Casa Bonita — Restaurant in Washington

Casa Bonita, Vashon (Island), WA

Casa Bonita has to be one of the most unexpected Mexican restaurant finds to recently come across. Located in Vashon (the main commercial area of Vashon Island) and located one block off the main thoroughfare in a converted house, the food is absolutely delicious! We stopped in on a Wednesday afternoon for lunch during mandated Covid protocols so our expectation was not too high. Were we pleasantly surprised. To start, upon being seated we were immediately served tortilla chips that were fresh and warm, along with being served with a salsa that was one of the best we have ever had along with a zesty bean dip which was also amazing. We had Chicken Mole which featured one of the most authentic blends of spices where the chocolate enhanced the flavors rather than dominate. This dish was served with a choice of beans and an exceptionally fluffy and light spanish rice. We also ordered a Tamale / Enchilada (chicken) combo plate where the Tamale was light and not cloying and the Enchilada perfectly moist and covered with the right amount of a well seasoned tomato based sauce. The menu features both many familiar items along with items unfamiliar (to us) which maybe just don't appear this far north of the border. This restaurant is a great place where the food is great, the service efficient and friendly, not to mention some really tasty...

The restaurant itself is small and modest. It seemed mostly clean, though definitely showing signs of wear. The staff were friendly enough, though they often seemed more interested in laughing with each other than serving guests. Sadly, things go downhill from there. The food was really disappointing. The chicken in my husband's meal and the steak in mine were both terrible. The chicken was dry as a bone. The steak was bland and tough as jerky (most of it ended-up in the garbage). For some reason the corn tortillas that came with our meal were dripping in oil - so strange. Even the guacamole was unappetizing (which is something that I've rarely experienced - even at mediocre Mexican restaurants). While we were grateful to find this place open (when most restaurants were closed earlier than we'd anticipated), we cannot recommend this place. Perhaps you'll have better luck (there certainly seems to be quite a few reviews from people who really like this spot), but we were told that Zamorana is the better choice if we want Mexican food on a future visit...

Casa Bonita was amazing when it was crappy, and is differently amazing now that the experience is actually great. I thought that the experience was reasonably priced for vastly improved food and a variety of charming inclusive experiences (from balloon animals to magic and puppet shows to some of the interactive games and even simple tarot readings being free). I was quite worried that the reboot would destroy what made the restaurant great but I found myself, as a childless adult, bounding from experience to experience in a blissful euphoria of camp and nostalgia.

I recommend going early on a weekday when it is less crowded so that it is easier to see everything -- we started around opening time on a Friday and walked on to each attraction, but a few hours later it became difficult to move around due to the wall to...