El Portal Mexican Grill

Review №1

Rating: 5

We tried this little place because of the reviews. It was a house converted to restaurant. The food was delicious and the rest rooms were super clean. We will definitely be coming back and bringing family next time! They make their sopapilla s fresh to order and they were delicious!

Date: 2 hours ago

Review №2

Rating: 5

Date: 14 hours ago

Review №3

Rating: 5

Dine in. Great Service and Food. Perfect Bar

Date: a week ago

Review №4

Rating: 5

Everything is fresh and clean. The wait staff is attentive and accommodating.

Date: a week ago

Review №5

Rating: 5

Food was delicious and prices are competitive. Margaritas are good. Overall great experience.

Date: 2 weeks ago

Review №6

Rating: 5

Quite possibly, some of the best salsa in this area. Chips are thin and crispy. The few times we have been here, the food has been great, each time. The house margarita has a very good, and enjoyable flavor. Beef fajitas were awesome, as were the quesadillas and nachos. The fajita beef has a its own lil extra flavor that makes you just want more. Parking kinda stinks, but it used to be a residence, and never meant to have parking lot. Some parking in front and more parking behind building. Staff is friendly and come around just enough to make sure you dont NEED anything, but not so much to get on your nerves. I think its new favorite, local spot. Update... Have visited a few more times and it still holds up. GREAT lil restaurant. Beef tacos are pretty solid as well. Taste pretty good while eating then, but afterwards, leave you wanting another one. The staff is always awesome here

Date: 3 weeks ago

Review №7

Rating: 5

My Tex Mex go to when I m in town

Date: 4 weeks ago

Review №8

Rating: 5

This food was so good and authentic. It s hard to find a Mexican restaurant that serves mole because it s a hard dish to execute. The atmosphere was great as well as the service. I d recommend this spot for sure.

Date: a month ago

Review №9

Rating: 5

Finally got around to trying El Portal Mexican Grill. This little gem is unfortunately a bit off the beaten path, hidden on a residential street on the south edge of Oak Ridge, and overlooked by many including us until we made it a point to check it out when jonesing for some sizzling beef fajitas. It s everything a great Tex-Mex restaurant should be very attractive, very clean, great service, excellent prices, and a mixed menu of wonderful typical Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican dishes. Very glad we found it.

Date: a month ago

Review №10

Rating: 4

Service could use improvement! Good food

Date: a month ago

Review №11

Rating: 5

Wonderful chips and salsa. Fabulous shrimp and tilapia fajitas. We will be back. Clean and nicely decorated.

Date: a month ago

Review №12

Rating: 4

Not a bad hole in the wall type place. Service could definitely be better as far as the attentiveness of wait staff, but food is good Portions could be a little bigger but I was still satisfied when I was done. Nice alternative to some of the larger chain Mexican restaurants in the area.

Date: a month ago

Review №13

Rating: 5

Date: a month ago

Review №14

Rating: 3

Date: a month ago

Review №15

Rating: 5

We have the seafood enchiladas, guisada, and empanada as a starter with two agua frescas and Yumm. Each dish you could tell the ingredients was super fresh. My favorite was the empanada and enchiladas. Next time, Ill try the mole enchiladas and chile relleno.

Date: 2 months ago

Review №16

Rating: 5

First time, and it was great. Well definitely go back when in the area.

Date: 2 months ago

Review №17

Rating: 3

Date: 3 months ago

Review №18

Rating: 5

Delicious Mexican with some authentic options, while still offering the goopy yellow queso this gringo loves. They are tucked away and in a house, so you know this food has to be good. Big portions, yummy queso fundido, great prices and a full bar. It was all that and a bag of tortilla chips. We will return for more.

Date: 3 months ago

Review №19

Rating: 5

Great food and great prices! Customer service is wonderful as well. The salsa is delicious and unique compared to most restaurants in the area.

