Have you tried this hidden gem on the east hill of Magnolia? I had the chance to stop in for lunch and got the opportunity to meet the owners and sample some great food!
It began with a Christmas gift. Carlos Vasquez (who has more than 20 years in the restaurant business), wanted to surprise his wife, Josefina Chavez, with her dream present; a restaurant. He got the space on Thorndyke, readied the kitchen and even commissioned artist Renae to create murals with her image. When the day arrived, he gave her a set of keys and drove her to the restaurant, named after her, of course.
Thrilled with her gift, Josefina now cooks in her dream restaurant.
Their expansive menu has everything from carnitas to chiles rellenos. The space is cozy and friendly, and the food is reasonably priced. I had the Molcajete, chicken, steak, nopal cactus, and chorizo cooked over flames and served on a hot rock plate. It came with rice, beans, salsa, queso fresco and homemade corn tortillas. It was delicious and I had leftovers for two meals.
Josefina’s
2818 Thorndyke Ave W
206.216.1078
open 11am-pm Monday-Sunday
What is your favorite place to eat in Magnolia?
Thank you for featuring this great but small eatery. The food is fresh the fish tacos great and the lunch specials priced too low.
They are friendly, the place is clean and once you have tried it you will be a fan. Save a table for me!
This place is indeed a hidden gem. It’s surprisingly authentic Mexican fare for Seattle. Less Americanized than El Ranchon. We loved it. The owners are very nice, too.
Awesome Awesome Awesome Food!!!!
so good! stopped to get Pho but when I smelled what was coming out of there I had to stop. Got an order to go, had a shot of Patron while I waited, & was thrilled when I got home.
Having lived in California so long I had pretty much given up on eating Mexican food here in Seattle. Oaxaca in Ballard was interesting, but the parking problematical when meeting friends. Josefina’s was an A+ experience for us today. The food was complex enough to be worth spending the money, the corn tortillas especially were well made and the mole just right. We will definitely return. The owner was so eager to please and kept bringing out fresh homemade salsa for us. Parking was free and easy. Thanks for the tip.
I ate here once for dinner and while the food was very good the portions were awfully large for me. Thanks for reminding me of this place and I would like to try the lunch menu and hope the portions are smaller. I am in my 50’s and I am done with stuffing myself to death anymore.
I love Josefina’s. The owners try their hardest to please their customers and it shows.
Guess I’ll have to go elsewhere to learn how late they’re open.
The best chili rellenos in Seattle