Taco Escobarr

I’ve been meaning to try Taco Escobar for a while now. I’m pretty sure its the colorful lights that drew me in. So when I did step into the restaurant and looked up… I realized that they were not simply christmas lights but lights shaped of red, yellow and peppers. [Wait… whaaaaaaat!]
The food, of course, was splendid. I ordered two tacos and tried the avocado fries. The avocado was creamy and coated with light breadcrumbs that were not overpowering. Served with a creamy aoili sauce, I’ve never had anything like it. The tacos were tasty too, I tried the pork belly and fish. Affordable prices and cool décor. Yes, please. I would love to come back!

One of our go to places for a quick bite out. Always seems to be busy and vibrant and they have great daily specials on drinks and food.
I usually get the guacamole and a few soft tacos. A word about the shells. They are fresh, with some bite to them. Great mouth feel. My favorite tacos are the fish and the tongue. Both are prepared well and come along with flavors you might not expect in a taco, and they never disappoint.

Great service, good food.
It’s a little small and always busy so it’s crowded and loud. If you’re going to have a few drinks absolutely go, if you want to relax and have a quite dinner this probably isn’t the place for you.

The crispy tacos are to die for, I also love a classic margarita, which Ashley perfected! Thanks for the excellent service, I will be back.

This is one of my favorite spots in Portland right now. I love popping in for their crispy chicken tacos, which are delicious and a great deal at 2 for $ 7. Their taco shells aren’t from a box– the corn tortillas are fried right there and served warm, crispy and salty. I also really like their enchiladas, because the fillings seem very fresh and while there is plenty of sauce the enchiladas are not drenched and mushy. Guacamole and margaritas are good too. There are several items on the menu I still want to try. And, along with many other reviewers, I adore those chili pepper lights on the ceiling!

Best Mexican food in Portland — Taco Escobarr
Friendly staff, decent amount of seating inside and outside, as well as some badass décor (a mix of luchadors and Dia de los Muertos). While all that is well and good, the most important part is the food … again, it’s the best Mexican food in Portland.
I’d describe the food as a mix of traditional Mexican and modern California Mexican food (having lived in Southern Cali for 3 years, they do a good job). The menu is a good size and there’s no doubt that you’ll find something you like. I had a fried avocado taco here for the first time in my live and I’m a convert. I already adored avocado and this made me love it even more.
If you’re reading this review still and you’re not sure if you should come here: stop thinking, come here, and enjoy a damn good meal.

My favorite restaurant! The tacos are the best around. Owners and employees are very friendly and attentive. Five stars!

Best Mexican food I have had in a long time! We had a really nice waitress help our every need quickly and efficiently. I wish I could remember her name, all I know is she was pregnant! She was great! The food was great! I am definitely bringing my friends and family to this place! I would reccommend the Steak Fajitas or Cheese Enchiladas!

Best burrito I have ever had in my life! Definitely a fun and chill place to check out if you find yourself in the arts district. My friend also enjoyed their menu of tequila infusions.

Saw this restaurant on Taco Trip with Aaron Sanchez… and they did not disappoint! Puffy tacos are the BOMB and hubby had the shrimp burrito. Bartender made very helpful recommendations and knew her stuff! Try the strawberry jalapeño margarita– tasty! We ate a lot, less than $ 50 for a cocktail each, chips, salsa, guac, two tacos and shrimp burrito. A must stop!

This place has outdoor/​sidewalk seating in the summer and I sat outside with my friends. It was neat drinking margaritas on the sidewalk. Good margs for sure.
I got a lengua taco and a pescado taco. Pescado was okay, lengua was AMAZING. If you like lengua (tongue) tacos, try theirs. I also got a side of mexican corn which was awesome, but too ‘spensive.
The food is great, like real good tacos and drinks, but like most restaurants in Portland, it’s not cheap. If it were less pricey and had a bit more seating, it would get ALL THE STARS.

