Once again, this survey pretty much followed along the lines I expected. Autentica has gotten more expensive, but I still feel it is a good deal. In my experience the service issues have been largely worked out, though they still have off days. ¿Por Que No? locations always have a line down the block, and I admire their commitment to their staff and to local sustainable ingredients. Nuestra Cocina is good, and used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but they need to shake things up. I was thinking the other day I haven’t been for a long time, because the menu doesn’t seem to have changed much over the years.
- Autentica – 21% of the vote. 5507 Northeast 30th Ave., Portland, OR 97211 (503) 287-7555. Map My review – updated 2.11
- ¿Por Que No? -19%. Two locations: 3524 North Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR (503) 467-4149 Map & 4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR(503) 954-3138 Map. My Review – updated 3.11
- Nuestra Cocina – 17%. 2135 Southeast Division St, Portland, OR (503) 232-2135 Map. My review – updated 3.11.
It’s not AuTHentica, it’s Autentica!
I love Nuestra Cocina, but I don’t go there that often. Why? Because they don’t take reservations, and I feel it’s disrespectful of their customers to make them wait up to one and a half hours to eat. At least Avignon is right across the street.
grammar correction: “disrespectful *TO* their customers”
I find Por Que No to be one of the biggest ripoffs in town. The one on Hawthorne in particular has a pretty abysmal waiting time (for freakin TACOS!) and the prices are ridiculous. The best Mexican in this town (in terms of stuff like tacos/burritos) tend to be found at hole in the walls and of course, the trucks. Nuestra Cocina is good but I completely agree they need a shot in the arm. Never been to Autentica, but I’ll give them a try. I just can’t believe Por Que No is even in the top three, let alone over Nuestra Cocina.
Agree about Por Que No. We’ve only been once, but the tacos are small, expensive and not as good as numerous trucks and small joints (Ochoa, Sanchez, etc.) in town.
Best Mexican restaurant for gringos, not Mexicans.
Pray tell, Bubbles, what is the best Mexican restaurant for Mexicans in Portland?
JDG, I wondered exactly the same thing. Maybe Bubbles used to work at Mary’s club so has fond memories of the Mexican pass through there.
I agree with Leo and Marshall about about Por Que No. Over priced, mediocre food and the Hawthorne outlet is a dump.
Santa Cruz in St. Johns….duh!
PQN is shite in a shiny handbasket. Don’t be mad at them because the lines are so long, be mad at the people making the lines. Know your local people.
We’re going to see the pqn model more in the next two years. awesome.
Well, I like Por Que No. I’m sure it’s not the cheapest in town, but I like knowing where the meat is coming from, the service is always friendly, and it’s near my house. They are awesome to their staff, too, and I”m willing to pay a little extra for these things. Plus, I like the margaritas. I usually get something other than tacos, so maybe that’s the difference. I also am not expecting a traditional taqueria when I go there.
I think they win lots of people over for these policies alone –
Where was that blurb sourced?
From my review
Sorry, the snark wasn’t intentional.
No worries. I’m used to your abuse.
I really like Fonda Rosa on SE 28th & Couch