Chavez

The food here was so beyond sensational, words are too limiting to express my complete sense of joy just from having the honor of having Chavez come into my mouth and participate in this culinary bliss.
Playful is the best word I can contrive to express the utter bliss the plates of food and experience the staff poured onto our table and hearts.
Best Mezcal cocktails north of tiawana.

Really enjoyed dinner and drinks at Chavez last night! The bartender was fantastic — our favorite craft cocktail included mescal, pinapple and serrano pepper. It was fun sharing lots of different dishes — the braised short rib tacos were yummy as well as the mahi-​mahi. We loved the stuffed pepper appetizer — a really unique flavor. The Guacemole was perfection. Service was warm and friendly… we very very well taken care of all around. The décor is lovely — nice, light, and open… overall a great experience. Looking forward to coming back soon!

The food is alright, I kind of want to give them 4 stars, but I paid 50 dollars per person, so that just makes things worse. Many better Mexican places in Capitol Hill.

I was very impressed by all the food here. The guacamole was very good, trio of salsa was also great. The Durango Gorditas Chicharron was excellent, great flavor and the slaw on top added a nice crunch. I had the Borrego tacos, which were excellent, very moist and great flavor of the lamb. My husband had the Barbacoa tacos, which were also great. The tacos are about the size of street cart tacos, but the meat piled on top is much more. The tacos were easier to eat with a fork, rather than picking them up. The food was a little slow to come out of the kitchen, but it was worth the wait. I will definitely be back.

I was really, really looking forward to this meal, but unfortunately it did not live up to expectations. The food really was excellent. I only ever lived in cities with great Mexican food until I moved to Seattle, so I had really been missing it. Everything we ate was delicious: ceviche, stuffed poblano, tinga tacos, and fish tacos. We also had two cocktails, and both were very tasty.
I think the food deserves 5 stars. I took two off this review because the service was poor at best. Our server (a tall, well dressed blonde woman) took a while to take our drink order, and when she came back to take our food order, she seemed impatient when I had questions about the menu. She gave us a minute to think about what to order, but it took forever for her to come back – and she sent someone else in her stead. Food took ages, and they forgot our stuffed poblano. The tacos arrived before our poblano plates were cleared, signaling a miscommunication between the staff. Our server was very inattentive and really didn’t seem bothered to serve us.
I’m sorry, but when you’re paying $ 15 for 3 tacos, a fair amount of that money should go towards attentive service. Our experience was anything but that. If you really want to try Chávez, go ahead. The food is great. But since there are tons of other great places (within a few blocks!) at similar price points, I won’t be coming back.

Well this is not the review I was hoping to write. I was so looking forward to this meal, I had been hyping it up for weeks and really was convinced this place was going to be the bomb. It wasn’t going to take much to impress me, I’d already decided I loved it. Our experience was so painful, we left after appetizers to have dinner elsewhere. Cut our losses kind of bad. Quick Version:
— Chips weren’t fresh & had no seasoning. Stale, crunchy, nothingness
— Guac had little to no seasoning — pretty sure there was no garlic
— Queso Fundido’s onions were raw just dropped on the top.
— Horrible bartender. Drinks were undrinkable — even after sending one back to the bar, it returned just as bad.
— Weird server
My overall feeling was «amateur hour». I don’t know who is running their bar but the drinks were horrible. We each ordered 3 very different, very unique drinks which all came out tasting exactly the same. And that exact same taste was so sour they were undrinkable — nothing but lime juice. In a city known for it’s craft cocktails, this is really inexcusable.
Our server was downright bizarre. She kinda had a «shtick» and that «shtick» was
«Have you noticed how amazing I am? And I’m sarcastic and moody — we’re friends, right?»
After our appetizers arrived she started to take our menus, and we asked to keep 1 so we could order entrees later. She then clarified that she wasn’t taking them away, she was just stacking them on the corner of our table. So that we didn’t get them dirty. Her precious, precious paper menus couldn’t be trusted around… food. Later when we asked for the check after appetizers she got kinda emo and started asking us if it was her. «was it me? WAS IT ME?» o. O
I’m not one to balk at price, but I’m also not such a tool that I think anything in a cool neighborhood with buzz is good. We ordered 3 drinks (1 sent back, 1 never drank after the first sip but still paid for in full), 3 appetizers (chips and salsa, chips and guac, chips and queso) and our bill was $ 76. There are a hell of a lot of places to eat in this neighborhood where I wouldn’t even bat an eye at that price tag for appetizers and drinks — but this place is NOT one of them.
The service, the food and the price here make this a triple strike. Sorry, Chavez — you broke my heart.

