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Vegan
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Mexican
Bar and Mexican food restaurant that turned plant based in 2021. Offers vegan versions of nachos, quesadilla, burritos, and tacos. Has a salsa bar with house-made salsas. Over 21s. Open Mon-Thu 11:00am-9:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:00am-10:00pm, Sun 11:00am-8:00pm.
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1521 1st Ave (at Pike Place Market), Seattle, Washington, USA, 98101
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 10 Dec 2024 by geometric-noise
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235 Reviews
First Review by cwarrick1
JasmineDavis
Points +36
just okay - Edit
the focus here feels like alcohol, the bartender seemed bummie that i didn’t want a drink.
Read morethe food was really just okay…..
the nachos looked good but barely had any toppings. no joke, like a tablespoon of refried beans. the cheese sauce was decent but not really even hot. the olives had a weird taste because they are pre-cut. none of it seemed made - probably just food service ingredients assembled.
also the price was $6 more than what the website stated and i wouldnt have even come if i knew that but i didn’t want to seek a new spot as i had a show to go to.
pros - the music was nostalgic and the nachos came out in 2 minutes from ordering.
Pros: music, quick
Cons: not many options, price higher than online
Guest
seattlevegan333
Points +20
This place COMPLETELY changed for the worse - Edit
Wow something has DRASTICALLY changed. I used to come to El Borracho all the time. I don't know what happened but they removed half the Mexican menu and added a bunch of hot dogs for some reason. Wtf? Also, be warned that the very few Mexican dishes left on the menu are nachos, boring tacos, a bean and cheese burrito, include only plant-based meat or refried beans. NO black beans. NO pinto beans. NO rice. NO RICE!! Wtf happened El Borracho? Seattle lost so many vegan restaurants why are you ruining one of the last good spots left? Seriously what is this?! I wish happy cow didn't give vegan restaurants a courtesy star. El Borracho does not deserve 2 stars. Please change back to serving actual vegan food.
Read morePros: Nothing
Cons: The menu changed and is horrible now, Nothing is even cooked it all feels reheated, Rice, beans, and good food in general, are gone
geometric-noise
Wow, that’s disappointing
Read moreGuest
MelissaFadden
Points +251
Great food, great drinks - Edit
Had a barbacoa danger dog and a tamarind marg. That thing was a full meal and SO GOOD! Whatever the “steak” is was sauced perfectly, the pickled onions were bangin, and the side of slaw was unique and delicious. Despite being filling, it wasn’t greasy-heavy. Margarita was well balanced, and certainly not weak.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-08-23
Pros: All vegan, Serves alcohol , Outdoor seating
Cons: Busy placement if not already there for Pike Place
Guest
paulalecht
Points +265
Best vegan nachos in the galaxy! - Edit
Granted, El Borracho is arguably primarily a bar that serves vegan bar food but it does both pretty well. With the exception of their vegan nachoes which it does extremely well. I could seriously see myself ordering their nachos several times a week! The margaritas also kick some serious as. #so_good!
Read morePros: Vegan nachos, Margaritas
Guest
bertydotcom
Points +42
Delicious and authentic. - Edit
This food is so good. And authentic, too. Reminds me of the food my mother used to make me when I was younger. And it’s all vegan, so it tastes even better. I’m impressed.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-07-22
Pros: Delicious, Authentic , Pleasant staff
Guest
djevilone
Points +69
Banger. - Edit
This place had great service. Food came out fast. Tunes were awesome. Griselda, Balu Brigada, She Wants Revenge, Daft Punk, etc
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-07-20
Pros: Nacho, Staff, Tunes
Guest
Giulia27
Points +889
Great - Edit
The food is great and the place is nice. The bartender is really kind and helpful.
Read moreWe got the Seattle and the Barbacoa hot dogs and they both were really tasty.
