El Sombrero Tapatio

This place is Exceptional from the moment you walk in staff and owners is soo polite and sweet. The atmosphere is gorgeous! Very welcoming. This place 10000/10 from atmosphere, food, cocktails! Amazing delicious handcrafted cocktails. Gorgeous as well 🍹🌺 The food is seasoned to perfection and cooked with Love!! I’ve tried the carne asada plate tender well cooked n juicy , and their famous chicken mole!!! Famous for every reason if you are in the area a must to stop in you will for sure be coming back after your first visit!

Great time for solo lunch today — burrito colorado lunch special was fantastic: meat was tender and not overcooked. Beans are liquid gold. Complimentary chips and salsa are quite flavorful as well. Marg was sweet but also like, it’s a gd bowl of booze. Service was excellent in both Spanish and English! Thanks yall!

The atmosphere and colorful plating of food was great, but carne asada was TERRIBLE. It must have been a couple days old, and was rock hard and more chewy than jerky. You can see in the picture how hard and dry it is, almost inedible. Service was okay, but very hard to get past the terrible entree.

Loved the main dishes that we ordered. They were prepared with more meats, vegetables, and yummy sauce. Their employees are very caring and always check on if we like the food or if we need anything else. The only thing that I didn't like was that when we ordered fried ice cream, they just served us the frozen ice cream with cereal around it without frying. That's where the 4 star came from. Otherwise, I would have given 5 stars.

We just had our daughters Grad/Birthday party catered and it was just awesome! I am SO happy with their service, prices, and food. EVERYONE at the party loved it and asked where it came from and I will be spreading the word about this wonderful restaurant for sure.

My group of 14 educators had an absolutely positive experience. Flor the manager is incredibly helpful and professional all while being super friendly, and our server Leonor was amazing! We all devoured delicious large glasses of margaritas with several experimenting with the margarita samplers. My shrimp fajitas were fabulous. I’d come back to support this business in a heartbeat!

Non-locals from Seattle, went post backpacking trip because of the reviews, and it completely lived up to the hype! Best chili relleno I’ve ever had, beans I’ve ever had, best rice I’ve ever had, I don’t know what their secret is but the world needs more of it, we rationed our leftovers like they were water in a desert. The portions were huge! The servers were also amazing: constantly checking in in a kind and respectful way, able to have a giggle, just wonderful in general

Okay, so this place was fantastic. Came in expecting a dive, just wanted some lunch. Everything was delicious. The service was friendly and fantastic. You even enter from a patio with tomatoes growing in it. Hands down some of the best Mexican food and the best experience I've had in a long while. Highly recommend.

The food here is legit! And the margaritas are huge and delicious. Chips and are hot and fresh, and they always refill the basket. The fresh salsa is outstanding. Definitely a terrific value. You will enjoy anything you order, the servings are generous and usually enough for lunch the next day. I used to come her frequently with an ex and then it slipped off my radar. An ad on Facebook, of all places, brought it to my consciousness so I stopped in for dinner. The food was as delicious as ever and the wait staff so friendly.

I'd fallen in love with this place years ago, then for reasons I can't recall sort of just not gone back. Recently started frequenting at long last and I'm a little bit obsessed. First, the $10 margarita of the day is always tasty and boozy. The table salsa is thicker and has more kick than anywhere else. The various servers are all super friendly and helpful. And the plates of food are giant and delicious. Food prices are high, but I always leave with leftovers. Bonus points for the decor. Eclectic, colorful and straight out of Disneyland. Closes a little early, which usually only saves me from another round of margaritas. Hands down my favorite Mexican Restaurant in the city.

For the area this is a good Mexican food restaurant that will meet your cravings. Service of the staff and cleanliness of restaurant along with some good food made for a good dining experience. Carne asada really hit the spot too.

Really seasoned and friendly customer service. Prices are reasonable and the variety of options.

