La Palapa

I am re-​rating this place. There have been multiple changes in management I the past couple of years. I went in for the first time in a long time. The food is very bland now with no salsa bar and up charges for all extra salsa. Disappointing. And I spent $ 13.25 and they charged me $ 1.00 in debit card fee. Crazy!!! Sad, because I used to like this place quite a bit.

Really really disappointed in their service and quality of food. Looking over the menu I noticed that the they didn’t have what was in the chicken burrito. So I asked the server and he said that it came with rice chicken and your choice of beans. I said that was fine. While we were enjoying the chips and salsa I asked for a «Side» of guacamole. It took him till we were almost done with the chips to be given the guacamole. We ate it anyways of course. When my chicken burrito came It was filled with sour cream and cheese which I’m allergic too. I was really disappointed that the server didn’t mention the burrito had dairy. When the bill came I was even more upset. The side of guacamole was charged as their entrée for $ 5.99. The portion was as small as my friends portion with her partially melted chicken quesadilla. Sorry to say but I will not be going back. Horrible service and I feel I was taken advantage of.

Excellent homemade tortillas and sauces really make this place great. Good drink selection, but the service leaves something to be desired. We got two different orders wrong here, no matter though because whatever we were actually served was delicious and made up for the mistake.

Super disappointed in this place. Went in to check on ordering fresh tortillas for a party. I have to say that the lady helping me with my order was lovely (that’s why I gave them a couple stars). I ordered 120 tortillas to pick up right before the party to make sure they were ultra fresh. When I went in they didn’t have my order but kind of acted like they did as they pulled some tortillas from the shelf. I asked twice if they were fresh and was assured they were indeed. When I got home to open them, they were distinctly marked with dates… Three days old. This says they don’t have it together with ordering systems and they re not moving fresh product fast enough. If someone requests fresh foods and goes through effort to do so and you tell them you can accommodate them, then their wish should be respected. Claro?

Disgusting. Completely got my order wrong and the burrito had almost no meat in it, just a giant pile of refried bean mush. Will never go back.

I am very surprised that people like this place. They do have good salsa and fresh made tortillas. However, I asked for a plain old burrito with NO onions and it came loaded with onions. The acted like they did not know what to do. Finally they said they would not charge me for the $ 13.95 burrito I could not eat. Then they charged me anyway. I was with some friends so I did not make a big deal about it. It was just lame. I think the prices are high. Good luck eating here.

Bumping this up to 4 stars, went back and the salsa/​ingredients were noticeably fresher than before and the salsa was VASTLY improved. I’ll be making a point to visit again in the future :) Hoping this is a permanent improvement and I didn’t just simply luck out w/​stopping by on a produce delivery day.

I haven’t had a chance to try their burritos yet, but I ordered the chicken quesadilla.
To be honest, the service was a little slow, and the chicken quesadilla wasn’t much beyond slightly flavored chicken and cheese in a tortilla. When I visited this place earlier, I had tried their fajitas, which were delicious. Needed to order a little sour cream and cheese on the side, but that ‘s just personal preference.
But the one thing that brings me back is the Salsa. So far, it’s the best I’ve found.
So, I’d say I’m likely to order the food to go, but not sit in.

Let’s get down to it.
La Palapa is good. You won’t be disappointed. The portions are plentiful, everything is made right then, fresh. The service is excellent, The kid, Luis is a great guy, always super nice.
It’s got 4 – 5 booths and tables. It has a salsa bar. Two large screen tv’s. Fresh tortillas are made there on the spot.
They serve breakfast all day which is a plus, but have the usual items you find at a mexican place.
Like i said, worth a trip, good food, fresh and plentiful. Is it the best in the city, no… but I’m not sure what is, and this is easily worth being a close second.

This is my preferred neighborhood Mexican joint. I enjoy the freshly made tortillas but the pico de gallo can be a bit heavy on the onion. Like that they offer breakfast all day long and the guys working there are friendly.

Pork chile verde burrito! SO Good! Pork was amazing, chile verde sauce was spiced and seasoned just right. Didn’t even need any extra salsa on the burrito, it was perfect as is! Salsa bar and chips were a nice free extra. Will def be back!

