El Pueblito | Mexican Restaurant

Food and service were good, solid choice for Mexican food, small parking lot or street parking - we went during off peak time so no issue - but I expect as with most downtown Gig Harbor area - parking would be a challenge. Our main meals were fine - surprisingly the chips / salsa to start - meh and the queso also - ok

Ah, El Pueblito. So we’re driving through Gig Harbor, and we actually pass Puerto Vallarta on the way, just cruise right by it like we’re too good for laminated menus and corporate queso. We decide we’re going family‑owned tonight, which always feels like a noble choice, like we’re supporting the community instead of a spreadsheet. El Pueblito is tucked inside this quirky little mall that looks like it was designed by someone who couldn’t decide between “shopping center” and “indoor scavenger hunt.” We walk in, they seat us, or seated us, I still don’t know the grammar on that, and then they just… don’t give us menus. At all. We’re just sitting there like contestants on a cooking show waiting to find out what ingredients we’re allowed to use. But honestly, we didn’t mind because they do not skimp on the chips and salsa. They bring out enough chips to feed a small village. I’m halfway through the basket thinking, “Maybe this is the meal. Maybe this is how they do it here.” We had a nice view of the harbor from our table, which really helps you settle into the whole ‘Gig Harbor experience.’ People call it “the Gig,” which makes it sound like we’re all in a band together. When the food finally came, it was very good. Not the best we’ve ever had, nobody’s writing a memoir about it, but solid. Comforting. The kind of meal that makes you glad you didn’t go with the chain restaurant you already know too well. So yeah. A little quirky, a little forgetful, very charming, and definitely worth choosing over the big chain down the road.

Everyone at our table enjoyed themselves. Great service. Good range of beers on tap. Food was very good. Large portions.

Food was good. Atmosphere is great, waterfront view. Cross the road to the platform, worth it. Got my order wrong. I ordered beef and pork enchiladas, got beef and chicken. Worth the visit. Gone here a lot and this is the first time they got my order wrong, so probably doesn't happen much.

Been going to this place since it opened. The food is good, standard Mexican food. Service is good as well. I'm writing this review though, because I think they jacked up the prices and it's ridiculous. $7.75 for a pint of beer and $11.75 for a Absolut and soda. I know everybody is doing this now, but come on man, can't there just be one place that serves a reasonably priced beverage. A standard keg of beer holds 124 pints, so 124x7.75 is $961 bucks. A google search shows a keg costs $150 to $250 bucks. Not a bad profit for them. Don't give me the bullshit excuse that minimum wage went up to a whooping $16.66 an hour. It takes 30 seconds to pour a pint of beer that's like 13 cents in labor costs. Sorry I'm on a rant now every place is doing this and I'm sick of it.

Had the Carne Asada tonight and it was delicious. They have a "new items" menu, and my partner had pork enchiladas from that - thay had a peanut sauce of sorts - actually quite delicious with the pork. Service is ALWAYS courteous and prompt there. One of many delicious visits.

El Pueblito is a wonderful Mexican eatery. The food is excellent. The margaritas a cut above the garden variety. They use actual Grand Marnier for their Cadillac margaritas. The staff are on mission to please. I tried the enchiladas El Pueblito with shredded beef. It has a homemade sauce that has a great flavor. Portions are generous and prices are very reasonable. They have a parking lot next to the restaurant. PRO TIP: If you like spicy, they'll make one for you. I really liked it and appreciated the effort. Check out my profile for more great eateries and craft cocktail bars. ✌🏼

We love this place! Servers are friendly and attentive; they make you feel like you're part of the family. Food quality is always very good and servings are large enough that we usually split an order for the two of us.

Been coming here semi-regularly for about 4 years and my meals are always delicious. The staff is excellent and so is the service.

Should have done this 4 years ago. Having grown up in southern New Mexico, I know real traditional Mexican food is hard to find outside of that region. El Pueblito in Gig Harbor nails it. The food is authentic, full of flavor, and the portions are huge. My wife and I eat here three or four times a month. Most of the time I go for the chile relleno platter, but everything we have tried has been excellent. The atmosphere is welcoming, the staff treats you like family, and the restaurant does a lot for the local community. If you want superb Mexican food with an authentic touch and a positive vibe, this is the place. Highly recommend. I will take photos next time.

The prices on line were way lower than what was charged on take out. We paid over 8 dollars higher when I picked up our food. The gentleman that checked me out said it was google and not their fault. Only said sorry and that was it. Then when I got home there was part of the order missing. Customers need to ask on phone orders what the prices are. Seems they can just charge what ever they want. This has happened a couple of times before and we keep giving them another chance. This is the last time. There is 2 other very good Mexican restaurants in town will be getting more of our business.

