El Encanto in Kirkland

The food is worse than mid Overpriced garbage that isn t even authentic Mexican cuisine. The restaurant caters to rich people who have terrible taste palates. Food : 1/5

Work related lunch, excellent service, food was absolutely delicious, and they packed up leftovers for everyone to take. Great location with beautiful view.

hailey the server is the best !! we were celebrating my future sister in law and she went about and beyond and made the night special !!

Not only was the food amazing but our service was exceptional. You d be hard pressed to find someone more passionate about their job than Sunny, we cannot wait to go back! Highly recommend the taco board and churros.

Great views of Lake Washington. Wife loved her avocado toast, and I my omelet.

The restaurant has one of the best views in the PNW. The food was amazing with quality ingredients. The staff was super attentive, but because the restaurant was so popular we had a to wait a little bit. Totally forgivable for the amazing time we had.

T and co are so accommodating and wonderful! They make you feel so confident while getting a tattoo.

Great restaurant! Very nice location, perfect for a romantic dinner, especially in the summer with their waterfront tables. Good service and amazing food!

Was at an event here, truly a stellar experience. Food and vibes were amazing. The staff are INCREDIBLE. Shout out to Sky, Eric, and Sunny who went above and beyond for the comfort of our very large party. Would recommend this place to friends and family. Not to mention the view!!

Totally recommended, all the waiters are very nice. The location is very good and when it is sunny it is wonderful to enjoy the terrace!

I dont love it, but its a great place

The food was meh. Location is great.

Couldn t ask for a better view or nicer vibe (we went on a night with live music that made it especially charming), but unfortunately the rest of the experience leaves much to be desired. We got the guac with poblano & pomegranate seeds that was seriously lacking in salt. The poblano pieces were also too large to eat easily. Then we shared the shrimp and fish tacos which were tiny portions. The shrimp pieces were too big for the size of the tortilla, the mahi mahi was dry, and the beans in the tacos were insanely over salted to the point of burning your mouth. Drinks were good, so perhaps go for drinks then eat dinner at Como instead.

Probably one of the worst service experiences lve had at a restaurant- unfortunate, because I was looking forward to trying this place out for a while now. The space itself is beautiful however the service was awful. We had an 8:45 reservation, we arrived on time and were seated promptly. We were brought water and then for 25 minutes not a single staff member checked on us-the restaurant at this point was not busy. There was a waiter assisting the table behind us who elbowed me in the head when he was walking away from them- was not apologetic about it nor did he have any spatial awareness. After about 25 minutes, the same staff member who seated us came back to refill our water glasses then we told him that we hadnt had anyone check in on us to see if we needed drinks or wanted to order food. He flagged down a waiter/staff member who sent over the same waiter who was helping the table behind us. This waiter comes to our table and says sorry, I didnt see you guys there - this was honestly quite baffling considering he had just hit the back of my head about 20 minutes earlier. At that point, I told him we had waited about 25 minutes for someone to come by and we were actually going to leave because the service was awful. We ended up leaving because the staff was unprofessional and the place is not organized. Will not be returning and do not recommend.

Súper cool vibe right in the water. Desserts are delicious

Ediberto was top notch server! Food was great and customer service 5 stars highly recommend El Encanto.

Good food, good service, good view and above all good energy.

Lunch on the patio with good food and friendly, professional service made a great afternoon!

Beautiful restaurant with stunning views, worth visiting for the ambiance alone!

Stopped here after a day of water activities. The tacos and drinks were good but beware they charge you $15 for salsa trio and $3 for additional chips when I m not even sure if our party even formally ordered these (or if they put it in front of us and charged us). Guac is very small sized as some others mentioned below and likely could ve been skipped. Pros: host let us move from outside to inside without a fuss so we appreciated that. Server and dish runners / bussers were attentive. Parking: Can get parking validated for up to two hours

Mexican food from Durango area of Mexico. Flavors are fresh and layered. They accomidate gluten free and have some meatless dishes. It is right on the water with large outdoor seating areas. Service was friendly and efficient.

Tiny portions, seriously it s like you re eating off the kids menu and you re paying $30 per dish for the privilege. The ambiance is great though, on a nice summer night it s a great place to be.

Love it!

The mushroom tacos were excellent. My lunch mates had the short rib tacos which they said was delicious.

Amazing location, service was on point, and the food was amazing

I went for the first time to El Encanto! I am a fussy and picky European when it comes to taste, food quality, presentation, originality! I absolutely adored this place! The food was to die for (I had red snapper). The garnish was so tasty and beautifully colored with purple cauliflower and carrots. This location has a true chef! A real one!!!! The decor is beautiful, reminiscent of adobe walls. The walls are decorated with black and white photographs as you would see in old Europe. The patio chairs are soooo comfortable, sunny and the view is gorgeous. I had such a lovely lunch today! This this is my new favorite location!

I waited for 1 hour for a fish taco. How hard is it to make a fish taco?? I was about to leave but the food came out. It wasn t even good. Smh. I will never come back. it s over priced. I would not even give 1 star to this place but no option.

Atmosphere 10/10. Food has improved a bit since it opened, short rib tacos are the best tacos (rest are mediocre/fine), guac is not good for the price Edit Aug 2024: Returned, not sure why. Paid $140 to feel ill (seriously both of us were sick after this meal). And not even a good meal - still bland, no flavor, sauce is gross consistency. Will definitely not be returning.

Excellent food, beautiful atmosphere, and friendly, professional service!

nice restaurant with great views. Food is good and tasty. service was good and atmosphere was pleasant.

Incredibly poor service. The waiter was rude and unprofessional. Everyone at our table was shocked and confused by his comments. He forgot almost all the apperitizers we ordered. I waited over 30 min for my glass of wine. Fixed tips charged. For me this was the worst experience of any restaurant in the US.

Every bite at El Encanto was absolutely delicious. The staff were really accommodating and our server Sonny was so awesome. The view of the lake was stunning and was the exact place my wife and I needed for our date. We will be returning soon. The deshabara (spelling?) tacos were so flavorful, and the churro ice cream sandwich was heaven.

The menu was extremely difficult to read. There were no photos or menu items listed as vegetarian , so our group had multiple questions before ordering. We had to use our phones to Google menu information that was unclear. The traditional guacamole comes with one giant cracker/ corn chip (that wasn t mentioned on the menu). We were so confused about how to eat it lol. No explanation was given. It had to be smashed and broken up for multiple people to share, which was awkward and messy. It tasted like burnt popcorn. Normal tortilla chips would have been better. The serving was SO small for $15 guac. Not worth the money. The Rajas tacos were slimy and disgusting. The rice and beans weren t seasoned. As a texture eater with food sensitivities, I could not stomach it. Again, extremely small portions that were basically flavorless- and it was a $20 dish. Our table spent $160+ just to leave disappointed and hungry. The worst part is that we were celebrating someone s birthday. My expectations were high and this place missed the mark entirely. That being said, the waiters were attentive and very kind. I wish I could have gotten my money back. Do not recommend.

Was looking for a place to celebrate a girlfriends birthday, and she mentioned wanting to come here. Booked the reservation and was so excited this was the place. Parking the garage close by, so it was not an issue, and I walked right through the door from the garage. Upon getting seated, the server was very prompt to ask us for drinks and appetizers. Great start. Then, after a round of cocktails and a bottle of wine for the table plus appetizers and entrees, the server didnt think to ask us for dessert which was a bit alarming since we had been opening gifts at the table. Promptly brought us our check and we left. Missed opportunity as we left to have one more drink and dessert elsewhere. Not overly impressed. Not sure I would return.

