Esparza's Tex Mex Cafe
(503) 234-7909
2725 SE Ankeny St
Portland,
OR
97214
45.5223
-122.6379
Neighborhoods: Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program, Buckman
Reviews & Ratings for Esparza's Tex Mex Cafe
87 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 87 reviews
BLAH.
by littleowl
June 29, 2009
First of all, the service here was very slow. It took quite some time for the server to even get us two menus. He was friendly enough, but seemed to spend a lot of time chit chatting the ears off of the other customers who were sitting outside with us. After perusing the menu, the roughly $10 minimum price on each meal gave us the idea that the food would be well worth the price...not so much. While the margarita my boyfriend ordered was tasty, I can't say so much about the meal. When our meals finally arrived, they were, for lack of a better word, blah. The rice and beans were exceptionally bland, and my tostadas were covered mostly with shredded lettuce and a very minimal (hardly existent) spread of cheese underneath. My boyfriend's meal, which was even pricier than mine and included actual meat, was just as bland! In the end, we were disappointed by the $30 bill after having eaten something I could have ordered for $3.50 from a cafeteria. Good, but not good enough.
- Pros: Tasty margaritas
- Cons: Slow service and bland food
Decent food, decent service
by Thumper62
May 21, 2009
I had lunch at Esparza's on 5/19/09. I ordered the boar nachos and a Negra Modelo, and enjoyed the complimentary chips & salsa.
The boar nachos were very tasty, and the house guacamole was some of the best I've had in PDX. The house salsa was flavorful, and the chips were first-rate.
Service was quick, friendly, and attentive.
First time visitors be warned---if you're looking for vegetarian or vegan options, go somewhere else, for Pete's sake. This is Tex-Mex, not friggin' Olive Garden. The offerings can be pretty spicy, too, so if you like bland, Taco Hell is your friend.
Overall, I enjoyed a decent light lunch with pleasant service for not too much money. I'll be back again.
- Pros: Boar nachos!
- Cons: None
Meats gallore!!
by CSMobileUser
May 01, 2009
The server was great. Fast, kept the water, sodas and cocktails full... The menu is not friendly for the vegetarians(beans with lard and rice with what I am guessing with chicken broth)... the waiter worked with me making some fine quesadillas.. The salsa was good as well as the chips... A great place for meat eaters.
Food ok, bartender cool, server rude
by bennieV
April 05, 2009
I went to this place to meet a friend that lives in the hood. Waited at the bar for him bar while I had a tequilla and chips & salsa, which were killer. Bartender was cool and filled me in on the place. Place has got its own style that for sure, I enjoyed the puppet show above the bar. Friend got there and we sat and had Boar nachos, pretty damn good. Our bald headed server was just kind of rude though, but I will say the service was very prompt and quick. Had Chicken enchiladas with pepers and onion, I didn't care for the chicken at all, dry and chewy. Friend had something off of the special board that was pretty damn good.
- Pros: chips & salsa
Eat at your own risk.. :(
by totalnd
February 17, 2009
I had been meaning to try Esparza's for a long time, since I live in the neighborhood. I heard rumor they made a great breakfast burrito, so on Valentine's day, my friend and I decided to try give them a shot. The service was friendly and relatively fast, so no complaints there. I don't like taxidermy very much, so the numerous small animals hanging from the walls were a little unappetizing. some people are into that super cluttered look, so I don't take points off from that either.
However, other than a couple items in the appetizer section, anything on the menu will cost you $10 minimum. Therefore, I expected better quality than an Ole Ole, for example, that I go to down the street. Not so. I ordered the Tumbleweed (chicken enchilada with rice and beans). The sides were bland and had zero spices. The enchilada sauce was much too strong, and it overpowered the rest of the meal. It tasted alright at the time, but both my dish and the mexican sausage and eggs my friend ordered were very rich, and neither of us felt very good for the rest of the day.
In fact, that evening my stomach started feeling really tight and uncomfortable, and the following day I figured out I contracted a food illness from the doctor. I am unable to write the dreaded "F___d P_____ing" phrase here, but that's exactly what it was. It's been three days, and I am still in the thick of feeling horrible, missing two days of work.
Eat here at your own risk.
- Pros: Location, Service
- Cons: Pricey
Just OK
by verbeach
February 11, 2009
I went to this place for lunch with my husband, who goes once a week or so because it's close to his job. We both ordered the Tex Mex pork burrito, his came with beans and I got the rice. The chips are thicker than most places which was kinda nice, they're very crunchy, but also very greasy. The salsa that came with the chips was great. The two servers who helped us were very friendly. Our daughter really liked looking at all of the stuffed animals on the wall and the marionettes over the bar. The burritos seemed more like enchiladas to me, covered with sauce and melted cheese, but whatever. There was a good amount of meat in the burrito and it had a good flavor, spicy but not too spicy. The beans and rice however, were very bland, no seasonings to speak of at all! I would go back and try something different because the staff and atmosphere were good and the prices were reasonable.
