El Jinete Mexican Restaurant - Mexican restaurant in Anacortes - 509 Commercial Ave, USA

If you've never had Mexican and just made a restaurant based on pictures and recipes you saw online, this would be that place. The service was great, but the environment and food was definitely not even remotely close to good Mexican food or culture. There wasn't even something like tapatío on the tables or anywhere to be found. However, the portion size was exceptional, so good on that front.

If you are looking for Authentic Mexican Food stay away from here! I just ate there today, Friday, 8th of September. I have probably had better food at Taco Bell and that’s not saying much. I’m pretty sure the salsa came out of a jar. I had a cup of chili verde soup which wasn’t that bad. I asked for Carne Asada taco and the server said the Carne Asada is pre proportioned out for the Carne Asada dinner plate and they can’t break it down…okay…so I ordered a shredded beef taco with a crispy shell and got ground beef and the shell was one that you buy in a box at the store, a cheese enchilada (it was just okay), a tamale that was chicken BUT it was cubed processed chicken meat not shredded chicken. The enchilada sauce tasted like it came out of a can. I did ask the server if it was authentic Mexican food before I ordered and she said yes. I did tell the server about the food and she just said “I’m sorry” and brought me the bill…WOW what a let down. I would not recommend this Mexican food to anyone.

Really good spot for some Mexican food. They have really good lunch specials and the place feels authentic. They have a full bar and every meal comes with chips and salsa Server was fantastic and would have given a higher than 5/5 if able.

Good tasting food. We both had Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Peppers) and liked the fresh taste of the peppers. Good service, but could have been noticed and check on by staff more often; we had to make noise to get timely help. Reasonable prices. pico de gallo on the side was OK but not perfect. Overall a 4 out of 5 star rating at a 3 star price

Have food allergies and staff made sure my food was kept away from items I cannot tolerate. Great helpful staff

Great food and great service. Really enjoyed our visit.

Gretchen the Great is the main reason I give the El Jinete restaurant in Anacortes, Washington, five stars. She runs the bar, a cozy, hometown kind of place in the back of the restaurant. Gretchen is fun, very friendly and makes the greatest margarita in the history of the world. My favorite is the margarita gold, and it's citrus heaven. The food is always very good, and they are fine with special requests: no tomatoes, please, and no salt on my margarita. No problem. On Fridays, we often think about where to go to dinner and almost always end up at El Jinete. It's mainly because of Gretchen the Great!

Great food & service. Free chips & salsa. One misunderstanding on the order led to a pretty big tab though, which was not corrected. But we had lots of leftovers.