Puerta Del Sol

Great place and we will go back anytime. Good service and chill spot but best of all is the food is awesome. The closest we can find to So Cal Mexican food they just need some super fires now.

Cold stale chips. Salsa was more like ketchup.
Centers of both my gf’s chimichangas and and my enchiladas were cold (this only happens when food is microwaved, which was confirmed by the beep I unmistakable beep I heard coming from the kitchen)
Refried beans on side obviously canned and with cold cheap cheddar cheese on them.
With two good taquerias down the street I won’t go back here.
I can appreciate american style mexican family restaurants and more authentic taco-​truck-​esque joints, but this failed at both.

Stopped in for lunch. Not bad. We were the only ones for awhile. Since it was so nice out, we opted to sit outside on the tiny deck/​patio. There are about three tables total.
Menu has very fair prices, especially for lunch.
I ordered the steak fajitas. They came out chicken, but out server quickly fixed the situation. I wouldn’t have minded the chicken, but she insisted on fixing it. The steak tasted a little better than the chicken.
J ordered the fajita burrito which was enormous. Plenty big enough for two meals.
Our server was sweet and took care of us well. Even made us some hotter salsa.
Glad we stopped in to try it. Everything was good, just wasn’t blown away by anything in particular.
Would probably return if in the area.

They were straight. I went there on a Sunday, not busy. Service was proper, prices good, food reminded me of the neighborhoods that white folk wouldn’t frequent in LA, that I loved :-) It’s good :-)

It’s not fancy, but the food is good and you’ll feel like you ate at a real local Mexican restaurant. I’ll be there again.

Overall I liked this place a lot. My boyfriend and I stopped there for a late lunch on a saturday and it was practically empty, just us and a group of guys watching a soccer game after their lunch. I waitress was pleasant, and I’d we got exactly as much service as needed. She visited us enough to feel comfortable, but not so much as to be distracting. Their complimentary chips and salsa were pretty good, the chips a little hard, but the salsa tasty and flavorful without being overly spicy. We both got burritos, vegetarian and chicken, and we couldn’t even finish them! Overall it was a nice yummy lunch, but the best part was it was so cheap. It came to $ 16 with two sodas, two burritos, and chips. We were going to go the chinese restaurant down the street but I’m really glad we went to Puerta del Sol instead.

This place is great! Fairly authentic, cheap, appears to be a family operation. I’ve spent several years hanging around this neighborhood (parents live nearby) but I’ve never actually been here until now. I was having some work done on my car at Bobby and Steve’s next door and decided to go grab a bite to pass the time. Wandered into Puerta del Sol purely on a whim and was not disappointed.
First off, I’d like to clarify that this review is based purely off the fact that my tab came out to twelve dollars. You can’t beat that. Pricier places will serve the same food and I might have been pickier at one of those but for $ 12, this place is a guilty pleasure!
The waitress greeted me with a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa which was yummy. I ordered a fresh strawberry smoothie for $ 4 and a combo platter for $ 8. In my combo platter, I opted for a chicken tamale, a pork tamale and a cheese enchilada. They came with beans and rice and a little bit of salad (mostly for garnish). I thoroughly enjoyed it all! The tamales were delicious although not necessarily the best. I preferred the chicken tamale to the pork one. The pork tamale was a tad on the dry side but still good, the chicken one was just a little spicier and better seasoned. The enchilada was delicious (though always a safe bet).
It was pretty slow when I walked in (530pm weekday). It was just me and two Hispanic families, plus one lady sippin’ a beer on the patio. I appreciate the fact that the local Hispanic community will eat here. They don’t have money to burn so its not like they would still come if it wasn’t good.
However, the service was variable. At times, she was gone for chunks at a time, other times, she was stopping by every few minutes. I think is due to the fact that it’s run like a typical small business– they keep costs down by minimizing staff. I think the entire staff that night consisted of the cook, the hostess and the waitress. Meaning the waitress was probably helping with prep work in the back or something when she wasn’t out working the tables. As long as you’re not a high maintenance customer, I don’t see this as a problem. All the better for conversation. My order was done withing ten minutes so its nothing to get your panties in bunch over. Both the waitress and hostess were Hispanic but I don’t feel like this was an issue as they were clearly bilingual and it really adds to the feel of things too. But maybe that’s just me, I just wouldn’t feel right ordering tamales from blonde chic.
I’m definitely a fan. Certainly better than La Casita down the street from which I once got food poisoning from just the nachos and paid twice as much. Puerta del Sol also a has «gringo» section of the menu which features burgers and such so you can bring your picky kid or unadventurous friend along too.
Overall, this a great find. Kind of divvy, but tasty, cheap and overall satisfying. If you’re looking for a place to eat and kill time while waiting for your car at Bobby & Steve’s this is a pretty good option. A great value for your money and definitely worth your patronage.
Just a quick side note in regards to the other reviews: Flan is supposed to be served cold, and it’s not realistic to expect to get good seafood 2000 miles away from the ocean for $ 8. It’s kind of like bowling alley sushi: might taste okay but its not for the weak stomached :-P

