Solid, standard, and very cheap — El Tapatio in Factoria

El Tapatio in the Factoria area of Bellevue, WA serves up a solid, standard, well executed chili relleno. Nestled inconspicuously in a suburban sprawl strip mall, the first thing you will notice is how ridiculously cheap this place is for a sit-down Mexican restaurant.

$8.95 for a two item lunch combo?! My god! It is probably worth the trip alone just to experience a place where you can buy lunch for two with a $20 bill.

I ordered the two item combo with an enchilada and chili relleno.

Service was good, and the COVID necessitated patio was warm in the sun.

My food arrived looking delicious on the colorful plate mandatory of the industry, and it was good (see large picture)!

Sides were good! Beans very standard, and rice was flavorful and a little mushier than most places (which I don’t mind).

Chili Relleno: Met or exceeded expectations. I can’t say there is anything particularly special, revolutionary, or notable, except that it was such a well executed example of a standard chili relleno! On closer inspection you can see the internal cheese is appropriately melted and of appropriate quantity (just enough to taste, not enough to overpower), and you can see the outer coating is nicely fried with a bit of fry oil (flavor goop) included on the plate. The sauce and melted cheese are a great extra and also well executed.