Sunny 303 Dinner — Restaurant in Tracyton

My wife and I recently visited La Esencia for date night, and despite my initial reluctance about the cuisine choice, I’m thrilled we ended up there.

The first thing that caught my eye was the $4 tacos. Initially put off by this, I found the rest of the menu reasonably consistent with the area, meaning prices were still inflated but manageable for a treat. After experiencing the quality of the meal, I was more than willing to pay for a taco.

We started with chips and salsa. The chips were solid, and the salsa was good, though nothing extraordinary—likely just pico de gallo.

My chicken fajitas arrived on a sizzling platter, looking, smelling, and sounding fantastic. The freshly made corn tortillas were piping hot. These were the best-seasoned fajitas I’ve had in Kitsap. The seasoning carried through to all the veggies on the plate as well. The sour cream, chunky salsa, and guacamole were decently seasoned too. The refried beans were a slight disappointment for me—they tasted fine but were too loose for my liking. However, they got the job done. The rice didn’t have a bold flavor like the fajitas but was well-cooked and included corn and carrots, which I loved.

The Pollo a la Crema had a much milder taste. It was less punchy but extremely well-balanced and paired nicely with both the rice and the flour tortillas.

I appreciate the relatively diverse menu at La Esencia. The inclusion of options like burgers is a nice touch, and I look forward to trying one in the future.

I rated the atmosphere a 3, which is my main criticism. The interior is clean and nice-looking but lacks character. It feels like they haven’t fully made it their own yet, reminiscent of the Outback Steakhouse but with less Outback props.

Overall, this was a great experience. Every part of the meal felt intentional and well-thought-out. It’s definitely a bit pricey, so not an everyday spot, but absolutely worth it for a special treat. I’ll be coming back—and I’ll...

Confusing experience. 4pm Saturday. Staff seemed a bit confused. Not enough menus, no silverware. Drinks took about 20-25 minutes to arrive only one guy working (2 beers and 2 margaritas) No chips or salsa offered. No waters. Server left before our last guest had a chance to order and never returned. Only one other table in the restaurant with 3 guests who were finishing up when we arrived. We asked for chips and salsa and were brought chips (chips were really good) and bean dip (dip was dry with a hard film on top). Asked for waters, he only brought out two and they were never refilled. Food order was messed up for one guest and the server gave push back on what our original order was. One kid ordered onion rings which they were out of. We all got enchiladas. Rice was hard, crispy and chunky, either old or undercooked, chicken was hard and crunchy, seemed old and reheated. Cheese in one enchilada was hard and undercooked. Food Price was solid though. Beer/drinks were cheap. All of the TVs in the restaurant were off making it seem like they weren’t open and the table behind us was never cleaned, just a nasty mess...

I strongly feel that the service at this place has utterly, entirely, and completely failed me. The day we visited was an awful experience. The waitress was very unprofessional and lacked good manners, not very polite. The grilled chicken I ordered, besides taking a loooooooong time to arrive, was undercooked, If you eat undercooked chicken, you can get a foodborne illness, also called food poisoning, We as customers have the right to expect that the food served to you at a restaurant is safe to eat and properly cooked. When I took a bite at the chicken it felt like I was chewing on a piece of raw fish ( this would've been good only if I was eating at a sushi place ) but grilled chicken? come on !!!! I just decided to put it aside and asked for the check. (Which by the way was expensive, not reasonable prices for the terrible service and food)The raw food and the rude waitress is enough to NOT be back. This was my experience, maybe you'll have it...