We had talked about this place several times, as I drive by it every day on my way to and from work. We have been looking for an authentic mexican restaurant that was close to us for some time. and I happened to get a coupon at work for 50% off our entire bill on customer appreciation day. yay, finally!
i take that back.
We get there, and I told my boyfriend to not to have high expectations for service. Our server took awhile to come over… maybe like 5 – 7 min. for her to acknowledge our presence in a nearly empty restaurant. She barely spoke english… which is usually fine because she seemed to understand what we wanted and we acknowledged our orders. sorry, i took spanish in high school. I don’t feel right using it 5 years later.
the waitress took our order. I ordered the mexican barbocoa burrito and my boyfriend the 2 taco dinner with ground beef. the dinner is supposed to come with rice and beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream. we also got a quesadilla to share. Oh and the coke. She didn’t really understand, and it took her a long time to bring it. She seemed distracted, but there weren’t really many customers to be distracted with. The couple next to us were also getting irritated because her service was terrible. So we wait. and we wait. and wait. and wait some more. I think it was at 45 minutes we actually got our food. she had come over once and told us it would be right out.
the quesadilla was actually really good. no complaints.
I got a burrito, and it was steak. nothing barbocoa about it. but i didn’t really know what that meant anyway. but i didn’t order a steak burrito. It also came with beans and rice. My boyfriends plate consisted of 3 small tortillas filled with ground steak, not hamburger, and without all his fixings. We pointed this out to her, and she didn’t understand. We just knew it was going to take another 30 min to get anything, so we just grumpily ate. My burrito was good, but my boyfriend didn’t even want to finish his. Our bill took another 20 minutes to come. I think we were in there about an hour and a half…
at least we had a 50% off coupon so our bill was like $ 13.00. maybe thats why our service was so shitty. But remember, it was «customer appreciation day».

Sadly, they are closed. I go here for lunch, the tacos are really good, they fill the void left by California closing up university. Adobada tacos are great, the carnitas are ok, the carne asada is good. very authentic place. If you are lucky they have spanish music videos on the TV, the ones with the chicas in short shorts and not much else, yes those.

So my initial thought was that the food was pretty good (had a fish taco, adobada taco and some queso fundido with chorizo) but after spending from 3 – 5 am this morning vomiting am thinking I won’t be back.
Guessing it was the fish since my husband tried the other stuff we ordered. Feels like I’ve been punched in the stomach a bunch of times. Death by fish taco wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned to go out. If you go maybe stick to beef or chicken.
Otherwise service was fine, it’s a hole in the wall but appeared pretty clean.

We’ve been eating here for quite some time & enjoy the authentic dishes along with music & dancing. Always entertaining. We frequently are the only non-​Hispanic folks in the place. We especially enjoy micheladas. The ones here are ‘cielo rojo’ rather than just Corona or Pacifico poured over ice with fresh lime juice like we had at Barrio — and were very disappointed.
We ate here ⁷⁄₂ and enjoyed our tamales, chili rellenos, cheese enchiladas, and the red snapper. The chips & slasa are always gone by the time our meals arrive. We alwyas have leftovers to bring home which usually are breakfast the next day. I’d eat here multiple times per week if my scale didn’t complain so loudly.

Excellent mexican food in a decent atmosphere.
The chicken tacos are so flippin good.

Stopped in on a whim for dinner. Service was casual and friendly. The food is authentic Mexican. The chips on the table are like the ones you find in Mexico. My wife enjoyed her Ceviche. I ordered a combo. I enjoyed my Tamale and chicken enchilada that I covered with one of the three chili sauces found on the table. Prices are moderate.