Parking is located in back and you enter through the patio SIDE DOOR. I was immediately warmly greeted in Spanish, which I enjoyed (I am fluent in Spanish) and answered in Spanish. Server came and also greeted me in Spanish and started asking me questions in Spanish. I enjoyed that and while I was eating I noticed they do that with everyone and immediately go to English if you don't speak the language. Drink order taken and free warm chips and salsa quickly arrived. Salsa had a nice spicy level and was good. I ordered the shrimp enchiladas and paid the extra $4 for bigger shrimp. The dish was really good. A super hot plate came out and I polished it off completely. The enchiladas had a white sauce and was good but LACKED SPICE. I ended up putting salsa from the chips on top to give it more spice. The inside was super tacky Mexican theme but it worked. Had a nice meal and would come back!

Some of the Best Mexican food I've had since moving to portland. Finally someone who can nail the simplest thing... BEANS and everything else is just as great! Also the servers are so sweet. I haven't even left yet and just had to leave a review to tell you all to give them all your money !

I will never return to this place again.I felt rushed to order and eat the customer service was irritating like the waiters were going in circles one after another taking turns asking if we were ready to order,but when I needed something no one was around.Then to top it off when I got my bill I was charged for fresh fruit margaritas and that's not what I was served or what the menus precieved it to be.mararita factor is better for their service and price.My bill was ridiculous for the service I recieved

Great!....definitely recommend going to the restaurant instead of ordering to go! But still delicious and salsa and chips is good and fresh!

We love El Sombrero! Have never been disappointed in anything we have tried. Their tortilla soup is outstanding. The holiday specials for food and drink muy bueno! The food is great but what takes it to the next level is the people. Well worth a visit highly recommend. PS-if you are there on a night that they have tres leche cake-GET IT!

My family was celebrating two birthdays and had a reservation for 14 made over a week in advance. Our drink orders were promptly taken; however, took 30+ minutes to receive them. In the meantime we had devoured all the chips, salsa, and water that was setup at our table at arrival. Once our food orders were taken it was almost 2 hours before they started coming out. We had asked for soda, chips and salsa refills during that time to no avail and only received water... ONCE! Some of the adults went to the bar and wanted to pay separately for drinks, but were told the drinks had to be added to the tab and couldn't be split without manager's approval -- which she was busy at the moment. Strange, right?! The food smelled good when it came out (6 people ordered fajitas), but I imagined it being better with all the reviews. My chimichanga was smaller than my son's iPhone mini, so I'm not sure how people raved about large portions? Perhaps the mediocre food and subpar service was due to our party size, but they could've checked on us or provided an ETA, since after placing our orders we were basically ghosted until the food came out. On the other hand, the decor was really cute and the restroom was spotless! When I say spotless, I really mean spotless because I spent my fare share of time in there with my young daughter who needed to use the restroom 6 times. Will we ever go again? Probably not, but if we do it'll definitely not be with a party larger than 3-4.

Great food, wonderful ambiance, friendly staff. Parking is a total bear. I would go again

We fell in love with this place from day one. Hard to believe that it was right around the corner, and we had no idea until just recently. My wife had had an incident that required medical attention, and I was left to take care of the kids while she recuperated. I grabbed a couple of the Mexican pizza appetizers as a quick dinner solution, and we were so blown away that we came back the very next day! The matronly owner (I'm assuming, but I have a good feeling about it) is so warm and welcoming, on every visit, that she feels like a member of your family. Having forgotten that dine-in service was restricted (again!) the day after our previous visit due to COVID restrictions, we were forced to take today's order to go, but that did not detract from the wonderful service we received, once again. The food itself? Phenomenal. Mexican cuisine seems to be resilient to incompetence, but El Sombrero is something else. I think they have taken the top spot and are now my absolute favorite. The carne asade burrito I had today was mind-blowingly fabulous! My wife had the tortilla soup, which did wonders for her recuperation, and the kids, having eaten their school lunches, snacked on luxurious queso and chips, thick and rich and wonderful. We snuck a couple bites ourselves! And to top it all off, two watermelon habanero margaritas (to go) that hit every single note of spicy, sweet and salty, with a helluva punch. That cocktail alone is worth the price of admission! I'd read previous reviews from out of town travelers that confessed they never leave Portland without a visit to El Sombrero, and now I understand why. This is the best Mexican restaurant in Portland, hands down.