Date: 3 months ago

Review №20

Rating: 5

We went to this place on Mothers day 2024, because we wanted to find a place that wasnt a mad house on mothers day. We were pleasantly surprised! Its a small tex mex restaurant inside a neighborhood.. its a little gem in the middle of houses.. The food was great, the atmosphere was perfect and the service was very attentive. I will come back for sure

Date: 3 months ago

Review №21

Rating: 5

It is a quite cozy place, although small enough; The food is not something out of this world, delicious, but not surprising; The waiters are quite friendly and that makes for a good experience when eating there.

Date: 4 months ago

Review №22

Rating: 5

Food was fresh, hot and absolutely delicious! A rare find!

Date: 4 months ago

Review №23

Rating: 5

Great food.

Date: 4 months ago

Review №24

Rating: 5

Great place to eat, regardless the size of your party, they will accommodate. Great food & service!

Date: 4 months ago

Review №25

Rating: 5

Date: 4 months ago

Review №26

Rating: 5

Food is amazing I get the mole enchiladas mole was close to be perfect to the only problem I see was that is little bit strong flavor anise to my taste was little bit strong I can taste on my firts bite after that all the flavor combined perfectly im freak about mole in this the first time I love the mole in all state of texas Im already back 2 times, our waiter was very nice well 8 have different waiters but both time service was very good my friend got the tampiqueña and ahe loved The place is very empty at the time im sure get busy with that amazing food ... I will upload some pics next time

Date: 4 months ago

Review №27

Rating: 5

We were patrons of Marios before they opened El Portal. We have always enjoyed their food and friendly service. Dietary restrictions: The food isnt salted too much. Since older folks are on salt restrictive diets this is important.

Date: 5 months ago

Review №28

Rating: 5

Fantastic place to have Mexican food. Very good service. Wait staff came back multiple times to check on us. 5/5

Date: 5 months ago

Review №29

Rating: 5

Marios food is delicious!

Date: 6 months ago

Review №30

Rating: 5

Delicious, great service!

Date: 6 months ago

Review №31

Rating: 5

Very good food and service. We enjoyed the food we ordered tonight the portion was good and the pricing was great for today s inflation. The tortilla was totally homemade and we definitely will come back because my family liked it.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №32

Rating: 5

Have known the owner for 20 plus years. The nicest owner ever. Food is always great.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №33

Rating: 5

Wow, everything was wonderful! The food was on point and fast. Great service. Prices were the best Ive seen anywhere. The restaurant was also beautifully decorated.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №34

Rating: 5

This place is one of this areas hidden gems. It is in what used to be a residential neighborhood, hence the hidden gem comment. Amazing food, really good prices, and very friendly staff. I eat here once a week and have only had good experiences. Its my go to spot for a Mexican restaurant that is locally owned.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №35

Rating: 1

Service is bad. Was a regular customer. Until today.

Date: 6 months ago

Review №36

Rating: 5

Great Mexican Food in a nice environment! Go check it out!

Date: 7 months ago

Review №37

Rating: 5

Fresh and delicious!

Date: 7 months ago

Review №38

Rating: 5

Delicious!!! What a hidden gem. Great food, wonderful service and the building is decorated beautifully. So clean! We will be back time and time again.

Date: 7 months ago

Review №39

Rating: 5

Marios!!!!!!

Date: 8 months ago

Review №40

Rating: 5

Little place with great food !

Date: 8 months ago

Review №41

Rating: 5

Excellent food, authentic flavor. The waiters and waitresses are very punctual with checking on you.. the owners are extremely nice

Date: 8 months ago

Review №42

Rating: 5

Super nice & clean space. Even the bathrooms were really clean. Intimate setting with a relaxed environment. We were in & out within the hour. The food was amazing, the best pork carnitas i ve had in awhile! The menu stated they are slow cooked & the way they melted in my mouth i believe it. Highly recommend coming to try this new spot.

Date: 8 months ago

Review №43

Rating: 5

Everything is made from scratch! Even the tortillas! Absolutely obsessed with the quality and prices.