Recommend the ahi and pollo pibil tacos. Creative drinks and tasteful, understated décor. Friendly bartender. The pork shoulder seemed under-​spiced. Otherwise no complaints.

I really, really wanted to like this place. The thought of great Mexican food in a more upscale atmosphere with more creative dishes was appealing.
However the execution leaves a lot to be desired. My wife and I ordered margaritas on the rocks. They were so extremely tart that neither of us could have more than two sips. Ok… next the tacos. The kids ordered chicken tacos, my wife carnitas I believe and I ordered the shrimp tacos. The chicken tacos were shredded but the meat didn’t really have too much taste. It was bland. The corn tortillas were too thing, and they only gave one tortilla per taco, so you had to end up eating it with a fork as the tortillas quickly fell apart.
The service was great and vey friendly. But the food and drink not up to par. Hopefully this will improve with time.

Went to Chavez last Saturday with a group of friends to celebrate my Birthday. Everything from the service to the food were excellent! Some stand out favorites were the queso and short rib tacos. Will definitely be returning soon!

I love this place, one of my favorites for Mexican. I love the ambiance. It can get pretty busy unless you are there before 6. The tacos are small with a generous portion of meat which makes them pretty filling. Some of my favorites are: stuffed pepper, crab tamale, Mahi mahi taco & shredded short rib taco

Celebrated my friend’s birthday here, at the bar. Wanted to get some cocktails before we went dancing. The ambiance is wonderful… Dim and romantic lighting. The décor is clean, simple but stylish, contemporary — like you are in a restaurant in Portland.
We were intrigued by the cocktail descriptions. Cinnamon infused tequila… What?! We asked our bartender Angelo what kind of tequila to have for birthday shots. I don’t know what it was, but it was smooth and very satisfying. He explained features of that brand of tequila, to demonstrate its quality and superiority over others. He seemed to like sharing his knowledge with us, even if we were a little tipsy by then.
When we ordered a round of cocktails and my friends didn’t like the smokiness of theirs, Angelo made them something more delicious, on the house. What a nice guy!!!
We shared a barbacoa taco. It was stuffed with juicy pork and the tortilla was so yummy, toasted to perfection. Ok, ok, I was hungry, but this taco was above average.
Overall, the tequila was good, taco was good, and the service was awesome. Thanks Angelo — we will never forget you!!!

I love that Chavez is in this locations (selfishly because it’s close to my house.) I don’t eat Mexican a lot but when I do, I come here. I live the food, ambiance, music, and salsa options.
The servers are always friendly and seem to work together very well. The way I’d explain this place would be clean Mexican food (vs. sloppy mex food.) great for intimate parties.

Walked into this place close to closing time after a harrowing day. It had been bookmarked on my list since I walked by in May and I finally got to give it a go! I’m so glad they are open til 11 on weeknights — what a cool spot! I loved the ambiance they’ve managed to create — like a comfy family cape cod beach house meets the Bahamas on a quiet cap hill street. Music selection was right up my alley — 90s and early 2000s r&b rap playing the whole time we were there — great taste guys!
Service was great — water glasses were filled at all times, and the manager/​owner? even helped carry my friend’s bag when he saw she was on crutches.
The food? Impeccable. We ordered two kinds of salsa — the aguacate (avocado), and the she devil (bold full flavored, delicioso!) My friends had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos and I had the tamale. Everything was prepared perfectly — fresh ingredients and beautiful presentation. I can’t wait to return!