I love this little restaurant! Food tastes fresh and as if you are eating something from your abuelita's kitchen! They accommodate special considerations with grace and the portions are substantial, especially for the prices. Their alcohol is unique and liberally poured. They garnish with lots of fun flowers and flavors - you cannot miss out!

Met up with some friends here, after searching places on yelp, and settling on this one. It was an adorable place from the outside and on the inside. There's a parking lot behind the building for off street parking. The wait staff provided excellent, friendly service. The food was wonderful and with huge portions. Would definitely eat here again.

Decent food and friendly, efficient service. The only reason i didn't give this place 4 stars is their no iced tea refill policy. Come again? Sad that they would buck a trend that millions of restaurants have embraced and choose to nickel and dime customers for a product that literally costs them pennies. I doubt I'll be back.

INCREDIBLE! I was at El Sombrero with a large group of 25 or so, but they handled us with ease. (These were 13-19 year olds lol) The service was fantastic, as was the food. The Chefs do not skimp out on the meals. The prices are a little higher than I would like, but you get what you pay for. 6 stars if I could. Keep it up!

This place was a pretty good find after we landed in Portland. The interior was so beautifully decorated. The food was really great too! A tad overpriced but the quality was excellent. We had great service as well. The portions were so massive and left with very full bellies and smiles on our faces :)

The ambiance is fantastic. The service seems okay if you can get it. Tonight the restaurant is full, but there only appears to be one server and two bussers. When we sat down, over an hour ago, we knew there was a party ahead of us. However they didn't mention how woefully understaffed they are tonight. An hour into our wait, my preschoolers are literally eating their napkins. The menus are abbreviated and only in Spanish. If you want a full menu you have to look online, but no one will tell you this: not the menu or the staff. There is no kids' menu. The sink in the ladies room isn't draining. The server promised my kids a chip refill 45 minutes ago, and she has clearly forgotten. She's run off her feet, so maybe we are getting fantastic service given how few employees are here today. We should have wondered when no one met us at the door. That should have been our clue to turn tail and run. I'm afraid the sunk cost fallacy has us in its clutches now and we live here. If we ever receive food, I'll post about it. ‍

This has been our family Mexican Restaurant for over 20 yrs. The kids/ family have grown and moved away, and when they come home, El Sombrero (Tapatio) is on everyones list. You will not be disappointed!!!

The enchilada mole was OUTSTANDING!!! Family owned restaurant with Mom cooking her own recipes in the kitchen while her daughter waited on us. Love this place!

Stopped in this restaurant because we had tried others but so many have been closing early! They took us in even though they were closing in 29 minutes. We didn't realize how close to closing we were. It was a nice surprise.! The food was so good. I had juevos con chorizo.... Best ever. Pollo Diablo was perfect. Nice spice. Chile Colorado and carne asada with a Chile relleno we're all great. Rice and beans had such authentic flavor. They gave me some of the employee salsa. Way better than what they serve with chips. Flan was fresh and super rich. We will definitely be back. The service was also superb and the margaritas were on point!

Let's start with the wings...the only flavor is the oil it was fried in. My trio fajitas...the shrimp was over cooked and dry. I wish I had paid attention and realized I had to pull the shells off the shrimp. Usually when I order beef, chicken and shrimp fajitas they are not all tossed together as a single dish. There was a lot of rice and very little other sides to go with the fajitas. I will be sure to stick with La Parilla on 82nd for quality food.

You know how everyone loves the Mexican pizza from Taco Bell?!?!? Well picture that double sized and way more delicious! It is amazing!!!! The chips and salsa are good. My husband got the three meat fajitas. He loved them.

A very large menu! Service was a little slow, but we were a group of 10. We had a flight of Margaritas that was excellent.

Very satisfying but loss of a star for a slightly bland chile relleno and forgetting the chorizo in my queso fundido that I paid extra for. I enjoyed the enchilada but was expecting shredded beef, not ground. The flavors were nice but we've had better. My husband noted the queso was like mac and cheese without the mac! The delivery was super fast. Just wish they remembered the chorizo!

