Cha Cha Cha Mexican Taqueria

As always, incredible Mexican (even Vegan) food at extremely reasonable prices. I had Oregon Harvest Burrito with pecan encrusted soy. You can get tempeh and tofu too. And see the chalkboard at the register where you order – quinoa and greens bowls as well. The restaurant has several cosy brightly painted rooms. The staff are extremely pleasant and helpful even when insanely busy. Eat here, tip well.

Ok, now I’ve been here before and it’s been great. But tonight was a cluster. 1^st, we called a pick up order in. The girl taking said order was a bit put-​offish. I go in to pick it up and it seems maybe just bad luck on the phone. Got home and we’re missing some of the order. Now I’m thinking she wasn’t paying attention completely to the order. Hence the put-​offish attitude. Makes sense now. Call back to get the rest of the order and still, more rudeness on the phone. SMH… So I go back to pick it up and the girl charges me more for the mistake she made. Fine. But then proceeds to charge me 9.35 for a 3.35 price and says, «I charged your card too much. Here’s 6 back in cash. «Not that big a deal but in the long list of issues it’s …I’ll just say it’s not exactly building up to a ringing endorsement here! So in the end, I finally got to eating and the food tasted ok. The fish tacos I ate were dry and my wife’s bean and cheese burrito wasn’t made correctly (big suprise) but it was «ok». To cap it all off, I was on the toilet twice tonight and both times were not good. Don’t think I’ll order any fish tacos from here again. I’m giving 2 stars ONLY because it tasted ok. Otherwise I’d give them a zero. Bummer

I’m visiting from LA, and I was skeptical about having Mexican food somewhere there are so few Mexicans. I was actually quite impressed. The food was fresh, it seemed to be sustainably sourced, organic, and local. The staff was nice, and the location was calm at the time we went, but the place was fairly busy.
I had a couple of tacos, and the person I was there with had the same. Not disappointed. If I were in Portland again, I’d have to come here at least one more time.

This place has the worst tacos I ever had in my life. No joke. My husband and I stopped by while on a walk. We ordered two casa tequilas, the poblano chicken tacos, tilapia sesame tacos and the guacamole & chips. The tequilas and guacamole were ok… Nothing to write home about. What it stood up were the tacos… probably the worst I ever had. I walked with my plate to the cash register and asked the guy for a refund, which he gave to me. I should have Unilocal it before going in. Never again!!!

Some of my favorite Mexican food in Portland! This location in Sellwood is adorable. An old house that was converted into a restaurant with outdoor patio seating as well. I typically order the Harvest burrito with Anasazi bean patty to make it vegan! Love this place, and their chips and guacamole!

Went here with my dad one afternoon. The service was fast, the food was good and the margaritas were STRONG.

We sat down to a disgustingly dirty table and menu and when the food came there was remnants baked on the plate from some other type of entrée The waiter was kind enough to wipe the table off for us but missed the caked on spills. The chicken taco salad had a petite serving of what appeared to be ground beef and def not shredded chicken. My chicken burrito was mostly a tough tortilla shell.
I usually frequent the NE Broadway Cha Cha and have never been disappointed.
Come on this is Sellwood. You wont see us at the Sellwood Cha again.

Friendly service and hot green sauce! I like this place and the cashier/​server is a gem. Great option for some casual dining near Bybee and Milwaukie.

Always a great place for some Mexican food. The owner has 2 locations and its consistent.
Good ambience, good people and I never have to wait long for the food.
Two thumbs up

Cha cha has always been mediocre for Mexican, but they have upped their game. My carnitas burrito was piping hot and the quality was excellent. Their red hot sauce is hot and delicious. Either new recipes, new cook or both cha cha has got my vote again.

Tonight was really amazing at Cha Cha Cha! I got a bowl with salmon in it and a margarita. The bowl was delicious and spicy, and I really loved the margarita. Our server, Kyla was really on it, and really personable. Made it awesome.

This place is super cute, inside and out. They’ve taken the Mexican love of vibrant colors, maintained the whimsy while achieving elegance and originality simultaneously. They seem pretty socially committed, and source their meats from small local farmer. And the folks were all friendly to boot.
So I was predisposed to like this place. Unfortunately the wild salmon taco I had was overlooked, and the sweetness of the carmelized onions was really the only flavor to come across. I was also stoked to see veggie tamales, hard to find. But their maker lacked a deft hand, and they had amish no filling, as one of my pics shows.
Three stars for this time, but it’s such a cool place that if you came with a group you wouldn’t much mind the food’s middling grade. And I’ll be giving them another chance.