Updated from previous review on 2026-07-20
Guest
OperationChowhound
Points +12978
Bar-rito - Edit
July 8 - This is more of a bar that serves food rather than an actual restaurant. The large portion of oily chips (and salsa) were served in a paper bag. The Caesar Salad (romaine, shredded parm, and cheezy garlic croutons) was straightforward, but satisfying. The Beefy 5-Layer Burrito included Impossible beef, queso, refried beans, pico de gallo, and sour cream in a flour tortilla. I didn't want sour cream, but there was no option to remove it while ordering online, so I wrote a note, but it was missed. However, they quickly remade it without sour cream. I enjoyed it, but it was pretty small.
Read morePros: all vegan
Cons: single-use plastic utensils, disposable dishware, parking
Guest
Jess1008
Points +49
All vegan, all good - Edit
This place was a hit! I got the steak chunk burrito and it was delicious!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-06-02
Pros: Staff, Options, Atmosphere
Guest
EllyMK
Points +72
It's ok in a town of really great - Edit
Food was pricey and ok. We had potato, salmon, and jackfruit tacos and a 5 layer burrito. The burrito was incredibly spicy.
Read morePros: Location, 100% vegan
Cons: Too pricey for mediocre food, Too spicy
Guest
sundrop
Points +59
"Plant Based" doesn't mean you get a pass on service and quality. - Edit
No. Just no. - #1 - especially after, this any place that just points to the QR Code on a table and tells me to order there will have me walking right out.
Read more#2 - other than a couple of guys in the kitchen, the only employee around was the bartender.
3# - the food. Having a plate with a plain, white, dry burrito all alone on the plate is not appetizing. Have they never been to a Mexican restuarant? No enchilada sauce or salsa on it, no lettuce, no nothing. Bartender said there were some unlabled squeeze bottles of some sauces across the room in a fridge. My disabled friend dining with me was appalled. The tortillas were cold - and the single plastic fork provided was not able to cut the burrito. Was there any other cutlery available? Nothing in sight, and the bartender was busy.
4# - Not meaning to be malicious, but if you call yourself a restaurant, and do every thing possible to eliminate labor costs and thusly service, you've gone below the level of a Taco Bell.
Pros: Flavor was ok, inside the cold tortilla
Cons: QR Codes , lack of an actual menu or human contact, Poor presentation of a plate., Service?
seattlevegan333
100%!! They removed everything good from their menu and replaced it with hot dogs. The food doesn't even seem cooked, it's like it's all reheated but not cooked. Is there just a microwave in the kitchen?? It wasn't always this way, it used to be a decent Mexican place (they had rice! and black beans! and interesting burritos, tacos, and bowls). It's insulting what they're now trying to pass on as food. With Seattle restaurant prices too? Absolute joke.
Read moreGuest
kjrmub425
Points +110
Full Vegan restaurant - Edit
They had great service and I love that everything was plant based. The chips with the queso, salsa, and beans were good. The jackfruit carnitas tacos were not good, they were bitter and I couldn’t take more than one bite.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-04-23
Pros: Service , Nice inside
Cons: Carnitas tacos not good
Guest
YogiColleen
Points +302
Just Ehh - Edit
The menu is all vegan- which is awesome. But it was just ok. $9 for a bean & rice burrito.
Read moreService is fast & friendly.
Music was too loud & lighting was dim.
Pros: All vegan, Good location
Cons: Prices , Not very tasty
Guest
LemtilSoup
Points +102
Yum! - Edit
This is quick, delicious, vegan, and well worth it! The burritos are fantastic, and every “meat” option we’ve tried has been so so yummy. I love the location and how convenient it is to Pike Place. Great option to take people when playing tour guide for out of town visitors!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-03-11
Pros: Location, Burritos
Guest
cjfussner
Points +1753
Too modern for me - Edit
QR code to order and pay which makes me hate them instantly. Super white Mexican food. It’s a bar that happens to serve vegan tacos. They must get a lot of people that don’t realize because before you even sit down they make sure you know it’s fully vegan. Margaritas but can’t flavor them. Expensive beer. Food was fine. Didn’t take pictures of the burritos because burritos aren’t super pretty.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-02-20
Guest
johnDC
Points +77
Tacos! - Edit
100% plant based. CHUNK Steak Barbacoa Taco was out of this world!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-02-07
Guest
TheVeganWerewolf
Points +425
Yum Burrito! - Edit
This is a great spot for food. It’s easy to order, quick and tasty. The portions are pretty good a d they have a few fun drinks. It’s close to Pikes market, but far enough away that it’s not crazy packed whenever I’ve gone.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-04
Pros: Good food, Nice staff
Guest
Jax_The_Coyote
Points +639
Lots of great burritos - Edit
We ended up eating here twice in one day because they've had so many great burritos to try! Their chips, salsa, and guac are also delicious! The one downside is they're a bit expensive but for the location it makes sense.