Extremely high priced. Decent food. Run down, very bad smelling restaurant. I've eaten here a few times and I've also gotten food to go and it's not terrible. But it's also not the best. Ingredients are usually pretty fresh and portions are decently sized. The restaurant itself is quite honestly gross. You have to enter through the back and the last few times it smells so strongly of animal feces and garbage. When you enter, the smell turns into mold and must. Everything is dusty, dirty and outdated. The female servers are usually very rude, curt and I've had items spilled on me numerous times. The male servers are a little nicer. The prices are what really turn me away though. A taco salad and a Diet Coke come to a whoppin $18. Yikes. If you're in the mood for tasty Mexican food in a nice, exuberant space- look elsewhere. This places really needs some work.

I have always loved Mexican food (Restaurant food). However, I lived in California for a couple of years and found there is no real comparison to what you can find down there. But if you are looking for good quality food in East Portland, the El Sombrero is excellent. It is not in a good area, but the restaurant itself is nice, and the food is very good. I have been there a dozen or so times, and have never been disappointed. Favs. are the Huevos Rancheros and Arros Con Pollo.

I am shocked at ANY good reviews. We went on Memorial Day weekend at about 5:30 on a Saturday for dinner (after I had worked all day). The place had only two other tables sat, it was disastrously HOT (no a/c, no fans except one tiny ceiling fan on a Low setting, no windows that open likely because it's a bad area of town). We were a party of 5 (two families) including two toddlers, that had never been there (and will never be back). They put one menu on the table, and when we asked for more, they said we were only allowed one (they are all laminated, and easy to wipe down). We had two starving toddlers, two families and had to pass around ONE menu. The pandemic has been happening for a year and a half. They can either print paper, one time use menus if so concerned, or wipe them down. They only had two other tables sat. I feel the hostess had more than ample time to wipe them down. Covid restrictions are LIFTING, yet they choose to stay stuck in the dark ages. I wanted to order a margarita with extra limes, and she responded, "we only use a mix because limes are too expensive,but you can have a lemon!!?!" Uhhhh, pass. Raise your prices if the lime is so expensive, but last I check a margarita with 1.5 to 2 ounces of tequila at $12-15 is a restaurant's highest profit margin (always the liquor is highest profit center). Who wants a margarita without fresh limes??? Lastly, I ordered chicken suiza enchiladas and they came with boiled, bland shredded chicken. It was clearly not simmered with any seasoning, onions, garlic, cilantro, or even salt or pepper. The worst enchilada ever! This gringo makes better enchiladas at home! They have no printed kids menu either, so you have to ask. For what it's worth, my friends enjoyed their super burritos ‍. We will never be back. The service and the food are sorely lacking.

So this use to be one of our families place to go to get some good Mexican food with generous servings. We'll today my family and I went to celebrate my daughters birthday and we were very disappointed. Most of us ordered a plate that included rice and beans but the servings looked like a kids portion and the fish tacos were bland and the tortillas were falling apart so had to order more tortillas to eat the fish tacos. So sad to see this place going down hill. Although the hostess and waitress were friendly unfortunately we will not be returning.

Located right on Sandy, this restaurant will give you all the authenticity you crave in good Mexican food. There is street parking right in front and a small parking lot in the back. They have 2 entrances, the main entrance is located in the outdoor seating area which you may mistake for a creepy ally if you're going at night, the other entrance is right on Sandy but will bring you right into someone's table in the dining room. We were seated right away by a very peppy waitress. Water and menus were brought as we sat down. They have a pretty extensive menu with something for everyone. We ordered fajitas and a carne asada taco plate. The servings were very large and everything came out as requested. The fajitas were tender and juicy and had the right amount of meat to veggies ratio. The three tacos were stuffed full of meat and came with cilantro, onions, lettuce, and cheese on the side. I wasn't a fan of the taco shells. They didn't taste bad or anything, they just weren't the typical corn tortillas I'm used to. The salsa was amazing! It was so flavorful and a little on the thicker side. It wasn't like typical watery restaurant salsa. The service was great but became slow as it got closer to closing time. We waited a little longer than normal for our check but that's not something that should deter you from coming here on your next taco excursion.

The food was delicious and the service was great. The mole sauce on the enchiladas was so yummy, and the drinks were generous. I would definitely recommend!

