Yvette S.
Yelp
My visits to Pour Vida are sparse and they are usually only when I'm with a group of co-workers or friends and someone suggests going here. It is very rare when I decide to visit on my own. I haven't had a wow factor here while visiting. Here is what I've experienced:
Long Waits - Overall visit lasts a long time here, even for a simple order. The wait between drink orders, food orders, and food arrivals has always been long here, even when there are not many people present. My last visit was with a party of three, each of us ordered just two tacos, with the exception of one friend that ordered three, and we were there waiting for our food for at least a half hour. There weren't any sides or special orders.
Value - The food is expensive. As of the last visit, the cheapest price for a taco was $6 and can range up to $8.....for one taco. I don't mind paying for something that is a little pricey, but I personally don't think the quality is there. The meat is a little chewy and the flavors are just okay. I also think the size of the tacos is rather small. Tacos El Gringo are down the street near Anaheim Make and their tacos range I think from $5 - $7, but they are rather sizable. You can make two tacos with the amount of meat they put into one and I think the meat quality there is better. Also, the Pour Vida chips and salsa are $10! The serving portion for the chips is also not very big, so I would recommend skipping this.
Food - My favorite tacos have to be their brussel sprout tacos, but again, they are pricey for a veggie taco. I didn't like the vanilla bean braised short rib (that's what I get for being adventurous). The flavors did not pair well together. The Anaheim Burger taco was just okay. I once had their veggie bowl that I ordered for pickup, which was okay as well but I paid about $25 for that after tax and tip. Their baked goods look so good in their display but they are also just okay, nothing special.
Cleanliness - During my last visit, my boss, unfortunately, had some pink lipstick on his water cup that he noticed after he drank from it. They must have missed that cup while washing. When he notified the staff, they apologized and brought him new water. They didn't comp anything from our bill or offer any remedy, which might have improved the experience a little bit more.
Overall, Pour Vida has a cute vibe and nice staff, but the expensive food and long wait times aren't enough to bring me back and my most recent experience was a reminder of that.