So from the outside it looks totally fancy and not like real mexican food. But once you get inside it’s kind of grimy and totally more like a real mexican place!
What is cool is that they have a large outdoor patio and it’s all seat yourself. If you decide to dine in, you’ll get a number and they will come bring your food to you.
They have quite a few margatias to choose from and give you a full pint glass for the marg, which is plenty. It was quite delicious too! Not the strongest, but tastey!
The food was pretty good! Not really like the most legit mexican food I have had, but it was yummy. We had a bowl and the tostitas. The bowl was of a pretty good size for a salad, and the tostitas I thought were going to be small but they were pretty large! You get two full sized burrito tortillas rolled up and filled with meat, veggies, and cheeeeese! Really good, i highly recommend. I also I also got a side of rice cuz I wasn’t sure how much food it would be (ended up being more than enough) and that was good too!
The employees are really nice and have no problems answering your questions. They will even come out and check on you! And they will also come to clear your plates, so don’t worry about having to do that!

This place is friendly and clean, but the food is just OK for Portland standards for Latin American food. You can walk in and order a burrito and margarita at the counter for under $ 10 and they bring it to your table. Good food specials during happy hour from 2 – 5 every day. When other places are a wait, or you need a quick dinner to go for hungry folks at home, this place hits the spot.

Writing a one star review typically causes me a fair amount of you’re-being-too-harsh-guilt. Not here. Not now. Not for Cha Cha Cha. It was *that* bad. Whatever image you have in your head after reading that last sentence, worsen it. You might be close then.
CCC employs the order and pay at the register technique here and a large group walked in right after we did so I had to order on the fly – not too hard as they had an entire segment of their posted menu board dedicated to The Wholesome Bowl. Done deal. Let’s add a Pomegranate Margarita to that and you can find me waiting at an outdoor table enjoying the festive courtyard.
The margarita came first. It was unremarkable mostly because if the plan is to serve a margarita in a pint glass, maybe add a bit more tequila so it’s actually a solid flavor component instead of an assumed (or even imaginary) ingredient. I’m a fan of good tequila and want to taste it in my drink.
About 20 minutes later the food arrived. My bowl and his burrito. The burrito conjured up flashbacks of cafeteria food, mass produced without a lick of concern for presentation. It was not a burrito you look at longingly. And there’s not a lot of burritos on this good earth that I will say that about. I’ve even been known to eat the frozen El Monterey burritos you get on sale for 39 cents at Safeway. And, our poor burrito, did he have beans and rice on the side to distract attention away from his lackluster appearance? Nope. Just a sad little burrito on a plate, disappointed he’ll never be a real burrito.
Likewise, the bowl was not particularly appetizing, which is okay because we weren’t given any silverware with which to eat it anyhow. Or any napkins. Or salsa. Or tortillas. I had to request them and the response I received was anything but apologetic. Bad day, I suppose, but I’m not asking for anything extreme, just what I ordered, paid for, and the necessary tools to consume it. Reasonable request, really.
And so when I do take a bite, I am ready for something to save the day. A strong sauce or expertly prepared veggies or even especially fresh kale. Again, CCC couldn’t deliver. This was a bowl of old, limp vegetables with literally no discernible flavor. Bland as bland can be without being cardboard. So I put some red sauce on and then some green and then more red and then give up completely and eat the avocado slices in defeat.

So I stopped in on a sunny Saturday for a few tacos and margaritas. I ordered inside then proceeded to the sunny outdoor tables. I ordered a margarita and a couple of tacos– easy right. Especially when not really busy.
While waiting, the ladies informed me that it was happy hour and they were charged full price for their drinks. I was too.
The tacos arrived without the margarita. When I asked for it, the gentleman went inside. The tacos were cold and not very good. After finishing them, my margarita arrived and it want worth drinking.
A man came out and spoke with the disgruntled ladies. They never spoke to me about the overcharge. Though they must have realized they were doing it to everyone.
I have long been a fan of Cha Cha Cha but I will never come back here. Poor food and even poorer service.

