Taqueria Portland

I love getting take out from here, but sometimes we eat inside so that we can take advantage of their chips and amazing salsa. all of their meats are delicious — my favorite is the spicy pork with grilled pineapples… mmm! my only complaint is that when they are busy, the service time and wait time exponentially increases.

I wanted to love this place based on the great reviews. My boyfriend and I are both Southern California natives so we are always searching for good Mexican– and Taqueria Portland is in his neighborhood. I’d give it 2.5 if I could.
When we first walked in, the place was empty, but filled up quickly with a bunch of locals. The atmosphere is homey, service a little slow but friendly. There was only one waitress where they probably needed two.
Dinner started with chips and salsa which did not seem very fresh and the salsa was so-​so and mild. My boyfriend ordered the super burrito which was tasty but pricier compared to some other places, and definitely was not as loaded with meat and other good-​ness. For variety sake, I got a spicy pork super quesadilla. The guacamole seemed like it came out of a tube, liquid-​y and literally neon green. If it’s homemade, it’s way over blended and not flavorful. The quesadilla, like the burrito, did not have much filling, and at nearly $ 6 it should. The strangest part was that the quesadilla had pieces of pineapple in it which was not listed anywhere in the menu. It took me a while of picking it apart to figure out what the flavor was. It’s not that it tasted bad, it just wasn’t a spicy pork quesadilla and I wasn’t expecting the flavor.
Overall, an average meal. I’d go back to give this place another chance but not right away.

This place is great tons of options and bottomless chips and salsa! Love it! Very good prices!

I think this is by far the best Mexican joint in Portland! My husband and I have been eating here for a few years and have never been disappointed. The place is small but super clean, the service is always great, everybody is friendly. Fresh delicious salsa and fresh chips when you sit down. Big portions that are always fresh. Get the barbacoa! It’s seriously amazing! My husband and I usually share the barbacoa combo plate. Everything we’ve had here is amazing!

Yep, I’m a fan. Quick, friendly, table service and a chimichanga that absolutely rocked. They extended the tortilla and then fried it to make a boat for the gauc, s cream and shredded lettuce. The GF had some tacos and she liked those, too. Had beers but next time, margaritas. And, oh yes, there will be a next time.

DON’T COME HERE, YOU MIGHT GET SHOT!!!
The area is so sketchy, no joke. After our just okay meal, I come home to the news about a shooting two blocks from the restaurant. The shooting happened within 20 minutes of us leaving the place.
It’s not worth it for just a okay Mexican food in an area that’s out of the way. Your life is more important than tacos.

Burrito bliss in Portland, I have achieved you! Picked up some burritos to go last night, it was quite busy but the host was nice enough to offer us free chips and water while we waited. I got a carne asada burrito and it was all I’ve ever dreamed of with a good meat to rice and beans ratio. The only reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because they screwed up my husbands order and gave him a vegetarian burrito instead of the chicken mole he ordered. We were too lazy to go back though so I ended up sharing my salty grilled carne asada with him. I want another already.

Customer service a zero. Place is crowded and food is in desperate need of more meat. Other than that the beer is ok.

