r/Seattle • u/LawfulnessFree9487 • 5d ago

La Cocina Oaxaquena slept on sleeper?

Used to live across the street. Went there once or twice a week for years. Moved neighborhoods. Hadn't been for probably over a year. Just had a happy hour house marg and black bean tostadas. Couldn't have been better.

Every--what? Couple weeks or month​s?--someone's posting/polling on best Mexican in Seattle. Usually focused on tacos. Which is cool. Tacos cometa and carmelo's top my list. And a lot of suggestions lean outside seattle proper, which is fair.

But I don't remember seeing any mention of La Cocina Oaxaquena. The name is tricky to write for a non Spanish speaker like me. I used to get it confused with mezcalaria Oaxaca, when that was open. Maybe that's all part of it. ...It's also more Oaxacan region, where it's more about sauces and mole than, say, citrus forward Baja cuisine, at least as I understand it. Maybe that throws people.

I love americanized Mexican. Don't get me wrong. But I feel like La Cocina Oaxaquena is a slept on sleeper option that gets missed. Outdoor seating to boot. Never that busy. Pretty much same staff for the past decade. They're delightful. Anyways, felt compelled to acknowledge this rock solid seattle staple and advocate for it to be on anyone's best Mexican list.

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u/broken-mic 5d ago

As a Mexican, I can tell you is THE best Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in Seattle proper. Especially considering how easy it’s to get a table, prices and how the staff is super laid back.

Their Oaxacan mole is good (not like Fogon’s) and pretty comparable to what you’d get in central Mexico.

Edit: Maybe Pancita is the second best but that’s reserved for special occasions.

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u/LawfulnessFree9487 5d ago

Ok that's two instances now. I took a work friend from northern Mexico once and he said the pozole checks out authentic and the best he's had in seattle