Date: 8 months ago

Review №44

Rating: 5

Excellent. Good service Great atmosphere. Fajita nachos were awesome. Food : 5/5 |

Date: 8 months ago

Review №45

Rating: 5

10/10 chips, warm salsa and food

Date: 8 months ago

Review №46

Rating: 5

Date: 8 months ago

Review №47

Rating: 5

Really enjoyed this place. The food was very tasty and they serve you plenty. I had enough left over for lunch the next day. Service was good and prompt. The vibe of the place was also nice and we really enjoyed ourselves. Not a lot of people in as it was late but they took good care of us, I got the waiters attention, and he came right over.

Date: 8 months ago

Review №48

Rating: 5

Atmosphere, service and food were excellent. We had the chicken Tortilla soup, Taco al carbon and La Villa Dinner which were great. Margaritas was good.

Date: 8 months ago

Review №49

Rating: 5

Great service and food every visit. Slowly working through menu and haven t gotten anything I wouldn t order again yet.

Date: 8 months ago

Review №50

Rating: 5

Excellent Food. Very nice staff. And reasonable priced!

Date: 9 months ago

Review №51

Rating: 2

My server was not to be found. I had to go ask for a menu. A different server showed up as the other one was busy talking by the bat. Rice was cold and clumpy. The flour tortillas looked like they were cooked in lard. I wont be back and I Do not recommend this new place. They are totally lost.

Date: 9 months ago

Review №52

Rating: 5

Hidden Gem used to be Mario s and a loved local favorite. Glad we found it again. Great breakfast also.

Date: 9 months ago

Review №53

Rating: 5

The food was delicious, the staff always friendly. I also wanted to applaud the kind heart of the employees as i witnessed them provide a hot meal to a man in need. They didnt run him off, they allowed him to sit at a table to enjoy his meal. There was no hesitation, no judgment, just pure joy in giving a hand up. This is the type of establishment we should be supporting.

Date: 9 months ago

Review №54

Rating: 5

We have been eating at Mario s restaurants for years. His menu never disappoints at any location. New place, clean and fresh. Great service.

Date: 10 months ago

Review №55

Rating: 3

The only downside was that the queso was NOT hot and RUNNY. Need queso that sticks to the chips. The service was great. Prices average. Food : 4/5

Date: 10 months ago

Review №56

Rating: 5

Great food easy access

Date: 10 months ago

Review №57

Rating: 5

Date: 11 months ago

Review №58

Rating: 5

I ordered something to go and I liked it for the first time I visited.

Date: 11 months ago

Review №59

Rating: 5

Excellent food and friendly service

Date: 11 months ago

Review №60

Rating: 5

This place is amazing! Go above and beyond to satisfy customers. Food is delicious and the prices are great! Highly recommend!

Date: 11 months ago

Review №61

Rating: 5

This place was just phenomenal! The taste was great, the presentation was great, the decore was great, the music was great, the service was great i mean everything was GREAT!

Date: 11 months ago

Review №62

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №63

Rating: 5

Homemade tortillas Salsa was good Food

Date: a year ago

Review №64

Rating: 5

Very good chilaquiles Good service

Date: a year ago

Review №65

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №66

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №67

Rating: 5

Great service and great food! Some of the best chips I ve ever had. Hidden gem!

Date: a year ago

Review №68

Rating: 4

El Portal Mexican Grill, a remnant of Marios days. Its decent, not exceptional. The foods okay, and its rarely crowded.

Date: a year ago

Review №69

Rating: 5

Great place to eat. Service was great and fast.

Date: a year ago

Review №70

Rating: 5

Great food !!

Date: a year ago

Review №71

Rating: 4

We came at 3 in afternoon. So Iam sure it was an off time..but we enjoyed it and will back

Date: a year ago

Review №72

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №73

Rating: 5

Another great Tex-Mex place.

Date: a year ago

Review №74

Rating: 5

Mario does it again !! Great food and service at a reasonable price !! Love the chips and salsa you receive when you sit down .please support this local restaurant .you won t regret it .

Date: a year ago

Review №75

Rating: 5

Food is great. Fresh and delicious.

Date: a year ago

Review №76

Rating: 4

Service was quick, food was good and staff was friendly and on the ball. Owner even comes out and checks on every table to make sure customers are good.