- Pros: great atmosphere, good chips
- Cons: side dishes are bland
A Good Time
by krvieone
December 07, 2008
I read the below review and was a little afraid. I met some girlfriends for dinner and had a great experience. Charming waiter with a fun personality, Joey, took care of us. The margarita I had was not strong, sugary, just okay. Our server provided great entree recommendations and then even let us switch tables. I am no expert on TEX or MEX, but I had the Cactus Jack (pork enchilada with a yummy verde sauce), I liked my meal (3.5-4 stars), a little pricey for what it was. My dinner companions all enjoyed their meals. I recommend this place, next time, I hope to get a little more tequila in my margarita. Food came out quick, too. Unique decor. Waiter Joey made the evening!
- Pros: service, atmosphere
- Cons: little pricey
Lardy, rude and over priced but the salsa was good
by LaviniaHeart
December 06, 2008
About 12 of us wenr, all service industry, not a rowdy bunch. I looked over the very long menu of a vast array of meat and sides. Due to health restrictions, I have to be careful of the amount of animal fats i eat, to make it easier I often ask if there are vegan sides. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, it just usually easier to narrow down my options if i don't see any. After waiting ten minutes for our server to take our drink orders(only 3 beers were ordered), then another ten to get said drinks, he finally started making his way around the table. My order went about like this:
Server:(points)"You?"
Me: "Does your kitchen use lard?"
S: "Yup"
M:"Is it in mostly everything?"
S:" Yup"
M: "Okay so there aren't any there any vegan options?"
S: (schoffs and rolls eyes) "Nope."
M: "Well...hmmm... Is it in the Guacamole?"
S: "Nope"
M:"Okay, May I just get a side of that then please?"
Server:(scoffs)"Sure"
I understand Portland servers are know for their indifference, I understand that my dietary restrictions are no one else's problems, I understand that generally vegan/vegetarian people are a pain in the butt when eating out and I understand that a table of 12 is difficult to deal with. With that understanding i feel there is still no reason to be so rude about it. A simple "No, we specialize in meat" or "No because it wouldn't be authentic" or even just "No aside from the Guac and salsa" would have been fine. Regardless of the amount of people at a table, one word answers are not helpful when explaining food, if you can't handle a table get help or tell the party to go elsewhere. The server put mostly the wrong food in front of everyone with no care. Mine ended up on the other end of the table.
The Guac was bland and seemed to have been diluted with sour cream. The serving was about 1/8th of a cup and cost $5. Most of the table felt the price was high for the product. Really the rude server and slow careless service is what makes me not want to try again.
- Pros: Salsa, Chips
- Cons: Bad Service, Expensive, Bland (all the meat tastes the same)
The best salsa in town!
by anapott
September 21, 2008
I love this place! Esparzas has some of the best salsa ever, and while their margaritas aren't big, they're strong. I highly recomend the buffalo tacos. The weight staff is really friendly and the food is usually pretty quick.
They don't have any happyhour specials and they are closed on sundays. Be prepared to walk a block or two on a bussy night, as the available parking is minimal. It's well worth the effort.
- Pros: The best salsa, and the only buffalo tacos I've been able to find, great margaritas
- Cons: no happyhour, closed on sundays, limited parking
I've lived in Mexico, I've lived in Texas . . .
by fishkiss
September 13, 2008
I've lived in Mexico, I've lived in Texas, but I really don't know what to call the food at Esparza's. It sure isn't TexMex. Some may like this version of bland sloppy fare, but it isn't the real deal at all. La comida es graciento y no tiene sabor.
Also, what is up with the math on Citysearch? They give Esparza's a 4.5 rating but when you do the math the actual average of the 80 ratings is 3.05.
Twenty two reviewers gave it 5 stars. Sixteen reviewers gave it 4 stars. Nine reviewers gave it 3 stars. Ten reviewers gave it 2 stars. 23 reviewers gave it 1 star.
That adds up to 244 stars divided by 80 reviews. It equals 3.05. The point here is that this is a bimodal distribution. Just about as many people hate it as like it, and very few are right in the middle at 3. Yet the restaurant has a 4.5 star rating, thus indicating that very nearly everyone should have loved it.
- Pros: The service is fine.
- Cons: The food is greasy and bland.