Coming from Phoenix, I was confused by some things about Cha Cha Cha! Where is the salsa? And paying for chips seemed unnecessary, especially when you have to tip pre-​food or service. No refried beans, OK, that happens… but its still disappointing.
We ordered a cheese quesadilla and it was literally what I could make at home in the microwave… which even at home, I wouldn’t microwave… floppy bland cheese dough. The menu said it came with sour cream, guac and pico… came out missing sour cream. We tried four kinds of tacos, all bleh, dry, boring, or bad taste combos. The menu is big, but not very customizable. I don’t like soft corn tortillas, but that seemed to be the only option for tacos. And with tons of taco options, that is kind of sad.
Also Happy Hour is only 2 – 5, though not written anywhere… which isn’t very possible timing for people who work. We showed up at 5:30 thinking we were early. ;)

We took my mom here for her birthday and all five of us loved our lunches. We started with chips with pico de gallo and guacamole, both delish, guac just how I like it. You do have to purchase these. Daughter said her tortilla soup was delicious, teenage son loved his burrito and could only eat half it was so big. Mom had enchiladas and my aunt had chicken fajitas. I had taco salad with steak. Everything was excellent, fresh and flavorful. There was lots of leftovers to take home, portions were good but not too huge. Service was friendly and attentive. Prices are not high, average or less than. The atmosphere is colorful and funky but tasteful with cloth tablecloths and artsy Mexican décor. We’ll definitely be back. The outdoor seating looks tempting for a nice day.

And the Portland parade of sad Mexican food continues.
Truth be told, this was our third choice of restaurants in the Sellwood neighborhood, and we only stopped in because options 1 and 2 were on long waits that we needed to avoid. Still, I am a man that loves Mexican food, and I figured that this place, with all of their PDX locations, is successful enough that it’s got to be at least decent. Well, I was wrong.
While our entire group was pretty disappointed in their meals, I’ll focus on what I personally ate. We ordered two sides of guac, which was actually pretty good, though spicier than I had expected. I’m fine with that, but it’s just something to be aware of. I had a carnitas burrito, topped with their red sauce and the rice/​beans combo. Long story short? It wasn’t good. The meat was dry, and the rice and beans seemed somehow to be undercooked. Both were crunchy, not a good thing.
Service was pretty wonky too. The restaurant was pretty slow yet we had to wait forever. Whoever was running the register seemed standoffish. Well, that might not be the right word… but she had totally run out of Fs to give about being friendly or welcoming. We had to go up and ask for our second order of guac, and it came out without any sort of mea culpa or even chips. We had to flag them down again to remind them that chips come with the guac. When our food did FINALLY come out, it was just sort of dropped onto the table and then they scurried off. I hate, hate, hate how restaurants in Portland make you tip in advance and then don’t live up to their end of the bargain. Cha! Cha! Cha! is one of the worst offenders yet.
Somebody, anybody, please just tell me where I can find high quality Mexican food in Portland. Because it’s sure not coming from here.

I’ve gone here for lunch a couple of times recently. The Pollo Libre (chicken with bell peppers and goat cheese) is the burrito I started with and will probably never order anything else! The man at the cashier stand is always very nice and attentive enough to make you feel like you’re being taken care of from the moment you walk in. Definitely a nice spot!

Wow… what a dissapointment. $ 4.50 for a half basket of cold chips and bland guacamole. $ 10.95 for a plate of green peppers and white onions grilled with GROUND CHICKEN and very little spice and they called it fajitas… side of rice OR beans… not both… and because i asked for no ice in my Horchata they girl at the counter told her coworker to only give me ²⁄₃ of the glass.
Monday night during dinner hour and the place was a ghost town… now i know why. And the tatooed skater gurl running the counter ??? Thats your idea of a hostess? Never Again… highly recomend anyplace else

What a terrible experience. As the rest of my party’s meals were served, I was informed that what I ordered was unavailable. I ordered another item, which took 20 minutes to arrive at the table despite being a simple sandwich, that didn’t even have all the listed ingredients in it and was poorly put together. The girl working was very nice and tried her best to help us out. Her manager-​who showed up just before we left-​was NO help when we spoke with him. He didn’t apologize or even look us in the eye or offer any compensation for serving us a terrible meal with terrible service. I am never coming back and I will be happy to tell everyone I know to NOT dine here. What a joke.