LYNNWOOD – A Herald reader recently sent me an e-mail sharing some of her favorites. The list included Tacos Guaymas in Silver Lake and Marysville.
“Inexpensive, but wonderful Mexican food … Amazing flavors, very fresh, very authentic. Great salsa,” she wrote.
Now, I tried to keep Tacos Guaymas a secret because it’s on my short list of restaurants where I eat as a customer, not as a reviewer. But Herald readers find good food at the right price without me sharing everything.
Salvador Sahagun and Lorenzo Ramos in Seattle started Tacos Guaymas in 1993. The local chain now has more than 15 locations, and managers are also part-owners. Each restaurant serves the same great food but each location has a distinctive ambiance. For example, the one in Shoreline is larger, has a full bar and feels more like other local chains such as Las Margaritas and Azteca.
Like all Tacos Guaymas, the Lynnwood location serves familiar Mexican fare – burritos and tacos. What makes these restaurants stand out is the extremely fresh ingredients and correct preparation.
For example, tacos ($1.99 to $3.25) at Tacos Guaymas are made with a grilled corn tortilla that surrounds your choice of meat or seafood, which is topped with house-made pico de gallo and salsa. That’s it. A taco.
The burritos ($5.25 to $7.25) are made with flour tortillas stuffed with beans, rice, salsa sour cream, guacamole and cheese, and meat or seafood if you’re not a vegetarian.
The burritos are burritos. The tacos are tacos. This is food like you’d get from a stand in Mexico.
Better yet, the traditional plates continue the authenticity. Choices include chili colorado, tamales, chicken in mole sauce and steak picado ($3.50 to $10.95). On my recent Saturday visit, the daily special was carne asada ($8.15), which sounded perfect to me. I added an order of guacamole ($1.95) some chips and salsa ($1), corn tortillas (99 cents) and an agua fresca ($1.25).
If you’ve never had an agua fresca, consider ordering one. I’ve never been able to decide which one is my favorite. Tacos Guaymas serves three. One is made with rice and milk that tastes like liquid rice pudding. Another is made with tamarind and the one I ordered is made with hibiscus flowers. All three are as delightful as a few minutes in the shade on any plaza in Mexico.
The day I visited the Lynnwood restaurant, Spanish-language television displayed a soccer game between Mexico and Venezuela. The tables are topped with tiles from Mexico. There’s a salsa bar where you can burn your palette to any degree you like. The service is always attentive.
But it’s the food that keeps me coming back. Like the guacamole. It’s creamy, smooth and tastes like avocados, not preservatives, which dominate the frozen stuff served in so many places.
The chips were hot from the fryer. The tortillas were warm and inviting. And, as always, my daily special was, well, special. The thin slices of beef were perfectly grilled and served with just enough creamy pinto beans and spicy rice to make this meal a delight.
Forget the places that ask you to think outside the bun. Instead, think inside the tortilla. Think Tacos Guaymas.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs. Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
Tacos Guaymas
5919 196th St. SW, Lynnwood
425-670-3580
Specialty: Mexican
Price range: Inexpensive
Liquor: None
Smoking: On the patio if others don’t object
Vegetarian choices: Multiple choices
Disabled accessibility: Easy access
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa
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