Nuestra Cocina

I love this restaurant! There atmosphere is fun and comfortable whether you’re on the patio, at the bar, or seated inside. The staff is friendly and accommodating. I haven’t been here in awhile so I can’t be specific, but the food has always been interestingly very tasty! The seasoning is always just right. I see some reviewers say it is bland, but I like being able to actually taste what I’m eating rather than being inundated with too much seasoning which is often the case in many ethnic restaurants.

I came here with a group of friends on a Saturday night around 7 based on their glowing recommendation. We were told that the wait was 2 hours, but were happy to drink and eat at the bar while we were waiting. The spicy margaritas (which I didn’t see on the menu, but most people around me were drinking), were excellent — not too sweet and perfectly spicy. Since I believe you can judge a Mexican restaurant immediately by the quality of its chips and salsa, I was quite impressed. The chips were clearly house made and the medium salsa definitely had a kick. The guac was nothing special, but you can’t fault them for that when avocados aren’t in season! We were actually seated in an hour, and the server was very sweet in thanking us for waiting and helping us carry things to our table.
My honey and I split the gorditas rellenas and the stuffed pepper with beans and rice. I preferred his dish to mine — probably because there was more cheese. :) I also tried one of the pork tacos that my friend ordered and it was delicious. They have house made tortillas and multiple salsas at the table, which I also loved, and other things on the menu that I would totally order. Great place!

The best Mexican food. Waited 40 minutes wout complaint in this busy restaurant at the bar. Staff is attentive and welcoming. Food was amazing. Ceviche is next on list to try!

Never has the name of a restaurant (translated «Our Kitchen») more perfectly synced with its identity. With creative margheritas, a rich Mexican/​South American food complex and hosts sensing your every desire, what’s to complain when the party’s right in this kitchen distilling flavors by the minute.
From the pomegranate-​infused ‘de Granada’ to (chicken) enchiladas ‘en mole’ and tamarind-​kissed ‘camerones’ (prawns), every attempt to label this ‘cocina’ as just another safe Mexican joint disguised for the trendy crowd, simply failed. Contrarily, it all succeeded and exceeded my expectations and returning for another journey into Benjamin/Shannon’s (owners/​chefs) universe is undeniable.
Oh, did I mention the menu is humbly priced? That’s my 5^th star, yes.
The Yucatan just moved closer to PDX.

Stopped in for a drink because we couldn’t get into Bar Avignon across the street. Everyone in our party of six loved it. The staff was friendly, the bartender was great. We ordered drinks and he went out of his way to look for the whiskey my husband wanted. He remade my drink when I didn’t like it and was super nice about it. I had a lime drop (never heard of that before) it was SO good! Others in our party got various margaritas and they were all great. We didn’t order food but felt welcomed and no pressure to do so.

In a nutshell: Great food. Great service. Comfortable setting. We look forward to eating there again.

The food was amazing everything my family and I ordered was exceptionally delicious. We left the plates clean. I recommend the guacamole and the gorditas which I ate being vegetarian.

Real nice cozy place. We were initially disappointed to wait for an hour to be seated on a Friday night but it was totally worth the wait. You can order drinks and appetizers just in case if you need to wait for the table and enjoy them at the bar or outside closed porch. Fun and engaging experience to sit n dine at chefs counter to watch chefs in action. Almost liked every item we tasted including drinks and dessert. Decent selection of margaritas. Would definitely consider revisiting…

Goood fooood, fast but chill. I didn’t have the menu to post about what he food was called :(and dessert I forgot cuz I was so excited. Try the ice cream the flaun was good as well. Waiter was nice and they cleaned as they went I never felt in need or «waiting» for anything epic!

The more I use Unilocal,is the more I think I should avoid highly rated «ethnic» restaurants in Portland. This place was totally packed, so I thought, «yeah must be good!» Our party of 4 had a 30 minute wait by the bar before a table opened up, and we ordered chips and salsa and sopes. The sopes weren’t bad, but came in 3, so we added one more for about $ 3 extra. The salsa was probably the best thing about our appetizers, but they charged about $ 4 for a couple of chips and a tiny ramekin of it. As for the drinks, I was really disappointed. My husband ordered a «pint» of beer that actually came in a fluted 14oz glass. My dad ordered a house margarita which he thought was overly sour and «just lousy». There was also absolutely nothing non-​alcoholic on the menu except for water. So if you don’t drink for any reason, you’re SOL.
Once we sat down they gave us a strange, oversized basket containing 4 tiny soft tortillas, and a bowl of tomato sauce. I’m still not sure what we were supposed to do with them.
We ordered Conchinita, Barbacoa, Carne Asada, and Camarones. My mom, who ordered the camarones, was the only one at the table who was even remotely pleased with their food – it was the only dish with enough flavor and came with refried beans .
My dad’s carne asada was tough and oversalted. The barbacoa lacked any real flavor and the odd shredded vegetable accompaniment was the same. The conchinita was the major disappointment. It was well cooked, but was overly acidic in balance, and seemed to contain a single spice note. The beans underneath were so bland, it was like they opened a can of supermarket black beans and dumped it on the plate. After complaining, the waitress brought us refried beans, limes, and 3 salsas (jalapeño, arbol, onion lime). My husband was able to add these items to fix his dish, and make it more edible.
The entire experience was horrible and they greatly overcharged us for this terrible food. If you want good Mexican food, avoid these expensive restaurants and go to one of the trucks or tiny holes in the wall – they are all over Portland.