Stopped by this place in June looking for a late bite to eat and was amazed by the ambiance and the friendly service staff. The restaurant was open with the early summer breeze making it a romantic evening to try some new treats.
Flavorful cocktails and food options.
Will definitely go back to explore the rest of the menu.

On a sunny and warm evening my fiancé and I found ourselves too lazy to cook for ourselves. Wanting to go somewhere close but also new, we thought of checking out Chavez. Every time I’d passed it previously I always saw people there and it looked super cute.
In person it’s just as great! We pulled up, found immediate free parking within a block or two of the restaurant and sidled up to the bar for immediate dinner service. Tables were mostly full so this work great because we had zero wait time and as just a group of two, the bar was perfect.
The menu is short and sweet. Lots of classics and twists on classic dishes. Fresh ingredients, house made tortillas, and yummy desserts.
No AC for those hot days but the open air was lovely and the windows and doors being open made the space feel breezy and big!
Happy to come back again soon for more.

I liked the food a lot, but as other people have noted, the prices are pretty insane.
The atmosphere is super-​chaotic/​noisy. Not good for my shy or anxious friends, and I’m sure not good for your shy/​anxious friends, either.
Our waitress was super awkward… she kept touching her hair and underarms, which was pretty gross. Thankfully she did not bring plates to our table.

I’ve been to Chavez several times and I just keep going back for more. Probably some of the best tacos I’ve had in Seattle. Yeah, a little pricey but it’s worth it because they are goooood! Plus, you’re in trendy Capitol Hill so prices are reasonable for the neighborhood. The owner/​chef uses his family recipes from Mexico with a little twist. Best by far are the short rib tacos and shrimp tacos. Drinks are top notch and guac is fresh and delish. They have different types of guac, I always just get the regular because I don’t like messin with the guac!
I’ve always found the service to be excellent. The owner often comes to the table to chat and sometimes sends over some extra treats. We have a waitress who always makes us feel welcomed and is very attentive and friendly.
One dish I don’t recommend is the mole chicken tacos — it may just be me because I’m not a fan of sweet dishes unless it’s dessert, but even the waitress doesn’t recommend it (hey at least she’s honest!). Only other downfall, tortilla chips and corn tortillas are not made in house. They still get 5 stars from me because the tacos are just that good!

Pretty solid Mexican food!
We wandered around aimlessly on the hill last night, trying to decide what to eat for dinner. Nothing sounded particularly amazing, so after about 30mins or so, we ended up at Chavez. The restaurant is cute, with a giant garage door that rolls up when it’s nice out. The menus is heavy on tacos and starters, with two other entrees to choose from.
We arrived around 8pm, and the place was packed. No tables were available, so we hunkered down at the bar with some negro modelos, and decided on the guacamole with roasted corn, camarones with grilled pineapple, queso fundido with chorizo, and the barbacoa pork shoulder tacos with roasted poblanos. The guacamole came out on top of a plate-​sized homemade tortilla chip, which was a first. The queso lacked something for us, and we’d definitely pass on it in the future. The tacos though. Those were freakin’ delicious. The pork was succulent and perfectly seasoned. We could’ve eaten another plate easily.
Will definitely be back to try the sangria and more tacos.

Food was good and drinks were great but I believe it was over priced. Service was great too and ambiance was very nice.
I would go somewhere else though if I wanted tacos and chips and salsa. Tacos are $ 12-​$ 14 for 3 small tacos. Cocktails are around $ 12 each. Two drinks per person, tacos and appetizers for 4 people came to ~$ 200 total. Very surprised by that.
Everything was great except for the price tag and portions. I don’t think the food was worth what I paid for, but everything else was excellent. Like I said, I’ll be going somewhere else for tacos and margaritas.

Cute little Mexican restaurant that just opened on 12^th ave. I have been twice and experienced amazing service both times from ALL staff.
The food: it is hard to justify paying ~5 dollars per taco but these are pretty good. In recommend the fish tacos and the short rib.
Another great dish was the stuffed poblano pepper. Perfectly captured the essence of well balanced Latino flavorings.
Would come again for the tacos and location. I imagine they will only continue to improve.