El Portal

Nice little spot in downtown Phoenix. The rice was well seasoned. The beans had a smoky flavor to them which I enjoyed. The green chili was tender and had a nice amount of pepper, which gave it a different flavor than I have had before. I was hoping for better salsa, but it was not bad. The service was very good. The atmosphere was very welcoming and relaxed.

Small restaurant nestled on the corner. Very clean. Unfortunately when I walked in I wasn’t sure if I should wait to be seated or sit anywhere. After waiting for someone to acknowledge me I finally sat down but it wasn’t long before someone came to serve me. My server was a young lady, she was not rude or anything just seemed a little unhappy to be there today. She didn’t check on me but once after taking my order and serving my food. I was there for about an hour dining alone. However there was another gentleman that continued to check on me before she got around to her first visit after serving my food. The food was delicious and prepared fast. Higher prices than expected but for the amount of food it was worth it. Nice quiet vibe.

The food was not only tasted but also had good quality. Strong recommend.

This place is a community gem. It reminds me of the food my Nana and Tata would fix. I highly recommend the Sonoran enchiladas.

Great, family owned, amazing food and the owners are always very friendly and involved with their community ❤️

They have the BEST beans and rice! And meat is soft, sauce is flavorful and amazing, service is incredibly awesome. I definitely come back when i visit Phoenix!!!!

Horrible service , waitress had a horrible face all the time and very slow for everything , food was soggy yes plates were hot but not the food and my grandmothers pancakes were raw in the center and we didn’t realize until she was half way done . Never plan on coming back just hoping she doesn’t get sick from eating the raw food

Delicious family owned restaurant serving delicious breakfast and lunch! Red enchiladas have a fabulous deep red chili flavor. Loved the chips and salsa.

Food was delicious service was nice portions were great I do recommend this place and I will be back

I hadn't been here since the place closed down, so I was thrilled to see it had reopened! I just had to check it out--especially since it's where my mom used to hang out back in the day. So many good memories from the good old days! The atmosphere was beautiful and family-friendly, the service was excellent, and the food was absolutely delicious--especially the original chilaquiles! - Sarah Smile God bless

The food and service was amazing. I got the special which included a chicken taco, enchilada, rice and beans. The salsa was perfectly spicy and I enjoyed the the green chili as it had a smoky flavor. The red sauce was also just as delicious which is surprising as I normally prefer green sauce. I enjoyed the music playing and all the beautiful murals on the walls. The food came out super fast and the server made sure to check in and ask how the food was. I will definitely be coming back.

Lived in AZ my whole life, Just had their food for the first time at a catered event for the Air Force! It was very good! And would recommend. And the service is top notch. Home grown

Nice little spot in downtown Phoenix. The rice was well seasoned. The beans had a smoky flavor to them which I enjoyed. The green chili was tender and had a nice amount of pepper, which gave it a different flavor than I have had before. I was hoping for better salsa, but it was not bad. The service was very good. The atmosphere was very welcoming and relaxed.

Cute hole in the wall locals kinda joint. Had a lunch special of cheese enchilada with red sauce and a crispy beef taco, beans - no rice. Very fast, friendly service and the entree was very flavorful. So glad I walked here from my hotel. I will be back when business brings me back to PHX!

If I could rate this a zero, I would. Worst "Mexican" restaurant I have ever gone to. Servers were nice, but there was only like 3 other tables getting service when we got there and we waited about 30-40 minutes for our food. Once we got our food, as soon as I saw the plate I knew it was going to suck. I was craving some real good chilaquiles, and these are by far the worst I have ever tasted. My 8 year old daughter could cook better than that. I got half red half green, the salsa was tasteless, the chilaquiles were slimy, no flavor whatsoever. Very very disappointed. My husband got the enchiladas, same nasty green salsa, and they give you only 2, and like a lb of rice and beans so you fill up on that. It was like $14 per plate, so not super cheap for something so bad. My kids said the asada tacos were equally flavorless, and the tortillas were oily. All around, would NOT recommend. I am actually surprised they are still in business. Do not go.

Great food and portions. Asked for a small modification that didn't happen but not a biggie. Good everything!

The food is great. Very friendly staff. Very clean! We were there on a Sunday morning and there was no wait.

Horrible, just horrible, horrible tasty food horrible service horrible employee would never ever recommend this place

Iconic Mexican Restaurant in Phoenix. Love the art, the food and the service

Great food! The serving size is large, and the people are super friendly.Mexican Rice

Food is stellar and the service is great. Came in with a large group and everyone left happy. I'll be back for sure.