Good authentic Mexican food!! All portions are enough to take home and have left overs. The fajita homemade season has great flavors, Steak did not disappoint, and my fiancé loved the burrito. You have to try their salsa and coleslaw!

We love coming to this place. Great atmosphere, super kind waiters, great decor. Tasty food, enough to feed two with one dish. Highly recommend.

Cute restaurant in Gig Harbor, right on Main Street (Harborview Drive actually). My husband ordered chicken enchiladas, chicken taco, beans & rice. He said everything was alright. I thought rice & beans were good. I had a spicy cheese chile relleno & it was the best part. I loved it! The chicken taco needed salt. The salsa & chips weren't very good, very watery & not very tasty.

Stopped in for lunch while visiting Gig Harbor. It was still early in the day, so it wasn't too busy. I really liked the decor. Service and food were good. Price was reasonable. For good Mexican food, I recommend it

Just left El Pueblito this evening after going in for a margarita. I had one strawberry margarita and then decided to order a michelada and an order of rice and beans to go. I ended up conversing with another patron and thought I'd get a shot of tequila with my michelada while I waited for my food order. One of the women behind the bar said, "Are you ok, are you driving?" basically insinuating I was drunk in front of the person I was talking with. I ubered there and back, being responsible because I was planning on ordering a drink or two. ABSOLUTELY MORTIFYING. Rude, patronizing and completely embarrassing. I was clearly not drunk in any way shape or form, as was attested to by the person I was chatting with, who, unsolicitedly, stood up for me. They could have the best Mexican food on planet Earth, I will never set foot in there again. Unbelievable. I'm literally vibrating with anger after that experience. Never in my life, and I have been through some crazy s**t. Left the food on the sidewalk when my uber picked me up.

Solid Mexican food at a beautifully decorated waterfront restaurant. The staff was wonderful...friendly and attentive. I had the Huevos Rancheros and they were solid, if not a bit greasy. The House Soecial Margarita was balanced and strong. Overall a very good experience.

The three of us lived our meals. My test of a Mex restaurant is its chilli relleno. Wonderful!!

We stopped in on a Wednesday night because we ended up with an educator discount card (daughter) and her fellow librarian apparently knows the Lopez family. We were seated immediately and drinks were delivered very promptly. The place is super colorful and fun looking. The menu is pretty extensive but we did have to order two large combos to activate our discount. Challenge accepted! We ordered some crab enchiladas, a chicken chimichanga, and the three amigas. Portions are HUGE (hands for scale). The food was the temperature of lava. We enjoyed all three dishes: the beef was clearly slow cooked, the pork was obviously cooked with some chiles, and the crab was "REAL" as advertised. The beans were tasty and we certainly didn't leave hungry. Our server was fantastic and friendly.

Always my favorite Mexican food experience. And having spent significant time in Mazatlan I can fairly say this is just as good as anything I ate down there. Service is always with a smile and always a fun and relaxing atmosphere.

Worst Caldo De Pollo I've ever had in all my 50 years of being alive! Disgusting. It took forever to get it. It basically water, with a few carrots, even fewer potatoes, green onions and a few chicken. That they clearly made to order. That's NOT the way Caldo is suppose to look or taste! Gross gross gross. The beans were dry and flavorless. The only good thing was the rice.

Food is fantastic but service sucks big time. IF ordering food to go, be prepared to get grilled by server. It was living nightmare that I left without the food. Ambiance is tacky but the good food makes up for it. If only the service would improve considering limited parking.

Good classic American Mexican Restaurant. The prices are reasonable, the food overall is quite good. Service is friendly and consistent! This place can get quite busy in the summer months with all of the tourists coming through the harbor, but this restaurant usually does quite a good job at handling everything! Great price on margaritas and other house cocktails! Portions are ample, food always seems to be tasty and fresh. Good place to go to for dinner or even just apps and a drink! Parking, like any other restaurant downtown Gig Harbor, can be difficult at times, but overall this is a great local spot that has been in business for years and deserves your support and business!

Went for dinner tonight after 6 months, and food has gone way down hill. Burrito was dry, very little sauce, no lettuce, or tomatoes, Verde green sauce, bean dip and red sauce were all very watered down with no flavor and only contained onions! Chips were almost burnt and had stale taste. We were complately dissatisfied and disappointed and waitresses didnot care! Will not be going back. !!!!!!!!

