Iron Horse Restaurant

Food. Two stars
Service 4 stars
Value: 3 stars
Chips are eh, sass was eh, fish tacos were ehh, guacamole was old and not tasty. Service was attentive and pleasant. Décor was just there.
So three stars is rather generous. On the other hand, the place was full for lunch on a Tuesday. So it speaks to a number of people.

Horrible happy hour food and margarita. Food was awful, some undercooked. What a huge disappointment. Avoid this place.

Chicken Mole enchiladas! Delicious.

I haven’t been in for a few years and remember this place being great. I stopped by on my way home from work and ordered the chicken fajitas. They came in a sweet red sauce that tasted like bad Chinese food. The rice was in globs on my plate, the corn tortillas were wrapped up in foil and crumbled. The refried black beans were the only edible food on my plate. I don’t believe that I will be back for a few years, if ever… it is extremely over priced and not at all fresh. However, I must add that the waitress was very attentive and friendly…

Nice people. May be suitable for families that compromise for an agreeable option for all, but if you appreciate good food this place is not up to par. There is nothing redeemable about the food they serve. A waste of calories and cash.

Interesting place. The food is good! The most popular choice was delicious. You’ll see it when you read the Menu. I like it in the bowl.
Pulled pork tacos are good but very very smoky in flavor. Almost too smoky. But still good!
The chips are horrendous! Store bought, mass market taste and warmed under a lamp. Terrible… Yuck!
And the margaritas!!! I can’t actually write how I feel about the margaritas… It would be too descriptive with curse words. Absolutely most positively horrendous! Ordered the Cadillac, yuck! Eww, too much triple sec or what ever sweetener they are using and then ordered the house, omg! Was like water! Pro tip! Drink in the parking lot before you enter!
We will eat again, but food only. We will prefunk next time!

Peggy did a great job in providing our party of three with fish tacos, shrimp fajitas and a tasty spinach salad with beef. Peggy made a suggestion of a providing cilantro avocado dressing which made all entries taste better. Cadillac margaritas were very tasty and glass of IPA was served perfectly chilled.

Service was great but the food was alright. I had the 3 taco assortment. Enjoyed the steak the most. Others were so so. Kind of expensive for what you get. Won’t make a special trip to go back but if the larger group wanted to go I’d go back.

I was pretty impressed overall with this place. It has a nice big inside area but it is a little bit run down. The ambience was lovely though.
The food were very large portion sizes and it tasted pretty good. You also get free chips and salsa.
Based on the reviews on here i wasn’t expecting as good of an experience as i had. The prices were a bit steep but they give you a lot. I got the burrito which came with very tasty rice and beans.
I will definitely be back.

Had lunch with manager Sam StJohn. Excellent host and delicious food. The crab enchilada is recommended. Great service reasonable prices.

Given the reviews I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at the Iron Horse.
Service: Outstanding… our waitress moved like lightening. Order something and bang there it was. A++
Drinks: Their Cadillac Margaritas are awesome maybe a bit too awesome. After two you feel no pain. A
Atmosphere: I am most happy in this kind of bar /​restaurant so take this with a grain. I love older places that have the lived in look. A
Food: Their food was good standard Mexican food. The plate of nachos was a vast portion but needed a bit more a kick for my tastes. B+
Price: Fair A
Overall a very nice experience.

Love this place. Been coming here for years the food is always great. Jalapeño poppers and Cadillac Margaritas are a great way to start a meal.

This place has a few positives but sadly, mostly negatives. We came on a Tuesday because kids eat free. We love to take advantage of these deals. The positives — good service, kids eat free, and good drinks. I had a margarita and my husband had a beer. The negatives — The food. I ordered the chili verde burrito (apparently the most ordered). It had very little meat in it and was super spicy. I enjoy spicy, but this was over the top, probably due to to enormous amounts of sauce that filled it. My son’s French fries tasted like they had been fried in old funky oil. Everything else was mediocre at best. Also, when the bill came, it had a total written about the original total (original total was $ 41.75 and after running our card, our receipt said $ 41.75 but handwritten in pen above said «on $ 50.75»). We were so confused. I realized in hindsight that this was her including the price of the kids meals so we would tip accordingly. I felt this was unnecessary. I’m usually a very generous tipper, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. It was also very confusing and we would have appreciated an explanation after she dropped off the check. In turn, it resulted in no tip (mostly because we thought it had been added, but I later realized our mistake). I feel a bit bad, but hopefully, they can learn from the mistake.

