Marcela’s Will Soon Be No More

Written by: rebecca and filed Under Blog, Issaquah Highlands, Retail Development |

Issaquah Highlands will soon be without one of it’s good old standbys where the owner knew your name and always greeted you with a warm and heartfelt smile. Sometime in December, Marcela, daughter of the late Wenceslao Anaya, sold Marcela’s to a new owner. The new owner, Julian Ramos, currently operates Las Margaritas in Redmond and is now in the process of expanding his empire.

I am truly sad to see Marcela leave our community. I feel for her and her family, having lost a beloved family member so soon after trying to open up a restaurant. I wish her and her family well and future success.

As for the introduction of Las Margaritas to our community (or whatever guise Julian wants to put it under), I am hesitant. I would have hoped for another establishment such as Pesos or Cactus that is a small chain with a location in Alki, Madison Park and Kirkland. My hope for whatever becomes of Marcela’s is that the new owner will make substantial changes to the layout so as to make it feel more inviting and less like a cafeteria. In my opinion this was what hurt Marcela’s. Adding some atmosphere and a bar would be a huge improvement.

In addition, this new development has caused quite a stir in the community (must be a resident to gain access). People are very sad to see Marcela go. She really made Marcela’s, what was otherwise a mediocre restaurant, into a place that you looked forward to going - with or without kids in tow. In addition, quite a few members of the community, myself included, are not looking forward to the transformation from a somewhat unique Mexican restaurant into another franchise of less than impressive Mexi-American food.

Some of the immediate changes you will notice are:

No more happy hour
Expanded menu of less than impressive dishes
Service that is worse than Marcela’s ever was

The deal is not completely done yet as the sale isn’t set to close until the middle of February and a new lease needs to be approved by Port Blakely /Opus. So if you feel as strongly about this as others, I would encourage you to reach out to Judd Kirk and let him know how you feel. We are the only ones that can affect change.

Comments

4 Responses to “Marcela’s Will Soon Be No More”

Karen on January 10th, 2008 8:52 am

To add to your “immediate changes” list above:

The salsa has changed.

No more green salsa, and the red is super-salty and just like that of all the other Mexican restaurant chains.

The new owners have apparently just steamrolled all Marcela’s family recipes? They are alienating the many regular customers that chose Marcela for the food and the remarkable salsa. This is the only place I would eat Mexican food east of Ballard. I am crushed!!!
rebecca on January 10th, 2008 10:24 pm

I remain hopeful that the new owner will listen to the feedback and make it a wonderful place to come.
Mike Utskot on January 24th, 2008 11:22 pm

Some of the less immediate changes you will notice:

- Still terrible Mexican food

(Coming from a previous resident of Texas who has made several trips south of the border)

Seriously, don’t waste your time. The food at both establishments is horrible. “Tortilla soup” shouldn’t taste like Campbell’s chicken noodle, but maybe that’s just me…
jeremy on January 25th, 2008 12:57 pm

Issaquah is a far cry from any area that is in close proximity to our neighbors to the South. I just want to throw that out and recognize that it is almost impossible to get the same quality food that you can get in Texas or So-Cal. Not impossible but almost.

That said, I have to agree with you Mike. There was only one dish at Marcella’s I marginally liked.

But like Rebecca, I do remain hopeful - emphasis on the hopeful - that the new owners can make it better. Places like La Venadita in Issaquah give me some ray of hope that there is good (not great) Mexican food to be had. If a small shop can do it, I would think that someone with more resources ($$$) can do it. It just takes a commitment to quality and not the bottom line.

Thoughts?