This is truly a neighborhood gem! The staff are overwhelmingly friendly and very helpful. We had the Surprise margaritas made with 1800 tequila and fresh squeezed juices... delicious! The food was perfect Jalisco style cuisine and presented perfectly. Even the decor is fun and uplifting. What a perfect end to a fantastic weekend in Gig Harbor.

They had the air-conditioning cranked so high I left. I didn't want to wear coat for dinner. Bummer, the dood looked good.

The ambiance and service were good. That earned the place a star. The food I got was the worst Mexican I have ever had, so bad that I left most of it uneaten. I had a vegetarian fajita salad, supposedly. What I got was a pile of shredded lettuce and a handful of overcooked peppers, onions and tomatoes (even though I asked for no tomatoes) and canned mushrooms. No beans, no seasoning, no guacamole, cheese, dressing, or even sour cream. After a few minutes the wait staff brought a few slices of avocado and a bit of hardboiled egg. I was charged $17.42 for that. Something has changed there. I used to like their food.... I will never return.

Food is amazing. Service is always the best. Everyone is so nice. Love the decor and ambiance of this restaurant.

How can anyone not love this place? For starters, service is top notch and over the top - even during busy periods and with a few unreasonable customers. It's also clear this place is a favorite in the community given a good number of overheard conversations. Even the decor is fun and lively - like certain parts of Mexico with the colors and style. Finally, the food. Haven't had anything this authentic for a while up here in the PNW, and in Gig Harbor of all places. Never mind the usual dishes; their pozole was GREAT and it's pretty difficult to get in Seattle and certainly rough on the Eastside. Price were really good - huge portions and very reasonable prices, especially the kids meals. My goodness.

I don't know how this place is still around somebody's paying somebody to keep them open. This place has the worst food. If you can even call it food. I got a plate of slop. And as far as service goes from what I could see was going on. The bartenders who are all male are not allowed to talk to any of the female customers so I couldn't get a drink to save my soul. So this place is not only crossed off my list, but it should be crossed off everyone's list. It should be crossed out of the harbor !

Everything is excellent! This is our Friday night date place, has been for more than two decades. Warm, comfy, inviting, authentic. If you are looking for a fancy magazine spot, keep looking.

Nice restaurant with lots of colourful booths and decorations. Everyone so nice and attentive. We decided to share one of the big plates of enchiladas. Everything was very tasty, chicken great quality, beans and rice wonderful too! Couldn't have been more happy after moving here from Texas, we will be back!

I enjoyed the meals I had here. The only difficulty was parking, but it gave us a chance to walk a little in downtown Gig Harbor ! Enjoyable!

Great food and service. My kids loved it. The complimentary chips and salsa were so good. I also enjoyed their virgin strawberry daiquiri.

I came there as part of a lovely day taking the bus which dropped me off directly in front of Skansie Brothers Park to attend the Thursday farmers market. Utilizing the bus system is a fantastic way to let someone else do the driving AND not have to worry about finding a parking spot, which in downtown Gig Harbor can be a challenge, not to mention, the traffic on Harborview Drive is the worst kind that aggravates the h*ll out of me. Anyway, El Pueblito is a nice Mexican restaurant across from Skansie Park and the food was terrific and service was excellent. I enjoyed their "Pollo Con Salsa", which was tangy and slightly sweet, a flavor profile I don't normally see in a Mexican dish, but it was delicious regardless. I will definitely be back soon!

Delicious food with culturally competent staff unlike other restaurants in these surrounding areas.

I have been here a couple times over the years, the food is good, and a decent value. The servers have always been very hospitable. Cool used bookstore nextdoor.

I'm skeptical of restaurants that print their menus but not prices. Yes, prices change and that's what updates are for.

Every time we come here, the people are so amazing and welcoming!! I am on a keto diet and they made my order without carbs!

The staff are very friendly and attentive. It didn't take long to find something we wanted off the menu, which has plenty to choose from. You really get good portions and the food is really good. Parking might be the only issue I can recall, but that is obviously beyond the control of the restaurant, just something to keep in mind.

My go-to for Mexican food in the harbor. Staff is friendly. I have had the tacos al carbon, enchiladas, Pueblito burrito, and chimichanga. The portions are very generous and I always have leftovers. Sometimes the rice is a little dry or the tortillas get soggy but overall the flavors are great! Parking may be limited.

