If you had asked me to find the best nachos in Seattle five years ago, I would’ve been at a loss for words. You see, I only started loving nachos late in life…probably thanks to many years of late-night pub crawls in my early 20s. Ever since, I’ve been on the hunt to find the best nachos in the city.
The hard part about finding the best nachos in Seattle is that so many restaurants try to do them, but they’re surprisingly hard to get right. For me, a perfect plate of nachos comes down to a balance of ingredients, varying textures, and the right ratio of toppings to chips.
Nachos are a pub grub and Mexican food staple, though I think you’ll be surprised by some of the players on this list. To save you from the tragedy that is a plate of flabby nachos, I’ve come up with a roundup of Seattle’s best nacho spots.
Best Nachos in Seattle
Save this to Pinterest for later because I’ll add more of my favorite nacho spots as I discover them!
Tio Baby’s
website | neighborhood: Fremont (get directions) | best for: bar grub and queso nachos
Tio Baby’s made it on the list of my favorite comfort food spots in Seattle, namely for their nachos. The queso is one of the best in the city, and I love that you can pick up on the corn flavor even with all the fixings.
Besides queso, the nachos at Tio Baby’s come with melty cheese, pico de gallo, scallions, smoked tomato, and crema. You can also add meat to them, but last time we went the pork shoulder was a bit dry. And honestly the dish doesn’t need it.
What makes Tio Baby’s nachos spectacular is the construction. They aren’t piled high, but rather spread in a thin layer on tin foil and then put in the broiler. This means every chip retains its crispiness and gets its fair share of toppings.
Some Random Bar
website | neighborhood: Belltown (get directions) | best for: crab nachos
Aptly named, Some Random Bar serves up New American classic bar foods like chicken wings, garlic pull-apart bread, tacos, and two types of nachos: crab and machaca beef. It’s got a nonchalant neighborhood bar vibe, but the mason jar lighting and from-scratch menu remind you you’re still in the Emerald City.
We ordered the crab nachos that came with a lot of crab and caramelized onions, which added a pleasant sweet flavor. It had a queso-esque white cheddar cheese sauce, avocado, lime, sour cream, aleppo pepper, and a super pronounced cilantro pesto. Their texture game was on point since the homemade chips added plenty of crunch and balanced nicely with the tender crab.
El Grito
website | neighborhood: South Lake Union (get directions) | best for: fully loaded nachos
El Grito is a Mexican restaurant on busy Fairview Ave alongside some of the best restaurants in South Lake Union. You’ll find a lot of classic dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas, but the must-get here are the nachos.
These are seriously some of the best nachos in Seattle. Like Tio Baby’s they’re laid flat so all the chips get covered in goodness. And I mean covered. There are a ton of black beans, fried jalapeño, pico de gallo, two types of cheeses, and an addictive crema that tastes almost like ranch.
You can also add marinated steak tenderloin, chicken tinga, chorizo, or prickly pear cactus. We got the steak and loved the thick, high-quality cut of the meat that was still super tender.
But the best part of the dish was the complex flavor provided by the deep red adobo sauce. I haven’t seen many nachos with such a heavy hand of earthy chili sauce like this, but I absolutely loved it. Especially when you got a bite paired with the zingy crema, these nachos provide a party of flavors in your mouth that fit with the restaurant’s fun ambiance.
King Leroy’s
website | neighborhood: South Lake Union (get directions) | best for: fully loaded nachos
King Leroy’s was a late addition to this list, but I found myself there a few days before writing this and so ordered their fully-loaded nachos. They were served similarly to Tio Baby’s on a mini baking sheet with all the toppings evenly spread over a thin layer, so they get points for good construction.
Toppings wise, the nachos came with melted cheese and queso, green onions, pico de gallo, and a jalapeño relish. We added spicy ground beef that could have used more heat because it wasn’t very spicy.
But the best part of these nachos was the combination of tajin seasoning and a super lime-y crema. It reminded me of a margarita, but in nacho form. I’ve never seen that before and that’s a shame, as the acidity it added made these nachos feel somehow lighter than they typically do.
Pro tip: I’d stick to the nachos and beer here, as I got a fried chicken sandwich that was severely overcooked. Check out my guide to the best fried chicken in Seattle instead.
Poquitos
website | neighborhoods: Capitol Hill (get directions) & Bothell (get directions) | best for: Mexican nachos
Poquitos is a slightly more upscale, but still approachable Mexican joint. It’s got San Antonio vibes with a bright interior covered in ironwork and vibrant tiling.