We went on a weekend for brunch, and was delicious.. the drinks we ordered were good too.. tha patio view is lovely in a sunny day

I had one of the worst experiences ever at this place. We went for a friends birthday and arrived at 7:15 PM to find it very busy. We tried to be patient, but it took over an hour just to get our first drinks, so we switched to beer and wine. One of the couples in our group had to leave by 9 PM, and we still hadn t received our food. When the food finally arrived, that couple asked for their bill and got it promptly. However, when I asked for the bill for my husband and myself, they said they had only made an exception for the first couple. I decided to be patient, but when the remaining group members ordered beer at 9:30 PM and waited over 20 minutes without receiving anything, I had enough. I went inside to cancel our beers and asked for our bill, saying we were leaving. At this time there was 4 employees chatting cleaning glasses, the bartender took no responsibility and asked who our server was, honestly super weird didn t ask me anything else nor did he try to repair the situation. When I pointed him out, the server immediately returned with our beers, claiming he had entered the order. Mind you, there were only one or two groups left at this point. He didnt acknowledge the poor service or apologize at all. Honestly, I am shocked and angry at such unacceptable service. I rarely complain, but I will never return to this place, which is unfortunate because I ve brought large groups here before but never will again.

Nice views of water. Nice vibe inside. Food is not very good. Lack of salt in all items ordered. $15 for two scoops of guacamole. In all honesty, cactus down the street is much better. Food really needs to improve here given pricing. Views are saving this place.

Nice patio. Could have had more staff the day I was there. Took 35 min to get drinks for our party. Food is fine, but seems a bit pricey.

Good: location, on the water, beautiful views and atmosphere! Churro Ice cream sandwich was excellent! But very small. Bad: Slow service. 2 hours spent there. Also, disappointed that the pictures of the food on here were not accurate. Maybe the menu has changed and the pics are old? But the pictures showed beautiful plates with 3 tacos, but in actuality the dinner taco entrees only come with 2 tacos for $20+. The chicken mole entree was nothing like the pictures. And it was small. Actually all the food portions were quite small and over priced. I left hungry even after we ordered an appetizer, entrees and a dessert. So the prices were very high for what you received. Example: One small glass bottle (355ml) of Coke, $6. But that wasnt listed on the menu anywhere. Otherwise I wouldnt have ordered that. No fountain drinks or refills available. Google showed this as a taco restaurant with a price range of $10-20. Our bill was $148 for 2 people. And like I mentioned, still left hungry.

Great views and location. These guys need to bring someone in the kitchen that knows how to cook. All food was bland, small portions and uncreative. If I had my choice, Id give the nod to Taco Time over this place.

The food sucked. Seriously, what is with the menu???? We had both mahi mahi and mushroom tacos and they were void of flavor. Btw, $15 if you want any salsa whatsoever to try and give the food some flavor. Service was mostly non-existent. It was gross and grossly overpriced!

Food was delicious, view and service so great.

Not up to the hype and the so called owner Amen, wouldn t leave me and my girlfriends alone. Unabashedly hitting on us while he appeared high. Totally ruined dinner.

Hugo always makes the night beyond exceptional. I can t lie I tried to offer Hugo a job, but he is loyal to this restaurant, and the best thing that happened to this restaurant. Make sure you ask for him next time you visit and you won t be disappointed. Thanks again guys for the usual above and beyond service.

Great view, fabulous service from Sunny, excellent menu recommendations.

A good spot for lunch at Carillon Poonty on Lake Washington. Outdoor dining, too

Fun spot on the Kirkland waterfront.

Gorgeous spot right on Lake Washington with fresh, innovative Mexican dishes. We shared several things and loved all of them. Cant wait to come back for margaritas in the sun!!

We came here on a Thursday night for my friends birthday and we had a party of 7. First off almost every single person at our table is a server or bartender, so we understand the restaurant industry well and typically are really understanding. our server sucked. She was really present at the beginning and really tapered off toward the end and not being able to find her. Also she really pushed apps for the table so much so that she ordered an extra order of guac for the table (we only asked for two and got three orders) and a salsa trio which again, we did not order and ate it because we assumed it came with the guac. I also asked her if the civeche was good (which it was NOT) because I was thinking of having it as my meal and she ordered that for the table as well and when I sent it back and told her i did not order this she goes oh well we talked about it so I just put it in what??? Three items we DID NOT ORDER. We were pretty upset after that. drinks were nothing special and came very slow. Only 3 people in our group ended up even ordering dinner because apps were so sub par we d rather get food somewhere else. She ended up ordering and extra set of tacos for our table, again, that no one ordered, and then forgot to ring in a drink for someone at our table. Again, we re in the industry and are incredibly understanding but this was unlike any service I ve ever had and not in a good way. The food was all bland and not great, really the only good part was location and atmosphere. I would not return or recommend.

what an utterly odd experience. the waiter was pretty aggressive in upselling us for appetizers and drinks, which made us uncomfortable from the start. he also didn t properly explain that the salsas were 15$ extra (for three small sauce-sized splats of salsa ridiculous). the portion sizes were tiny for the price (all of us were still hungry after an appetizer and entree) and not even close to authentic, completely lacking in flavor. the most ridiculous part is they were out of multiple items we wanted. when one of the items came out, it was completely different from what we had ordered. after asking the waiter, he actually LIED TO US and told us it was what we ordered. only when we confronted another waiter did he admit to this. (the manager explained that this server was unaware of the mistake, but i find that hard to believe unless the waiters are utterly untrained on the very small menu.) never have i had a waiter LIE TO THE CUSTOMER THEN GASLIGHT THEM when confronted???????? the only reason i m giving one extra star is how the other staff went above and beyond in rectifying this one server s egregious behavior. they were extremely apologetic and courteous, and the manager took off the tip and comped half our meal, which i believe appropriate for the circumstances. however, given the behavior of this server, i cannot recommend coming here unless they seriously reexamine their training and staff protocols.

Delicious food, great service, and wonderful atmosphere

Grabbed an outside table on a beautiful day so perhaps a little biased... Regardless, service was highly attentive and fast and food on point.

Overall ok experience. Good service but understaffed and disorganized . Food was ok but nothing amazing. Great view and fun for people watching

Didnt eat and drink was a little meh but sitting outside near the water is nice.

Great drinks and amazing food! Love the mahi mahi tacos

El Encanto is a restaurant that offers Mexican food, in a pleasant atmosphere and a spectacular view. A suggestion would be to offer tortillas made on-site, and Tampiqueña asada style meat. I enjoyed the chile en nogada very much.

Great food in a beautiful location. Street tacos were delicious, guacamole was tasty, and margaritas were yummy.

My experience was okay. The ambiance was nice, but I found the food to be a bit salty for my taste. Service was decent, but nothing extraordinary. Overall, it was an average dining experience.

food was bland. The salsa served with the chicken tasted like water and the potato and chicken had no flavor. The shrimp tacos were the best out of everything but still just okay and if I wanted shrimp tacos I would go somewhere else. Wouldn t recommend.

