05/07/09

great place for good food...horrible service...what a shame!

by blackolive

My husband and I were recommended to have brunch here by many friend that love to eat there. We finally decided to have brunch there this past Satuday. The place looks great and it was nice to walk into. It was very difficult to communicate with the server. She was an d older latina woman that could not undersant what we were saying. It seems like she doesn't speak english. It was our fist time in this restaurant and we didn't know about your specialties and she was not able to give us any feedback. We finally got the order though and got the food served. Our server never once came back to ask if we needed anything else and we were had to get her attention to get us what we needed. We asked for coffee after lunch and it was the worst cold coffe we've ever had. I loved the food there. It's a real shame that becouse of the service we will never be back.

• Pros: food is exellent... highly recommended
• Cons: worst service ever experienced in my life

04/22/09

Beware

by SarahBeech

The upscale authentic Mexican food makes up a bit for the loss of Taqueria Nueve but our bill for $81 before tip for 2 drinks, 1 appetizer & 2 entrees was steep. This was partly because while sitting at the bar waiting for our table we ordered margaritas. There was only one margarita on the drink menu at $8. That's what we thought we ordered. The bartender pointed to a bottle and said that's what she would be using and also mentioned Gran Marnier. I thought, fine, that's a real margarita. When we got our bill we found we had been served 'Cadillac' margaritas at $12 each. Even when we questioned the bill we were only told that. They did not fix our bill as I think they should have. I found this shocking behavior.

• Pros: Food is good
• Cons: Expensive and don't trust the bartender

04/18/09

Excellent

by BobNewman

I had dinner with 8 other folks here a week ago and the consensus was that the food was excellent and the atmosphere and service were, as well. I had the carnitas, along with boar's ribs and they were the best I've had. The fresh tortillas were in a league of their own. I don't live in Portland but will try to make Autentica a regular stop when in town.

• Pros: Atmosphere and authenticity
• Cons: None

03/17/09

Autentica is delicious

by lcmomtobe

Let me start this by saying my husband is EXTREMELY picky and will reject food with no holding back. He will even, much to my chagrin, reject food that my mother has lovingly prepared for him. Most certainly he rejects food at restaurants. He loves autentica. My hubby is Cuban, and as a rule, doesn't like Mexican corn tortillas, but Autentica's are so fresh and delicious, he even eats my share and I have to yell at him!

My husband also doesn't like spicy food. He likes "spiced" food, he believes when food is too spicy you can not really taste the flavor. When he ordered his favorite entree one day and it was spicier than usual (that is, too spicy for him) the owner noticed he was not eating with his usual vigor and asked what the problem was, my hubby complained (rudely in my opinion) and they offered to bring him something different, we chose cake. We were not charged for the entree or the cake. Only my meal and a couple drinks.

This is a great place to eat and they take care of you. I personally think the negative reviews were written by some jaded ex employee or the competition!

Go here and enjoy!

• Pros: lovely tortillas, awesome black beans
• Cons: once I had a weird dessert there, but hey no one is perfect

02/07/09

Excellent Food and Atmosphere

by nat1777

We had dinner at Autentica last night and were not disappointed. The food was full of complex flavor and much more exciting than typical Mexican food.

01/11/09

Authentica is more than just authentic!

