Cantina Monarca
Mexican restaurant · Bellevue ·
Modern Mexican spot with creative cocktails & tequila flights
Modern Mexican spot with creative cocktails & tequila flights
"How Far In Advance Should You Book? A week or two out for prime weekend times; less than that for weeknights. You needed to be a Love is Blind cast member to get into this glitzy Bellevue restaurant when it first opened in 2022. Now, even just Love Is Blind watchers can get in. It’s still a tad difficult to find Friday and Saturday availability before 6pm, but weeknights are wide open. And if you're feeling the call of a flashy night out and strong margaritas on a whim, grab seats at the bar." - gabe guarente
"Location: Cantina Nachos, Sections 109, 143, 195, 212, 319, 333 If you’re going to buy gimmicky food when three seltzers deep, this is the place to do it. Yes, these nachos come in a helmet you could reuse for a six-year-old batter, and yes they are $24 dollars before tax—but they’re also really tasty. A big scoop of creamy white queso makes its way to every chip, and the nachos come topped with mounds of smoky carnitas and what looks like an entire jar of jalapeños." - aimee rizzo, gabe guarente, kayla sager riley
"Cantina Monarca is a self-proclaimed “modern Mexican” spot that has likely set out to transport you to a tropical day club. In reality, it’s a corporate restaurant covered in warped blonde wood at a Bellevue shopping mall right next to Nordstrom Rack. Unfortunately, this setting is the most interesting part of the whole experience. Cantina Monarca is an overpriced and underwhelming Mexican restaurant that adds ingredients to simple dishes until we no longer recognize them. This amount of bad remixing should only happen between a Las Vegas DJ and literally any ‘90s Europop song. We’ll start with what works. The tacos are reliable, with fillings like wagyu steak or pork belly with pineapple pico de gallo. By far, the battered sea bass taco is Cantina Monarca's best dish, with a crunchy exterior, soft and flaky middle, and an apple slaw that brightens it up. Stick with tacos if you’re stuck here. Onto the bad. It’s seemingly hard to screw up chips and guacamole, and yet, Cantina Monarca’s lineup of luxe topping combinations ruin it, like pungent goat cheese and “compressed watermelon” (a.k.a. just watermelon). Not to mention that the avocado could have spent some more time ripening in the fruit bowl. The tostada de atún looks like a dollhouse appetizer. Three measly shards of fried tortilla are topped with avocado hunks in desperate need of salt, and tuna overpowered by chipotle sauce to the point where the tuna's only purpose is to hike up the price tag. For salsa and enchilada-induced bliss, look elsewhere. There are plenty of delicious Mexican restaurants in Seattle that are more reasonably priced and just straight-up better. Sure, you could use Cantina Monarca to swipe your corporate card in exchange for margaritas with your team. But you'd probably have more fun doing that at Cactus. Food Rundown Tostada de Atún No need to order this tiny tostada trio with tuna overshadowed by chipotle sauce and sour pickled onion. Truffle Potato Taquito Think gummy mashed potatoes topped with too much truffle oil, wrapped in a corn tortilla, and deep-fried. They're three great ingredients, only gone horribly wrong. Enchiladas Divorciadas Like the name suggests, we are also torn on these chicken tinga enchiladas topped with guajillo tomato sauce on one side, and poblano tomatillo broth on the other. Not bad, but not great either—it’s a boring, safe choice. Taquito Cangrejo This blue crab-stuffed taquito drizzled with guajillo aioli tastes like something you could get in the frozen section of Costco. And we love Costco food, but would prefer to pay a reasonable member-discounted price for it. Cazuela Plate with Birria The cazuela plate is essentially a burrito bowl with elevated ingredients, like power greens, queso panela, and xni-pec. It’s a safe bet when you need something a bit more filling than tacos. However, your wallet will probably be happier at a counter spot. Baja Sea Bass Taco We would like to be eating these poolside under an umbrella. Wagyu Chingon Taco The meat in this taco is nicely charred. But a heavy pour of salsa and guacamole masks the wagyu and makes the whole thing fall apart. Sakura Pork Belly Taco Complete with a tropical pico de gallo and earthy achiote, this tender pork belly taco is a good move to make—order one of these and a fish taco." - Kayla Sager-Riley
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