Went here with a friend on a trip to Minneapolis before I moved up here. I’ve been wanting to go back again. I haven’t had a chance yet, but I can still taste those delicious fajitas. The guacamole was delicious too. As was the salsa. Yes, the salsa was great!
The service was pretty good too, and quite authentic as the waitress had a little trouble understanding us. That was really charming actually.
But the best part was that the place was full of Mexican people, and that just tells you that the place it authentic. Not to mention the live music and the dancing that suddenly broke out. I’m not sure if that was a one time thing, a Saturday evening thing, or an all-​the-​time thing. Whatever it was, it was a lot of fun. Best Mexican I’ve had up in the Twin Cities so far.

This is my «go to» Mexican restaurant. Having lived in Mexico & travelled there extensively, I find it very authentic. The tacos are out of this world, especially the shrimp, carnitas & adobada. I recently tried their mole as part of a 3 amigos enchilada dinner & was really impressed. I’m picky about mole– don’t like it too chocolatey or sweet. Theirs is complex & intoxicating. I see other reviewers complain about the lack of heat in their cooking which puzzles me a little. Mexican food is usually NOT very spicey. Heat is added to your liking w/​hot sauce for most dishes. Ask for some salsa picante or add a little salsa Huichol from the table. It’s a bottled salsa but very tasty. they recently added margaritas to their menu but I would advise against ordering these– too sweet & syrupy. Stick w/​beer or a michelada.

Homemade chips, fresh salsa! Fajitas $ 8.99 special ~ Plenty of peppers & onions, beef a little tough. Really good bread, needed more tomatoes, sour cream & guacamole. Carne asada $ 7.99 ~ good flavor, over cooked flank steak. Ample portions, low prices. Flan $ 2.50 Not a bad, but served cold. Will give this place another try, but will try something else on the menu.

Good. Honest. Mexican. Kinda found this one by accident. My girlfriend and I were on our way to Sonic when we saw this place. It looked divey enough, so we decided to check it out. They had a pretty big menu, with many Mexican favorites, as well as some originals. It definitely had an authentic feel to it as far as the food was concerned. I prefer latin/​Mexican food to be a bit hotter on the Scoville scale, but it was still tasty. The atmosphere was that of a diner, except that they had a big dance floor in the middle of the restaurant. It was affordable, and the service was good. The food was good, and the don’t chince on the portions at all. Plenty of parking available in the lot. I’d go again.

We were driving down Central Avenue around eight on Sunday night, and were hungry, so we decided to stop here for a late dinner. We walked in and it was full, and we were the only gringos in the bunch. They had live music, and people were laughing, dancing, and having a great time.
Chips were homemade and the salsa was fresh. We shared chicken enchiladas with rice and beans for seven bucks-​more than enough for both of us. Not spicy enough, but not bad either.
We had fun. The music was loud, but the people all seemed to know each other, and it was great to see extended families getting together for a fun time. People of all ages were enjoying themselves and eating good food.
We didn’t have any alcohol, but I think they have some pretty good deals on Margaritas as well.

It’s a Friday night, and Boy and I had been driving around the Twin Cities for several hours. We were looking for a place to eat with two requirements: a) Not a chain. b) We’ve never ate at it before. We eventually became so frustrated that I said «That’s it! We are eating at the next restaurant we come to!»
And that restaurant happened to be Puerta del Sol. I was tempted to say no thanks, and continue on to the next place (I chickened out.) But Boy made me turn into the parking lot, and we went inside.
Now, Puerta del Sol is trendy by no one’s definition. It’s tacky like a 1980’s Italian restaurant converted into a Mexican Joint. But from the moment we tasted the salsa, I knew we had found something special. It’s actually made-​to-​order, same as their guacamole. The tomatoes taste almost sweet, and the cilantro stands out like it can only in the freshest of salsas.
We also had nachos, which had fake cheese, but were still amazing (and amazingly messy.) Boy had a steak burrito for about $ 6 that had juicy steak and a great tortilla. I had Chicken tamales that were not dumbed down for non-​Hispanic folk. The green chilies in them burnt my face a little, but the tamales were good, and for the price ($ 7.99 for 3, with rice and beans) it’s well worth it.
Now I am sitting at home in a tamale coma, wondering how some of the best Mexican food in the Twin Cities ended up not on Lake Street, not on the West Side, but next to Bobby and Steve’s in Columbia Heights.