El Portal Restaurante & Cantina

The service is horrible and the servers seem to be annoyed and bothered. The food is so-​so, defiantly not good enough to be mistreated by the staff. I would only recommend their Maragrita’s at the bar.

This place was great. The bartender made great mixed drinks, the large beers are quite large and also only $ 4! Food tasted as good as it looked. Newly discovered gem in our neighborhood. Really clean bathroom as well!

Umm… El Portal or Mariscos Lindo de Sinaloa was ok.
My mom drove passed it and then let us know she wanted to try it.
I had the orden de carne (2 pieces of steak) rice, beans, salad and corn tortillas. It wasn’t too bad, but I guess I could of made it at home.
The chips and salsa were really salty. No Horchata? :(
Service was ok. But you gotta love the Korean BBQ bell ringer when you do need service!
Plenty of parking in the back. Brother and mom got the shrimp and rice. You still had to peel the shrimp though. Ehh…

Who craves shrimp cocktail on a rainy day? Is it just me or is there something awesome about having a shrimp cocktail on a rainy afternoon? Ended up ordering a shrimp Cocktail and a shrimp ceviche tostada. The shrimp cocktail was served up in a large glass goblet. Both the cocktail and the tostada were topped off with fresh avocado. the service was fast and friendly and the price was reasonable. Definitely will be coming back.

I always went by this place and though, nah that place can’t be good. Amazing fish. Totally worth it. I will be back again. The name has changed to Mariscos!

I took my dad here for father’s day. I can hear what you’re thinking…“do you even like your dad?”
Yes. But we ordered the wrong things here. I went with ceviche which was quite tasty. They served it with cucumber and it tasted much sweeter because of it. The ceviche came with a collection of crackers and 4 tostada chips.
Dad ordered a beef platter. Mistake. It was chewy and rubbery. He was gnawing on it for about 30 minutes and left the rest on his plate. My dad’s NOT the type of guy who doesn’t finish a meal… especially when someone is taking him out to eat.
My sister ordered chicken tacos and it was OK.
Neither one thought much of the rice of beans. They both tasted kinda bland.
My rating stands a two-​star rating, but they did supply my dad with a shot of tequila to help with the meal.

the gf and i were on our way to costco to do some shopping but wanted to catch some lunch beforehand. we decided on this place cuz she wanted mexican food. we’ve also passed by plenty of times and noticed the ‘handmade tortillas’ sign and their 1 buck special on shrimp tacos and ceviche tostadas.
this place serves mostly seafood with a few beef and chicken platters. so, we ordered a couple shrimp tacos and ceviche tostadas, a shrimp enchilada, an asada burrito mojado for me, and a tilapia with garlic sauce for her. the waitress was real friendly and made sure to stagger our order so that we didn’t receive all the food at the same time. very cool.
chips and salsa came first. the chips had a fresh flavor and the salsa was medium spicy. it felt like a good sign of what was to come.
the ceviche tostadas arrived with fish, salsa, and a slice of avocado on top of a fried tortilla. it was very tasty. nice and cool with a hint of vinegar and a side of lime.
the shrimp tacos were next on top of a fresh tortilla with mayo, cabbage, and salsa. the shrimp was nice and warm like it was just cooked and was nicely seasoned. my gf wasn’t too jazzed about having mayo in her taco but i was fine with it since it seems to be a regular thing with seafood tacos.
then came the shrimp enchilada with homemade sauce on top, not some canned stuff that seems par for the course at most mexican joints. it was da bomb. made with fresh blended tomatoes and spices, it tasted excellent and was filled with more of that tasty shrimp and topped with some cotija (i think?) cheese. man, it was the highlight of the meal and helped earn that 4^th star.
finally, we got our entrees. i got a huge asada burrito with rice and salsa inside and topped with some more of that bomb enchilada sauce and monterey jack. the asada was perfectly seasoned and pretty juicy even though some of the cuts were more fat than flesh. there was also a nice salad on the side. my gf’s tilapia was some deep-​fried goodness, with a nice subtle garlic flavor, on top of some tasty rice with refried beans and side salad. the beans had a decent flavor even being lukewarm.
i would definitely come here again to try more of the various seafood options on the menu. the food is good and affordable and the service is prompt and friendly. glad that we finally stepped into this place after driving by so many times…