Our family has been coming here for years. What a wonderful atmosphere and amazing food. We travel from out of town to visit this wonderful place

Visiting Gig Harbor from Portland, OR today, and we were so hungry! We almost passed El Pueblito by, and we are so glad we did not! It was a busy day in town, with LOTS of pedestrians, so we wanted to find something yummy and also covid safe. El Pueblito to go was both! We phoned in our order after reading the menu on their front window and went for a stroll while our meal was prepared. Their covid safety protocols were brilliant, with quick and efficient pick-up of our phone order, a large sanitizer dispenser available for customers picking up, and a plexiglass barrier protecting the staff. The El Pueblito burrito was so yummy: The steak was seared nicely, the burrito was giant, and the beans and rice inside were tasty. We also loved the green salsa that dressed the final warm wrapped treat. 4 stars as it seemed a teeny bit underseasoned and all the cheese was left on the top of the packaging as it was on the outside of the burrito rather than inside. Still, the staff was so nice, and it was tasty over all. (Be sure to FAT TIP your service industry workers who are keeping you fed right now! )

Great place for Mexican food. For starters they chips and salsa are a good start, chips are fresh and salsa is nice and spicy. Traditional chili relleno is spot on, perfectly cooked and a great sauce. The Carne Asada (rare) is very flavorful and all the sides were spot on. I only wish the atmosphere was improved with consistency. One day you get the owners daughter the next day you get lazy service. If you like Mexican food I highly suggest going here.

Order food to go and I received the wrong food. I ordered the pork carnitas that look & taste nothing like pork carnitas. It seemed to be stewed chicken with bits of pork in a red sauce. All of it was overcooked & tough. The four tortillas are gummy. My partner ordered the macho burrito which was filled with rice & beans and sprinkled with overcooked steak. The flour tortilla was gummy as well. The 2 stars are for the margaritas only because they were strong.

Large portions friendly service . Lots of food choices . Love the colorful decor . The separate bar area is nice for adults

Best Mexican in the harbor! Friendly staff, great service and delicious food & drinks.

Heard about this Restaurant from a friend. Since we were in the area shopping, we decided to try it for lunch. This restaurant is located in a older strip mall type building. Very easy to find, with ample parking. (FYI: If you own an Electric Vehicle, there is a charging station at the Tides Tavern parking lot.) We were greeted by friendly staff member who sat us in a booth, the restaurant is following COVID Guidelines-6ft apart. The menu is online, scan the QR code at the table and the menu will pop up on your phones browser. Very easy to read, expansive menu. I came here specially to try the Machaca. I have not been able to find this dish since moving to Wa, a few years ago. The portions are HUGE! I've never seen a plate and meal so big. The food tasted extremely good, I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. I still took home a doggie bag. Waitress checked on us often, and is very nice! The restaurant itself is decorated nicely and is very colorful. I noticed table and chairs were very clean.

One of our favorite Mexican restaurants. We love the staff and the food is delicious and the cocktails are strong!

Good food and service! We enjoyed it. I would recommend it. Wasn't crowded and a little easier to park than some other Gig Harbor downtown shops.

What a wonderful surprise!! An authentic Mexican restaurant with great Cadillac margaritas and the Verde burrito was delicious!! Also tried the quesadilla with carne asada, taco salad and enchiladas verdes with chicken. Big portions, friendly service and oh yes the chips were warm and salsa fresh.

Hadn't been here for awhile but had the craving for some refried beans. Grabbed the nachos and my son had a burrito...which was insanely huge. Beans were epic. Nachos perfect. Insane burrito was mind blowing. We'll be back soon.

Pretty good food, great staff, great vibe from the guests. Our favorite Mexican food place that we experienced so far around Gig.

Grew up in this town and have never been to this restaurant until now. It's very quaint and you can tell it's been here for a while. First of all, service was great! They even knew my dad by name and they were also very friendly and came over and chatted with him. we shared a plate of fajitas together with steak and they were excellent! With the chips and salsa as well as the entree, that was enough for both of us. The chips and salsa also came with some refried beans and overall it was a really nice experience. And I also found out that the family that owns it is a big family and one of their many kids went to high school with me. I had no idea! He was a great guy back in the day so I know this place is run by good people. Again I'm pleased to say that this is a well developed institution of downtown Gig Harbor run by a great family!

I'm visit from Miami and found El Pueblito on Yelp. It's a popular restaurant, pretty busy for a week day. The food I devine, let's start off when the chips and salsa so fresh and crispy. I ordered the vegetarian enchiladas and can confirm its authentic Mexican food. Ended with the vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce. The service is excellent, employees are nice and very attentive.

Excellent service from very friendly people. The food is always plentiful. I recommend the Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice). Big plate and you will be taking part of it home.

The service was very good but unfortunately the food was pretty mediocre. Conveniently located across from the harbor