El Marlin

This place is now the Chinaloa restaurant; I have not been there since the name change.

Omg this place is rad, if u never been to Mexico just come here on mariachi night. I mean really? I was like are these people insane it was so loud it was ridiculousness. Best chili relleano I have ever had and I’m really into them… They had pole dancer chick on the tv, and some dude kept yelling taco!!! Made my night.

Wow wow wow … Place doesn’t look fancy — I was almost hesitant on eating lunch there … But hunger, heat & exhaustion influenced the choice and all I can say is thank u Jesus 4 my desperation … I ordered (actually my BFF ordered 4 us both) the Enchilada — I had the steak & she had the chicken–
These were HANDS DOWN the best authentic Mexican food IVE EVER EATEN!
The dish was topped off with FRESH toppings & put together with LOVE :) the cook did an amazing job — the seasoning was PERFECT!!! I can’t explain it… It really was an amazing experience & I feel so silly describing food that I’ve eaten in that manner … But boy oh boy it truly was an amazing meal … I thought price was a bit high initially but after seeing the serving size …, I found it appropriately priced — and after my first bite …, knew it was PRICELESS!!!
I’ll be back … I’ve bn craving eating there again …, ever since lunch last week … I can’t wait to get back out there!!!

They focus mainly on mexican seafood dishes. Low quality food, ok service, menu only in Spanish. No drink menu or drinks in even offered by our waitress. They messed up friends simple request for a bean and cheese only taco. Not a great experience!

Meat in a vegetarian dish, no clue what a daquiri is and I saw an ant running around on our table. Totally unattentive waitress and she only had two tables in the whole place. The ONLY reason this place is getting two stars is because my fiances food turned out well.

I love the convenience of El Marlin. Easy to call and pick up with no wait. However it’s hit and miss whether the food is good. 7 out of 10 times, it’s good but it’s inconsistent. Better to eat in than take out.

I went with my family to this restaurant expecting to have decent Mexican style seafood dishes. We were extremely disappointed. The waitress was nice, but the food is one of the worst I have ever had at a Mexican restaurant. The appetizers came with sour cream and guacamole. The guacamole was going bad. I made sure none of us touched it. The Campechana my husband ordered smelled as though the seafood had been left out for 4 days. He refused to eat it. My teenage daughter was willing to taste it and ended up with stomach aches and diarrhea. The Aguachiles I ordered had no flavor. I had to add salt and Cholula sauce just to be able to eat it. We will NEVER return to this restaurant ever again.

What happened to this place? It used to be great when it was first taken over by new owners. Now? Good luck even getting waited on.
I was back in the area from living in Florida, and stayed at a Day’s Inn down the road. I was so happy to remember a REAL Mexican food place (there are NONE in Florida that are good), I walked all the way over to this restaurant and my mouth was just watering in anticipation of Mexican food again.
At first everything seemed normal, but after being seated… NOTHING. No salsa, no nachos, or even a hint of some invisible waiter lurking anywhere. I started timing how long it would be, before someone came to my table to ask me if I wanted something to drink OR to bring me some salsa…20 minutes later, I was finally acknowledged. And, to break the annoyance I was feeling I said «Wow, I was beginning to think you were actually closed», and laughed sardonically.
The waitress mumbled something about a new waitress who was confused~~Blah Blah Blah.
Well, I had LONG SINCE figured out what I wanted and salsa and chips! was first on my LIST, second I ordered some Carne Asada… I have to admit… Things sped up from here. The orders came out promptly and the food was good. Not AS GOOD AS IT USED TO BE, but was acceptable, for someone who has been deprived of Mexican food for so long kind of GOOD…
This place needs to work on its service. The waitress who actually stepped in for the «invisible new waitress» was actually fairly good, and did come to check back on me several times. However, I still deducted that 20 minute wait from her tip.

I was excited to try Sinaloa style seafood here and I was not impressed. The place has ample seating, parking, friendly service, the food is just not remarkable.
The chips and salsa come with a little dish of refried beans. The beans were warm and tasty and the salsa tasted like salsa from Costco, except with some added cilantro and heat. They have Tapatio hot sauce at the tables, which signals a mediocre Mexican restaurant.
We had marlin tacos and ceviche tostadas, one fish, one shrimp.
The marlin was a bit too dry and it didn’t come with green salsa as it said in the menu. I had to ask for it. The tostadas were pretty good, except a little bit too salty and they had too much black pepper. The shrimp tostada was pretty good, remarkably better than the fish which tasted like it had been drenched in a salt and pepper dressing. The serving was generous, it was just not wonderful and it didn’t come with avocado. The prices were a little high compared to other Mexican restaurants. The tacos were $ 3.50 (regular size) and the seafood tostadas $ 5 and up (but huge).

This is my favorite Mexican Restaurant around.
I love Chile Rellanos, and this place hand-​breads them every day — a taste that I can’t find anywhere else. I’ve given up on every restaurant’s version except theirs.
The staff are always great, and the food never lets us down.