Best chile in nogada and gorditas de chicharron!

Very loud. Difficult to have a conversation. Narrow isle between tables. Not much room to navigate your way through, or the servers either.

Only the view, otherwise, a food truck has better taco quality. The salsa tastes of greenish eggplant with a strange flavor.

Great venue, love the non alcoholic options, fun food presentation just wish there were more spicy menu options with heat. And, God Bless, but when it s busy the service really suffers it took 20+ min to get check and leave. I ll be back tho.

Ordered here twice to go. First time everything but the chili rellenos were terrible. Gave them another chance, ordered more chili rellenos, chips and guacamole, enchilada. When we picked it up, I made sure to ask if the whole order was in the bag and the lady there seemed to take offense at that. Whatever, got home and the chips and guacamole were missing. When I called she argued with me that they were definitely in the bag, but eventually said shed take it off the bill. Well guess what? It never got taken off and we were cha ged for the full amount. To top it off, all the food we god was really inedible. Just a terrible place. Como is much better and right next door at Carillon Point, Volterra is just down the road. Probably even Cactus is better.

Very small portions..and way too expensive

We have got there for a birthday dinner for my daughter that was turning 21. I don t actually think they were prepared for the party because we waited 45 minutes for our table. They said it was the fault of another table not leaving until the ride got there, which I find a little hard to believe that you couldn t just ask them to wait in your lobby. To get to our table, we had to walk through a very crowded bar, barely being able to get through which I thought was kind of weird. But the food was excellent and I will give this place a second chance. Parking: It looks like parking is subject to a fee, but we got right out so it could be weekends are free

Food: Paid 14 dollars for two shrimp tacos. At a normal restaurant like McDonalds this would be enough for around 1500 calories of food. Here it was probably 200. Each taco only had one shrimp each in them and the rest was cheap spring mix and sauce. Service: waited 60 minutes for my food, and I told the server I wanted 3 tacos when I initially ordered, so they got the wrong order. It felt like they didnt really care about me and that they were understaffed. Atmosphere: they play loud music along with horrible acoustics, making it sounds louder than a middle school cafeteria. Bathroom sink wasnt pressurized properly. Parking: Free parking near the restaurant

We had a small party of 6 and had made a reservation two weeks before. We werent seated until 30 min after the reservation, waited an hour to order and another hour for food and the bill when they were closing. Our waiter was very rude and disrespectuful going as far as sitting at the table and setting their order tablet on our friends plate. The tacos were not even good for $16, they came on thin tiny tortillas, we asked for more and the waiter got mad and was snarky about it even though we waited 20 min for the extra tortillas... in the whole two and a half hours our water got refilled once. Never had such bad service in my life.

I was genuinely impressed by how great this place is and the people who work there. My wife, our two kids and I had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful sunset and delicious food. Although the food is good, its really the ambiance that makes it worth visiting.

The food is amazing... We ordered family style and I tried way too many items. Drinks were good, service was great. The Churro Ice Cream Sandwich is amazing, and the Mahi Mahi tacos and the steak, they nailed it! Parking: Easy parking, outside lot and covered.

The good thing is that the view at the marina is beautiful. It s also free, so paying for subpar food made the restaurant inconsequential

Great location with a nice vibe and a great view accross Lake Washington to Seattle. Tasty Mexican cuisine with a nice upscale twist. Reservations are highly recommended at this popular restaurant. Enjoy!

Yikes. Decided to give this place a try even after reading the terrible reviews and what others have said is true. Overpriced, flavorless, bad service. We ordered the tomatillo salsa which basically tasted like green water. We had Short Rib tacos, mahi mahi, and smoked mushroom [all were a bust]. After not being checked on since our food arrived over an hour earlier, we flagged someone down to get our bill. Waited another 30 minutes before flagging someone else down to pay the check. Will not be returning

Small plates and big price tags

My experience with El Encanto came with my stay at the Woodmark Hotel. The hotel lists this as one of the restaurants that has hours of in room delivery - the restaurant is connected to the hotel. When my order was delivered, the receipt showed the subtotal of the food ($40.00) and tax ($4.82), but the total did not add up to those numbers ($52.02), so I told the delivery girl it was wrong. She told me the additional cost is a service fee. This is not listed anywhere on the receipt, on the website, was not disclosed at time of order, nothing. How dishonest to not only not disclose it in any of those places/ways, but to straight up hide it. I called the restaurant and the girl who answered said it was a gratuity fee and then we immediately got disconnected and did not answer when I called back. A few minutes later the same delivery girl returned with another receipt that shows the additional cost as a delivery fee of a very specific amount ($7.20) that was exactly 18% of the food cost, so its a gratuity charge. She seemed irritated, rolled her eyes at me, and told me to have a good night. Im completely fine paying a gratuity/delivery charge, but Im not okay with it when its done in such a sketchy way. The food was decent - guacamole with chicharrones (just get the traditional - chicharrones didnt add anything of note) and the mahi mahi tacos. These are street style size, but truly packed full. Since I didnt dine in, I gave the atmosphere 4 stars since I know the patio has great views of Lake Washington.

Food and service here is consistently amazing. Service is top tier as well. I visit here regularly.

The food was sub par and over priced. I couldnt believe how much for so little. Loud acoustics indoor. Outdoor seating is better if you can get a seat.

Food overpriced. Server was upselling us based on his favorites and when we declined, he asked if we were sure about that. Music was loud and portions were small. Don t expect to be full without ordering many dishes.

Amazing food, beautiful location did I say ABSOLUTELY incredible food. A++

Perfect location, adult beverages were well -crafted, the meal delicious. Only downside for our group was that we couldnt hear each other. Sound seems to bounce off the walls. Never know...that could be a plus depending on who youre with.

Amazing view

Food was cold, our party got their food at different times, the portions were small and expensive which is a bad combination. Would love to try again when they are their stride.

Delicious food, incredible setting, friendly service. What more can you ask for?

From the same team that brought Como to Kirkland, El Encanto is an amazing location on the lake with a view, great food, and staff...and will only continue to be the go to spot this summer!

Very expensive had the Barbacoa 3 tacos and they dont come with salsa. Thats like going to any restaurant asking for bread and they charge for butter. Service was good, but you really have to work on those over price entrées.

This place is hot. A hot spot for sure. Mahi mahi tacos ftw for real for real. Get here ASAP

I want to start of that we don t usually write reviews unless it s really great or well, the opposite. We have been around the world, and has eaten in several Michelin-star restaurants and truly hidden gem restaurants. We were quite excited to try a new restaurant around our neighborhood. This was supposed to be a 2 star, started with the two girls at the front (white and blonde) who seated us. Not welcoming, I simply asked if the outside is open, and the response was met with a tone and an attitude it s actually not open and seemed annoyed that I asked. A good response would have been it s so nice out now but because of the weather it s unfortunately close today. Everyone walking in and out were not greeted nor thanked for coming in. Very odd. If you want to continue to be successful, please lose them or at least provide proper training in what it means to be in the hospitality or food industry. Or was it because we were colored or of ethnic background? This, I m usually aware of as these types of behaviors still exists, even in the hospitality industry. It became a three for multiple reasons. Our server Sergio was phenomenal (perhaps he can train those two girls). He was welcoming, checked in on us and our food. We kinda lied, he asked how the food was when the dungessess tostada came out. The crab was great but the tostada was a little stale. The queso fundido was great and the pollo adobado was very flavorful and tender. Our drinks were quite refreshing!! (Palomino, Velentino, and Spring Haze). I d come back, but perhaps when the two girls/hostess ( who worked on Father s Day) who set the atmosphere for today are not working.

