LA ILUSION AL CARBON — Restaurant in Tacoma

Unfortunately I cannot give them less than one star. Big warning: If you think this is still the same little cozy gourmet Mexican food restaurant that it was before COVID with their higher end yummy dishes, it is definitely not anymore! This place is terrible even by the usual lousy Washington State restaurant standard which is something. The chips and salsa served were literally Doritos and salsa straight out of a jar, I kid you not. The rice and beans tasted like dish soap, inedible. Mediocre corn tortillas and mediocre tasteless Carne Asada, I do not even know what flavor they used in the Al Pastor, I barely tasted it and that was enough. The fact that in their Taco Tuesday we were the only ones in the restaurant and the decor all over the place after their supposed post COVID "renovation" (a fish tank with turtles, chairs straight out of a cheap all you can eat Chinese buffet, etc..) should have been a clue. I wonder how long they will stay open, a Mexican joint like that would not last 3 days in Cali or in Texas. These people have no business in running a restaurant. The name is appropriate, I'll give them that...the "illusion" that you are going to get actual...

I have come here now a few times and have brought a group of different friends, since I like the food. Each and every time we have gotten the same waitress, and each group is shocked by the type of service she provides. This last time unfortunately will probably be the last time I will bring any more friends with me due to the service. I see that 4 months ago there are already negative reviews about the service so it seems nothing has changed. The interactions each time with the waitress rude, abrasive, and condescending. She at times would make us feel that we were inconveniencing her. Each visit was the same where if there is no room on the table for items ordered due to dish needed to be picked up, or still eating, she will shove plates on table. Previous interactions as well annoyed if asked for utensils or extra plates since we ordered multiple appetizers to share etc etc. I have a feeling I am wasting my time writing this review because probably she won’t change or be talked to. Oh well, I had to...

Cute decorations and whatnot but food was bland and burnt. The queso is $13 with meat in it (apparently the same price without it too) and it’s like unmixed/ unmelted cheese, unseasoned and served with stale burnt corn tortillas. The cheese was so clumpy you couldn’t use the chips to eat it. The burrito had soggy lettuce and one random green pea in it? And the chips they serve are just like random grocery store salty chips, which tasted fine but they give you a pretty small handful. We ran out of chips and water pretty quickly. Service was nice enough I guess but rushed. We got no silverware or napkins, no water refills and the food came out at different times so one persons food got cold while waiting for the other food to arrive.

With how expensive everything is these days to eat out, this is not worth coming to a second time. I’ll find a taco truck or...