by PDXrestaurantlover

My wife and I were first time diners today for brunch. Our neighbors eat here often and have recommended it to us previously. I had hesitated to go mostly due to some of the low ratings given by others on this site. Big mistake. Like movie reviews, feedback is dependent solely on the tastes and experiences of the reviewer. I agree whole-heartedly with the other reviews stating that this is not a place for the Chevy's crowd who enjoys the typical Americanized platter of a generic entree with runny beans and orange rice all covered with gobs of melted cheese. This is AUTHENTIC Mexican food mis amigos. We have been off the beaten path in all places Mexico (Cabo, PV, Troncones, etc) and this food is up there with some of the best. Everything is made with FRESH local ingredients...from the trio of salsa (adobo, serrano, tomatillo) to the main courses this place is amazing. Our server asked if it was our first time there and sent out a complimentary appetizer which we happily ate in addition to two sope con chorizo. For our entrees my wife had the "huevos con espinaca picante" (eggs w/ spinach and habanero sauce) and I had the "chilaquile rojos con bisteck" (tortillas simmered in sauce with steak)- both were DELICIOUS. For those who haven't been to Mexico and/or haven't had REAL Mexican food keep a few things in mind: the tortillas are handmade and served warm (not fried up triangles), beans are black and homemade with lard (yup, bad for you but taste great and don't come from a can), the cotija cheese predominantly used is more like a feta (not that you'd know what that is either but not like gooey mozzerella), the crema fresca has a different taste/texture (than normal sour cream), and the salsas are freshly made in-house (and doesn't come out of a jar w/ a Pace/Tostitos label).Lastly the service was friendly/attentive; in other countries they wait for you to finish and don't rush you...this is customary. A little expensive but like most great places, well worth it!

• Pros: The varied menu, quality of food, friendly staff
• Cons: That we didn't go sooner

09/13/08

The name says it all.

by fishkiss

This is authentic Mexican food. By authentic I mean that this is the kind of fare you would find at an upscale restaurant in Ciudad Bravo. If what you are looking for is a big American platter of "Mexican" food, this may not be the place for you. You won't find any nachos or pickled jalapenos anywhere on the premises. What you'll find instead are sauces made from pumpkin seeds and tomatillos, very common in Mexico but rarely seen in the U.S.A. So if you want to know what a real Mexican restaurant serves this is an excellent place to go. I give the food a five star rating. But the price is a little steep so overall I give this a 4.5 rating.

• Pros: Very good real mexican food.
• Cons: A little pricey and not for those who want American Mexican food.

08/03/08

Cafe Authentica

by kenberris

WOW !!!! what a disappointment, the place was terrible the Menu had very few choices, they don't even have chips and Salsa. According to our waitress I ordered their signature dish "The Enchilada Dish", it was smothered in Sauce that was overwhelming to the actual food, My wife had the Tostada Salad we were both so hungry when we were done, that we went to another local restaurant to get a REAL Mexican dinner. Cafe Authenticas prices are way to high for what you get, the food and 2 Ice Teas + tip was $45 no way. We have eaten at many Mexican Restaurants, and this was by far the worst. Our fault we should have looked at the menu, and read the reviews here before we went in, felt like I wasted my money. Save your money.

Ken

• Pros: Overall Clean, and set up well, polite waitress
• Cons: Not much food, and was not that good, no Chips and Salsa, PRICES ARE WAY TO HIGH.

07/22/08

I couldn't believe it was rated about 5 stars....

by pataha

I'm stumped. I have eatten alot of great Mexican food and maybe my expectations were too high when we went there. It was slow to get a table (and it wasn't real busy), no water refills (almost no water at all), very small portions, the food was fine (but I have had better elsewhere- alot of times), and yes it was overpriced for what we were fed. It wasn't that great and we were hungry when we left. One trip to Autentica Mexican Cuisine was enough for us.

• Pros: Wow- nothing stood out
• Cons: Overpriced, small portions, not very organized/slow

07/21/08

Not Worth The Trouble!

by porknugget

I've been going to Autentica since it opened and have had some excellent meals here. The service has always been substandard, but the delish food made it worth a visit. No longer. This place, or more likely the owner has gotten a huge ego due to some great reviews in the paper recently. Now the portions are smaller, the prices are bigger and the pre meal awesome tortillas and salsa are something you have to BUY. Our very nice server looked fearful when she went to ask the owner if we could have tortillas after we offered to buy them. We overheard him tell her that he could "make an exception this once." WTF? My friend got the black bean gorditas. The three silver dollar size black bean pockets were served warm with a cold red sauce, all for $12! The meat in the tacos and sopes is greasy and full of gristle. Good luck trying to get a refill on your soda or water. As a customer you will feel like you are putting the folks at Autentica out. This place is Not worth the trouble. Autentica, you are too big for your britches!!!!!

• Pros: taste of food
• Cons: portions, price, quality of meats, bad service, bad service