We arrived almost an hour early for our reservations, so they sat us at the bar to wait . Hailey was tending bar, and did an excellent job of entertaining us, and mixing drinks for other patrons, and even gave us a little lesson on Mezcal and tequila. Our server was Mary, who had an impressive knowledge of the menu, the dishes, and the ingredients used. Her service was top notch. Food was delicious, and the overall experience was great, from the time we were in the bar until we left. Highly recommend.

Vibes are cool. If you wanna pay a lot and leave hungry this is the place to go to.

I really enjoyed my experience at El Encanto minus the really uncomfortable chairs. Hoping they might put some padding on the concrete. The seafood we had was great, I really enjoyed the ceviche and fish tacos. The pork taco was bland, guac was good but I personally wasnt into the tortilla thing that accompanied it. Service was great, super attentive staff and I couldnt believe how quick my food came out.

The potential is infinite here. Given that this place is about a month old it makes sense that they will have things to improve upon. They have a lot to live up to with their big successful sibling upstairs (Como). The outside patio is nice but space is limited and they will try to squeeze multiple parties onto a couch with a small table that is not meant for sharing of 4 separate parties. There is limited shade, they could add more umbrellas. There was no music outside. This place would be great with live music, a DJ or simply just speakers. The drinks were ok but nothing special, no margaritas on the cocktail menu. Guacamole was good. Limited vegetarian options. A mushroom taco would be a good add. It was way to hot to sit outside and eat food with no shade so we left and went to como. Hopefully we are able to come back in the near future and try out more food.

What a beautiful experience tonight! I got to sit in one of the daybed tables and caught the sunset. Service was spectacular by Violet, she was Knowledgeable about the food menu and drink menu as well. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat and drink and violet was able to help me navigate to great options. All staff was friendly and helpful overall and a special thanks to Chrisi who was in the neighboring section for helping to make my experience so wonderful!

Beyond disappointed. I took my friend there to celebrate her graduation on a sunny beautiful Saturday. We get there and the host was walking us to a seating, we asked if it was okay to be seated in a different spot, automatically got attitude from her. The water they had out for us, had bugs in it but we just asked for new ones. Then we asked if we can be seated in the sun, they had such an open space and it was windy. We had to ask 3 different workers including our waitress. None of them even mentioned they had blankets to give us instead of having to change our seating. We asked for appetizers to be out first and ordered our main course for after. Before finishing our appetizer, i got my food which wasn t an issue. My friend told me to eat so it doesn t get cold, about 20 mins later the waitress asks us if we wanted to order anything else, when my friend hadn t even gotten her food.. instead of just apologizing for not remembering my friends order, she said she was confused and went and placed the order with her kitchen, which took another 20 mins. By the time my friend had gotten her food, i was done and pretty much waiting for her to finish. Food was cold when it was brought out, no nice presentation what so ever. My $20, 2 tiny burritos had no spice or sauces what so ever. I still tipped her which to be honest, not sure why i did. It s too bad for such bad service and food with such a nice aesthetically pleasing view they have.

I normally don t leave reviews, but because I think this restaurant has so much potential, I wanted to provide feedback in hopes they can improve. We arrived for dinner service and requested to be put on a waitlist for a table. I read online that patio seating is all first come first serve. I was immediately told that 1) they could not guarantee me a patio seat if I was out on a waitlist and 2) they had no wait list (but it was first come first serve?) and 3) my options were sitting at the bar inside or on a sectional outside, where there would be other parties. I was disappointed they didn t have a waitlist for just regular tables, but we opted for the sectional seating outside. When I sat down, there was no one at the sectional and the waitress told me I could have my pick of where to sit. We ordered margaritas and an appetizer, and while our food/drinks came, another couple was seated next to us. We then ordered our entrees (mahi mahi tacos were wonderful!), but in between our entree arriving, our waitress came back to ask us to move over for another party of 3 - no apology, nothing. It felt very awkward to be asked to move in the middle of dinner, and definitely tainted the experience for us. Furthermore, it was uncomfortable for us to be asked to move instead of the couple who had arrived after us. We moved for the waitress, and the party of 3 sat down and quickly left without ordering because the sectional was becoming squished. Another party of 2 came to take their place before we had finished our dinner, and they too were reseated for a different table. My advice would be to simply reduce the capacity limit for the sectional. It s perfect for 4-5 people, but any more than that and it becomes uncomfortable and squished, as evidenced by multiple parties leaving. Overall food was delicious and the restaurant itself is beautiful, but the customer service was seriously lacking.

We tried El Encanto for dinner last Saturday evening for the first time. I agree with other reviews that the ladies in the front are not welcoming and have attitudes. Not sure if this is the vibe they are going for, but it is a deterrent. We were seated at an inside table, but by the patio and it was so cold, it actually made the entire experience incredibly uncomfortable. We asked to move but were told there were no other tables available. We were only two people but were sat at a four person table which was also odd. Given this is supposed to be a high end restaurant, why they cant afford heaters or increase the heat when everyone is clearly cold is unclear to me. Our waitress was young but lovely and the majority of the staff also appeared young and inexperienced. The whole experience was rather chaotic and no one seemed to know what was going. We ordered two Palomino cocktails. 50 minutes later we had to ask where our drinks were, and 5 minutes later they finally arrived. Watered down and not delicious at all. $17 each. The guacamole was decent but the crispy pork belly pieces were mostly burnt and didnt seem incorporated into the dish but rather just poured on top. We found a bug in our food and luckily Eric, the manager, came by and took it away and off our bill. Weirdly enough, the food arrived very quickly which I found odd. As if the dishes had been pre-made and were just awaiting to go out which doesnt feel fresh and is absolutely not worth how over-priced they are. We ordered the crab tostadas which were OK, but not worth the price. The manager recommended the short rib tacos. They arrived and although the taste was OK, the presentation was horrible. There were three tacos with a large slob of meat on top and some sort of green sauce slathered on top. We asked for our check before we even finished the food and got out of there as quickly as possible. Our waitress even apologized and acknowledged what a horrible experience it was for us. My body was freezing and I had to turn on my seat warmers in the car, in the end of June! Our bill was $100 for chips and salsa (which was the only good thing we ate), 3 short rib tacos, 3 tiny crab tostadas, and two drinks. I would not recommend this place at all. They have a lot of growing to do and the food needs to be revamped completely. To me, it felt more of a scene and for what is supposed to be an upscale Mexican restaurant, there is much to be desired. Getting a reservation here isnt easy partly because it is new and I think people are expecting Cantinetta and Como level experience. Couldnt be more far from that.

