Monarca Express

This place is d*mn great. 206−931−7220 phone order. Get anything with carne asada.

Oh… This is the best taco truck in Seattle. I have had many recommendations of others, and my «Significant Other» has eaten at about every one from North Seattle to Renton. I don’t know why it took us so long to eat here — probably because we know so many excellent ones.
Let me tell you why I am going to base this on one item on the menu… The Monarca Burrito with carne asada.
It was the first thing I ordered, and frankly, it is one of the very best burritos I have EVER had. I have lived in Southern California, and believe me, I have had some good Mexican food. The ingredients and flavors of the burrito really stand out distinctly, and so do the flavors in the sauces and the pickled vegetables. Truly a culinary experience — what you might expect from a higher-​end restaurant such as Oaxaca in Ballard — it is definitely on par with that.
The Burrito is so good, we are afraid to try anything else. Seriously — that good. Not willing to gamble. However, the salsas are amazing — and the pickled vegetables… I think the vegetables are aged in cedar caskets or something — incredible fragrance, and done to perfection. The red sauce — beware of the heat if you are shy. It is SUPA-​hot, but REALLY good.
And yes — it is more consistent than any place you will go, from my experience.
Pretty fast, too.

This spot is consistently great! Tacos, burritos, sopes and the homemade salsas are amazing and tasty! Plus the ladies who work there are friendly and seem to always turn food out quick without losing quality. One of my favorite taco trucks in all of Seattle

Good taco truck fare. Nothing fancy about it, just tasty tacos and burritos and whatnot. I like the asada plate. Super affordable, quick, and consistently satisfying.

I live nearby, and come here every couple of weeks. Good mexican food, super nice staff. I am a big fan of the wet burrito and the simple tacos.

Let me get this out of the way– I love Mexican food more than I love people, pets, and maybe even freedom and eagles. I thought the burritos at the Taqueria up on 196^th in Lynnwood were the gold standard (and I’ve had enough burritos to justify being about 300 pounds heavier than I am). In fact, I was fully prepared to offer my hand in marriage to the man who made those burritos in spite of being staunchly heterosexual. This was before I went to Monarca Express.
Yes, I live FAIRLY close to this truck. Why did it take me almost a year to go here? Why did I go to the truck in Northgate? The answer, citizens of Unilocal,is because I’m a sorry excuse for a human being. Consider this review a personal apology to the angel in the form of a slightly below average height Mexican man who mans this truck. The menu is not wildly different from what you might find at any other taco truck (though they offer a Chorizo burrito and don’t offer tamales), but the meat… the meat… it’s the key. The way they spice it and bless it with enough flavor to hype up Public Enemy in the 1980’s pretty much leaves me with an overwhelming desire to go here every day.
This place is not the recipient of review inflation– it is that good. It’s good enough to go to Lake City, and those are not words I utter or write easily.

You won’t need to ask for the red or verde sauce, because it’s automatically included.
This place has 5 stars for every reason listed thus far. Out of the 3 taco trucks I’ve tried so far, this is the best.

I had the carne asada burrito. It was fantastic. The meat was very flavorful. My only suggestion is that they expand the salsa options. They just asked if I wanted medium or hot. I said both. Neither of them were very hot. Expand the salsa selection, & I think this would be a 4.5 or 5 star.

Love this taco wagon! My fav in the area! Great prices and great food! Can’t go wrong eating here!

Very good and very cheap. Go for the fish tacos, they’re under 2 bucks each and quite good. For the price this is one of the best taco trucks around and the best in the north end for sure.

Unassuming truck in a Shell station parking lot, but they make some delicious food! I love the friendly, family run operation, and their food is delicious. I’m a big fan of the adobada (spicy pork) burrito and the tacos are simple and tasty. The salsa is on the mild side, but I certainly won’t hold that against them.

The carne asada is some of the best I’ve ever had, especially in the sopes! Extremely reasonable prices and proximity to home make this place dangerous (in the best way).

It’s a taco truck and it rocks. Great reasonable priced eats. I’m a big fan of the tacos, but my son swears that the carne asana quesadilla is the thing to get. Super friendly staff and fast service.

Great taco truck, I’ve been to all of them and it’s the only one you can get chorizo con juevos at! Tacos, and burritos are awesome as well! Will definitely be a regular customer!

The Carne Asada burrito was great, it was good quality beef. The spicy pork taco that they gave me complementary because I was curious, was amazing. I definitely recommend you try this affordable and tasty treat!

I work a couple of streets away so I eat lunch at the Monarca truck 2 – 3 times a week. The food is as consistent as can be – haven’t had a bad meal yet.
The burritos are a decent value at $ 7.50, and the chicken, veggies and pork are all prime options. For a little more dough the mexican plate has a big ol’ pile of rice, beans, avocado, etc with 4 mini tortillas. Because I’m unreasonable and forgetful, I always end up getting a burrito instead, but the plate has my coworker’s seal of approval.
The employees who work the truck are super friendly and kind. Probably the nicest people you’ll find in the parking lot of a Shell on a busy road, which totally adds to the whole experience. Tasty food in an unexpected spot, even with a little plastic table nearby if you want to eat there. Good stuff. Party on, Monarca.

I’m always skeptical of food trucks (even though they’re usually quite good) but Monarca Express is really close to my house so I figured I should try them out. So far I’ve had tacos and burritos and they were all excellent. I will come back regularly for sure.

Absolutely delicious Mexican food! I had the chicken burrito and my fiancé enjoyed the chicken quesadilla. Filled our bellies for under 18 dollars and that’s with a 3 dollar tip. Lucky for us they are located .1 miles from home!

Best Mexican food I’ve had within the city limits. It’s as close as it gets in the Northwest – tucked in an unlikely spot at a Lake City Shell service station in a green truck with squarish hand lettering that may have been done by someone’s kid.
I’d driven past it many times but petrol-​side food trucks sometimes lure me less than they otherwise might. My loss, as it happens. I have huge affection for the staff – clearly a family operation – that huddles in there wrapped in scarves and thick gloves through the snapping cold and even scratched our Mexican food itch late in the day on Thanksgiving.
«No turkey for you?» I asked a fellow patron, from Chiapas.
«Turkey’s so dry!» he replied. «I’d much rather have carnitas – Thanksgiving or no Thanksgiving.»
I’m with him; their spicy pork is an excellent choice. The steak is great too. My boys say it’s their favorite burrito outside of SF’s mission district. I’m a big fan of the simple, traditional tacos (served in the rustic style of typical street vendors in Mexico: savory meat, a sprinkling of onions, and lots of cilantro). I also dig their mulitas (kind of like two flat unfolded corn quesadillas with meat and beans in between).
They don’t serve guacamole here, but they do have avocado, so you may not miss it.
It’s usually about $ 24 for all three of us before tip, so an utterly fair price for a full belly. While winter is definitely not food truck season – those waits in the bracing cold are tough-​the company is always reliably warm. Swing by when you’re in the area.

Delicious food — got takeout for a large group last night and everyone finished it before we knew it! Their tacos are out of this world — the pork and chicken are delicious, but the steak is out of this world. Nice people, amazing food cooked right in front of you. Such a find!!! Tip: eat it right there, hot off the grill.