El Gran Taco Restaurant & Bar

Good food, nice people and spacious location. Food was tasty and also affordable cost. AND its Halal food…The mud cup they provide the water is nostalgic and natural feeling.

Excellent service, delicious food, and a surprisingly fast kitchen in a spacious and extremely clean space!!! I’m from California, work in restaurants, and can be a bit particular when it comes to Mexican food, and I’m beyond excited to find this oasis in White Center! My boyfriend is a picky eater and ordered their carne asada burrito, which he enjoyed and devoured to the best of his ability (it was a very generous portion with plenty of yummy sides/additions). My eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I was excited to try their menu, so I ordered three carne asada tacos and the pozole. I think the pozole was made to order and had the most generous serving of pork in the 100+ times I’ve eaten pozole (both in Mexico and other parts of the US), and my only issue is that my stomach isn’t big enough to fit one full serving in a single sitting. The pork was some of the most tender I’ve ever had, and the portion was so generous I might make tacos from the leftovers. The carne asada tacos were so good I inhaled two of them before I remembered to take a photo, and I was so distracted by eating that I didn’t even think to take a photo of the burrito until it was almost gone. The mild (house?) salsa that came with our chips (tasted made in-house) was so good we finished the first serving before our food came out and requested a second (that I managed to mostly finish). No agua fresca for lactose intolerant me, but they have an horchata that I bet is divine. We will definitely be back soon! I have a new go to spot in Seattle!

Honestly, this place hit the spot!!! Everything we got was super flavorful and well seasoned. House chips were homemade and buttery. We got the asada, pibil, and al pastor for the tacos, and especially loved the pibil and al pastor. Steak ranchero was super flavorful, and the meat was cooked super tender, you can tell it was high-quality! Topped everything off with a mezcalita, which is a mezcal margarita. It was strong and not too sweet, would def recommend! Can't wait to go back!!

The food was delicious, and the staff were all extremely friendly. We had many check ins during our meal and good conversations as well. The only knock on them (without trying to sound critical) was a very *bright* interior lighting, which didn't add any intimacy to the experience. It's not a deal breaker, but in the evenings, it would be nice to have the lights lowered to a modest level. Aside from that, the food portions were fantastic, and with an abbreviated bar, the cocktails were really good. We very much enjoyed them! We will definitely be going back.

Nice place, looks authentic. They serve free chips and salsa. My meal cost $20, big portions! Server was very nice lady, I gave her 25% tips. While I was at the restaurant some food burned and there was smoke inside. Still great experience. Thank you!

We had a great meal here! It’s always great when you can get tacos al Pastor done the real way, on the spit. We loved those tacos and also had chorizo, Carnitas and the birria. The Al pastor is by far the best, followed by the chorizo. This place offers chips and salsa which is old-school, you don’t see that a lot anymore. The salsa was delicious. I ordered a side of beans, but I didn’t see that or rice on the menu as a side. They mostly seem to come with the platters. My husband ordered the quesadilla and it was massive and absolutely delicious. I ordered a tamale and it was salty and lovely. The margaritas were super strong. The space is still being built out and so was a little bit sparse with big screen TVs on the wall. The service was really kind and efficient. Will definitely be back here to enjoy some more items off super extensive menu.

Visited Seattle for the first time. Found this place on instagram. It used to be a food truck now it’s a dine in restaurant. The best part about it is that they have Halal options! You can ask for chicken if they have it halal, but a lot of selection of beef dishes are Halal. Just ask which ones. Probably the best mexican food I’ve had in the states yet. It’s a family owned business. Great service and amazing food. Definitely give it a try. If you like spicy food then ask for their spicy sauce it has a nice kick to it. We ordered a bunch of different dishes and were all very satisfied! Will for sure come back here again!

The food and service were exceptional. We ordered the carne asada and molcajete. The molcajete is a must! It's a lot of food, but so good!

Came in for lunch with a large group, water and order taking took a bit despite being the only customers. Food came out within 10-15 minutes. Ordered tacos and they were fine, pretty standard. The taco plate was $10 for 3, you could choose any meat/protein. The green salsa was super spicy. Service was fine.

Came here for a quick lunch. Food was pretty good, liked the tortilla soup a lot. Service was good, but we were the only ones there to be expected. Overall a good vibe.