The lake view is beautiful, and I expect to pay a more for that. However this place is WAY OVERPRICED. My group of 3 friends were there for 2.5 hours. The menu was pricey, and we were there early happy hour time, so we each just ordered an appetizer. The food was ok. We ordered the queso dip, instead of being creamy and dip-able, we had to cut it and place chunks on our chips plus there was VERY little of it (three of us shared a child size potion $17). The Guacamole was ok, but I have had more flavor filled at Chipotle for $4 - El Encantos was $16 for about the same amount. BUT the topper was... I ordered a skinny margarita (generally $12 - $15 at most restaurants) Well I had three. I never thought to ask how much their margaritas were. Big mistake... Turns out they were $33 each! So almost $100 for 3 margaritas. My entire tab with tip and parking was $150 for three margaritas and some chips and guac. They only validate for two hours parking - so you are on your own if you park longer. That was my first and last visit. So Long El Encanto.

Food and ambience was great. I felt like I was in Europe! I would probably avoid the Pollo Adobado Al Carbon next time - the chicken was dry and not much flavor, and not enough sauce to give it more flavor. The Tostada de Jaiva with the Dungeness crab was my favorite dish. We thought we weren t going to be full since the dishes do not come with traditional rice / beans. But surprisingly, sharing 4 dishes between the two of us was quite filling. It was pretty loud though and hard to hear someone just across the table with a band playing nearby and everyone else talking.

A lot of potential given the location, but mediocre food and very bad service.

Terrible service for the price point but decent ambiance and food if you dont mind freezing your bums in the cold while you see other people receive blankets

I don t know if I would even come for vibes guac and queso were an abomination to Hispanic and Latin culture.

Took my wife here for her birthday. Called weeks in advance for a lake side table outdoors for the special occasion. I arrive with her and theyre all taken and Im told theres nothing they can do about it except make me wait an hour for the table I wanted. I settled for any available table which ended up being indoors and requested two orders of chicken tacos with a small side bowl of corn. These tacos were as small as a sand dollar. Thought I might have ordered from the kids menu but nope. Six tacos and a side of corn and Im out $70. Didnt even get beverages. We drank water and still accumulated this price tag. Best part of the night was the service. My order came out quick. The kitchen is fast but Im assuming only because they barely have to do anything since the portions are so small. Wont be returning.

Very bland food

Guacamole was fresh great taste. The *EL ENCANTO CEVICHE, Takes the golden star. It was lemony and paired well with the banana chips.*RIBEYE AL CARBON, Was fantastic! Definitely excited to come back and try more drinks. We were lucky and got a beautiful sunny Kirkland day.

Very much enjoyed our recent visit to El Encanto. This is a prime location, right on the water. Beautiful for a tasty and stylish date night out. We sat at the bar for a bit, and the bartender there was attentive, polite, and cheerful. He customized our cocktails for us, just right. Later more friends joined and we relocated to an outside sofa area. What a cool, chill spot to enjoy the summer sunset hour. Just beautiful. The food was very good. We stuck to tacos - tried a big range. Everything was fresh, beautifully presented. Loved the mole, and fish tacos. The chips with salsa verde was - like another poster commented - not the verde I was expecting. But it was good anyway. The Ceviche was delicious, I will have that again next time. Brittany was our server; she was so positively energetic. Super nice and synched with our vibe. We also met Ryder, one of the runners, just a delightful person, very helpful and solicitous. A few other people helped run drinks to us. Basically everyone on the staff we met with was positive and cheery. One glitch was the host desk - we had a reservation, and had some confusion as we wanted to be outside, but they were not clear on how to help arrange that. They told us the outside seating is communal , but I m still not clear on what that means. Does it simply mean we sit with others? Does it mean we seat ourselves? It took a few conversations to straighten that out. In the end, we took it upon ourselves to occupy an outside sofa area, as other guests were leaving. I attribute the communication mixup to this place being new . They ll sort it out, I m sure. But if you call for a res, you might want to be extra clear on what you re expecting and what they can offer. I guess the rent for this property is pretty high, so expect to pay a little more to enjoy the gorgeous Lake Washington views.

Nice view on the shore, very nice food : very tasty without being too spicy. Very friendly and knowledgeable service to navigate through the menu. Great experience overall!

Vibe/atmosphere is super cool, servers were nice and quick, the food however was bad, I mean real bad, Theres just no other way to put it, I ordered the Tamles de javia and the wife had the Rajas tacos, both were incredibly bland and the presentation was sloppy, chips tasted a day old and the salsa was like water. Hopefully this was just an off night, this place is right across the street from my house and I was really excited to have a swanky, good Mexican place so close by.

Amazing restaurant ambiance and design. Love the view of the water. The drinks here were better than expected. The chips and salsa were okay. Service was great!

i had a really great date night here last night. Yes it s expensive and smaller portions, but I knew that going into it and nothing disappointed. The ceviche was great and probably my favorite thing of what we ordered. But for a vibey Mexican restaurant on the water, I was really pleased. Maybe don t come here if you haven t eaten all day and are starving, or don t expect this to be your weekly dinner spot if you re on a budget, but it was wonderful for a special occasion night or a nicer date. The food tasted fresh and arrived quickly, service was attentive, and drink was tasty so I truly don t have complaints

Amazing service by Hugo and his team!

I was apprehensive to come here for my birthday dinner because of the reviews I read but it s just so beautiful inside I wanted to be there and try it for myself. I m glad I did because I completely disagree with the reviews I saw here. The service was prompt , friendly and the food came out much faster than anticipated. All of it was completely delicious and just the right portions to make you full but not like too full where you regret it :) it was the perfect place for my birthday meal ! I got the mahi mahi tacos , we got the jalapeño salsa and chips and my husband got the blackened chicken. And all of those were incredible !

Very good, authentic and high end Mexican. Uncompromising ingredients, traditional dishes like pozole and street tacos, and a great cocktail menu. Plus the view is amazing.

Everything was great! Was sold on the IG ad to be honest. Service was EXCEPTIONAL by Tyler. Very easy going, very knowledgeable about the menu and guided us to delicious choices. Mahi mahi tacos were awesome and the ice cream sandwich was . We ll be coming back.

Food 5/5 Service 5/5 View 5/5 Food : 5/5

Incredible food and beautiful environment. The staff was thoughtful and attentive. Will go back soon!

Loved spending time here with friends. Our host was attentive and quick. Everyones food was phenomenal!!! The water view was an amazing cherry on top. Food : 5/5 |

Came here with a group of 10 and had an amazing time. Really great food. Authentic high end Mexican food. (Not Azteca). Views were amazing. The vibe was great (music, aesthetic etc.). Will definitely be back.

A beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, and delicious food. Also, you can t beat the coffee flan while watching the gorgeous sunset.

Meh

Decided to go see what all the hype was about this place and its 100% the view and only the view. The food was mid/low-tier with upper tier prices and, I cannot emphasize this enough... Bland. While I understand catering to the masses and keeping spice levels down they were non-existent. We started with the pork belly guac which in theory sounds amazing and ended up with flavorless mush with fried bits so tough you couldnt chew them or even recognize them as pork belly. The ribeye came on a bed of queso, unseasoned, overcooked while barely having a char. The redeeming dishes were the mole chicken tacos and the short rib tacos. All-in-all, this place has work to do on their offering but do come for the view and drinks.

Service was terrible and we were expected to give a 25% tip. Long wait. Waitress was either shy or rude - couldnt tell! - and not helpful. Food was dry and needed more flavor. Over priced. Zero food for kids. They are trying to hard to be elite but arent really earning it yet. For the prices I expect better food and happier, more organized and enthusiastic staff. Great location but I wouldnt return in my own. Como upstairs is better.