Date: a year ago

Review №77

Rating: 5

We love this place!! It s delicious and delicious!! It s just good homemade Mexican food! Yes Tex-Mex but so good. I love the fresh made chips and homemade warm salsa when you sit down. The queso is a white queso with a hint of yellow- just simple and great. There yellow rice is some of the best I have had - minus being in Puerto Rico. I love the el portal- it s a grilled chicken breast with a mushroom lemon sauce and three shrimps (on the side) I get it with their yummy rice and sliced avocado. I don t eat beans- sorry just not a fan in general but my hubby loves their black beans. If you haven t been you need to go! Dietary restrictions: I m allergic to shrimp and they were very accommodating on the item selection and making sure no cross contamination.

Date: a year ago

Review №78

Rating: 5

Super clean and bright new place. Food was really good (went for breakfast) and staff was kind and attentive. Loved the verde sauce and the table salsa. Will try them again.

Date: a year ago

Review №79

Rating: 5

Only thing better than the food is how they make u feel like family

Date: a year ago

Review №80

Rating: 3

Date: a year ago

Review №81

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №82

Rating: 5

It was our first time here and we had a really great experience. The food is top-notch, and the portions are more than enough to satisfy hunger, lol. I loved customer service, they were very attentive. They would check on our table often to see if we were ok or if we needed anything. Quiet place, just enough music to enjoy, but also not super loud so we could still have a conversation. Well definitely go back!

Date: a year ago

Review №83

Rating: 3

Date: a year ago

Review №84

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №85

Rating: 5

A very familiar restaurant. The food is good Excellent service by its owner Mr. Mario.

Date: a year ago

Review №86

Rating: 5

I loved eating here! The small house turned restaurant feels like you re eating at a friend s house. The service was very welcoming and made me feel like I had been eating there for years. I will be coming back.

Date: a year ago

Review №87

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №88

Rating: 3

Date: a year ago

Review №89

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №90

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №91

Rating: 5

Cleanest restaurant Ive ever seen. The food was really delicious and priced fairly. The house margaritas were well-made and not too sweet. Ill definitely be back.

Date: a year ago

Review №92

Rating: 5

This was a random find on Google. The food was top quality with good options and the lunch prices were very reasonable.

Date: a year ago

Review №93

Rating: 5

Great food and service.

Date: a year ago

Review №94

Rating: 5

Ive been there 3 times, and the food is always good, and the service is great. They are always friendly

Date: a year ago

Review №95

Rating: 5

Great place to eat.

Date: a year ago

Review №96

Rating: 5

So delicious with wonderful service.

Date: a year ago

Review №97

Rating: 5

They are such a hidden gem. The food is super fresh tasting and the service is wonderful. I love the empanadas, pollo con chipotle, chicken poblano, la villa and so much more. The prices are inexpensive, as are their margaritas! I highly recommend this place!

Date: a year ago

Review №98

Rating: 5

Delicioso , clean y bonito restaurant Delicious food Great service Clean place Will back try more dishes again

Date: a year ago

Review №99

Rating: 5

We enjoyed our lunch--flavorful and reasonably priced. The plants and interior decor make the restaurant warm and welcoming. I will be back to try other dishes.

Date: a year ago

Review №100

Rating: 5

Excellent restaurant, very fabulous, 100% attention, the best local food and we come from Florida just to come

Date: a year ago

Review №101

Rating: 5

Service and food was on point we got there and were seated immediately and were giving fresh hot chips and amazingly tasty salsa and did not have to wait really to order and the food came within 10 minutes and the water and drinks were continually topped off with spot on hustling service from the staff we are going to definitely return Vegetarian options: There were plenty of vegetable options Dietary restrictions: I cant have red meat so there was plenty of chicken Parking: Maybe we werent supposed to but we parked to the south at the top of the Woodforest Bank area and walked

Date: a year ago

Review №102

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №103

Rating: 5

Owner and workers very attentive, new place in the neighborhood, Tasty food and good presentation, excellent service from everyone there. Thank you Food : 5/5 |

Date: a year ago

Review №104

Rating: 5

Great service and food.

