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Everything We Ate on the Cantina Monarca Menu in Bellevue

This new restaurant in Bellevue serves up "a modern take on traditional Mexican Cuisine," with a menu that you're going to want to try.

 

You're going to want to make Cantina Monarca reservations. This new Bellevue Mexican restaurant offers "a modern take on traditional Mexican cuisine" with a dining room designed by renowned architect Gulla Jonsdottir. Go with a group and order variety of plates to share.



The Cantina Monarca Bellevue menu boasts over 100 tequilas, as well as Instaworthy drinks including the Cadillac Fog and Bebesota. Notable menu items include the Truffle Potato Taquitos, Queso Fundido, and nearly a dozen gourmet tacos. Unfortunately a Cantina Monarca Bellevue happy hour doesn't exist, but may be introduced in the future.


What We Ate on the Cantina Monarca Menu

The Cantina Monarca menu is relatively large with a variety of options for all tastes and preferences. We started with a round of drinks including the attention-getting Bebesota, which the server lights afire while sprinkling cinnamon from overhead. The result is an exciting and fiery drink that "sparkles" as the flames touch each fleck of cinnamon.


Another popular drink is the Cadillac Fog, which billows with a "fog" as your server combines ingredients at the table from beakers. Again, this is another drink that was certainly made to be captured on Instagram or Tiktok. At $24 and $25 respectively, these aren't your average cocktails. We later moved on to order a flight of margaritas at $24 for your choice of three relatively small glasses. We opted to try the La Pasion, Spicy Pepino, and Mamacita, all delicious.


Flight of margaritas from the Cantina Monarca menu in Bellevue, WA

For appetizers, we ordered Cantina Monarca's Queso Fundido, as well as the Truffle Potato Taquitos. The queso was warm and cheesy with a small amount of acidity that worked really well to balance the heavy cheese. The Truffle Potato Taquitos is a must-order for anyone visitng the restaurant for the first time.


As our server brought entrees, we realized how full the restaurant had become, with every table filled and a crowd growing outside. We had an early reservation, and reservations are highly recommended to ensure you have a table without excessive waiting.



Our entrees were two gourmet tacos, one pastor and the other wagyu chingon. The pastor chicken was slightly dry, but the salsa and purple onion cilantro relish provided a balance that helped the overall dish. The wagyu steak, on the other hand, was perfectly cooked and had a nice heat from the habanero salsa.



Tacos from the Cantina Monarca menu, a new Bellevue Mexican restaurant

For our final savory course, our servers brought Enchiladas Divorciadas, a mixture of chicken and queso wrapped in tortillas and served swimming in a delious pool of tomato-based sauce. The richness of the sauce was nicely balanced by fresh onion and cilantro served atop the dish, and drizzled with crema.





Cantina Monarca, a New Mexican restaurant in the Greater Seattle area located in downtown Bellevue

Finally, for dessert we ordered Arroz con Leche, one of the highlights of the entire meal. This Mexican rice pudding was lightly sweetened and dotted with candied pumpkin seeds, a nice texture to bite into that contrasted with the soft and creamy rice pudding. The "mariposas," or touille butterflies garnishing the dish were a nice lighthearted touch to the dish.


What we ordered for dessert from the Cantina Monarca Menu in Bellevue, a New Mexican restaurant

While the price tag might sting, Cantina Monarca delivers an unforgettable dining experience that you're sure to think about long after the meal. The innovative and fun cocktails are sure to delight regardless of price, and the flavorful food satisfies every craving. Whether you're looking for a fun night out with friends or a unique date night destination, Cantina Monarca is a must-try in downtown Bellevue. Just be prepared to splurge a bit, as this is not your average Mexican restaurant, and be sure to make a reservation.


Cantina Monarca: Website | Menu | Reservations

Cantina Monarca Phone Number: 425-531-7206


Inside Cantina Monarca, a new restaurant in Bellevue serving Mexican food

If you make Cantina Monarca Bellevue reservations, you'll be glad you did. Without reservations, the wait time could be up to an hour for a table. Regardless of whether you sit upstairs or downstairs, both areas have a great atmosphere.



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