Food and service was great. It is more on the pricier side of food so I wouldnt recommend coming casually but more for a celebration. Pork mole in the picture along with a latte.

Confused by all the low reviews. I obviously read them before coming in, so I was cautious. But every step of the way, the restaurant was excellent. The service was great, it had that family feel to it. The food was phenomenal. One of the best tacos I ve had. There are a handful of places I ve tried that are on par with this one, including a great Mexican restaurant in Paris recommended by my Mexican friend, and the other in London, with 9-10 pounds per taco. As far as the price goes, perhaps it s pricier than your usual Mexican restaurant. But for the quality of the food you re getting, the atmosphere (they had live music that day), and the location and the view - I find it to be a fair price. I will certainly be back!

Alfredo the best! Service, spot on recc on drinks and plates. Over the top with birthday celebration. Unexpected but so appreciated! Parking: Validation

Great experience with Alfredo (?) our server. Highly recommend this location. Nice job to the whole team there.

Location is great but inside is very noisy. Food is SUPER disappointing. Really? No taste, no form, no creativity. And prices are through the roof. Food : 2/5

### Frustrated and Highly Disappointed Review My two friends and I recently had the *pleasure* of dining at this restaurant, but unfortunately, our experience was anything but pleasant. From the moment we sat down, our server displayed a level of incompetence and unprofessionalism that was truly shocking. First of all, it took an eternity for him to even acknowledge our presence. And when he finally did, he seemed more interested in rushing us to place our orders than actually providing any kind of attentive service. To make matters worse, it took over 30 minutes for our order of sparkling water to arrive, and only after I had to personally request it from two other servers. One of my friends ordered a margarita, which amazingly enough, was delivered towards the end of our meal. It was as if our waiter deliberately avoided our table and preferred to cater to all the other tables around us. It was particularly disheartening to see that even tables of non-POC individuals who arrived after us received their food and drinks before we did. Its hard not to wonder if our servers behavior was influenced by race, especially since he was a person of color himself. I must give credit where its due though. The other servers and staff members went above and beyond to compensate for the shortcomings of our waiter. They provided recommendations for our food choices and consistently checked on us to ensure we were taken care of. In fact, they practically did his job for him. Towards the end of our meal, our waiter decided to make an appearance, but it was too little too late. Not only did he show up when it was time to pay, but he also had the audacity to make some highly inappropriate comments. Despite the disappointing service, I must admit that the food at this restaurant was truly outstanding. However, it is clear that the server in question is in desperate need of some serious improvement or perhaps he should find a different line of work altogether.

Food is so not good. Im a foodie. Im opened to all kinds of new foods. But the flavors and mixtures just dont work . Tried Chili En Nogada . The meat is ground. It taste like hamburger helper with no flavor. So bland . Short rib tacos were good but nothing extraordinary and not worth $25 in my opinion. Maybe worth it, but not when you have to spend $15 with guacamole and another $15 for salsa. Atmosphere and location/ view are so great. I so want to like this place and I would be here weekly! But how do you screw up Mexican food so badly? Pls owners... try your own food ... then fire the head chef and revamp the menu asap!

All around 10/10. Great food, cocktails, service and views. Loved it!

My girlfriend and I went here for dinner and the service from Nico was top notch. His recommendations and hospitality made the night truly magical.

Location and atmosphere are amazing, food is mediocre/limited selection and service is rushed

Dee served our large party of 16 people! She was an amazing host. Must try one of everything on the menu.

I m not sure what these low reviews were about, but maybe the restaurant was working out some opening kinks? I went there for my birthday dinner last night. My girlfriend had served seating for us outdoors, but after we got there we realized that it wasn t able to fit everyone, but our server, the host and the staff worked as a team to figure out a solution immediately. I felt like they went above and beyond what I would ever expect from a normal restaurant to accommodate us. So let s start w/ the ambiance: very Newport Beach. It was perfect for us on a summer evening with the sun going down and a brisk wind coming through. Service: our server Dydy (maybe it s Didi) always came back and went above and beyond. She was personable, funny and very helpful when it came to food recommendations. Hugo came in to help with coordination, it really felt like we were getting white-glove service last night, near the same service level I ve had at Michelin rated restaurants. Plates were refreshed between courses, new napkins and silverware, drinks were always filled. You re in for a treat here. Food: Whatever issues people had w/ the Mexican food here, I can assure you that the kitchen has changed. I m a huge foodie, I travel frequently to CA, and make it to Mexico at least once a year. I can tell you that these tacos are some of the best that you ll find in the greater Seattle area. Don t assume that you know their menu and what tastes good, ask your staff, ask the kitchen, because they ll guide you figuring out the right dish. We ate more family style last night, and everyone was stuffed because the food was so good. I would absolutely come here again.

Parking: Pod parking but you can validate to get it for free Kid-friendliness: They have high chairs and i saw several family.with kids when I was dinning in there Wheelchair accessibility: Might be able to dine at the terrace level but access it from the side entrance. Make sure to reserve the terrace table it tend to get filled up fast.

Delicious and nice place! Love it! I ll be back for sure

The tacos/main entrees are good. The guac is bland and comes with a gross burnt circular chip you have to break apart into crumbs. Very overpriced.

Loved the open air breeze to go with the views. The all white, almost Santorini feeling interior was a nice clean summer feel, and our server was awesome! Don t miss the churro gelato sandwich, short rib tacos, or the crab tostado. Carillon has always had a great dock with a break water and attendants for short term docking. Safest and best place to dock and dine!

Food is bland, bread is toasted to a literal crisp. Definitely not authentic Mexican food. Ambience is beautiful but the food needs to be addressed

Cons: -- food is pretty mediocre; the chicken tacos were so bad we sent them back -- service is medicore; waiter disappeared for 20 minutes -- items are overpriced, they charged us $18 for a non alcoholic drink Pros: --lake view

We waited 2 hours for a table then another hour and half to be served! It was extremely expensive and although the servers were polite I wouldnt say our experience amounted to excellence service. The food was nice but the ridiculous wait and confusion over whether you can book to sit outside spoiled it somewhat.

Worst service we ve ever gotten and super overpriced.

Food tasted amazing. However, the portions are small. Breakfast is served till 4pm. The scenery is beautiful. Definitely a great place for a date night. The drinks were very strong and I loved that!

They destroyed the beachfront cafe. Not only are they trying way too hard...they are not trying hard enough. This is the most pretentious POS Ive seen in a long time and I am sad its at this venue. Id give this place 6 months before it folds. Food

chairs at bar tables were uncomfortable, Need to get a good margaritas on the menu!