Date: a year ago

Review №105

Rating: 5

Date: a year ago

Review №106

Rating: 5

Great food, great service. Best Mexican place around. Very pleased. Very good carnitas :)

Date: a year ago

Review №107

Rating: 5

Absolutely amazing! We loved our experience from the moment we walked in the door. The food was authentic and delicious! The service was personal and fast! Highly recommended!

Date: a year ago

Review №108

Rating: 5

The restaurant is very nice and food was delicious. Coffee was really good.

Date: a year ago

Review №109

Rating: 5

Great place! They have great food and drinks. We have done dine in and take out.

Date: a year ago

Review №110

Rating: 5

Wonderful!

Date: a year ago

Review №111

Rating: 4

Date: a year ago

Review №112

Rating: 5

This is a great addition to our favorite places to eat!!!

Date: a year ago

Review №113

Rating: 5

Very authentic Mexican food. Chips are SO good. The sopes were super yummy. Everyone s super nice. Would definitely recommend.

Date: a year ago

Review №114

Rating: 5

Mario is the man

Date: a year ago

Review №115

Rating: 5

Its a great place. They used to be down the road under another name. Good to see the same great food and service .

Date: a year ago

Review №116

Rating: 5

Awesome little restaurant in the neighborhood... Food was so good and staff was super nice! Definitely be back

Date: a year ago

Review №117

Rating: 5

This is an amazing little place. Good food with excellent service and one of the cleanest places around.

Date: a year ago

Review №118

Rating: 5

Great food

Date: a year ago

Review №119

Rating: 5

Stopped in last night, with some family. I was impressed by decor and cleanliness of the restaurant. Very quaint, yet vibrant place. I ordered a skinny margarita and it was pretty decent. A little too much lime (it was very tart) but still very good. Salsa was very tasty. Definitely 10/10. I ordered beef empanadas and was pleasantly surprised with their filling of black beans and corn in addition to the beef. Restrooms were spotless. This place definitely deserves for you to give it a try.

Date: a year ago

Review №120

Rating: 5

Very good!!!! Truly good service!!!

Date: a year ago

Review №121

Rating: 5

Ill start by saying I love Mexican food, Tex Mex or anything close. I married a Mexican woman with ambitions of eating Mexican food every night. That said, they have great food, the beef fajitas were tender and flavorful. No chewing for 10 minutes a bite, they were perfect, the refried beans and rice were traditional with good flavorful, the pico and quacamole were fresh. I also enjoyed the salsa, great flavor and served warm, it has a good kick to it, nothing crazy but if you have a hard time with spicy then start slow. The gentleman running the show was very nice and seemed like he loves his job, which is hard to find these days. Very clean, great food, awesome service, will be back

Date: a year ago

Review №122

Rating: 5

I would recommend this place it was really good and very clean ! I recommend the queso fundido with chorizo go try it out you won t regret it

Date: a year ago

Review №123

Rating: 5

Food and service both great. Will be going there again soon

Date: a year ago

Review №124

Rating: 5

Super cute new place. Very clean, very nice, very tasty!

Date: a year ago

Review №125

Rating: 5

So yummy! Loved this place, its right down the street from my house, so will definitely be back!

Date: a year ago

Review №126

Rating: 5

Wonderful new restaurant! Food is delicious and the premises are impeccable. We will be eating at El Portal regularly. Family-owned business. Atmosphere very friendly.

Date: a year ago

Review №127

Rating: 5

We drive by here often hoping they would open and they finally did. Great mom and Pop restaurant. Very good atmosphere, nice Norteno and Cumbria music, and delicious food. We tried the enchiladas and pollo (homemade) mole. So good. Wish them well.

Date: a year ago

Review №128

Rating: 5

Loved it! They used to have a restaurant called Marios near by and it is just as good as it was back then!

Date: a year ago

Review №129

Rating: 5

New place great atmosphere

Date: a year ago