Seattle does a dead-on Baja impersonation in this color-washed cool breeze of a beach café at the UW edge of Portage Bay. A healthy emphasis reigns, from environmentally friendly and good-for-you foods (hormone-free beef, sustainably caught fish) to an impressive array of vegetarian and vegan options. There's even a kayak rental outfit downstairs for working off the carbs. But hedonists take heart, for Agua Verde serves up a high “yum” quotient. Tacos—three to an order—feature inventive combos like yams and chilies with cotija cheese, or cod fried in coconut-beer tempura and served with shredded cabbage and avocado cream. Rum and tequila flow through this gringo-happy joint like the California Current—to particularly friendly effect in the tart Mexican lime margarita—which makes scoring a deck table on sunny summer afternoons a lesson in patience. So is waiting for your waiter—that blur over there working very hard and still never quite getting to you. A newer location brings a limited menu to the Kirkland waterfront.