Please don t waste your time here for real traditional rich Mexican food. I can confidently say this, being from Durango Mexico, all my guests were as well. We first come in and the older gentleman bluntly says what do you guys want? Already having an attitude and unprofessionalism, (also at a restaurant what else would you want?)we politely say seating for 3 please :) we don t have a reservation. He quickly guided us to a seat al though it s a sunny bright day, we ask for outdoor seating and he turns around and looks at us appearing slightly annoyed everyone s coming in because of the breeze are you sure? We say yes and we proceed outside. We ordered mushroom tacos, chile relleno, a torta stilo Durango, a side of tortillas and guacamole for the table. For 85$, (COMPLETELY NOT WORTH IT) The guacamole came in a SQUARE wooden plate, This would never come ina SQUARE container, the guacamole gets stuck in the corners, and it doesn t come with traditional (as the restaurant proceeds to say) chips they come with these weird corn circles with holes in it ( not tostadas or tortillas), we eat it it s fine. Our order comes and the Chile relleno is absolutely horrendous, it s CLEARLY tomato purée on top, not fried and very small. The mushrooms tacos didn t even have salt! I kindly asked the server for salt and she kind of takes a while (whatever it s fine)They were so small COLD and only came with one tortilla ( small tacos should come with two wrapped together) they barley had pieces of arugula, ZERO onion or cilantro. The Carmalized onion wasn t even caramelizado , I don t even know how to possibly achieve this because onions themselves carmelize when being cooked alone unless there s water added. The mushroom also seems to have been cooked with water therefore they were left soft and mushy, they re are many ways to cook mushrooms to replicate a meaty texture but oh well I guess they like there differently.understandable. But to be cooked with not even a broth? There was zero flavor in the mushroom. There s no diced onion or cilantro or salsa picante girl HOW?! How plain!! There s nothing but mushroom ona tortilla Anyways our side of tortillas come on parchment paper, in Mexico we have specific plates to keep tortillas warm!! Please incorporate the cultures dishes for what they re meant for!!!!! I then see the people in front of us order watermelon with what seems like a white powder or grains? In Mexico we eat fruit with Tajín I srsly am so disappointed in the lack of acknowledgment of my beautiful culture in this new Traditional Mexican restaurant. Clearly they re catering to a population that doesn t have flavor or value for spice and rich flavors, from tomatillos tomato garlic at a basic cooking level this menu didn t even have beans and rice.. this is the MINIMUM expectation for Mexico. Srsly my entire guests lunch hour was ruined by the completely white washed food. There s probably not much they can do either but every single waiter is white and every assistant was Latino.. there s nothing wrong with anyone learning our culture and it s genuinely appreciated when they try to pronounce the food correctly but like come on y all have the Latinos here but they re not front line with the costumers and I know they re not making as many tips as you would as the main server. The brown clay plates are also not traditionally Mexican. they re like a clay knockoff with zero of our artesania. It really felt like a slap in the face of a racist white take on Mexican food, I could not have been possibly more insulted asa Mexican and someone who knows how to cook regular meat meals and vegan meals. This is NOTHING like our beautiful rich home Durango. Durango and Mexico are filled with rich flavors cultivated from spices, legumes, vegetables and salsas. Btw here are justa few authentic spots from latinos to support that are delicious, beautiful, and nutritious -Taqueria El Kiosko (Seattle) - Cantina Monarca (Bellevue)

The food, atmosphere and service were incredible! The Deshebrado tacos were some of the best I ve ever had. And then there s the desserts - the churro sandwich with homemade gelato and the Santo Coffee flan are a MUST. We will definitely be back!

I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate my birthday at this gorgeous restaurant! The views were spectacular, food was amazing and beautifully crafted, and the environment was full of laughter and good times! Will definitely be coming back for their ceviche, gorditas, and my favorite, the churro ice cream sandwich!

Spectacular dining experience on beautiful Carillon Point! Panoramic views from every seat. I love the banquette seating and fabulous outdoor lounge area. Best deck on the eastside! High end, authentic Mexican food and dessert that feels like home. Thoughtful drink menu and wine list. Service is warm and professional. Our new favorite date spot and place to celebrate! Well done Encanto!

Great location and view. Wonderful guacamole. Try the Empress Gin Cocktail.

Had a really nice experience eating at the bar here. Great service and the view of the lake is incredible.

Food was great.

We had an absolutely wonderful evening at El Encanto - everything we ordered was fresh and each dish had distinct flavours. I loved the guacamole with pomegranate! The chilli relleno and shrimp tacos are to die for!! Service was fantastic- we sat on the couch in the patio and had a beautiful view of the water and the golden moon!

Nice vibes and view but the food leaves a lot to be desired, I think this is the first time Ive ever had Mexican food that tasted sweet. Why??? This is specifically about the Timga de Pollo tacos.

Had dinner on the patio. A warm summer s eve; gentle waves lapping the docks; golden moon looking down on us. Loved the tapas style dishes especially guacamole with pomegranate. The service was excellent. Two thumbs up

What a lovely spot for drinks with a friend. We had the chicken torta and the pork tacos. The torta was generously sized, but I personally thought it was kind of sloppily put together and had too much mayo for my taste (personal preference). The pork tacos had a lovely flavor and a big portion of meat! The green sauce gave it a lot of moisture, but the part that wasn t covered was a bit dry. I still enjoyed them though. We each had a cocktail, which were strong and v tasty! Obviously this place is expensive, given the location and stunning view, but we had a great time and received fabulous service! Parking: If you park in carillon point they will validate parking!

This place is really loud. Supposedly the owner requires the music to be loud so dont ask that it be turned down. Hostess was inflexible. Asked to move to a 2 top by an open door as it was beastly hot in the restaurant. All doors were open on a 90 degree day. . No can do. This table is saved for a future reservation Table sat empty all during our dinner. Server was sneaky. I asked for a menu that showed margaritas. There wasnt one and getting any input owhat the house margarita was seemed to be a complex request.. So I asked for a spicy margarita. I got a $24 margarita with some high end tequila as I had asked for a special margarita. Hunh? Salsa was okay but nothing spectacular. Chile relleno was greasy. Tacos were no better than tacos I pay 4 at a taco truck, but here they were 8 a piece. If youre looking for poor service and inflated prices for mediocre food, this is your place.

Well we tried it after so much hype but was a major fail - my husband got the ribeye and it was 50% fat - I got the ceviche y aye dios mío. I have never had bad ceviche this was over powered by the limón and I just could not eat it. The chips served with it were just to greasy for me - watermelon salad daaammmm was a major fail. To much lemon and tajin it was to sour for my taste and just couldnt get past the amount of lemon - of course as always always the only Mexican couple and host didnt give us the option of sitting inside or outside but white couple behind us sure did - major fail for a Mexican restaurant - drinks were great and on point - scenery is beautiful and amazing Id go back to sit next to the water and drink during the short summer but nothing else

Vegetarian options: Fewer vegetarian options. Food

So great! The location, options, food expectations exceeded. Get the watermelon salad.

Food was ok. Service was great. ITS SO LOUD!! We were sitting in the bar, not super busy. The noise was coming from the tables below. I could barely hear my friend across the table.

DO NOT EAT HERE! El Encanto was highly disappointing, primarily due to the dreadful service provided by waiter Nico and the tasteless, soggy food. Nicos service was unprofessional and disrespectful. The dishes served were not only bland but shockingly cold and devoid of flavor. The unfortunate combination of Nicos lackluster service and the subpar, sogginess of the food made this visit far from enjoyable

I don t get why people are tripping. This place is amazing. Our party of 8 from around the world loved the food, became friends with the staff, and enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake. Eating here was a highlight of our trip out to the Seattle area. I highly recommend the ice cream sandwich. Probably one of the best things I ve ever eaten.

Just want to update that the manager did call and has been very easy and pleasant to work with! I hope they can make things right with us because we definitely want to keep a fond memory of our experience. Please be careful if you ate here recently- our family dined on Sunday 9/3 and all became violently ill two days later. It was absolutely awful. Combined with the fairly poor customer service, we won t be eating here again. I wish things had been different because I love the location and the ambience is really special.