We had a very long week and a busy weekend, so with a little downtime on a Sunday evening, we decided to go out for some Mexican. After reading a glowing review of this place in the Mercury, I had put it on my mental list to try. We decided to drive out to St Johns from SE Portland because we expected great food and a great experience.
When we walked in, we were a little taken aback by how loud the TVs were, and we initially thought we were supposed to order at the counter. But the young lady behind the counter asked us if we were eating in and when we said yes, she waved toward the seating area and said, «Sit down.» By her reaction to our presence, we were a little unsure right then whether we were even welcome in this place. But we had driven all the way out there, so we decided maybe we were imagining it. We sat down and she brought chips and salsa. The chips are obviously from a bag, but the salsa was excellent. However, after she set the food down, she literally threw a napkin in my husband’s direction and walked off. We both noticed the gesture and made eyes at each other, especially when we each reached to get a napkin and discovered that she had only left us one. To share, apparently. Still, we decided to go through with this, hoping the food would make up for everything.
When she returned, I asked her if they had margaritas (the menu does not mention them, nor is there any signage referring to them). I wish I could describe the look she gave me before ever so slightly tilting her head forward to apparently indicate that yes, they did. Her look was so condescending, it just shocked me. *Still*, we kept looking at the menus to decide what we were going to eat.
She returned to take our orders. I ordered flautas which, according to the menu I was looking at (which is different from the ones pictured on this site), were made with my choice of either flour or corn tortillas. I asked for flour and then continued telling her my order. She interrupted me and barked, «We don’t make them with flour.» I told her I’d need to think again about my order then. After she left, I came out of my shocked stupor over her attitude enough to remember that my menu says that I can have flour.
Though I don’t think I should have to explain my meal choices to anyone, I will explain why I wanted flour rather than corn: though I like corn tortillas as much as anyone, I happen to particularly like flour tortillas, and I especially like them when they are wrapped around meat and fried. THAT is why I wanted flautas with flour tortillas, and when I was told I couldn’t have them, corn wasn’t going to cut it.
When she returned, I asked if this no flour tortilla flautas rule was just that day or if this was all the time, since their menu says something else. She full-​on smirked at me and said, «The menu’s wrong.» (coulda told me that in the first place, by the way). Okay, FINE. So I ordered some crispy tacos. Holy shit, I opened a can of worms with that one. She looked at me with the blankest look for the longest time and finally asked, with that same smirk, why I want crispy tacos, which come in CORN TORTILLAS, when I don’t want flautas with CORN TORTILLAS. What. The. Fuck. I have never in my entire life been questioned by some snotty little waitress about why I want to eat what I want to eat. Even STILL, I tried to just get some frickin food and get the fuck out of there. I looked at her in total disbelief. I wanted to ask her who the fuck she thought she was. Instead, I politely tried to deflect her bizarre amazement with, «It’s a preference.» Then I looked at my husband so she would move on to him and take his order. But no, she wasn’t done with me yet. Apparently, she had made it her personal mission to prove to me how moronic I am. I know it sounds like I’m making this up, but she actually persisted and asked again, trying to get me to explain my reasoning to her! At this point, I’d had enough. I asked her to bring us the check for the margaritas and we left. I will never go back to this place again, and I will tell everyone I know not to go there. I don’t care how good the food is, nothing is worth being treated like that girl treated us.

I had driven by this place numerous times, and never stopped, but BF wanted to give it a try, so we did. Really good nachos, quesadillas and burritos. We’ve eaten there numerous times now (both take-​out and in the restaurant) and we’ve never been disappointed.
Restaurant is clean and the servers are nice. Food is really cheap too (two can eat for about $ 20, with tip). Only complaint I have is their guacamole. It’s like they run theirs through a blender so it’s incredibly smooth, and I like chunky guac, so I’m not a fan of what they serve. But that certainly wouldn’t stop me from going back.
The drive is a little longer, since I no longer live in N Portland, but it’s worth the drive.

Fantastic taqueria. My wife and I have had a craving for a California style taquera food for a while now, rather than the standard Mazatlan-​esque Mexican fare that we tend to get in Oregon. Taqueria Portland didn’t disappoint.
I ended up with a carne asade deluxe burrito, which was delicious. The ingredients were top notch, the burrito was huge, and — miracle of miracles — it actually stayed together! No dripping mess at the end, no tortilla disintegration. Exactly how a burrito should be.
I’m excited to get back here to sample the rest of the menu, particularly the tacos and tortas.

Excellent neighborhood restaurant. Inside is inviting with several tables and room at the counter. Their selection of Mexican beer is fantastic.
The chips and salsa, tostadas, nachos, burritos, and guacamole are well worth the price and everything tastes fresh. Definitely worth the drive, as it is a little out of the way from most other places. Easily the best Mexican food in NoPo and one of the best in Portland. Only wish it were a little closer.
My only knock is that the service can be a little strained and you can find yourself waiting quite a while to pay your bill or get table service.

LOVE! Can’t say enough good things about this place, I just can’t believe it took us so many years to try (since it is minutes from my house)! We loved it so much we ate there 3 times in one week! The outside doesn’t look like much, which is probably why we have passed it by in the past, but the food is truly amazing. This is the authentic Mexican place you have been looking for!
They have amazing food, fantastic prices and great service. Only downside (if there is one), is that the inside is pretty small, so tables can fill up. If you live nearby, call ahead for takeout, although they are very fast.
I wish I had one of the burritos right now, this place is delicious!

Great food, nice waitstaff and a super clean restaurant! Like the mole, and pretty much everything they serve.

