El Norte Lounge

Always good food and drink, only complaint? The hours. Closed Mon and Tues, but open otherwise. Great place to grab some grub and a drink. Fantastic food, I can speak for the guac, enchiladas, and crab quesadillas… What else do you need?

So it is crazy busy, but Neil and Amber have somehow managed to get about 20 drinks every 5 mins out to guests in an environment that is t easy. Amber not only greets guests and ensures that they have what they need, but Neil is running the well at a rate that is almost Vegas Nightclub quality and efficiency! Hats off to these two, because they make this experience with it.

One year later and I still adore this place! I had my birthday party here last year and it was wonderful. This year I went bowling and ending up finishing the night at El Norte.
The waitress who helped us was the same one who served me at my birthday last year. She instantly remembered me which I loved! Once again they were wonderful to my friends and I. She was kind, charismatic, and polite the entire time — even when my friends and I were struggling to order after drinking so much, changed our mind a million times, and then took five years figuring out how to split up the bill. I would honestly go back just for her!
I’m serious though, the whole place is great. Great location, unique and intriguing atmosphere, incredible food, plenty of seating, a dance floor, plenty of parking, a huge outdoor area in the back. You won’t be disappointed!

The best! I live in a different part of the city, but I try to come here at least once a week. I am a regular, and really feel the love if I show up on a random night without plans to see anyone, because there will always be a friend I never thought to check in with. Eduardo the owner is a prince of a man, warm and gregarious, and Neil the bartender is amazing, as are the cocktail servers (Cherelle, Amber — if I’m missing someone else, sorry!) Thursday (karaōke night) is my favorite, but if I come on a weekend, there might be industrial, 80’s, or a mix with top 40 thrown in. I love the tacos and tostaditos too, and they almost always have Lucille on tap. I love the patio/​beer garden — truly delightful in the summer time. Not to be missed for Oktoberfest for sure. Long live El Norte!

Love this place. The owner and staff are so great, always accommodate and make sure u have a great time. A hole in the wall but any night could be popping with any combination of karaokee, 70s, pop/​rb, dancing, drawn out soul music. Tasty late night food till about 1am any night and strong quality drinks, what’s not too love

One of my favorite joints to go to! (and I hate going out) I even had the GREATEST 30^th birthday here.
Very very yummy foods — TACOS TACO TACOS! Strong tasty drinks.
Also very fun nights like industrial, 80s, and goth — much dance dance can happen.
There is also a very large deck outside, and inside is all nice and toasty warm though.
A Luke Goblin is sighted there often, but it harmless.
You should most definitely go here.
Do it.

Get the crab quesadillas…
they won’t disappoint

Shhh! This is our favorite hole in the wall. I’d prefer we keep it a secret… The bartender is accommodating and friendly. Prices are reasonable and food good. The entertainment is great. What more is there to say?

This quaint bar on Lake City Way is an offshoot of a larger restaurant called Mr. Via’s. I’ve never been to the original restaurant but this bar/​restaurant does a really nice job. The food is hot and a decent American take on Mexican food.
Four stars because:
* Super friendly staff
* Knowledgeable bar tenders with pride in their work
* Better than average food including custom homemade touches
Date Night Suggestions: Grab a drink or two here. Shoot an hour of two of pool at Golden Billiards a few doors to the north. Return to to El Norte Lounge for late dinner and possibly live entertainment of some sort. Even if you suck at pool you’ll have a great time with this combo. Thank me later. Magic

Good, solid bar. Although from the outside it looks not that great, inside it is nice, and there is a nice patio in back for warm evenings. The food is from a small menu of Mexican small plates– all good– excellent. Nothing is bad. Very good street tacos, beans, empanadas, and an avocado stuffed with crab. Drinks are good too. They have lots of activities on certain evenings with live music and other nights with Karaōke. My rating of how loud it is, is from when there is no band. Owner is nice, as is his staff who have been working there for years.

I don’t get to go out very often being a father of a 2 y/​o but when i do i usually go out to El norte. the owners are very nice, interesting people, and when they have special drinks, get them, they are usually great and very strong. Also they do karaōke, thursdays and i think Saturday night too.

So I was just here for an event tonight. Had good food, a good margarita, good service, good times. Then I found out that the parking lot next door, which someone said I could park in, got locked at 8pm. OH NO! Unfortunately the nice people at El Norte couldn’t let me in or get a hold of the owner of the parking lot, but instead of leaving me to fend for myself and call a cab, John drove me and my friends back to our hotel and apologized for the inconvenience. Talk about going above and beyond! Thanks so much! I will definitely be back and recommend you to all my friends while I am in town.

I went here at a friend’s suggestion. We stayed for a drink or two and decided it just wasn’t for us. It had a weird vibe and décor that we just didn’t get.
I know a lot of people love this place but it just wasn’t our scene, I guess!

Mad love for El Norte Lounge! The owner and staff are always helpful and gracious. The food is great and they serve until 1am. I really like that they host awesome burlesque shows in the North end, always without a cover, Goth Nights, Diva Stomps, have bands, DJ’s, and all around know how to have a good time.
I would suggest this diamond in the rough to anyone, you will nto be disappointed.