The squash dish is awesome. The server , one of the family members, was a very well mannered young gentleman. The mural is absolutely stunning and gives this restaurant that authentic vibe. Wonderful place to take friends.

This food is amazing! The staff is beyond helpful and hospitable! Best Mexican food in downtown Phoenix.

Fresh flavor Mexican dishes. The menudo is the best in the valley served with flour or corn tortillas and your favorite seasonings. I'm always greeted with a smile and the customer service is top notch. I will be coming back for sure!! I recommend El Portal Restaurant..

Without trying to name-drop, I happened to be chatting with a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court at some legal-social event recently, and he recommended that I try this restaurant as it was a long-time favorite of his. Who am I to dare ignore a personal recommendation from our state's highest court? So I went, and as we were eating I spotted yet ANOTHER Supreme Court justice walk in with who I guess was his wife. It turns out, apparently, that El Portal has long been the favorite of many appellate judges in Arizona. I'm frankly embarassed I never knew about it before, because it's one of the closest Mexican restaurants to where I live. Setting my celebrity-stricken bias aside, this is a cool little Mexican dive with a nice, welcoming, cozy atmosphere inside. If you're a staunch Republican, you might cringe as you walk in because it appears that this is an unofficial headquarters for the Democratic Party of Arizona. There's a huge Hillary Clinton campaign sign inside, along with a projection of Mayor Gordon's campaign website on one of the walls, oddly enough, plus other political/Democratic signage. The food was good, and I liked the salsa which had quite a kick to it. From everything I can tell, El Portal clearly qualifies as a genuine Phoenix institution.

Now i start this review by saying i love the food here. With that being said i tell people about my food experiences i always say if the food is ok and great service ill always go back. This past weekend Portal was packed and i have been craving the chorizo for a month. We finally had time to make it. I will say this if the food is great people will wait. All one has to do is acknowledge and set expectations. Neither was done however i still waited becuae i was patient. 10 minutes later we had not been acknowledged. I told my wife if he says "ill be right with you" i would wait. It was clear he was busy and i was not going to rush. A large group walked in and someone in the group clearly knew everyone that worked there. I told my family if this table gets thier waters and menus before us i was leaving. As soon as they sat down he brought waters and chips and menus. I still gave the opportunity to let him acknowledge me or tell me sorry for wait. NEITHER WAS DONE. Its unfortunate that we had to leave. The food is great BUT that cant make up for bad service. All you have to do is acknowledge people and prioritize tables in the order they came in. If you need help dont be afraid to ask for help from your manager. ALWAYS BE CONSISTENT with your customer. Dont treat a VIP with red carpet at the expense of customer service I will try this place again but not anytime soon. I went to Comedor we waited 30 min for a table and i didnt mind. I hope your experience is better than mine. TIP: next time you walk into a busy restaurant I always ask what "ticket time" is to set expectations! Do i want to wait? But they have to even come to your table FIRST to talk to you to even ask :( Eating out is always a experience

Great family owned place. Delicious food, great service, and plenty of space for big groups.

Food was good if you like traditional American Mexican but the best part was the restraunt it's self really unique and great music. Our waiter was the grandson/son of the owners super nice guy and very knowledgeable about the history of this place. I would highly recommend and will be returning soon.

Excellent food, friendly staff. Haven't been disappointed. I will definitely be back.

This is my new Mexican Food restaurant. The most amazing fresh homemade food, the beans are right on point, the Mexican rice is fresh has great flavor. The Mary Rose Special, mom delicious. Come on out and enjoy the best Mexican food in Phoenix.

I love this place! Every time I eat here I am highly satisfied! The staff is by far my favorite! Yvonne and Byron are always so helpful and attentive. Try the steak picado,.. it is fantastic!!

Such a waste. Great little cozy Mexican restaurant for a business lunch that somehow forgot 1) how to make Mexican food and 2) how to cater to larger groups on their lunch break. You will fall in love with its quaint, wooden interior and carafes of salsa, but the love affair will start to wain once you realize how shoddy and unorganized the service is. It's one of those serve tables by committee places where no one will claim responsibility of any table that's out there. As such, you will go through long stretches without key elements for eating your meal and either be ignored or treated rudely when you ask for help. But the real deal-breaker for me in my one (and probably final) trip here was the food. I got a "Carne Asada Taco" platter, which turned out to be a loose definition for what I got. There was a stack of four tiny, over-saturated tortillas with some carne asada on it. No guacamole, no pico, or anything else. Just some carne asada and lettuce on sticky, wet tortillas. Also came with almost tasteless beans and rice on the side. The carne asada itself was really good and some members of my party had slightly better entrees, including the ones who got carne asada burritos which were loaded with guac and such, but we all agreed it wasn't worth the price compared to a trip to Tradiciones, La Tolteca, or even Canasta. Then we got presented with a bill that included an auto-gratuity of almost 30%. We brought it up to the woman who was running the joint for the most part and took our orders and told her to sort that out. She apologizied and said, "Oh, she can put on whatever gratuity she wants." Say what? Who is "she"? You are the only one running the register and taking orders. And how can any server just come up with a gratuity of 30%? Needless to say this place is trying to shakedown large business parties and should be avoided as much as possible.