Been coming here for years while in town. Some of the best real Mexican food in country. Parking in the rear, worth the drive! Salsa is hot! Not open to late so plan ahead.

This has been my go-to for Mexican for two years now. I almost always get the nachos with shredded beef and it has never disappointed. Lots of yummy stuff and great flavor for the beef. The corn enchiladas with beef, rice and beans are also very good. The salsa and chips are tasty, portion sizes are big and the service is always friendly. I definitely recommend supporting this local business.

I will gladly drive across town to eat here again. Recommend by a foodie group I follow. Did not disappoint. They have off street parking. Clearly marked entry and a small outdoor seating area if you wanted. Very attentive staff. I am a bit of a tortilla chip snob and these were so good! The salsa was a slightly spicy blended sauce. I ordered the Fajita Salad. So good and filling. Big chunks of steak and perfectly cooked peppers and cheese onion over a salad in a flaky fried tortilla shell. I will have to try everything at least once on the menu.

Food was delicious however there was no fork or napkins. How do you eat a smothered burrito without tools? No receipt so I am screwed to get reimbursed. Grubhub is bad news. Never again!

Great food, Great Service I had the a la carte chicken tacos and they were great! Great chip & salsa too.

Great service, fantastic chips & spicy salsa served at the table & great authentic & super tasty Mexican food. No complaints. I'll be back!

We were the first table of the day! We came in shortly after 11 and the place was empty. I thought great this should be good. Unfortunately the staff was distracted in some way. There were two young Adults running the front of the house. One hostess and a waiter! We had to wait a while for everything. My drink order he never came back to get. Considering it was a party of 5! I was the last one to arrive and hadn't made a decision yet. We had to flag him down about 15 mins later to order my drink. I ordered a Michelada! It was not good at all. Not sure their recipe but I didn't care for it. It's sad to say I will not be coming back here. The whole time we were there it felt like an inconvenience for the server. I know it was a Sunday morning but we were your only table for the most part and he just sat in the booth right next to the door while chatting with the girl hostess!

Sorry... but never again... I feel guilty not ordering from my favorite.. La Parilla. I cannot believe I paid $16 for some cheese and a few bits of meat in some tortillas. I will say that the few bits of meat were flavorful and tender. Chicken wings were so gross.. I am not even sure where to start! Soggy, small, salty, tasteless... I would say don't bother putting that in your menu El Sombrero. Very dissatisfied and disappointed. Will continue to support and enjoy La Parilla

Great food, fair priced. Service is friendly. Everything on the menu has been fresh. And they have a not so spicy salsa if you ask.

I have got to find a new word to describe food other than "drool" but I'm drooling thinking back to this meal. We drove to the restaurant to order since there wasn't a website or potentially accurate menu and were given a menu and took some time to look it over then ordered at the front. We waited in the lobby with our masks since nobody was in the lobby waiting. The food came out fairly quickly, maybe 15-20 minutes and was packaged perfectly. They even gave us a side of enchilada sauce for free since we forgot to ask for it while we ordered. The food looked amazing when we got home and tasted even better. I got a cheese quesadilla which was HUGE and I ate every bit of it. It came with sour cream, tomato and guac. Not tons of it so if you like a lot, I would order sides. I also ordered a side of beans because I can't resist. They were pretty delicious and they gave me tons. My boyfriend ordered a combo plate with a chicken enchilada and beef chimichanga which came with rice and beans naturally. I LOVED the rice. I love when they put veggies in the rice, not tons but little bits. He really enjoyed his food as well but preferred the chicken enchilada. The restaurant is open for dine in as well! Either way you do it, I would do it.

This restaurant like many others was put through A LOT over the last 16 months. They are a small family run Mexican restaurant and I have been enjoying their food + drinks for years. I took my kids and partner here on Tuesday night and had a great experience. The main lady that works in the dining room is SO sweet and always takes amazing care of us. We ordered off the one menu provided (they also have a link to the online menu) without any issues. I don't know why other people find this so annoying, it's not hard to look up the menu on your phone. Drinks were delivered promptly and the Cadillac margs were very yummy. We had a variety of food items, two burritos, a chimichanga and chile relleno. All were flavorful and cooked well. The chimichanga was a bit small for the price, but tasted great. There were a few slow service moments, but with two people working the front it was to be expected. Please go support this local business!