The nachos appetizer comes with house chips fried in rice oil along with beans, melted Monterey, jalapeño queso, pickled onion, jalapeño, chipotle crema, cotija cheese, guacamole, and cilantro.
The last time I went, they would put a layer of cheese on the bottom of a skillet that would get a little crunchy and a little queso-y. It was a really pivotal moment that helped change my mind about nachos in Seattle and started me on this adventure of finding the best versions in the city.
Bimbos Cantina
website | neighborhood: Capitol Hill (get directions) | best for: vegan nachos
Bimbos is a funky Mexican cantina with quirky wrestler decor, street tacos, delicious margaritas, and a full menu dedicated to some of the best vegan eats in Seattle. Shockingly, it’s the vegan nachos that put them on this list.
With a velvety vegan “cheese” sauce, pico de gallo, jalapeños, and your choice of vegan beef or chicken, you’d honestly never be able to tell it was entirely meat-free. While they do have non-vegan nachos on the menu (which come with cheese and your choice of chicken, beef, or carnitas), the owner, Jeff, has made it clear they want to offer their vegan customers the same quality of food.
S/T Hooligans
website | neighborhood: Fremont (get directions) | best for: Creole cuisine & Hooligans nachos
S/T Hooligans is one of the best restaurants in Fremont for their unique take on Creole/Southern food classics like gumbo, shrimp ‘n grits, and fried chicken. They also unexpectedly have one of the best burgers in Seattle.
As for the nachos, the Hooligan nachos come piled high with house-fried chips and layers of cheese, super juicy pork, four salsa options, and crema. My favorite part is the roasted habanero-mango salsa which is somehow delightfully sweet but still the perfect amount of heat.
Considering Hooligans has earned a spot in three of my articles for various dishes, it’s no wonder they’re one of the best five star restaurants in Seattle.
Fogón Cocina Mexicana
website | neighborhood: Capitol Hill (get directions) | best for: ½ order nachos with shredded beef
Fogón was first put on my my radar when I noticed they are one of the few Mexican spots that make the best ceviche in Seattle. I’ve continued to come back for that, the laidback vibe, and generous portions of nachos.
When I say generous, I mean it. The ½ order is huge so I’ve never even tried to conquer the full order. I get the shredded beef on top, which is slow-cooked in a subtle chili sauce that’s juicy and slightly tinted red. Beans, cheese, crema, guacamole, and fresh veg cover the plate, but they don’t really layer so you might have to use a fork to make sure you get a bit of everything.
Rosita’s
website | neighborhood: Green Lake (get directions) | best for: super nachos & housemade guac
Rosita’s is a spacious family-friendly Mexican spot with a big menu, including self-proclaimed “super nachos.” Trust me, they live up to the hype. These are some knife and fork nachos, which is not a title I just fling around.
I got the ½ order which was still huge. The wealth of fixings on top make the nachos wonderfully soggy, and the old-school ground beef has comforting flavors like a warm hug. The fixings include melted cheese, refried beans, and a generous portion of housemade guac. I like to set aside the salsa verde they bring out when you sit down and add that to the nachos since it has the perfect amount of tang and a touch of heat.
Jack’s BBQ
website | neighborhoods: South Lake Union (get directions), Downtown (get directions) & SoDo (get directions) | best for: Texas-style nachos with beef brisket
Jack’s BBQ is a Seattle-based Texas BBQ chain that specializes in slow-roasted BBQ with no-frills sides and a lengthy list of libations. I wouldn’t have thought to order the nachos since most people visit for their BBQ plates, but after one bite I realized it was the secret home run on their menu.
The grande nachos come with your choice of beef brisket, chicken, or pork. I always get the beef brisket which comes out in big, succulent pieces that fall apart effortlessly. On top of the beef is a huge portion of beans, green onions, and a layer of melted cheese. Pico de gallo, sour cream, and queso are also crammed on the side of the tray for your dipping pleasure, making this one hell of a delightful belly bomb.
Spice Waala
website | neighborhoods: Ballard (get directions) & Capitol Hill (get directions) | best for: Indian chaat nachos
Spice Waala’s nachos are not what I think of when I think of nachos, but they’re one of my favorite Indian spots in Seattle, and the chaat nachos so good they deserve an honorable mention.
Instead of tortilla chips, the base of the nachos is fluffy fried chips that are crunchy and perfectly salted. They’re topped with sweet yogurt, tamarind, cilantro chutney, cilantro, raw white onions, beets, and fried chickpea batter. It’s layered with flavor and totally unlike any nachos I’ve ever had.
More to try in Seattle
After you make your way through this list of the best nachos in Seattle, check out my other guides to eating your way through the city.
