Ixtapa

We really enjoy visiting our local Ixtapa! My wife and I love to support our local community by eating as close to home as possible. We always have fun at Ixtapa the food the drinks are always tasty. Of course the margaritas are awesome! This trip in I decided to veer from my standard arroz con pollo for the fish tacos. Wow was I happy I made the subtitution!! The fish tasted great and nicely done not overcooked not dried out. It was just as it should be. The slaw is tasty the flour tortillas were warm. I added fresh avocado and a generous squeeze of lime that really brought home the flavor!! My dinner partner went for the carne asada with the poblano chili relleno. Soooo good!! Lots of good flavors and large portions!! The staff is friendly and greets you with a smile! With a choice between the bar that's to the left and around the corner can be a fun hideaway to enjoy dinner or drinks with your Amigos. The dining room is comfortable and adorned in traditional Mexican art and colors makes you feel warm inside!! So make the scenic drive out to Carnation and enjoy some delicious Mexican comfort food!!

Service was great! Servers are very attentive. Food is really good! Their salsa is homemade and really good. Their steak fajitas and enchiladas were fire! Definitely a lot of food so I took the rest home and perfect lunch for tomorrow.

5 years later and Ixtapa in Carnation is still going strong with wonderful service and great value. Not well known is their Happy Hour menu in the bar it ends at 6 PM, but have you heard of $4 tacos (you get 2)? They have an entire HR menu plus discounted drinks, the only downside is that the bar is small, so seats fill quickly but the people are friendly so its a good chance to chat.I had the wings, not your traditional buffalo wings these are definitely Mexican style which make for a great change of pace.

There's 'delicious.'And then there's - DELICIOUS *drool*There's something magical about when food is done exceptionally well. It's like when every instrument in an orchestra is perfectly tuned and the resulting music is, well, *magic.*The fresh salsa and chips (on the house) are hits right off the bat. The salsa is sexy, juicy, and bright with lots of lime, cilantro, and sweet acidity from the tomatoes. Ya girl ordered the Tres Cunedos, and damn, I am happy that I did. After hiking all morning at nearby Tolt MacDonald, I was hungry. Chile verde - this was perfection. The pork was tender and the sauce was impeccably balanced and comforting to the palate. The chili relleno? Ugh SO GOOD. I wish more places prepared chili relleno like they do, more egg (a little extra browned on the edges), less cheese and sauce. And the chili rojo - damn this reminded me so much of 'beef stew' in Hawaii and gosh, this was incredibly nostalgic.Someone's abuelita must be cooking in the back because this food hit differently than any Mexican place I've been to this far. And abuelita must be running a tight ship cuz service was incredibly speedy. Food was ready 10 min within order. Sangria - I want bottles of this. This was a wonderful drink pairing to my meal. Summer in a glass. Memories about this place will always bring me joy because I am reminded of the magic of *true* deliciousness. 'Deliciousness' is not created equal. It's rare to find a gem like Ixtapa that hits all the notes perfectly. Oh, and if perfect food wasn't enough, customer service was leagues above. This location should do a master class on hospitality and restaurant service. Seriously, Bravo Ixtapa!

Decided to get out of the city and try someplace new. I used to know someone who claim Ixtapa had the best Mexican food. That was the Duvall location which I'm not sure is still standing 20 years later. I've never been to this area before, certainly off the beaten path and when you consider all roads in and out are about 25mph, it's tedious drive. The salsa did not impress, far too tart, they did have a hotter salsa. It was much better, but still needed some salt and still lacked a true Mexican kick. The food itself was impressive. The enchiladas were the best I've had in some time, the rice was also good. The beans were a bit overblended, they were almost creamy. Thumbs up on the entree, but they need to boost their salsa game. Price were reasonable and at some point I'll make a point to return, hopefully with clear roads cutting drive time in half.

Wonderful, wonderful wonderful food. Great waitstaff and very friendly environment. Huge portions. I highly recommend.

Clsssic small town a Mexican restaurant. Fun, dependable, tasty. It's our family restaurant and we love it.always great and fast service every single time. Absolutely what u would expect for inside of a fantastic Mexican restaurant would look like. We will forever recommend this place.

It has great drinks, great food, great staff... It has ALL THE THINGS!! Very cozy and a great place to spend with a small or large party.

Food and service are both amazing. everyone gets complimentary chips and salsa when they first sit down

I was a little hesitant to visit this location. We'd tried the one in Duvall but it doesn't seem Ben compare. The carnation location wins my vote for terrific food. The restaurant is small but they do a great job seating you asap. They give you chips/salsa to start, delish! The salsa has a little kick to it but totally tolerable. I ordered the Pollo a la crema and my boyfriend had the Deluxe Enchilada with beef. We were both impressed with the flavors and how good everything was.Carnation is a small town and the offerings are limited but if you want Mexican food definitely go to this location!