Passing through on a road trip crossing the border from Oregon to Washington. My friend wanted Mexican food. Against my better judgement we landed here because it had four stars but approaching the restaurant I had a feeling it was not going to meet my standards being from San Diego. The chips are real light and needed salt. The salsa had a thick sauce to it like tomato paste. I ordered a shredded beef taco and was disappointed when I saw the taco was a pre-made shell. The beef was not shredded but big chunks. Although tasty you couldn't bite into it without the whole chunk of meat coming out - had to use a fork and knife. I gave this place an extra star because the servers were very nice.

A great place for take-out (though I miss dining in)! My husband and I get take out from here about once a week. It's by far our favorite spot for Mexican food, and we want them to stay in business during COVID closures and forever! They're doing margaritas to-go now! Cadillac margaritas, baby! They're delicious and well worth the price - you definitely only need one to have a great night, you know what I mean? ;) Vera makes great ones. We love Vera. The best meals for take-out: Chile verde (super tender pork in green sauce, black or refried beans, rice, tortillas) Carne Asada (similar as above but steak, beans, rice, tortillas) Enchiladas de mole (I get chicken) I also like any of their enchiladas options, huevos rancheros, the queso dip too. (I saw another review say they forgot the chorizo on the queso dip, and just to follow up, we def had chorizo on ours when we ordered it about two weeks ago. However, the time before they did let us know they were out of chorizo, so maybe the person who took their order forgot to mention that for the other customer and take off the charge, unfortunately. Anyway, I would say safe to get the queso dip with chorizo now because it is tasty and will make you happy.) They always give us plenty of chips and salsa with our take out orders. We also like to get an extra side of refried beans for later because their beans are really special.

El Sombrero is an amazing family run restaurant. The service is always great even when they are busy and understaffed, like most places these days.

Pro - Great atmosphere - Friendly staff - Quick service - Large portion sizes - Tasty food - Good drinks - Relatively inexpensive Con - While the drinks are tasty, they are a little light on alcohol Overall, this restaurant does not disappoint!

Ordered: Drinks-Reg Margarita on the rocks Food-Camarones Monterrey (bacon wrapped shrimp) -Camarones al mojo de ajo (garlic shrimp) From the outside the place looks rundown but the inside has an authentic charm. There is parking street side also a little parking lot in the back. Margaritas are good. The salsa is super fresh and has the right amount of heat. The two dishes we ordered were amazing. I've had bacon wrapped shrimp in different restaurants in California but this is the best I've had so far. The shrimp was a good size the bacon was crispy and the cheese on top gave it the right touch. The garlic shrimp had a good garlic flavor and the garlic was visible on the veggies and sauce. Overall a good experience, the waitress was very friendly and prompt. I would come back when I visit Portland again

This place doesn't taste anything like a hat? It was however delicious! The chips and salsa to start was a nice way to get the meal going. The salsa was fresh. Not too spicy. Tasty cilantro and chunks of onion. I always judge a Mexican restaurant by the side of rice and beans. This restaurant passed the test with flying colors. The beans are straight out of Guadalajara. No joke. I was transported to Mexico once the beans hit my mouth. Unbelievable. The rice was authentic here as well. I ordered a large combo so I had two enchiladas that I chose to fill with chicken. Pulled chicken. Large amount of meat inside. Topped with a nice red enchilada sauce. It also came with a crispy taco. I decided to get ground beef with the taco. Good flavor and not too greasy. Prices here are reasonable. The staff is super nice. Great spot to check out if you haven't been!

The food was not good and over priced for what it is. Would not recommend the burritos. The service was okay. We ordered a horchata and it never came. I'm surprised this place has good reviews.

First time here and won't be the last one! Food was amazing I've been in other Mexicans restaurants and this place is the best one! The attention was great super friendly and food was on our table in less than 10min! Got the Fajita burrito and was delicious! Recommending this place to all my friends.