Read moreGuest
serena98
Points +3766
So many choices and in a great location - Edit
This was a wonderful spot for lunch and I enjoyed their many many options.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-12-28
Guest
BertieBert
Points +129
Awesome fuss free Mexican tastes - Edit
I got a barbacoa taco, refried beans, and a beefy 5 layer burrito. The barbacoa was sooo juicy and flavorful, and the burrito was so nostalgic. They have a bunch of yummy salsas to choose from as well. The reviews had me skeptical but I’m so glad I stopped in.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-12-17
Pros: Barbacoa!!, Lots of fresh salsas to try
Guest
ADRIANPITTS
Points +275
Great food and service - Edit
Casual and friendly with a great selection
Read morePros: All vegan Menu- no need to double check!, Service , Quality
Guest
lilvegancat
Points +2160
Don’t get queso - Edit
Didn’t get much here. Just queso and salsa and weren’t really impressed with either. The chips did not taste fresh and queso was watery and flavorless.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-11-21
Guest
JenniferCook
Points +1015
Beef burrito—yes please! - Edit
Tasty and delicious and flavorful and so, so good. Best burrito I’ve ever had.
Read moreThe only problem is the ordering. Non-vegan hubby is happy to go anywhere and eat anything as long as it’s a normal sit-down restaurant. This has QR codes to order from. We did it anyway, because I was dying for a good burrito. We spent time deciding on our order, went through the process, adding the credit card, and it wouldn’t work. The bartender was able to put our order in, no problem, but it was a frustration.
Pros: Delicious food, Ultra fast , Friendly helpful bartender
Cons: QR code ordering , Very expensive
Guest
DarkLordSeitan
Points +161
mas 🌱 - Edit
solidly ok. had a barbacoa and jackfruit taco, with a side of black beans. pretty pricey, but i'd stop in again to try some more things.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-10-10
Pros: horchata, tacos
Cons: price
Guest
WorkingClassFoodies
Points +198
Obsessed - Edit
Touristy? Yes. Over priced? Yes. Delicious every time? Absolutely. We stop here EVERY TIME we’re in Seattle for tacos and get burritos for our long drive home (the cheesy 5 layer shortie is our favorite). Add the queso fresco to your barbacoa taco!!!
Read moreGuest
JordyVeg
Points +93
A solid choice - Edit
Satisfactory. It won’t blow your socks off but it gets the job done. A great location and a cool dive bar feel to a vegan spot that I don’t think I’ve every experienced before.
Read morePros: Location
Guest
knottedsword
Points +68
Ok - Edit
Girl how is this so highly recommended 😭 this was just okay, we got the queso/salsa with chips, the potato poblano taco, and some sort of small impossible burrito that resembled something from Taco Bell (not derogatory)
Read moreThe queso tasted like turmeric sauce and was practically inedible, the salsa tasted like gazpacho (didn't hate it but still odd) and the burrito did taste like Taco Bell, which isn't a bad thing but was still whatever and since the price didn't reflect that quality it was a bummer.
It is possible that since we're both sober, that could've had something to do with not being as into it. It could be a fun bar hangout if you drink and especially if you drink to the point where your food standards have lowered. Maybe we would also have liked it more if either of us liked meat substitutes that taste like meat, since so much of the menu seemed to be that
Afterwards we both were like I wish we hadn't wasted stomach space on that lol
Updated from previous review on 2025-09-18
Pros: Bartender was very nice
CocktailShaker
💀
Read moreGuest
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