Gloria’s Secret Cafe

This place isn’t something that everyone knows about, hints secret café. Hands down one of the best places in the area to eat a hearty lunch. I usually just sit down and ask her to bring out the special. I don’t even ask what it is because I know that no matter the plate she brings out, it’s going to be absolutely delicious. I have yet to have a bad meal here. Do yourself a favor and go try this little joint one time. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

What an awesome place! We and 10 other «foodie» friends arranged a private dinner over there last Friday, with Gloria and her daughter hosting. Starting with the food, I was blown away. We arranged for the mains to be Gloria’s habanero chicken and chile verde, accompanied by her Spanish rice and black beans. The absolute best I’ve had in this genre. You could immediately tell it was essentially home made. The flavors, combined with the tenderness of the chicken bathed in her broth — we simply couldn’t get enough of it. The room was silent with the exception of the frequent «oh my’s». The food stands on its own as the best I’ve had, and obviously what we foodies like to say: «cooked with love». But what made the night for me was Gloria’s hosting. What a special lady. With the benefit of having a private party, we had the pleasure of her being able to spend time with us, telling us the stories behind how she arrived at some of her recipes and some of her experiences as a proprietor, always with a smile on her face. Extremely genuine and clearly this is her passion. These are the kinds of establishments, food and people that we foodies seek out and are lucky to come across. An overall phenomenal place and experience. Thanks Gloria! We’ll be back often.

Excellent food! My wife is gluten-​intolerant and I don’t eat meat. But we found an absolutely delicious vegetarian dish that somehow (given it was mostly rice, beans and cheese — with a very fresh side salad) extremely well seasoned and tasty. In fact, we took some leftovers home and our son told us it was the best food he’d ever had! Lots of meat selections, only wish there were more vegetarian ones.

Cool little spot. Quaint seems to be the popular word to use so let’s go with that. Gloria was super nice and you could tell the food was homemade. However, I had the mango habanero chicken and felt that it was a little bland. Not very spicy and didn’t taste like mango. I guess I just expected more from a place with so many 5 star ratings.
On the plus side, the do now take credit cards.

Great! Fabulous! How could I have missed this tiny gem for 13 years? !?? Don’t wait like I did.
The Salvadoran tamales, rice, beans and side salad were beyond anything I’ve had elsewhere. The chicken tortilla soup had HUGE chunks of chicken, secret spices, and hidden cheese throughout. Yum-​Yum-​Yum

As good as it gets. It is a tiny place, but worth the effort to find it. Gloria does it all from scratch. The only problem is the I am too full to go back to work — I need to go home and have a nap. I can’t wait to go back.

wow… just wow… I just had the best lunch ever today. Service is very friendly and the food was just magnificent.

Wow, Gloria’s is just like going to Grandma’s house for authentic Central American food.
The place is quaint and so cool to visit.
Food is great too!

Perfect! Quaint as can be, authentic to the core, and a delightful discovery! Gloria is a talented gem, and her café is the real deal!

Authentic Salvadorian restaurant with excellent food and friendly service
Don’t take cc and tiny but worth a trip

Best mole I’ve ever had. Super tender meat, really delicious salsa and spicy sauce. Amazing caramel plantains. It was delicious and I enjoyed getting to meet Gloria and some of her family during the meal. Will definitely be coming back a lot.

We were going to Borinken but it was closed (They don’t open Fridays or Saturdays) so we ended up here. The decoration is old but cute Latin style. We came one hour before closing and They were out of many things. My daughter ordered the pork chuleta which was amazing, my son ordered the chile verde and he didn’t let me try it, my husband the chicken in mango habanero sauce, and I, the tamales. Everything was so good and fresh! The salad was nice and summery and the casamiento (rice with beans together) was to die for! A lot fresher and nicer than Borinken. While I will still get my Puerto Rican fix, I will definitely be a regular at Gloria’s. PS she is delightful!

