3 new Mexican restaurants in Seattle are all about great carne asada
A low-key corner shop in Hillman City.
An open-kitchen concept in Pioneer Square where diners can see flames leaping through a grill grate.
A late-night Capitol Hill hangout on bustling Broadway.
What do these three newish restaurants in Seattle have in common? Carne asada tacos.
Each specializes in mesquite-kissed Mexican beef, piling it high atop crunchy tostadas or layering it under a blanket of bubbling cheese. And despite all three serving similar menus, each taqueria feels unique.
Here's what to expect at Sonora Carne Asada House, Gordo Steak and Tacos Cometa.
Sonora Carne Asada House
5901 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle; 206-566-6150, instagram.com/sonoracarneasadahouseseattle
This Hillman City spot opened last month, joining a sister restaurant in Auburn and a food truck with the same name. Carne asada is the star, but the all-halal menu features meats of all kinds: rib-eye, barbacoa, cabeza, tripe, chicken, al pastor, chorizo and even a hot dog. There are tacos, tortas, burritos and nachos.
The carne asada plate ($27.95) comes with tender, roughly chopped steak plus creamy, porky refried beans, corn-studded rice and hot, fresh flour tortillas. The meat is juicy and lightly smoky from the grill, the tacos made even better after a visit to the salsa bar with its raw onion, cilantro, lime, cucumber and salsas.
I also highly recommend the queso fundido ($14.95). Spread some of that bubbly, chorizo-laced cheese inside any tortilla to upgrade the foundation of a perfect taco.
The chorreada ($11.50) is also a good choice. This thicker sope is filled with a lake of melted cheese and topped with hunks of juicy asada.
Or try the taco Sonora ($16.50), a two-tortilla boat topped with a charred Hatch chile, melted cheese, sauteed mushrooms, strips of charred al pastor, hunks of asada and tiny strips of incredibly crunchy tripe.
This taco surprised me, a very cautious tripe eater, with its depth of flavor, taken over the top with the charred chili.
Gordo Steak
323 Occidental Ave S., Seattle; 206-457-4414, gordosteak.com
This carne asada house opened in Pioneer Square in April, a new concept from the people behind Asadero in Ballard and Kent. In a nod to old-school steakhouses, a starter house salad - dressed simply with a bracing vinaigrette and tossed with slices of red onion and tomato - arrives shortly after you order, as does a molcajete filled with fresh, steaming salsa. There is a full asada-focused steak menu with cuts like rib-eye, New York, rump, skirt, sirloin and tomahawk (at fairly premium prices), but there's also a smaller taco menu. The carne asada taquiza ($29.99) features a full pound of finely chopped asada, served with a bowl of creamy guacamole and hot, fresh tortillas. The campechanos ($29.99) arrive as a boat of bubbling hot cheese hiding a mound of chopped steak and chorizo.
The menu lists the tacos as "two each," but there are tortillas aplenty and enough meat on these plates to feed two people (with leftovers!). The steak here was the most consistently juicy of this trio of restaurants, with the least amount of gristle among the tender morsels of beef.
One word of caution: Parking is tough in Pioneer Square during this sporty summer in Seattle. Note that the Seattle Streetcar stops just outside the restaurant and that light rail stops are a quick walk away.
Tacos Cometa
1620 Broadway, Unit 100H, Seattle; tacoscometa.com
The painted menu at this Sinaloa-style Capitol Hill taqueria says "meat choice: carne asada, that's it."
Most popular is "The Perfect Order" ($25.85), with a taco, a quesadilla and the vampiro all on one plate, plus a wedge of cucumber, lime and the two house salsas. The vampiro, with a crispy tortilla, cabbage, red onion and chihuahua cheese, is the star, with crunch from the tortilla and cabbage breaking up all that smoke and softness from the hand-chopped beef. Portions are generous here; a taco runs $5.95, but it comes so stuffed that it's difficult to fold.
If you go for lunch, don't miss the burritos, with three slim burritos for $10.95, two potato and chorizo and one bean and cheese. The creamy bean and cheese was surprisingly my favorite bite at Tacos Cometa.
As for other items on the short menu, I've heard some positive chatter about the chocolate chip cookie, but it was absent on my visit. Keep an eye out for it.
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