I came here for a “Seattle Eats” Meetup, and we got a sampling of happy hour appetizers to share. Casuelita’s has a very small bar space downstairs and a larger dining area upstairs. Our group sat in a large private room in the back. The entire restaurant/bar was dimly lit, and neatly decorated with an eclectic mix of artwork.

The service was just mediocre, perhaps because of our large group and our location in the back room. The waitstaff wasn’t prompt with the water and kept forgetting who ordered what, even when the order was just a single drink.

Overall the food was pretty good, though it’s definitely a mixed bag – some things were great and others I’d never order again. Given the ambiance and the nice happy hour specials that go til 7pm, I’d definitely come back to try other things.

Casuelita’s is easy to miss when you’re driving by so be vigilent for the small door at the corner. The parking during happy hour (4-6) was pretty good, just make sure to pay the meter. Once you walk in the first thing you see is a smallish bar but there’s a much larger second floor that has a very spacious back room that you can use for private events.

The food was good and varied, but not as flavorful as I thought it would be…maybe false expectations? The standouts here are the rum-based drinks – they really don’t skimp on the rum. They have all kinds of rum flavors and plenty of mixed drinks that are truly tasty and potent. Next time I come here I’m getting the rum flight (which isn’t discounted during happy hour). If you like rum, you gotta check it out.

Nice atmosphere for lunch, definitely different from the usual Belltown fare.

Food had plenty of spices but really no heat.

I never tried Caribbean before, so I accepted this cool idea soon after my friend made this proposal.

Located off the corner in vine and western, it’s very easy to find and park. It looks small from outside, but has quite a lot of space inside. The table was slightly dimmed and decoration was warm and hospitable.

Food was spiced up with some chilly pepper, much stronger than I imagined. Not sure from where the Caribbean food was originated, but I had a feeling that they have some Asian and Indian influence. This might help explain why I enjoyed it more than other exotic cuisine. Portion is generous, sharing entrée could be a good choice if want to try more.

The only complain I would have is the noise from bar as getting late. I wish they could have separated the bar area from dinning or maybe played more background music.