Iron Horse… Rusted!
Geez. I cannot help but wonder why this cannot be a better place. It was one of my staple go-​to places in Sellwood. Unfortunately it’s like a lot of relationships where you hang in there too long. You take a break, you get back together, and realize the same troubles are still there. So, I’m having to break up with Iron Horse, and sad to say it.
My latest trip here I got a veggie burrito plate with a side of rice and beans. For the price I just expect so much better. A soggy burrito drenched in cheese that sat under a hot lamp way to long. By the time it got to my table it was just a congealed mess. Veggies inside were cooked well, but with everything else seemingly overcooked it just didn’t work. My own fault, I really should have brought it up with the wait staff to see if there could be something done, but I was tired, in a hurry, and by the time it got to the table, I was just fed up.
I still appreciate the chips and salsa on the table. Nice addition, since you’re dropping over $ 10 on a simple meal. Service was just fine. Bathrooms decently clean. I guess I just expect better for a Mexican place that has been around so long and one I’ve been so endeared to. I used to get a fine veggie plate with rice, beans, veggies, and fresh corn tortillas. I would gladly pay $ 9 – 10 for such a dish these days, especially with some fresh salsa and Mexican crema. Instead it’s like they tried to be something they’re not. An overly pricey, fancy menu, without the atmosphere nor the quality ingredients to back it up. Inside it’s dated, old, and seen it’s better days. You can do better, and in an increasingly upscale neighborhood like Sellwood/​Moreland, you should know better.
Iron Horse, I sincerely wish you all the best. There’s still just so much potential to be the ultimate family neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Hopefully when things change you can lure me back but until I see some changes and some serious quality control, I shall have to find a new place to call home for my Mexican Mistress.

Mums and I decided to try this place again after years of passing it up for Papa’s.
We loved the healthy options. Our food (she had the grilled mahi and I had the shrimp and blackbean salad) was very fresh.
Kinda dark, tasty looking dessert menu, friendly lady waitress.

Used to be good years ago…
Just plain gnarly now.
Gross. Don’t go.

So uh, yea… this place is kinda gross. Friendly and all, I hate to smear a family owned joint but they really need to step up their game on the quality.
Basically, everything is cafeteria-​grade, probably straight off the Sysco truck but the prices would have you think you’re about to get some quality fresh ingredients. I’ve literally had better meals out of hospital cafeterias.
Two stars for friendly staff and quick service but I’d rather get my greasy Mexican food at La Sirenita or Cha Cha Cha up the street.

What a deal! Nice affordable lunch menu.
I enjoyed my 2 street tacos (beef) with drink, rice and beans plus chips and salsa for under 8 bucks! The cheese on the black beans added a nice flavor.
The blue chile plate tacos is a perfect lunch portion after pigging out on chips and salsa. Service was attentive and friendly. Food was seasoned well and presented better! Atmosphere offered character and was great for people watching.

I have been house sitting in the area and every night as I drive ‘home’ I make myself a deal. If there’s street parking available on Milwaukie, I’ll stop at the Iron Horse. Well, last night the traffic gods heard my plea and helped me out.
I arrived just before 6:00 and quickly snagged one of the outdoor tables. In addition to the regular menu, I had options from the Happy Hour menu to choose from. I ended up getting a regular margarita from the HH menu and ordering one of the specials offered this week.
I liked that the host asked what temperature salsa I wanted with my chips. I got the medium and while I probably should have gone for the hot one for the spice, the medium salsa was quite tasty. I sipped my margarita and rationed out my chip consumption as I waited for my order.
I went with the Blue Moon daily special — Doble Disco (don’t even ask me what that means). 2 soft tacos filled with jerked chicken, black beans, and Salvadoran rice. My plate arrived in short order and was a feast for the eyes.
Everything was delicious and flavorful. I did indeed, clean my plate. My total for a margarita and a plate full of belly filling food? Just $ 14.45. I would say that was a good value.
The only thing lacking was a bit of music. Maybe it’s offered inside, but all there was to listen to outside was the traffic passing by.

This place is consitent! An estabishment through the decades in Sellwood. A mean margarita for happy hour. I am saddened they removed the lemon garlic chicken from the menu and they only have it on monthly special. My standby order is a spinach salad with balsamic vinagrette and an enchilada ala cart. Just nice to have somewhere to sit outside with the pooch walkable in the hood. Waitstaff has been there for years and service is amazing.
PS I am not fond of their house chips; (