Ever since I got addicted to Gloria’s tamales at Beaverton farmer’s market. I was in a crisis when she stopped selling her tamales there last year. I finally found her on Unilocal because of her signature salad. what’s so amazing is that her Mole and mango chicken even surpassed her tamales.
All her dishes are colorful and delicious. Everything are made fresh. She only sell the right amount of food that day. So nothing go to waste. She only take cash, and the place is small. If you’re looking for amazing authentic southern American food. This is a place for you

This place is pretty dumpy, which is an odd way to start a 4-​star review. «Rustic»? «Authentic?» «Charming?» «Ghetto.» It epitomizes the «hole-​in-​the-​wall» standard from the handmade-​looking chalk sign to the outdated and tired décor in a cramped room that barely seats a dozen patrons.
They only take cash. Drink options are limited: Coke, Diet Coke, water, and whatever specials are available. The hours are limited for lunch only with special accommodations for large dinner parties. The menu is limited in selection, and becomes more limited depending on when you get there because they’re frequently running out of things.
Despite all this, the food is simply amazing. Cooked to perfection. The mango chicken is a favorite of mine with just the right balance of spice and flavor. I even eat the black beans (that I normally detest). Everything is clean-​your-​plate delicious!
I had a chance to chat a bit with the owner/​chef. She was very proud of her food and explained how it’s all fresh, homemade, with nothing coming out of cans. She spends hours prepping food and only has two fridges to store the day’s meal prep. But if you have your heart set on something, you can call ahead and place an order or simply come early.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 2
Value: 4
TL;DR: Tiny shabby place with superb homemade food

Super nice owner and it’s a very cozy place, room for about 12 people really. The food was good but overall nothing I’d go much out of my way for yet somehow I do want to support the place as it’s so authentic and fun, you kind of feel like family here.

Gloria’s Secret Café has been on my list to try for a long time! It’s a charming place that feels like you just walked into her home. The food was delicious and she is so nice!

Very simple for me, if you enjoy fresh well cooked Latin-​spanish-​mex food, this is your place.
Daily specials change along with the soup. My first visit I ordered the special, chicken & rice burrito with tamale soup. Killer, ultra-​fresh veggi’s with home made sauce.
All the past reviews I have read were spot on, the salsa was fantastic. Large bits of tomato along with onion and spices, could make a meal out of it alone.
Only down side here is that their are only 12 seats, would be very disappointing counting on lunch here and find it full with a line waiting to get in…
Tip, it’s «cash only» and dinner for 6 or more you need to call ahead. They want to make sure they have everything you ordered fresh and ready to eat.
I vote… try it… you’ll enjoy it !

Gloria’s has been around for years but still considered a hidden gem in downtown Beaverton. Everything is made by Gloria herself and is absolutely delicious. I ordered the mango chicken the first time and while not as spicy as I would’ve hoped, the chicken literally falls off the bone. The mole chicken was good as well and my friend loved her tamale. The place is small and only open for lunch usually but if you have at least 6 people, you can make a reservation for dinner. Cash only as well.
Tips: get there early if you want any of the daily specials as they run out quick and there’s lots of items that need to be ordered in advance so grab a menu before you leave for next time.

Very quaint little place. Gloria is very sweet and helpful. She was out many items but did not tell us until we tried to order.
Had the pork tamale. Masa was lovely but very little pork. The rice, beans were fine.
Salsa was amazing. What appeared to be store bought chips were very good.
Just a bit disappointed based on all I have heard.

Fresh salsa… Perfectly flavored.
I went with the Salvadorian Tamale. It was really good. Lots of flavor in the masa. Black beans and rice were steaming hot and also seasoned perfectly.
If you are in beaverton Oregon and hungry for some authentic Central American food then hit this bad boy up.
Awesome. Gloria just brought me something so good. I don’t even know what it is. Like pumpkin seed soup or some delicious something’s.