Cora y Huichol

best ceviche in Portland. Period.

As we walked up the aroma coming from the truck was a good sign. We tried their carnitas, pescado and pollo tacos and of course the $ 2.95 ceviche. Definitely impressed — the pork was warm, moist, and flavorful, and the fish and shrimp tasted fresh. How can you not like friendly service, warm HANDMADE tortillas, spanish-​speaking clientele, amazing homemade chili sauces and $ 1.25/per taco price? Some people go out to eat for the food and ambience, we go out to eat for the FOOD.

Cora y Huichol is still good even if the Cora and the Huichol have moved on.
The new family running the place is friendly and really engaging. They have also kept up the quality of the food, including the hand-​made tortillas.

Carnitas Sope. I’m serious.
Because not only do these lovely folks make their tortillas to order, they make their sopes and likely everything else corn based too.
Sopes for the uninitiated, are thicker than tortillas, slightly crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside and here, at Cora y Huichol, they are piled high with lettuce, avacado, meat of choice, onions and crema (sour cream). Satisfaction.
I highly recommend the carnitas. This tastes authentic. In Mexico, they make carnitas in huge copper pots of boiling oil, so that there are crispy bits and tender bits, and it all melts in your mouth. And these may be the closest I have found to date.
The tacos are good too, I usely don’t eat burritos at Mexican carts, but I am betting they are tasty as well.

WOW. This place is a flavor explosion! The burritos aren’t huge but they are very tasty! It comes with a side of avocado and tomatoes? I can’t remember. I also tried 3 different tacos. Al pastor was very tender and well seasoned, the carne asada was very chewy and difficult to eat, and the pollo was tender but lacked some flavor. The tortilla was very soft and fresh. I loved the hot sauce/​salsa options. They were all very good.
Next time I want to try the ceviche.

Mea Culpa.
I’m doing a complete 180 on Cora y Huichol.
I just had one of the best cart-​burritos ever from Cora, and it’s making me SO glad I decided to give it a second shot.
I just enjoyed an exquisitely-​flavored al pastor burrito with grilled onions. It wasn’t huge for the $ 4.50, but what it lacked in size it made up for in explosive flavor. The savory, succulent pork in a tasty sauce with sweet grilled onions, wrapped in a fresh tortilla with some sour cream and god knows what else (I was too busy being blissed out to notice) was simply amazing. I just ordered a pastor burrito, straight up, and it came perfectly appointed — no beans, no rice, lettuce on the outside with a slice of fresh avo, some pickled jalapeños, and some of the best salsa roja I’ve tried outside of Giovanni’s.
Seriously. I’m floored. This a FAR cry from what I experienced last time. I would chalk it up to new ownership, but the ownership is the same. Maybe I just ordered wrong last time, but I today I have seen the light.
Damn. Fucking delicious burrito.

Did a quick hit n run here after reading some good rave reviews on other food pages. On a recommendation, I ordered the ceviche and was glad I did. It is absolutely delicious and fresh AND is a huge portion for only 2.95. Crazy cheap and good. I have to come back for the meat tacos. I was in a hurry, so got them to go and by the time I got back to work, the tortillas were mushy, but flavors seemed to be good, particularly the carnitas, which were crisp and rich with flavor.
Next time you are wandering the paradise setting of SE 82^nd and Holgate, pop in for a bite. Very authentic, cheap and loads better than average. With the proliferation of taco trucks in town, it pays to do some research for the good ones and Cora y Huichol is a winner.

I have been here a few times now and enjoyed the flavors a lot —
This is more traditional Mexican place, their clientele looks to be mostly local Mexican workers and their name «Cora y Huichol» — is more a nod to the indigenous, tribal people of Central Mexico than it is to modern Mexico… I say all this because their focus is very much native Mexicans, their tastes and perhaps a bit of nostalgia for pre-​conquest flavors.
With that said, their food tends to have fewer ingredients and a different spice balance than what is common here. There seems to be little cheese or sour cream and much more meat and rice. For more robust flavors, be sure to experiment with their salsa varieties to find the right mix for your meal.
I found their Carnitas to be very tasty with little spice needed —
The chicken was not super flavorful, but not bad at all —
Their Cabeza (listed in English as beef cheeks) seemed extremely tasty, but pretty greasy…
Their ceviche is probably the best I have ever found in the states for less that $ 4.
Their sandwiches are probably deadly in the long run, but very tasty. They toast/​fry the bread on a skillet, and then fill the sandwich with jalapeños, so it has this crispy/​buttery/​spicy/​meaty combination that is delicious. I’d hate to know the salt/​fat content of one of those, but it’s wicked good, regardless.
The burrito seems fairly plain without any major flavor, and there is very little dairy content… this may be because this isn’t really a traditional food in the «Cora y Huichol» world. I’d recommend a lot of salsa to spice it up.
All in all, I think this is a great little cart, but I feel its best to approach it in its neo-​indigenous context than expect it to be too close to the flavors us gringos know and love.