Stopped in with some friends after a hike around South Mountain. We came in for a nice breakfast/lunch on a Sunday, around noon. I ordered the Chilaquiles based on Mary Rose Wilcox's suggestion (I love chilaquiles and have had too many experiences with lackluster versions to not ask). My co-eaters ordered a plate of flautas, chiles rellenos, huevos rancheros, and a bean and cheese burrito. The food came out fast (the restaurant was nearly empty) and it was excellent! The flour tortilla was thick and light and delicious. The chilaquiles were a little different from what I expected, but they were still quite delicious. The beans were excellent (Mexican restaurants must have fabulous beans, it's the litmus test). The whole experience was lovely. In fact, the only minus I have of the whole experience was a series of typos on the menu. But hey, the food was delicious!

A visiting friend and I gave breakfast here a try before heading to Sedona back in April '08. The salsa was very good. My friend said that the chips were awesome. I had a breakfast burrito (eggs and ground beef) that wasn't very memorable, while she had something similar with chorizo wrapped in a soft corn tortilla and smothered with a sweet red sauce. She didn't like it very much. I liked the wooden furniture that reminded me of the furniture found in every home back in the Philippines- dark, heavy, and many are engraved. I thought the Native American theme was a little-off, but she found it charming. Service was very slow- we sat waiting for more than ten minutes before someone came out of the kitchen to greet us. Lunch menu items are rather inexpensive, so I may visit again sometime in the next few years...

Its amazing how people are led to believe that this place serves delicious Mexican food. I would like to know WHAT they are ordering. Been there once and never went back again thanks to their awful long lingering wait staff that took forever to bring us drinks and food along with the low quality of the food. The chicken enchiladas I ordered were disgusting to say the least, chicken was black and gross, and they were covered in a mountain of what seemmed to be green ooze that was trying to be salsa verde with nacho cheese. Never been back.

Amazing!! Every time we come! Fast great service and amazing food!! Very friendly and welcoming!

WOW!!!! I love this place!!! I work downtown and every chance I get I head to this tasty place... I love the service and love the carne asada. I would love it if they would stay open for dinner. I will continue to let my friends and family know this is a must!!!

Not an entirely bad place but the food here is kind of bland. Not my first choice for Mexican food.

Service was terrible. Came in for lunch and the place had 20-30 people in one group and the poor service staff were rapped up waiting on them. Took 45 minutes to get a watered down ice tea, with no ice. Finally got up and walked out. Seemed like the large group was waiting to protest some event at the Convention Center.

My husband and I have been coming here once a week for a month now. We love the friendly atmosphere and the boys are so helpful! The food is amazing and they are so willing to modify any dish. Our kids love it as well!

Can't remember a more unforgettable meal! Service was slow, atmosphere was "third world" and the food was questionable! Save your money!

What can I say about El Portal, its so great. The restaurant is owned and run by local poltico Mary Rose Wilcox, her husband Earl, and their family. While only open for breakfast and lunch, its well worth the trip downtown. The restaurant is actually an old mexican church, remodeled with all hispanic labor from the area, and is a quaint dining experience. The machaca and egg burrito or plate is so good, with fresh jalopenos and seasoned beef. The chorizo is spicy, but you wont be regretting eating it later on in the day. Try ordering the bacon, well done. Its so crispy, its life changing. For lunch, their are a number of traditional sonoran style dishes that you cant go wrong with. Try the chilaquiles, they are the best, and something you will only find around here. The staff is small, so you have to be patient, and not be looking to dine and leave quickly. Early Sunday mornings are so fun, the restaurant is low key, lots of families coming in after church and enjoying each others company. Overall, this is one of my special spots here in Phoenix, and I take everyone I know from out of town here!!!!

OK, it's been awhile, but I have a happy memory of a green enchilada special. My co-worker insisted we had to go there. Nobody spoke Anglais, so it had to be good, and it was. While it didn't equal the old Restaurant Mexico in Tempe, it was a good time, and the old building was comforting. This is important in a city that doesn't tolerate anything old.