Another good meal at El Marlin. Great service, tamale not up to their normal standards, dry and not much inside. Everything else was great.

Easily 5 starts… even in California.
It is a very seafood-​focused Mexican restaurant with awesome food. I got the crab/​clams/​scallops/​octopus special and it was killer. Good broth with it. And a 0.5l-1.0l Modelo Especial was only $ 3 for happy hour.
This spot is the real deal– friendly waiters, awesome food (takes a while to get though), and mellow vibe. If you’re Californian and/​or a non-​bland tasted Washingtonian, this is your spot for something that deviates from the «average Washington Mexican».
Check out the specials, everything on the specials menu is spelled wrong in English… a good sign. Also, I saw real live Mexicans eating here…

Service for two tables active was horrible today. Slower than qwest dsl turtles. They used to rock the kitchen and service not sure what or why they changed. Took 25 minutes for our order!!!
Onions are cheap right now but you’d think they were gold they only put a few strips on my husbands Asada… Sigh. Tastes great just the service level today sucks.
LESSON for Restaurants: Never let a cook leave when their replacement has not showed up.
************************
I used to rate them at 4 stars. Last 2 times in though (over a month apart) they have really simply dropped the ball. First time made me think the cook fell sleep with our food under the broiler. MAYBE it was a new cook. but I’d have been embarrassed to send that bland, chilli-​less Releno out the door. Too much egg wash, and only 4 tiny pieces in the Releno. Like wtf?
Most recent was think the cook simply didn’t show up! Took over 25 minutes for our food — but everyone AFTER us was FAST.
At least it was good Releno this time!
I know «things happen» but we’ll give them another chance as they are normally very fast and friendly. They certainly beat some of the other little local guys on Central hands down. :)

What more could you want from a restaurant?
Great food, (spicier upon request), Cheap Prices, and an excellent Happy Hour. One of the best Mexican foods I have found since moving to Seattle.
I ate the Veggie Fajitas which were around $ 10 and the portion of food was huge.
Their guacamole was great– which is a must for me!!!
They have a great happy hour menu also.

Nice, clean place, comfortable seating and friendly staff. The food was great. Not a single complaint.
The free chips were warm and fresh and tasted great. We finished a basket and started a second.
I recommend checking this place out. You will enjoy it.

ok so this place… hummmm
well i was super excited to be able to go out for lunch today. and have been wanting to try the el marlin. i was hoping that it would have been amazing. man!!! it has the name el marlin come on please be the best mex food ever. nope not at all. the good news it is not gross and it is very clean. but it is maybe just a bit above run of the mill northwest mex food. i had my food to go the guy that helped me was super nice and friendly. so yes i would go back here again would it be my first choice no there are lots of mex food places to chose from in kent. i would recomend that others try this place tho cause i am über picky about my mex food. so thats my thoughts have a nice day.

I first spotted this restaurant when I was pregnant. We ended up stopping to try it even though I wasn’t hungry. That first visit wasn’t remarkable in anyway as my palate is all kinds of off during pregnancy. The next 3 times were wonderful though.
I’ll start with the place itself: During lunch hours its pretty bare. Staff is no where to be found but it only takes a moment or two before they see us. The staff was then very quick to seat us and get us started. The staff is helpful and quick to refill our water glasses — most times. They also speak English which might not matter to some, but from a non-​Spanish speaking Mexican such as myself, this is huge.
I’ve had the enchiladas — twice with their green sauce and once with the traditional authentic dark red mole (MOH-​lay) sauce. DELICIOUS!
We’ve also tried the nachos and quesadillas.
The meat is tender, juicy and flavorful all on its own. The chips are fresh and crisp and made in-​house. El Marlin does a wonderful job layering authentic Mexican flavors throughout the dish.
Although we have only gone for lunch I should share that the portions are insanely big. Their menu is moderately priced but pretty darn fair for all the food they give you! The plates come with rice and beans and an endless supply of chips and dip. Yumsters!
Of the three Mexican restaurants I’ve tried in my 1.5 years of living here — this place is by far my favorite. I just wish it was a little bit closer — or delivered.
The lunch plates were between $ 7 – 10 but the dinner plates are $ 9 and up.

This restaurant was formerly an Ihop, then a Torero’s mexican restaurant. I noticed this restaurant opened recently, so I thought I would give it a try. While it still serves mexican food El Marlin’s menu has a seafood focus.
I tried the Marlin Asado, which is a large Marlin steak grilled and seasoned, served with rice and beans. Very tender and great flavor. It doesn’t come with tortillas, but I ordered a side and made my own tacos with it.
They have a decent menu selection for kids. But it is standard fare. I’m not saying it isn’t bad, it is good, but similar food you can find at any other restaurant such as Azteca or Torero’s. My daughter lost all interest in her food after trying my Marlin.
If you are in the mood for Mexican food or enjoy seafood in general, I recommend this restaurant.