Your enjoyment of this place will be in direct correlation with your ability to withstand a possible mugging, for El Norte is located in a questionable area of LCW in a windowless building that could double as a massage parlor/​autobody shop (with no pun intended on the «autobody»).
But if you can get over yourself, as well as the strung out guy walking down the street having an argument with his feet — you will walk into a friendly neighborhood joint with a little stage, an area for getting down and dirty, and an outdoor patio in the back. Perhaps an Asian-​looking man wearing a shirt emblazoned with dueling dragons will greet you with some salsa and chips and some of the strongest, best tasting libations this side of oh-​so-​swank downtown/​Capitol Hill/​Ballard. Perhaps you’ll find yourself here between the hours of 5pm and 8pm — the happiest of happy hours. Or, perhaps you felt compelled to come here, due to a Groupon you’d purchased months back believing that El Norte is nothing like what it actually is.
We walked into the place the day before July 4^th soon after it opened at 5pm, hoping that we would get the quiet, more geriatric crowd who didn’t carry sharp objects in their pockets. The place was dead, but we were told that a couple would be celebrating their pre-​wedding in the sofa lounge area — a bank of comfy looking sofas — but that we were free to sit down anywhere else.
The inside is much nicer than the outside, as many have stated — but given that the outside already looked like a place where an assortment of Guidos, Hell’s Angels and drug lords might congregate, we would’ve been happy sitting on bricks surrounded by a wall full of used corks, sucking our drinks out of plastic bags, while being serenaded by a monkey with a hand organ.
Luckily, the music was upbeat 80s dance, the drinks were good — HH Margarita quite ordinary (only $ 5, but better than the swill served up by other places… and there was actually noticeable alky), but the regular mint julep, made with Maker’s Mark (double shot), was perfectly done, not too sweet, and served in a copper, Moscow Mule type mug.
Our attentive and enthusiastic bartender had explained how he went about crafting this particular drink, having taken a course on it recently. He obviously took pride in mixology, and gave us the impression that, even if the place filled up, he would still be personable and accessible.
Emboldened by the drinks and realizing that we would live to see another day, we went about ordering food — beef tacos, fundido (chorizo and mushroom) and tostada.
The beef tacos and fundido were very good, not your Tex-​Mex crap — and had a spice that went beyond the typical I’m-an-American-so-spicy-is-the-Colonel’s-11-herbs-and-spices-chicken-recipe. The beef tacos came with three corn tortillas and the fundido with a healthy five tortillas, though our bartender graciously gave us a few more to sop up the sauce when asked.
The food also arrived incredibly fast, since there was nobody else in the restaurant. We were also given the choice to choose BOTH the chorizo AND the mushrooms for the fundido, though the menu said either/​or. The opener of chips and guac fell a little short, as the chips were deep fried (a personal dislike) and the guac had changed color after being made for a while. The tostada was nothing to write home about though my sister enjoyed it, as it was bland.
A final odd note — the woman’s bathroom was very clean, probably because I was the first woman to pay homage to its hallowed bowl that day. Unlike other lounge/​bar bathrooms with its clogged toilet-​paper toilets and wall scribbles FOR A GOOD TIME CALL… or poorly-​drawn renditions of genitals, El Norte’s woman’s bathroom was a pleasant surprise, just like the rest of the place.
So,
Ignore the exterior,
Go for the food and the music.
Stay for the nice toilets. After a few drinks, you’ll find that you need it.
PS: Apparently karaōke Wednesday nights, where the potent drinks will come in super handy.

I had a burrito here and it was super dry and super salty. I wouldn’t recommend pork burrito.

El Norte is the perfect hole in the wall lounge on LCW! We don’t have many options for a quick bite and drink this end of the city, and you wouldn’t expect Norte to be a place to try based on location and the outside of the restaurant.
We love the house margaritas with the chips and 3 house «dips” — guacamole, pico de gallo, and *the best* bean dip! Sometimes we get a big bowl of bean dip instead of all 3. We’ve had the tacos as well and they are delicious!
Neil is great and takes good care of the patrons! Wonderful spot for a group or casual cocktail with a friend.

The outside of this place is a bit terrifying, but once you come inside, you’re in a very welcoming environment. We always come for happy hour before the music starts because we like a quiet arena. As a result, we’re usually treated to a very intimate and swanky lounge feel as we enjoy our favorites: The chicken tacos with Moscow mules. The brass mug drinks and Mexican cuisine is second to none, and the prices are reasonable. Drop in, you’ll be surprised by how much you like it.

EEEK… I had positive hope before entering this place based on the reviews and simple menu but oh my lord… this took awhile to digest. Who are these people reviewing this place? we ordered a few dishes and I wish we had just bought some taco bell instead. one of the burrito/​taco things had marinara sauce and imitation crab meat with way too much cheap cheese.
sayin’no’more.

It’s a sad lookin’ spot on Lake City Way, but I was intrigued to try it because there is a decent and fun band that plays on Wed nights (The Davanos). The interior is much, much, nicer than the exterior with candlelit tables and comfy couches.
The service was quick and friendly — able to keep up with our constant demand for more food and drinks. I had some nachos, which were on the small side, but very good. I’m not sure if I’d really go out of my way to go back to El Norte, but it’s nice knowing it’s a fun option for a Wednesday night.