I pored over every review for this lovely little eatery — including the filtered reviews (some guy w/​a handle of «Buford» wrote a funny, original review, and has 60 reviews under his belt, and yet he still got filtered. I can see why people gripe about the filtering process on Unilocal,sometimes). I could not find one reference to Loose’s Café, which is what this building was, all through my childhood and up until the late 90s or early 00s.
In truth, Loose’s wasn’t anything special – it was a greasy spoon diner, stuck in décor and menu and waitresses from the early 60s, but w/​o any of the kitsch or eye-​winking self-​knowledge commonly seen in hipster greasy spoons nowadays. Loose’s was a popular stop for truckers on the go, without a tremendous amount of good parking in any directions for big rigs, at/​near that intersection. I lived in several different places growing up in No Po, but most of it was just a few short blocks from Loose’s, even though my family rarely ate there. For anyone that remembers those freaky ice storms in the late 70s, we had extensive power outages, so we ate at Loose’s for weeks at a time until power was restored. I remember my parents complained about their food whenever anyone mentioned Loose’s. Such is her legacy…
Please forgive my jabbering. I’m kind of a sentimental old fool, and it saddens me that a long-​standing neighbor in the community – even one like Loose’s — could sink beneath the waves forever, and apparently have nobody notice it. On the upside, I’m delighted that such a worthy addition to the hood as Taqueria Portland has come in as the replacement. No Po has no shortage of Tex-​Mex, of widely varying quality, and so to my way of thinking, good eats like this are always a welcome addition.
Whether it’s the enchiladas or birria (when it’s available) or the Pozole or big-​arsed burritos, try to remember to make a point to ask for the extra hot chili oil…
Portland Taqueria. For such a no-​frills business name, it’s nice to see they saved their energy for maintaining a tasty menu and keeping the prices muy afordable.
See you there!

You KNOW its damn good when the first time you go to a place, you go two meals in a row.
Taqueria Portland has been on my list to try for awhile. Small and unassuming. No one I know has eaten there. Didn’t even check Unilocal before.
Last night I had a hankering for nachos. Mmmmmm, these are tasty nachos. And unlike nachos I’m used to getting. They had it in a really nice presentation. Everything you want– choice of meat, cheese, jalapenos. I HAD to go back next day for an early lunch.
Also tried both kinds of tacos, the «regular» and the «super». Both superb.
In all, I tried 3 different meats. The chicken, shredded beef and pastor. All excellent.
Very clean facility. And the staff here are super nice. The server gave me chips and salsa while I waited. TOP notch salsa!
I’m gonna be a regular here. I can already tell.

I think it’s safe to say that anyone who’s not from Portland and likes authentic Mexican food is ALWAYS. ON. THE. HUNT for it. AMIRIGHT?
Y’all. Head on out to St. John’s for some deliciously authentic taqueria style food. I’m almost a little sad that I discovered this little gem so close to my house. Hello late nights when I’m too lazy to cook …
I must firstly note that their chips and salsa are divine. I’m always disappointed in the salsas that I have experienced at other Mexican joints. They just don’t compare to what I want/​know as fresh Mexican salsa. Taqueria Portland’s is AMAZING and tastes super fresh. I’ve only had burritos on both visits because they were so good and I didn’t want to try something new (oops), but I am definitely going for the tacos next time.
The employees are some of the nicest, friendliest, laid-​back folks I have ever met in the service industry. They are always willing to accommodate and give excellent recommendations.
Plus? $ 1 Mexican Coca Colas! ONE DOLLAR. I’m not even a soda drinker but I can never say no to Mexican Coca.

Fun place to have a burrito and a beer. Always friendly wait staff and interesting Mexican TV to be watched (Decisiones Extremos was on last time)
add: I couldn’t help but laugh at the reviewer who thought it was parmesan cheese on the enchiladas. You’ve officially disqualified your opinion on Mexican food.

This place is clean, as in if I dropped my taco (first thing in the morning) I would pick it up and eat! That immediately inspires confidence!
Then you order, and order and order just because you keep coming back! The food is second to no other taqueria in town, although olé olé’s burritos sure give them a run for their peso!
When I make a run to the border, I run here, I often run alone, so I am not shamed eating a chimichanga for sport.
Note their tamale trophies in the corner and ask if you are worthy to try one. They are off the menu for a reason, no one likes a mob.
If you are lucky your server will be Jesus, the owner, and on some nights he can make his fajitas walk on water, using bottles of homemade green and red salsa as legs. Viva TP! Viva la revolucion!

We live down the street and we’ve been through a lot of heartbreak with this little restaurant building. Crappy restaurants came and went, but Taqueria Portland has wormed it’s way into our hearts to stay. We go at least once a week, and even with that frequency, I still crave the food. We’ve had to learn a new route to the park because our kids scream for rice and beans whenever we walk by.
We love the servers, Jesus in particular, and they generally remember our quirky orders better than we do. The food’s great, chips and salsa are so yummy, and the people are so nice. Please keep coming here and spreading the word so that they never leave. We just can’t take another greasy hamburger joint.