Two friends had told me they sell you fresh tortillas and they have the best sopapillas with honey. I decided to make my own carne asada authentica artesinal tacos and stopped in. Sure enough they sold me fresh corn tortillas straight from the making sans refrigeration. They are not as good as Guayamas, MX but they will do for Amerika and PDX.

Coming from Seattle I never expect to go out for dinner and drinks for less than $ 40. Two margaritas, big Ninkasi, two rounds of chips & salsa, and gigantic pork verde burrito for $ 25 including tip.
Eight of us met there for dinner and easily found space for our large group to eat drink and be merry.
Oh, and if you haven’t already figured out from my name I’m of Irish descent. .. you know of the boiled meat and potatoes ilk. Well this Irish lass likes herself some spice — and boy did La Palapa deliver. The pork verde burrito had a kick, but nothing that stopped me from devouring half (saved the other half for dinner the next night). And the salsa bar had a great selection for those who can and can’t handle the heat.
Bonus points for La Palapa as they delivered a special birthday dessert to the table!

Been to La Palapa twice after moving to Hawthorne a month ago.
I love the homemade tortillas! You really can taste the freshness and softness of the tortilla. The burritos are awesome, good fillings, and very hearty.
I foresee myself hitting this place up a lot to soak up the beer from the night before.

We were driving around Eastside and looking for some decent Mexican food, nothing fancy but not Taco Bell either. Remembering the Por Que No on Hawthorne, we headed up but on our way saw La Palapa calling out handmade tortillas and thought we would give it a try. This was the first bad decision.
The interior was simple and clean, the selection looked promising and the cooler with cane-​sugar coke, Jarritos, and stacks of tortillas made us hope for at least a semi-​authentic meal ahead. My partner ordered the Taco Dorado and (since I had been craving it for awhile) I ordered the Chile Relleno, the second/​third bad decisions. Chips were delivered promptly and pleasingly warm after we found a booth and the salsa bar offered plenty of selections. Overall, things were starting off well.
Then the food arrived… With all the shredded lettuce on the plate I thought I was back at the Iron Horse but with ½ the portion size. The chicken Taco Dorado was bland at best and the Chile Relleno was like an oversized jalepeno popper. The rice and beans attached to both were decent and thankfully filling as the main course was left mostly uneaten.
Overall, maybe we didn’t make the best choices on the menu but won’t be going back again.

Had lunch there today without consulting Unilocal first. The food was fresh tasting but the portions were quite small for the price. But I must say that the guy at the counter was very helpful when I started asking questions about lard in their beans, etc.
Note to vegetarians: the flour tortillas have lard, and the spanish rice (with tomatoes) is made with chicken stock so order something with the corn tortillas or the veggie tamales (made with oil, not lard) and be sure they give you the green rice since that’s veggie too.
The ratio of masa to veggies in the tamale was so much more than I expected: ⁷⁄₈ masa to ¹⁄₈ filling… needless to say, I was pretty disappointed. BF’s chicken flautas were good but tiny. Apparently the chicken they use is organic and hit the mark with my BF. I didn’t care for the shredded cheese they sprinkle on the side beans– can’t anyone get mexican cheese up here?
I too want my $ 7 burrito to be as big as god’s pinky toe (credit to an earlier Unilocal reviewer)! Mexican food is a guilty pleasure and you should be STUFFED after eating your meal or have half of your meal as leftovers to nibble on the next day.
BF liked the chips and salsa and the booths were nice and big so you are able to spread out a bit. Strange infomercial commercials were playing the entire time we ate– not sure why or what channel they were tuned into.
I might go back if I’m meeting a group there but, on my own, I’ll seek out other mexican food in this city for portions that allow for leftovers.

Dude, if I’m paying, what… almost 7 dollars for a burrito, it should do two things: 1) satiate the taste buds and 2) be as big as god’s pinky toe. The burrito tasted good, but I was super disappointed that I didn’t have a half burrito to save for lunch the next day.
I’m not gluttonous American asking for gargantuan portions, I’m just asking for what I’ve come to expect of restaurant burritos, especially if they’re over the $ 6 mark.
Boo to you and your small regular, one-​meal-​sized burritos. Anyone who tells you size doesn’t matter was being kind!