Food was not great, specifically the vegetarian options. Their vegetarian sandwich was just one big garlic bread with tons of cheese. Guacamole and chips was actually guac with very bad roasted chips. On top of that, their food hygiene is questionable and they are unapolegetic about it. Our sandwich has insect in their cheese layer and they werent even bothered by it. Would not recommend this to anyone. Only reason I gave this place 2 star, instead of 1, is because the waterfront location, seating and view is just unbeatable.

Unless something changes I doubt this restaurant will remain open. First the good news. It has a pretty view/nice decorating, and we brought our own cake, and the server brought plates & a candle for the cake--very nice! Otherwise the restaurant is still using training wheels in terms of food & service. Sweet Mexican food (the salsa, AND stuffed pepper??) And, as soon as a bigger table arrived we lost all attention from our server and sat and sat and sat until we asked for the bill and then sat some more.

Seems like they have a specific clientele that theyre trying to have. We had a reservation at 2, and arrived early. The hostess refused to seat us outside, despite there being an available AND clean table out there. While we were waiting for the server, who took five minutes to get to us, we saw the hostess seat a group of people in the exact table we had asked her about. As we were walking out she asked what happened and we told her we wanted outdoor seating, there was a table open and you said there was none the hostess claimed it was dirty, but the table was clean. Seams overpriced, the service is dismal, the decoration and the views make it the only thing worth visiting this restaurant.

Overpriced out the wazoo.

This place is hit or miss at the moment. We went for brunch on a Sunday and it was bland and nondescript. Then we went again on a Friday evening. The food and drink were much better. We spent 4 hours and had a great time with friends. Big check! Prices are pretty high for tacos.

Overrated and overpriced. Food and service were okay, nothing special.

This is such a great spot, so we were excited to try out the place after it had changed bto a Mexican food menu. As one would imagine they take full advantage bof the views from this location, as they should, but its reflected in their prices. $9 for chips and salsa! The salsa is very good at least, but the price is painful. The flavors are good on their food too, but prices are high across the board. Food could use some little tweaks to improve. The short rib tacos were pretty good, but instead of large piles of meat it would be nice to have some veggies of some sort. Whether its pickled onions or some type of slaw to add some acidity and crunch would be nice. Parking: Parking is validated by the restaurant.

Showed up on a Monday night to a half empty restaurant, and was seated for 15 minutes without a single person coming by. No drink order, no food order, no recognition at all. I wasn t interested in waiting any longer, and then enduring a night of bad service and slow food, so I got up and left after 15 minutes of zero acknowledgment or service. Menu looked ok, but you have to actually get service to be able to try it.

Overall, the food was good, but the portions were very small and the service was very slow. The ambiance was nice, but it was surprising that my husbands food arrived first and mine took 20 minutes longer. For the price, I would not recommend this restaurant for revisiting, but it could be a good option for a one-time experience if youre looking for good food in a nice setting.

Excellent restaurant with delicious food, an unbelievable view, and wonderful, accommodating staff. The chef is incredibly kind and very talented and the bar staff are exceptionally hardworking - as are the many members of the kitchen and wait staff. Undoubtedly worth a visit!

Service was fine. No issues. But the food was beyond horrible. My three little tacos had dried corn shells, dry chicken, and was basically unappealing. The friends I was dining with, were not impressed with her meals either. Prices are quite steep, probably to pay wait staff and location. After those expenses, there s no money left for real food.

Such a wonderful experience and a lively environment! If you have time to chill and relax like you re on vacation I definitely recommend this place.

Good

We went to El Encanto to celebrate our friend s birthday. The food was ok and our server was nice. However, we were extremely unhappy and unsatisfied with the attitude of the restaurant s manager. First of all, when she noticed she brought the wrong food, she just took the food away. She did not apologize or acknowledge she brought the wrong food. That was rude. Second, we were charged a $35 cake fee (aside from the 20% gratuity). When we brought the cake in the restaurant, the hostess offered to store/refrigerate the cake. However, no one told us that there will be a cake fee. We questioned the cake fee and our server was nice enough to check with the manager to see if the fee can be waived. The manager refused to waive the fee and stated that we chose to eat our own cake instead of ordering their dessert . Excuse me, we did asked for the dessert menu but no one brought it to us. Also, is there a rule that the customer must order the restaurant s dessert after the meal??? Besides that, the manager did not bothered to come to our table to explain the cake fee. Instead she sent the server back saying that the fee can not be waived. That was extremely rude and unprofessional. We were fine with the gratuity but the cake fee was absolutely ridiculous. We chose El Encanto to celebrate a special occasion but the experience was disappointing. We have to say we are not sure if we will ever return to El Encanto for lunch or dinner.

Love it Highly recommend Food

I cant wait to come back to Kirkland just to sit down and grab some food and drinks at El Encanto. We sat outside overlooking the lake and enjoying a delicious burrito. The place is beautiful. Friendly service. Everyone working there was in a great mood and really adds to the experience. Amazing vibes!

The tacos were authentic and delicious. Get the guacamole with pork belly- So tasty! And you cant go wrong with the tacos.

I went here for the first time on a Saturday night for a romantic date. The restaurant, interior and architecture is really cool looking, the lighting is soft and friendly, the space is pretty, the view is amazing. All the service staff I interacted with were very warm and genuine. The restaurant was busy, and provision of our entrees was pretty slow. One detail I found the expeditor/ water guy crisp and on point. We kept getting water refills, fresh shareable plates and silverware with each course. I thought this was nice. Overall, we had a nice evening. However, my date stated he never wanted to return to this restaurant because the portion sizes of the food and beverages was small relative to the cost. He has extensive experience traveling in Latin America, and was unhappy with the food from the standpoint of its cultural authenticity. He had a margarita that was $18 and I had an unusual tasting tempranillo. I was personally disappointed in the flan, it was dry, dense and thick.

I went on a Friday night for Seattle Restaurant Week only to find out that they only offered the restaurant week menu Sunday-Thursday. This detail wasn t listen anywhere on El Encanto s website or the Seattle Restaurant website. Total bummer since the menu is significantly more expensive than the $50 dinner being offered for Seattle Restaurant Week. We ended up staying and mostly enjoyed the dinner (with the exception of the chips and salsa due to the chips being cold) but it was disappointing not to get to have the experience we were expecting.

The best restaurant, good food and service is excellent.

Great place. Nicest staff

Ordered guacamole and chips and a roasted salsa. The guacamole had grilled pablanos, but overall, it didnt really taste like anything other than mashed avocados. Salsa was good and had a powerful roasted flavor. We ordered mahi mahi tacos and pollo en mole the tacos didnt have any flavors except lemon, the pollo en mole was ok. The mole sauce was good but the chicken seemed really salty like it was boiled with too much salt (it was tender though) and the beans were also really salty. For the price and quality of food we wont return. The atmosphere is really cute and the staff were nice but food is not worth the high price at all.

5 stars Excellent service Tasty Nice atmosphere Great cocktail selection

Ordered the carna asada and a cheese quesadilla for my kid. The food was not great at all and it s not a kid friendly environment or cater to kids, which is fine. For $60 I d rather have a Costco ribeye