I can’t find anything about this experience that wasn’t beyond expectations. The wait was longer than I’d hoped (40 min), but WELL WORTH IT. The bartenders were friendly and on top of their game. The Margaritas were delicious and made up for the wait. When we were seated, the waitress was friendly, prompt at greeting us, and explained the menu well. We opted to start with chips and guacamole, which was fresh and tasty. Then, we had a couple of appetizers as small plates and one of the specials as a shared entrée. The taquitos were amazing. The fresh tortillas with the prawns were a perfect combination. I’m so glad the waitress recommended the Carnitas that was on special. The pork shank confit was falling off the bone tender and puya chilé mole was so decadent. All in all, a complete success. Next time, i’m saving room for dessert.

Really good food but overpriced for what it is. Yes it’s fancy, upscale Mexican but still feel it’s overpriced for what it is.
I had the barbacoa lamb, and it was delicious, easily the best of my party’s entrees, which were all good. Ceviche appetizer was decent, but a little bland. Had a spicy (habenero?) margarita that was very tasty.
All in all a good experience but not going in to my regular rotation just yet.

This was beyond compare of ANY experience I’ve ever had. Sat at the bar and watched Mamicita hand roll tortilla, and the chef/​owner seal each dish with a kiss.

Margaritas. That’s all I’m going to say. Get one — they are delicious. The rest of my evening was a blast after I had two!
We had a fantastic experience when my husband and I were in Portland on our honeymoon. Another local Mexican restaurant was closed, so we chose here on a whim. So glad we did!
The service was great, and our waitress helped us navigate the menu. We ended up choosing a few smaller plates to get some variety and also got a delicious queso appetizer. Great vibe, good service, excellent food — highly recommend!

Barbacoa de Cordero con Salsa Verde is bomb! If you hate lamb because it’s gamey, try this dish! You will not regret it, the tenderness of the meat and the aroma from the banana leaf makes this dish one of the standouts.
Another dish I recommend, which happens to be a special, is the lingcod (forgot the fancy name). If the waitress/​waiter recommends it, get it! Ignore everything else I just said about that BBQ lamb, «pass Go», «collect $ 200!»
Get both, bring a friend, smiles all around.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I went here. I was getting myself excited for s burrito, and my expectations weren’t set very high as far as classy good goes. Oh my goodness I was surprised. The presentation was amazing, the food was good, staff was courteous. I will be back. I am now thinking about how to replicate their food, but realize I would much rather just go there and embrace the atmosphere!

FOOD: Incredible! Always start off with the Ceviche, we usually order a bunch of tapas (small plates) but the Carne Asada over drunken beans entrée is one of the best things on the menu. You really can’t go wrong.
Drinks: Cadillac Margarita, and Spanish coffee are some of the best in town. Combined with the great food this is what really sets this place over the top! The sangria changes regularly, it’s not always for everyone so ask for a taster before you order!
Atmosphere: nothing too fancy, but that’s ok. It’s trendy, great for a sunny day, and has an authentic vibe.

Absolutely yes!
This place is amazing! You might think that it’s a bit overpriced, but by the time you are done with your meal I hope you will gladly pay your bill with no problems.
Their small tortillas are THE BEST! So delicious with that salsa. Try not to over eat that so you can enjoy your meal.
If you are in and the special is fish GET IT!
Get the mojito. Get the barbacoa. Get anything, you’ll love it.

It’s a week later and I’m still sweating out the mezcal. The quickest way to impress/​scare a crowd of suits visiting from the exotic lands of Iowa and South Dakota is to order the El Espadin Margarita. It’s milky brown and served with a burning stick of mysterious bark. When the smoke stubbornly settles in the air above your table and seems to create its own weather, you may be accused of witchcraft.
On this, my first visit to Nuestra Cocina, I was lucky enough to be part of a private party in the back room. No crazy waits! From reading the other reviews, I’m wondering if it might not be worth it to get a group of friends together and reserve the private room. We all have at least 18 friends (the room minimum) who love to eat & drink, right? Unilocal UYE?
All I can say about the food is Wow! I don’t have the vocabulary to describe how good it was. «Excellent» and «amazing» just sound trite. Despite warnings from the waiter (he took me by the shoulders and said, «You… do know… of… mezcal?»), I had two — count ‘em — TWO El Espadins. By the end of the second one I felt transported, I had become the cloud floating above the table. When the suit asked if the burning bark was peyote, I said, maybe, maybe so.

Uno de los restaurantes mexicanos mas deliciosos que he probado en Portland lo recomiendo al 300%

Unbelievably delicious food! My favorite was the baked goat cheese. Oh my god! WOW! I’m still dreaming about the creamy, gooey deliciousness with pumpkin seed salsa! Honestly, the people who said it’s nothing special; I have nothing to say to you! IT was amazing! They offer you homemade tortillas which are so good!!!
I loved the shrimp, and my partner loved the chicken with poblano sauce and rice: perfect!
Service was very attentive.
Two downsides: One, the main room was freezing because the door kept opening, and the curtain wasn’t surrounding the front door yet. Two, it’s kind of pricey for an every night kind of thing, which, with that baked goat cheese (I hear it’s a special), I would want it to be: WOW.