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Chile Pepper (Wallingford)

1427 N 45th St
Seattle, Washington 98103
(206) 545-1790

Categories: Restaurant

Restaurant Details

The Stranger's Reviews of Chile Pepper

 
 

Average Rating:
  • 2.73000/5 Stars.
Reviews/Comments (12) RSS

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12

Trust the negative reviews

I know that some restaurants can be polarizing, and so I will give a place that has some negative reviews the benefit of the doubt if they are balanced out with positive reviews. Don't make that mistake with the Chili Pepper. The food is not fresh, when you walk in you can peek in the kitchen and see the several microwaves they use to reheat your meal for you. The chips are awful, the salsa is bad, the margaritas are horrible. Have you ever tried to reheat a burrito in a microwave and had it be hot on the outside but still cold in the middle? That's what my partner got when dining here. I myself was served some microwaved chili rellenos, which were probably delicious when they were first battered and fried... but soggy microwave reheated fried food is never good.
Posted by Otter1942 on January 19, 2013 at 9:18 AM · Report
11

Worst resteraunt in Seattle

Eating out of a garbage can would have been better. Ate here for dinner: the chips were stale, salsa tasted like over-spiced tomato sauce, and food was microwaved... we could hear the microwave ding right before they brought out everyone's plates. If you don't believe me, look into the kitchen as you walk in. You will see two large microwaves where they cook the food. To top it off its not cheap and the service was absolutely horrible. Total waste of money, STAY AWAY!
Posted by imax on June 18, 2011 at 1:04 PM · Report
10

awful. plain and simple

went one rainy Saturday and wished i had stayed at home. salsa tasted like spaghetti sauce out of a jar. whatever sauce they had put on the enchilada i had ordered had to be scraped off to make the thing palatable. and even then it was tough.

you're much better off hitting up the taco truck right down the road.
Posted by rachellla on April 11, 2010 at 5:36 PM · Report
9

Nasty Nasty Nasty

The rice i had was horrible, the enchilada i had was horrible, and the chips were bad too... the only thing good was the salsa. Never again!!!
Posted by Lover of great food on August 29, 2009 at 12:08 AM · Report
8
Don't spend your time or money here! The service stinks... For example, I ordered the margarita which came to me with rancid lime mixer. I asked the owner (who was wearing a shirt with a gaping hole in it) for another drink, and he spent 20 minutes explaining why I didn't know anything about margaritas; seriously, it got a little weird. His words: only 2 complaints in 20 years, from you and a food critic! Exactly. The food didn't knock my socks off either. I saw the chef microwave the minute rice he used in my burrito, and the rest of the meal followed suit. We could have just burned our $35 and had about the same experience. Bonus: I didn't get sick.
Posted by MrsWatchMan on May 21, 2009 at 5:14 PM · Report
7

worst mexican ever

Cute location, but they've managed to turn it into a cheapo, and tacky space with terrible food. The chips were stale and worse than out of a bag, the chicken (mole) was terribly dry, the rice was white and plain with zero seasoning. This is nothing close to authentic. The only thing redeeming was the lentil soup that came before the meal.
Posted by eatme on January 31, 2009 at 3:11 PM · Report
6

the best mexican in seattle

I am a Texas native and moved to Seattle from Houston 5 years ago. The food from Chile Pepper is the closest thing I've found to the Mexican I can get in Texas. It is actually just as good. My favorite is the mole enchiladas. The margaritas are small but potent, just the way they should be. The refried beans are completely authentic, creamy and yummy. It is the place I go for my tex-mex fix.
Posted by lalo on May 23, 2008 at 7:19 PM · Report
5

Cozy, Authentic, Delicious

I've been eating at the Chile Pepper for the past twenty years, travelling from Canada as often as possible to enjoy one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Northwest. I would also certainly recommend the especialidades as another reviewer mentioned; they are not only reasonable in price but are also all excellent and never fail to meet my high expectations. I would not recommend this wonderful gem of an eatery to anyone expecting the standard Americanized (or Canadianized) attempts at interpreting Mexican food. This is not a place to drink margaritas and avoid authentic traditionally prepared foods. It also has no ambition to become a nationwide chain; it is small and family owned and their loving approach is reflected in the delicious flavours you will be sure to encounter as well as in the relaxed service. This is a community restaurant where the staff gets to know their clientele and chat with their regulars as they dine. If your main exposure to Mexican food has been burritos and enchiladas from places called Las Margaritas, you'd best seek bland copies elsewhere. The Chile Pepper is for those who are not afraid of bold flavours and feel no need to rush back out the door as soon as possible. I have brought many people across the border (as well as locals) to enjoy the Chile Pepper and it doesn't surprise me that every one of them salivates at the prospect of returning for more.
Posted by Spage on March 25, 2008 at 11:32 PM · Report
4

Lentil Soup

The secret to Chile Pepper is to order the especialidades. Screw the bogus burritos and enchiladas. That's the only way you're going to get the real treat here, which is the lentil soup mentioned by H. So good. The sauces are fantastic, too. And he makes the best salsa in town.
Posted by Fnarf on August 2, 2007 at 5:06 PM · Report
3

This place sucks.

The $6.00 margarita was about 5 sips poured over a ton of ice. The service was awful - the owner (I think) was the only one waiting on every table in the restaurant. The food came, and it was so bad that it actually made me sick (I'll spare you the gruesome details).
Posted by MAS on July 31, 2007 at 6:20 PM · Report
2

Great food but sevice was lacking

Small family run and easy to pass by but the food is great! When I went with my Vegan friend she found a few things she could eat but our server who I assume was the owner, was somewhat rude and impatient in answering our questions reguarding the menue and was just slow in general with the water, chips, etc. Normally slow service wouldn't bother me but it is a very small place and everyone else had already been served. I would give it another try despite the poor service.
Posted by puturfootonmyheart on July 19, 2007 at 8:57 PM · Report
1

so good!

Not greasy, not too cheesy. The flavors are perfect - the mole is woodsy and complex, and there's a spicy red sauce pork dish that makes Jewish vegetarians' mouths water. The lentil soup is spicy and filling - perfect on winter days and even cold summer ones. The guacamole is chunky and fresh. And the service is excellent.
Posted by H on June 25, 2007 at 3:16 PM · Report

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