Ixtapa

I do a food and restaurant blog, but my bad reviews only go on Unilocal.If you’re going to write a good review, at least be honest. IXTAPA in Carnation, WA, needs to work on the service of the business, and a few other issues. The food is «okay» but no more. Calling it the best on the eastside should get you free food for the rest of the year. I admit, the east side needs help with the Mexican food. But this place is subpar.
Here you go. Service is one star. I suspect that this is due to understaffing. Also, several of the wait staff need to happy-​up or find something else to do. Maybe they need to lay off the sour grapes. Half friendly, half not. Customer service counts. Too long standing to get a table, too slow to take food order, too long to get food to table. They are too slow.
Facility gets two stars. Parking is limited. Our table shook every time staff walked passed. The restroom was filthy. But the booths and tables are adequate. There is a bar, but it is tucked away in the back.
Food gets three stars, except for the guacamole. It is five-​star quality, ample quantity, and very good. Chips are warmed-​up bag fare. The salsa is good, but a little spicy-​hot for some folks. The rice and beans are okay. Shredded pork should be shredded, not chunks.
Drinks get three stars, but their margaritas are way overpriced. Negra Modelo on draught is good.
They were not that busy. Taking so long to get plates to customers is a fail. The staff appeared to be moving fast and the kitchen seemed busy, so I think they need to hire. I had high hopes for this place. Now I need to find another place, food, or drink item for my blog.

Friendly cozy bar, great service, delicious food, fair prices. Best grub in Carnation.

The food is to die for, so fresh and large amounts to savor and share.
We eat a lot of Mexican food where ever we travel, and this is by far my favorite place. Amazing execution comes out of their little kitchen. if you want to enjoy a nice little drive eastside of Bellevue head to Carnation near the Tolt River. .you’ll be so pleasantly surprised. Call ahead for a table we had to wait 30 minutes but it’s not a complaint.

I’ve been going here for 20 years, several times per month. This is pretty much the best TexMex on the Eastside, and the best restaurant in Carnation/​Lower Valley and I’ve tried most of them. The food portions are huge, service is great, get yourself a beer with dinner. I’ve never left here hungry and almost always have extra food for later.
I love their Mexican Flag (Tres Cunados) special with Chile Verde, Chili Colorado. The rest of the menu is always great too. Try their Cheeseburger if you’d like a surprisingly great one.

We live in Carnation and have been eating at this restaurant for years and have always loved the food. In the past few years things have gone downhill. Food is inconsistently cooked and from day to day. The flavor just isn’t there any more and in recent years, often do not feel well after eating their food.
It is too bad because we love the owners but it seems they are not as hands on in the kitchen as they used to be.
Sorry, I don’t think I want to come back anymore unless you fix the kitchen issues.

Always happy with the quality of my food. Love the staff and you can tell they care about their job/​work hard. I pick up to go food a lot and it’s always ready within 10 minutes. I’ve been to the Monroe, and Duvall’s Ixtapa and this is by far my favorite one. Their tortilla soup is incredible.

The staff were very friendly but the food was pretty awful. The chicken in my enchilada was wildly overcooked. The worst part was that my margarita was extremely weak.

Here’s my narrative:
Went there for lunch, arrived just before 3pm. The restaurant was empty, we were seated and given water quickly. Then we waited for 10+ minutes for someone to take our order. It felt a little long, but whatever. The problem at this point is that their lunch menu ends at 3pm, and it is much cheaper than the dinner menu. I asked if I could order from the lunch menu, since I was ready to order at 3 but we were left alone for a long time. The waiter was unbudging. The service was standard from there out, but I cannot forgive the firm no when the timing was much more due to them than me.

We have been going to the Carnation Ixtapa for years. Grace and Bill own the place and always are friendly. I have visited every Ixtapa in the area and by far the Carnation one is the best.
They are never stingy with chips and salsa. I consider myself a salsa snob and can say without a doubt they make the best salsa I have ever had. It is made fresh every morning, It isn’t a pulverized mess like what a lot of restaurants serve, has big chunks of tomato, and the perfect amount of heat. On Thursdays Grace makes her habanero green salsa. Superb flavor but definitely on the spicy side. I love it, others say it is a bit spicy. If you like robust flavors with a serious kick make it a point to ask for it.
We have tried quite a few dishes and have rarely if ever been disappointed. The tortilla soup is fantastic. We order the shrimp fajita burrito with extra sauce and share it for dinner, perfectly grilled peppers, not over cooked shrimp, and plenty to eat for 2.
For lunch we share the chile verde burrito with black beans. Excellent verde sauce, the pork is always tender, and the dish isn’t covered with excessive cheese like so many mexican restaurants do.
Most of the wait staff are friendly, Orlando being the best, prompt with topping off your water, and get your dish to you quickly.
One reviewer mentioned the bathrooms. They are old and could use a refresh but they are clean.
Been there literally hundreds of times over the past 20 years and cannot think of one bad experience.

Grabbed dinner after visiting Remlinger Farm. Had the chicken enchilada combo, and everything tasted really fresh. The banana shake is the best I’ve had! Too bad it’s not closer to where I live. I will definitely eat here when I’m in the area.

