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This place rocks! If you're looking for Dumbed-Down Mexican, stay away. Here you'll find reasonable prices, "real" portions of food (not the huge platters that you get at Azteca) sized so that you... More
This place rocks! If you're looking for Dumbed-Down Mexican, stay away. Here you'll find reasonable prices, "real" portions of food (not the huge platters that you get at Azteca) sized so that you should order to share, and menu items that you probably won't find anywhere else in town. We had the Chicken mole tamale, Pork soft taco, Chicken mole, and the dessert tamale. The savory dishes were wonderful. I'd pass on the dessert tamale the next time and order another dinner item to share instead. Parking can be difficult, they don't take reservations, and the wait can be loooooooong. So worth it! BTW - We sat next to a couple that was very knowledgeable of the Oaxacan people and region and they ordered some Chapulines (fried grasshoppers -not on the menu!) to go with their beers. If you're brave enough, try them. They are brought out in a small clay dish. I didn't care for them. They tasted like roasted tobacco or something akin to that.
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Having grown up in Arizona and later lived in California life in Seattle has been very hard for me when it comes to food. There is such a deplorable lack of decent Mexican food in this town.
The... More
Having grown up in Arizona and later lived in California life in Seattle has been very hard for me when it comes to food. There is such a deplorable lack of decent Mexican food in this town.
The I discovered Oaxaca and once again life is good. This is a great place to go with friends after a film at the Majestic. The servings are small and we simply ordered several plates and shared them. Everything was fantastic including plenty of items you don't normally find in Mexican restaurants. Some might gripe that there are no burritos. This isn't fair since the burrito is (depending on whose story you believe) not a Mexican creation and certainly isn't too be found in the southern Mexican city from which Oaxaca gets its name.
Only real room for improvement would be more room. The place is very crowded on a Saturday night and the wait can be lengthy.
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We discovered La Carta de Oaxaca on a walk through Ballard -- the place was packed and a dozen people waited outside. If you're looking for a uniquely authentic Mexican dinner of "little dishes,"... More
We discovered La Carta de Oaxaca on a walk through Ballard -- the place was packed and a dozen people waited outside. If you're looking for a uniquely authentic Mexican dinner of "little dishes," it's worth the wait.
In the open dining room/bar/kitchen, you sit at big, family-style tables and order from a one-page menu of little plates -- figure one per person for a snack with drinks, 1.5 to 2 for dinner. The mole and other sauces are complex and obviously homemade, and the meats are of excellent quality. The vegetarian options are quite limited and it would be difficult to eat with a group of vegetarians here. That said, I recommend La Carta for a group or couple interested in their extensive tequila list and sharing a number of plates. It's a fun place, and there's really nowhere else like it in Seattle.
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This place deserves to be a long time mainstay of the Ballard dining scene. Great dishes, moderate prices, and a mole that is second to none (that from a born-and-bred Texan). This is not Tex-Mex --... More
This place deserves to be a long time mainstay of the Ballard dining scene. Great dishes, moderate prices, and a mole that is second to none (that from a born-and-bred Texan). This is not Tex-Mex -- its genuine southern Mexican cuisine, and some of the best you'll find in the Northwest. The wait is unbearable on a weekend night, but worth all your patience, and makes the meal that much more special.
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We ate at this place on the recommendation of the guys at tastingmenu.com (http://www.tastingmenu.com/archive/2005/06-june/20050621.htm). I have to say, their review is quite accurate. We had the... More
We ate at this place on the recommendation of the guys at tastingmenu.com (http://www.tastingmenu.com/archive/2005/06-june/20050621.htm). I have to say, their review is quite accurate. We had the Entomatadas, a dish of thin-sliced beef with tortillas in a green sauce. It was fantastic. Read the tastingmenu review for more details and great pictures. Everything we had was terrific except for the margaritas. Who cares? The food is original and there's nothing like it anywhere else in Seattle.
The place has been open about a year and a half. The decor is very utilitarian, although there is a bar in back. It's not a romantic place; don't go there expecting any privacy. It gets crowded fast, so get there early or be prepared to wait. It is definitely worth waiting for.
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After having lived in Austin, Texas for three years in the mid-90s, I had given up hope on finding an authentic Mexican restaurant in Seattle. No disrespect intended for such fine establishments as... More
After having lived in Austin, Texas for three years in the mid-90s, I had given up hope on finding an authentic Mexican restaurant in Seattle. No disrespect intended for such fine establishments as El Camino, Mojito's and Aqua Verde, to name a few, but none of these deliver the real deal.
Everything on the menu is fantastic - the papitas, the mole, and pozole.
Large family-style tables at restaurants seem to be catching on - another wonderful aspect of the dining experience at La Carta. The word is getting out, so be prepared to wait.
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