When all you want is good cheesy mexican comfort food this is the last place I recommend.
The chicken enchiladas were dry and bland, and the shrimp enchiladas actually managed to have no flavor. Not even intense gross fishy flavor. How in the world do you find flavorless shrimp?!
The red sauce/​salsa was extra spicy which helped offer something for my tastebuds.
The only redeeming part of the dinner was the rice and beans which I found to be quite good.
I’ve been here for drinks before and everyone paid very little and all seemed to have a happy glow about them. So… maybe just drinks.
Very disappointing. :(

I feel like the odd one out but I really didn’t enjoy the food here at all. I took a poll with my three dining buddies and none of them really liked their food either. The reaction was pretty much «Eh» from all of us. The chips & salsa were mediocre. I’ve been to a lot of great Mexican restaurants around L.A. and my boyfriend is Hispanic so I consume a fair amount of yummy home-​cooked Mexican food, and this place just didn’t satisfy.

this hidden gem is on the corner or San Fernando Rd and Los Feliz Blvd. I was craving mexican food, and was so reluctant to try anything in LA because i thought i would be disappointed. so i decided to try this place (with the boyfriend, again) after shopping in Atwater village.
i absolutely love how everything inside didnt match. there was so much damn color i really felt like i was at a fiesta or something. so we get the menu and its like, real home-​cooked mexican food… so excited! and i dont even what i remembered but there was an appetizer with (think BJ’s or Friday’s finger foods), and a main course for each of us that came out sizziling on the plate.
wow wow wow. we even asked the owner of the store to tell the chef (which happened to be a woman! woo woo!) that her presentation of the food and the way it tasted was amazing. she was a new chef and she was being really snazzy with food layout. if it looks really good, its gonna taste even better!
its a family run restaurant, so our waiter was hella cool. some dude who was prolly in his late 20’s was serving us and it was a really lax experience. they even have a bar so you can hit up some coronas if you arent in the mood for eating.

I walked in with my native LA Mexican friend whom isn’t so bad to look at… we were greeted by a high pitched sound. Our server had the hugest smile ever and the squeaky voice that makes you go, «oh wow, hi!»
We found a table near the door and were greeted with menus and water immediately. I ordered a Pacifico and he ordered a Corona with extra lemon and salt. I wasn’t very hungry, so I ordered ceviche. it was my first time. My friend ordered something else really yummy that I can’t remember. (I know, I know, I am useless with reviews lately).
During our meal, our server came by and smiled at us a lot. She asked us how our meal was, if we needed anything else… she was just awesome. I loved how when she came by her voice would go up an octave, «hi! you like the ceviche?» hehe…“mmmhmmm it’s good,” I would reply.
Then she would walk over the kitchen and with a deeper voice yell at the boys in espanol. I would translate, but my momma didn’t teach me that.
Overall, a cool spot with a full bar and cheap food. i was pleased at the Portal!

a tasty find tucked in a little cobble stone shopping section located between green and colorado.
my fiancé and i have been tasting alot of mexican in the area trying to find the right place for our rehearsal dinner and i think we’ve found it here.
specializing in dishes from the Yucatan but supplying a wide variety of tasty dishes this place has something for everyone. Since i had gorged myself on carnita’s the night before i decided to go relatively light and ordered the Tilapia a la Veracruz. Fish covered in crushed tortilla’s then topped with a tasty sauce garnashed heavily with capers. damn tasty. the girly had a chicken special that i can’t recall the name of but super good as well.
the place offers two possibilities for parties… either the upstairs patio, or downstairs in the banquet room. both nice and presentable. for parties the prices are reasonable.
the host and owner was very hospitable and made us feel welcome.
the place is a little hard to find… call ahead and ask for directions.