El Palenque

09/03/2008 Posted by CindyEs

i have no idea what they use for their dressing - but it is fantastic. Hard to try other items on the menu because the salad is so good, the pork just melts in your mouth. We don't go often enough.

Pros: food

Cons: parking

08/24/2008 Posted by SPDX

I stumbled upon this restaurant when looking for take out. I loved it! It smelled terrific inside and the owner was very helpful and pleasant. The owner is clearly very proud of his heritage and food. I got three entrees (the pork with verde sauce, chicken flautas and carne asada) and they were all delicious, as was the mint and onion guacamole and pupusas. While I waited, the owner Joseph (he was my waiter, but I assume he was the owner) treated me to a special corn bread and I tried a really good orchata. I had a lot of fun learning about Salvadoran food and being delighted by these new tastes. I have traveled a lot and this felt like a quick trip to Salvador. Enjoy!

Pros: Service, food, uniqueness, adventure/cultural learning

Cons: No issues whatsoever

05/05/2008 Posted by wecreep

Total letdown. Bad service and expensive items on the menu. The food is ok at best and definitely not worth the price you pay. I hope everybody keeps going here though. Leave the great inexpensive Mexican and Salvadoran food for the rest of us. I really have to question anyone that has anything good to say about the menu here. What can you expect from a city that votes CHA CHA CHA best Mexican food in Portland?

01/14/2008 Posted by kk11smile

Excellent food and service every visit! Great place to go for a business lunch or dinner with family!! My favs are the the Cheese & Loroco Pupusa or the Pelenque Burito. YUM!

Pros: Food, Service & Atmosphere

07/03/2007 Posted by kailuakoanna

My husband and I have been going to El Palenque since it opened and every time the food has been fantastic! The owners and staff are always friendly and remember our favorites dishes. The Carnitas Pork is a must have! Whatever the occasion, party, romantic dinner, or just lunch, they are prompt and the food is perfect. For my Husbands' birthday dinner party they even surprised him with a special birthday cake, and made sure all of our guests were treated like family. And I must mention, El Palenque has the best chips and salsa in town. We love this place!

Pros: Carnitas Pork and Pupusa are a must have! Owners are great! Warm ambience.

Cons: None

11/21/2006 Posted by houseofpearl

God bless the soul that created the Papusa. I have been to this place 3 times and I still can't bring myself to order anything else. Don't get me wrong, the menu is amazing. They have an entire page of guac dips and a world of other great sounding dishes but the Papusas, oh the papusa and all its cheesy black-beany goodness!!! Our server never mentioned, luckily the kitchen staff clued us in: put the cole-slaw stuff on top if the papusa...don't eat it on the side. Oh, and the house margarita is great! *Friendly staff *Great menu *Fun neighborhood *Frequent Lunch card (buy 8 lunches get one free)

Pros: friendly staff, ambience, fun neighborhood

07/30/2006 Posted by hurricanesoccer

2 of the 3 times my partner and I have been to El Palenque we've found bones in our food, and I believe the third time we didn't find any bones because all we ordered was the spicy guac. I just don't understand paying more than I would at Chevy's for a meal with bone shards in it. If they had been whole bones, say a boned chicken leg, I might not be opposed, but both occasions the bone shards were in a wrapped food vessel (burrito and enchillada). I know Chevy's is by no means authentic, but at least when I pay seventeen dollars for a meal I don't gnaw into bones. The guac is awesome though, there's many different choices, and the S.A. hot chocolate is decent but not overly spicy. Pretty much anything that doesn't have bones.

06/16/2006 Posted by cs5becky

Stick to the Salvadoran platters, guacamole and Mexican hot chocolate and you will be happy you went. Leave the more "Mexican" part of the menu - that's what taquerias are for. A platter for 2 with cheese bread, papusa, plantano and cream...that's all you need. casual atmosphere, take a while for the check to come so just be ready to relax.

Pros: price, salvadoran part of menu, guacamole menu

Cons: mexican part of menu

01/30/2006 Posted by morgcrts

I am no snob by any means but you can go to most Mexican fast food restaurants in Portland and get better food than you pay more for here. I had fajitas with steak, it tasted like beef jerky that fell in the dirt. My date had enchiladas that looked and tasted like sloppy and cheap. Margaritas were too sweet...I won't go on. Normally I would not trash a restaurant but I searched citysearch trying to impress my girl visiting from NYC were the Mexican stinks, this place is rated 9.9 in Mexican by Citysearch! Come on people! I've had better meals at Taco Bell, I'm losing faith in Citysearh!

Pros: Inexpensive

Cons: Horrible food, Bad drinks, Cheesy Atmosphere

12/18/2005 Posted by tnrltd

Friendly and helpful service in this cozy little place made sure we will be going back again. We had questions about a few different menu items, and the server was very pleasant in describing the various dishes. Live guitar music, playing softly, while we enjoyed our meal added to the overall experience. With the exception of the margaritas, $6.99 for a 16oz serving was too high, plus a little more tequila would have been nice, the prices were very reasonable. Stick with a beer if you want alcohol with your meal. The guacamole, salsa and warm fresh corn chips were fantastic. After we were done eating, we sat and listened to the music while finishing our drinks. Our server, (maybe the owner?), brought us a generous complimentary sample of their dessert-style cheese bread. It was warm, fresh and delicious. We will be going here again!

Pros: Service, Inexpensive, Ambience

Cons: Margarita prices