Really great addition to the White Center Mexican food scene, which is already top notch. While the big dining room is very casual, table service is attentive and helpful, providing refills of salsa and chis without asking. Portions size is generous, and there is a lot of variety on the menu, sure to please all experience levels of Mexican food lovers. I love tortilla soup and I am going to order it almost always if it's on the menu. This version is full of shredded chicken, cheese and fried tortilla chips, dotted with fresh avocado. The chicken broth has a tomato blush. This wasn't my number one tortilla soup, but I would put it in rotation. I tasted a bit of some of my table mate's food, all pretty yummy and well spiced. I would definitely check out the fish tacos in the future. Street tacos are $3 each with lots of choices, except for seafood, so you will have to order those as a platter. Looking forward to trying more of the menu!

Really, really yummy. The flavors were bright and fresh. Service was really good: friendly and professional. The space was fun: lively music, decorations, comfortable chairs and clean. Lots of places exaggerate when they show pictures of the food. Not this place.

I came here because it was a newer taco spot and I love good stew we tacos. I must say that I was severely disappointed. First, when you choose the taco plate, you cannot split it between different meats. Fine. So I went with carnitas and it was one of the more underwhelming carnitas I've ever had. And I the worst part was that the tortillas were not handmade. They tasted like the stale, flavorless ones you get at the grocery store. The best part of the meal were the chips, which were freshly fried but the salsa was not very good. I think this place is a pass for me.

I'm pleased to say White Center has added yet ANOTHER amazing Mexican restaurant. Now, you maybe wondering who cares there's so many in that area anyways. True! But, given Seattles scene compared to say, SoCal, Phoenix, or I dunno Houston, our scene is kinda weak. Not El Gran Taco! I'd say it's up there with El Catrin! You can't beat CHIPS AND SALSA when you roll in. That is so rare in Seattle and it's so delicious. Everyone is nice and service is great. We had Al Pastor and it was bomb. I don't trust a lotta Al pastor and this one is full flavor. I was eying the cochnita pibil and will probably get that next. Give them a try, they have success with multiple trucks and locations for good reason.

Came here on our first night here from California. Since we're from LA we are super picky about our Mexican food. This place hit the spot! Food was delicious and very authentic! Diana the server was so sweet and helpful. Will definitely return on our next trip to Seattle! :)

I used to bring my son here 25 years ago and get carne asada and we'd split the plate. He was 6 then and loved this restaurant. Today it's all changed in White Center and so grown but I still managed to find this restaurant. Of course it's not the same place, but the food is so good. I got the mole enchiladas and they were the best I've ever had. The mole was only slightly sweet and the spices didn't taste raw. Seriously delicious. The woman who took care of me was so sweet and smiled the whole time. What a great restaurant

Great place to eat the portions were huge we couldn't finish. The pozole has amazing cuts of meat. The Tacos had tons of flavor.

We went back for lunch again today, and I'm happy to report that the whole menu is now available for lunch. We enjoyed carnitas tacos and tortilla soup!

Stopped by and grabbed food for dinner, took it to go. Not only was everyone SUPER nice when I was there, the food is delicious! We got 8 different tacos and all of them were really good. The lengua especially was super tender. We also got chips and salsa, and a side of rice and beans. The salsa is not spicy at all, and I do like spicy salsa. But the flavor is incredible so I wasn't too bummed!! Can't wait to come back and try even more.

Another great addition to White Center. Our first visit was so good we returned last night. Their Mole is a dark sweet mole, which is my favorite. The Carne Asada and Carne Milanesa were excellent as was the cactus salad. Mexican Rice is basic in most places but theirs is one of the best out there. We've had the Chili Rellenos on both visits. Ours were a bit oily but still excellent. The restaurant is clean and bright with very friendly staff. Their online menu does not include everything available at the restaurant so you will be surprised when you go in person. I'm sure they will update their website soon.

Customer Service, table service, good drinks, good food, and overall good vibes abound at my visit to this decent-sized but quant restaurant/bar next to White Center McLendon. Parking lot is available from the front or back. If you like hot hot sauce, don't let the Tabasco at all the tables fool you; ask for the house hot sauce. The heat creeps and is so full of flavor. I tried a bunch alone, dipped on my chips which had my Gringo stomach hiccuping a few times. Then I mixed some with the table salsa and added some to the top of my fajitas, both of which made for glorious results. My only regret was not taking home the leftover peppers and onions from my fajitas because they would have gone well with an egg scramble or omelet tomorrow... My wife loved the shrimp tacos and said the margaritas were "too good". All this greatness and at a steal of a price! We'll be back!!!

Great friendly staff. The best mole around. The sweet corn tamale is fantastic as well as the poblano chile tamale. So happy to have them in the neighborhood. They also play great music.!

Love this place! The staff is friendly and more than that, considerate, the food is delicious and they always have soccer on a screen somewhere but at low volume. Oh, and again their food is delicious!