El Puerco Lloron - (206) 624-0541

It was New Year's Day so places without long waits were slim pickings. We stumbled upon this place on the Pike Hill Climb and it looked SO CUTE with the little license plate lanterns and colorful tables. Plus, the aroma of fresh corn tortillas seemed too good to resist. The menu is fairly simple, 10 dishes to choose from written on a chalk board...most (maybe all) under $10. I ordered the carne asada and proceeded to the apparent "salsa bar" to get napkins, water, forks, and salsa. There were three types of salsa - one looked like pickled veggies, another a pureed tomato mixture with seeds, and the third a chunky salsa. I took the latter two. Unfortunately, half of the salsa dishes had residual, baked on food from not being properly cleaned so I had to choose dishes carefully. We paid extra for tortilla chips, that I expected to be fresh but they were pretty stale. The pureed salsa tasted like it was heavily ketchup-based and the chunky salsa had pieces of onion in it that were larger than three pencil erasers put together - that's a lot of onion) but it was decent if I just picked out the tomatos and ate them. My carne asada was ready so I went to the counter to pick it up. When I returned to the table and looked at the masterpiece, the smell was just overwhelming. Not only had she slightly burned the fatty, thinly sliced steak, but it gave off an odor that I can't explain - but it almost gagged me. The smell was kind of like the game-iest meat but spoiled (think super gamey venison that has been left out too long and then cooked). I vowed to try it in case it tasted better than it smelled (as many stinky cheeses do) but alas, it tasted exactly like it smelled. I can honestly say that it was the worst meat I have ever had at a restaurant. The accompanying rice and beans were nothing to write home about - not a lot of flavor, but mostly edible. I wanted so much to love this place but it was awful. I vote to rename it: el llanto humano or el llanto de estomago.

it's true, the tortillas here are awesome! el puerco lloron is an amazing, casual mexican joint right near the pike place market. some might say it's tricky to find, but not really. it's on the hillclimb beneath the market. basically, just go down the stairs right by the golden pig in the market and keep going down (cross western). it's worth the search! el puerco is not open late - come before 7 sun-thur, 8 on fri & sat. ps - all dishes are under $8 - what a steal!

If your idea of Mexican food is something smothered in cheese, don't bother with El Puerco Lloron, you will be disappointed. However if you've eaten at that little locals' place in somewhere Mexico, and loved it, then step right in. This is simple good food, and traditional. This is the closest I've found to my Sister-in-Law's cooking (my brother married into a Mexican family). It's nothing fancy, there are no waiters, the staff with the exception of the cashier generally speaks only Spanish. In a word it's GREAT!