, which are standard in any truly authentic Mexican spot.

Things quickly went downhill from there, one member of our group, who has two young children and a small appetite, planned to share her meal with one of her kids. The server outright refused to allow her to order a children’s meal for the other child, even though only one kids' meal had been requested. The rigidity and lack of basic hospitality were shocking.

Then we found a long hair in a taco on my child’s plate. When we brought it to the server's attention, instead of handling it professionally, she became defensive and insisted it couldn’t have come from anyone on staff—implying we were making it up. This was incredibly frustrating and unprofessional, especially when it comes to food safety.

Finally, we were automatically charged a 20% gratuity, and this was not mentioned anywhere beforehand—not by the server and not posted visibly. This should always be disclosed, especially when the service quality doesn't justify it.

Overall, this restaurant was not family-friendly, not accommodating, and clearly lacks basic standards of service and cleanliness. We won't be returning and will be warning others to avoid this place. Judging by the owner's responses to other reviews, we don’t expect accountability—just more defensiveness. But the fact remains: if you treat one large group poorly, word travels fast. A full table means more voices to speak out. Take...

Terrible service.

When I went to complain about the service I was pushed out of the restaurant and been told just to go away.

I've came with my wife with my own salad bowl. My wife wanted to get tacos, so this seemed a good place. Ive asked if it is Ok for me to bring the salad in so we can sit down and have tacos. The server said it is totally Ok, which is expected when you treated like a human being.

In a few minutes, the server comes and tells me that the cook being a jerk and doesn't want to serve us any food because i brought my salad. Can you imagine? And I did order food for myself to eat, so it got me totally frustrated.

Later i've asked for a coke, and we got it only after we finished eating.

The food was pretty great tho! But they're audacity spoiled the experience to the point we could not really be relaxed enough to enjoy our food.

Waited 30 min to get my credit card back after paying...

Is it possible to begin a relationship in 48 hours? I ask because I developed an enormous affection for Villa Escondida. From the moment I walked in the door, I was treated with a friendly, warm welcome. I ordered a great beer, terrific tamales, yummy guacamole, and the best salsa I've had since I moved back east. Let me tell you, the western states have a huge handle on salsa that's good enough to drink. Villa Escondida salsa is beyond satisfaction. It's perfection. The second time I returned, after 48 hours of eating all over Seattle, I tried the fish tacos and wet burritos. This time, I ordered their Top Shelf margaritas. Full of ice, limes, a wedge of orange and amazing reposado, this drink was hands-down perfection. I love this place and am sad to go home to Pennsylvania. I wonder if I could buy a gallon of their salsa...