The prominent tortilla-​making operation inside the front door finally lured me in today. And the flour tortillas are indeed good.
At La Palapa you go up to the counter and place your order. They will bring the food out to your table.
I found the interior inviting, with cordelas hung across the ceiling and carne al pastor roasting on a spit behind the counter. The roasting meat reminded me of my first trip to Mexico City with JP in the early 90’s. We stayed in the Zona Rosa and I remember carne al pastor everywhere. Having never had cilantro before, I allowed them to put it on my tacos a couple times, just thinking cilantro had a strong and exotic flavor. However, by the time we left El Districto Federal a few days later, I had decided I never wanted cilantro in my food ever again.
I ordered the arroz con pollo soup and a steak taco.
As I waited for my order to be brought out, they brought chips and salsa to my table. The salsa was nice and thick. +1 because the salsa didn’t have cilantro. –1 because the salsa didn’t have any flavor. I know, I know, I’m damned hard to please!
The soup was interesting. Arriving at my table, it looked like a big bowl of canned chicken. I took a sip of the broth. It tasted like… canned chicken. Stirring the soup, I unearthed diced tomato, white onion and chopped jalepeño. There was hardly any rice, and what little was there was mostly disintegrated. I doubt I would order this soup again. And just a hindsight suggestion: ask if they use MSG (or «Accent) in their soups… because you just never know… if you get my drift.
The steak in the steak taco, served in an abundant amount on a tiny corn tortilla was okay but lacking a lot of flavor. I was surprised they served the taco with lettuce and grated cheddar cheese. I was also surprised that they served me the taco without any hot sauce. However, when I went up to the counter, the guy there gave me a cup of a very spicy hot, but quite pleasantly smoky sauce.
At the end of my meal, I decided to try the deep-​fried ice cream ($ 3.95). It was brought out to my table by a very stern unsmiling worker, the same guy that earlier was hitting on the girl making tortillas. The fried ice cream was not bad. In a bowl, there was a scoop of vanilla ice-​cream encased in a crusty fried batter, dwarfed by four huge dollops of whipped cream. The whole affair was drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Interestingly, though La Palapa does not open until 11:00am they have breakfast items that are served all day long.
Overall, a fairly decent lunch place that’s probably on par with Cha Cha Cha up the street.

I didn’t even want Mexican food today, but a good deal is a good deal.
I was on my way to get pizza when I looked to my right and saw a big sign that said $ 5.99 burrito combo meal. I figured I’d probably spend close to that for 2 slices of pizza anyway and figured a combo might get me some more food. Plus I had pizza the other day and I really didn’t need it again. Plus plus this is a place I’ve been wanting to try.
La Palapa’s main claim to fame is that they hand-​make all of their tortillas, tamales and rellenos. You can even watch this process from the street. Or if raining, like it was today, you can watch it from the inside.
I went for the combo which included a burrito (obviously), chips and salsa and a drink. You have a choice of 9 different burritos. The usuals like Carne Asada, Pollo Asada, Carnitas and Pastor along with one I didn’t ask about, but will the next time, Chili Colorado.
Took the meal to go and was quite satisfied. The chips and salsa (also made in house) were really good. The burrito was chock full of meaty and beany goodness. The meat was cooked perfectly. A bit pink in the center which is how I like it with a really good flavor.
That is the scoop on La Palapa.

Good quality, plain food. I’m happy that they don’t try to wow you with the usual ton o’food that many mexican restaurants go for, or blow out your taste buds with the load o’cayenne that some of the newer places go for. The tortillas are hand made, they have vegan rice by request and a choice of refritos or black beans. I had a tamale lunch, my wife had the fish taco lunch. It was OK, a level that we call «harmless» (which is no small accomplishment), but I don’t know that I’d be in a hurry to go back.
This is a very new restaurant, only open for a month at this point, I’m guessing that they are getting a feel for their clientele and will tune their food as time goes on.