Arrived 8:42 pm and seated within a couple of minutes. The restaruant was less than a quarter full so that made sense. Chips and salsa brought to the table by Carlos right away. The server maria took our order within 5 minutes. I ask for guacamole with the chips at time of order. 15 minutes later there was still no guacamole, maria walked by and I ask again for guacamole with more chips. She brought it at that time. 35 minutes later Carlos who was busy cleaning and doing his chores noticed me looking around and ask if we needed something. I told him that we never got our food. He apologized and went to check on it. 5 minutes later maria showed up and said the cooks lost our order and the food was never cooked. Instead of taking responsibility that she had not bothered to check on us and realize that the order had been lost or she just plain forgot to put it in, she just blamed the cooks. Since it was now an hour later we decided to take our business somewhere else. I ask for the bill for the chips and guacamole and coke I ordered. I got a snarky apologie and a very slow bill. Since she didn’t have the customer service skills to do the right thing and offer to comp the guacamole and coke I gave a 10 (the smallest bill in my wallet) bill on the counter and left at 9:45 hungry! I have been supporting both the Duvall and Carnation ixtapa’s for 27 years. I will NEVER be back. It would not hurt my feelings if Maria was fired and Carlos was promoted to server. He was very polite and seemed to care about the business. All people have bad days, most have the class not to pass it on to there customers.

Great local join to catch up with friends over a cold drink and great chips and salsa. Easy going staff and quick service.

If this is the best in the area as some reviews mention — suggest you leave the area. :) It wasn’t «bad» — just on the bland side. There isn’t much in Carnation on a Sunday afternoon so that is why we stopped. The building is old and showing its age especially the bathrooms.
Communication is an issue as is conscientious customer service. My wife asked for more water and the waiter retrieved the pitcher — reached over my empty glass and filled hers — then left.
Service was also a little slow. The food sizes are good for the value and if we are ever in this area again on a Sunday — would probably stop — any other day we would go across the street to the pizza place. I had my Tortilla soup and as I said it was bland — there was a lot in at (chicken, etc.) but it could have had more taste.

Generous portions, very friendly staff, great drinks and TV ’ s for watching sports in the bar area. Get the Cadillac Margherita — is amazing! Highly suggest

Amazing food! My favorite are the steak tacos just like street tacos out of a taco truck but bigger and loaded with steak. Every meal is big and worth every penny! They even have amazing American dishes like bacon burgers, chicken wraps, steak and shrimp. Everything in the Carnation one is good and not like the others. Tortilla soup is new and the best thing to eat on a cold day. Wish I could go everyday!

By far our favorite Mexican restaurant due to price, service, quality, taste, portion size, basically everything being fantastic. They also make a darn good burger and milkshake. The bar section is a bit smaller than we’d prefer but it is properly segregated from screaming kids, so we’ll take what we can get.

Ixtapa is hands down the best Mexican food in the Sammamish/​Fall City/​Carnation/​Issaquah area. I LOVE Mexican food so I have tried them all. My family and I love coming to Ixtapa every chance we get.
The staff is friendly and accommodating and the food is reliably delicious and fresh. They offer the usual Mexican fare and I would highly recommend the enchiladas which seem to be a cut above all others that I’ve had. My husband likes the carne asada tacos. Their salsa and guacamole are exceptional, way better than what is served at other restaurants. The kids menu has a wide variety of options as well. One thing to note: They do not offer crayons or a coloring sheet for kids so come prepared.
The restaurant is always clean and tidy, as are the restrooms. It can get a bit crowded at times since it isn’t a huge place but that is probably a result of the great food. We’ve never had to wait too long (more than 15 minutes or so) and we often come with a group of 7.
This is a family owned business with the owner and his family working and running the restaurant. All of the staff is very accommodating and pleasant, they go out of their way to make each dining experience I have there memorable and enjoyable. I would highly recommend Ixtapa.

Great food, great service, great salsa!
We have lived in Carnation for over a decade, and we eat or do take out at Ixtapa a couple times a month. They are always friendly, food is served quickly and with a smile.

Now, I’m not saying this 5 stars means it’s the best Mexican food ever, or even the best in comparison to what I’ve had at other more authentic places — but for Carnation, and based on what I was expecting (crappy chain restaurant food), Ixtapa was GREAT and I’d definitely return if I was back in town.
At someone’s suggestion I tried the Enchiladas Suizas — chicken enchiladas with a zesty green sauce, and smothered in cheese. As usual the platter came with rice and beans. I expected Azteca level of quality, but it was GREAT! I’ve never been a fan of green sauce, and this stuff blew me away. Good quality rice and beans too — overall just great. Friendly hostess (I ordered takeout so I can’t comment on the rest of the service).

Great food and service, EVERYTIME!
This restaurant has AMAZING food and drinks! I just LOVE the tortilla soup and the sangria is so delish! Yummy fresh tortilla chips and salsa always arrive quickly to the table when you sit down.
The service is very friendly and efficient. Everything is reasonably priced too! Affordable for any budget.
The décor and music makes the experience complete! I always go to the carnation location but I hear all the locations are great.