El Gallito

This is a Mexican style restaurant with food that you can order from the table or order to go from the front counter. They do provide a high quality meal. Margaritas, tacos, rice, enchiladas, beans, salsa, and many other types of meats and cheeses are present.

I really don’t like writing bad reviews …
However, this place gave me the worst food poisoning I’ve ever had in my life. I could not eat or take a sip of water for 5 days without spewing my guts out so hard I burst blood vessels in my eyes. I had to have an IV, I lost 14 lbs in less than a week, and I couldn’t move an inch without dry heaving.
Just a bite of my chicken en mole made my friend sick for the next day as well. My best guess is that the mole sauce masked the fact that the meat was bad.
Neither of us ate or drank anything else that night, we both went home feeling nauseous.
The one star is because this was right before swimsuit season so I was bikini ready by the time this ordeal was over (that was said with the utmost of sarcasm).
Also, their beer was warm and their service was VERY slow.

This place is One of the most authentic Mexican food in Seattle!
The salsa and the chips were good!
Our server (Antonio) gave us a nice service :)
Definitely we are coming back!

I’m honestly surprised by the bad reviews. I’ve been here several times, and have always had a wonderful meal – and margarita! Prices are very fair considering the quality of the food and the rent in this neighborhood, which has skyrocketed in the past few years. Employees are unfailingly pleasant, and I’ve tried several menu items and have always been happy with them. Homemade chips and SPICY salsa beforehand – love!
If you’re looking for a fancy-​schmancy place, keep looking. If you’re looking for reliably good Mexican food, a great margarita, and fantastic service, this is your place!

We love this place — have been coming here for over 6 years now. I appreciate being able to dine in or take out.
Favorites are: chile verde — carne asada– carne asada burrito. Corn tortillas — fresh tortilla chips — guac — the service — all outstanding.
Consistent– great value — and a place we enjoy supporting!
Perfect place for causal dining. Can accommodate large parties.

Yummy. Service was great. Gives chips and salsa. If you are drinking order a Cadillac Margareta!

This was the most authentic Mexican restaurant I’ve eaten at in awhile I had the small enchilada plate with rice and beans and it was perfect the sauce had just the right amount of Cinnamon in it and the homemade fresh salsa was a small piece of heaven I highly recommend this place I actually like it better than mama’s Mexican burrito kitchen

Food was good. The service was extremely slow. Staff not that friendly at first, but it got better.

I cannot testify for other dishes, but I love love love their Carne asada burrito is amazing!!!

Short and sweet: Good food, middling service. Here’s the breakdown — food-​wise, this joint is a greatest hits collection of all the classic Tex-​Mex fare you’ll find in restaurants all over the Southwest and California. Flautas, Combo plates, Three Taco Plates and Chimichangas, it’s all here, and it’s all pretty good — unlike at a lot of similarly themed places in greater Seattle. Take the Chile Verde combo, it’s got some nice heat on it but stays balanced — not too spicy (yeah, there is such a thing), not too sour from the tomatillos and not too rich from the pork. The rice is tender and flavorful and the beans taste like they might just be made with real lard (I haven’t confirmed this but I can dream). Good chips and salsa, too. Haven’t had a bad experience with the food, and I’ve eaten here a bunch of times.
Service-​wise, it’s a different story. The folks there are very nice but expect a wait before the aforementioned chips and salsa show up on your table and another wait before your order is taken. Once you’re order is in, it’s usually not too long before your food arrives but then odds are that you’re in for a sizable gap of time between finishing your meal and getting your bill. Last time I was there the front end staff seemed pretty together, so here’s to hoping that they’ll get their act together consistently. There’s another star in it for them if they do.

If you’re looking for some classic Americanized-​Mexican food with large portions and lots of flavor, then this is the place to go. Been here a few times and love the dinner combos. Service is really slow but worth it for the portion-​to-​price value. House Margaritas are pretty good too.

The service is timely and polite but not conscientious, as in asking if our food was OK after delivering to the table.
I ordered the #29 which was an enchilada, chili relleno and a tamale. Only the tamale had any kind of notable mexican spice, and all three lacked any discernable sauce, which used to be a
hallmark trait of this restaurant several years ago.
Try somewhere else, it has to be better.

I cannot waste any time on this review — only to say if anyone comes in here thinking this is good Mexican food, then I can only feel sorry for them that they have never experienced how delicious Mexican food can be.
And now I’ve already wasted way too much time.

Chili Verde or Chili Colorado! These two dishes are so good you don’t even need the rest of the menu, except the margaritas which are equally amazing.

I love this place and the family that runs it. The first time I visited here was twenty years ago. My friend forgot her wallet, but didn’t realize it. The owner drove it to her house and personally made sure she got it back right away. The food tastes pretty authentic. I like a hint of cinnamon in my beans, and they do that here. The wait staff are their kids generally. Very sweet and they take work seriously. This is a lively family business that deserves a look. Get in there!

We just moved from San Diego CA to Seattle today and this little place is right near our new home and I am stoked.
We ordered the Guacamole with our chips and it was really delicious Guac. The salsa is by far the best salsa I’ve EVER had. I wanted to take some home.
The plates are HUGE:
My husband ordered the Shrimp al la Diabla and it was delish but really easy on heat so if you like it hot let them know.
My daughter ordered Tacos de Adobada and she loved them. The beans are really really good. They taste homemade with the cheese actually melted and all. YUM!
OK 2ND VISIT HERE WAS SUPER DISAPPOINTING: It took over an hour to get our food and the waiter (the owners son) never came to check on us or let us know they were short a cook and it would take awhile. (no options given to us at all). Mind you this was on a monday night at 8pm. I won’t be back.

$ 8 don julio or patron shots makes it worth it alone but the food is also really good. I ordered the giant burrito but the three other people I was with ordered the steak carnitas and enchildas as well and it was delicious. Only reason its not a five star review is because a bachelor party showed up with thirty bearded dudes in plaid that were obviously taking too much advantage of the cheap beers and shots so we had to leave.
I was expecting slower service as the reviews have stated but it was real quick. Not the friendlist of staff but that is probably because they were dealing with the reunion of nirvana bach party nearby that probably was going to cha chas later. Good food, cheap beer makes me want to go back

Very good salsa & the food is pretty good as well. I had the chimichanga & enchilada it was 4 out of 5.
Cons there were dirty tables around that were never cleaned even though the restaurant was pretty empty.

Given how upscale everything in the neighborhood has become, I’m giving El Gallito an extra star for being the sweet traditional Mexican restaurant. It’s what we all expect from our neighborhood Mexican place — a little too much grease and cheese, great chips and guac, great customer service.
I’m not sure why we don’t make the trip to this part of the hill, but we should all commit to doing more of it!

Very friendly staff, but this Mexican is just average and not that good. They need to adjust their menu — maybe spice it up next time!