Divey little Mexican place with a great menu! I ordered the enchiladas and was a little disappointed that they were so dry? Maybe it was because I made it vegetarian but no sauce or sour cream made it kind of tough. Everything was very tasty though!
The nachos were delicious though and my Fiancé enjoyed his meal as well! We got to eat outside on the most perfect evening.

I have never had a bad meal here! Their tacos, nachos, burritos and specials are all amazing. By far the best Mexican food in Maine. Great vegetarian options, seafood and a fun atmosphere. The owner is so nice, and wait staff are friendly. It’s a bit small, so there is often a little wait… But it is certainly worth waiting for!

I’ve been craving a good taco since I moved to Maine (#californiaproblems), and I’ve been walking by this establishment for months. I finally tried it four months later and it did not disappoint.
For starters the interior is crazy cool. The lighting draws you in from the street and it isn’t too bright or colorful. I went on a Tuesday and it was pretty busy. If all the seats were full on a Tuesday I wonder how crazy it gets on a weekend. More crowds mean good food, right? We’ll see.
The restaurant was being run by one hostess who you can tell was a little flustered, but after a while things subsided. She was friendly and quick the whole time. Hard working service – I wish I remembered her name for a shoutout.
I tried the pork belly tacos and they were good. The flavors of the toppings overpowered the meat a bit and that was a slight disappointment, but it still tasted good! I also loved the plantain fries. The avocado fries didn’t hold up to the plantains. The price of all is this is right! Two tacos for $ 7 (with an upcharge if you get premier meat)? You can’t go wrong. I look forward to trying some tacos with a different meat option to see how I like those flavors.

Before ranting and raving about this establishment, I just want to say that I am a taco fanatic. This restaurant feeds into my love for tacos.
Service:
It was a Tuesday night and it was very busy. When I notice that, I feel good about the place because it must be good, right? Right. Our waitress, Lauren, was the only waitstaff for the night and she was stressed out. We helped her clear the table where we sat down and she seemed to like that. Even though she was the only waitstaff, she checked in on us and that makes the experience better.
Prices
I am one for scanning an entire menu beforehand to make sure I can afford it and I am very pleased with the prices. Also, as a patron, I always think of why something is more expensive and how much the restaurant has to charge. The crispy and puffy tacos are 2 tacos for $ 7.00.
Food:
Taco Escobarr has specials and I LOVE specials because it makes the decision making easier for me at least. I got the fried scallop special which comes with two tacos for $ 8.00. I was getting full off the first one because it was very delicious. Aside from the fried scallops, there was cabbage and pico de gallo. There wasn’t a time where I felt I was not getting enough scallops in one taco which is a great sign for a taco. PLATANOS (caps because I love them so freakin much) are my favorite. I fry them at home caribbean and southern style. For the table, we ordered plantain fries. I went for the plantain fries because the crunchiness gave off a sweet and sour taste.
Ambience:
Aside from being crowded on a weeknight, the restaurant is a bit divey and a bit loud. I don’t mind it, I’m just pointing it out for people who want an honest opinion! When you look up at the ceiling, you’ll notice an array of colorful lighting. I instantly thought of christmas lighting because of the red, green and yellow hues! Also, when you walk in, there is a sign that says. «Please seat yourself.»
If you want tacos, head to this establishment

If there were a Taco club I’d wear their button all around Portland and on it would be a huge picture of the puffy taco from Taco Escobarr.
I’m a repeat culprit of ordering something at a new place, liking it, and never ordering anything else there ever again. I did that for a while here with the Verdue (seasoned butternut squash) puffy taco. Once I tried it I was married to it and aside from margaritas, never strayed. Finally I decided I should try something else and got El Jefe’s Nachos. YOU GUYS. Nachos are such a classic delicious thing, and as easy as they are… they are so easily made incorrectly. Taco Escobarr did me right; perfect amount of topping perfectly dispersed and so so so good! This opened the door to trying new things there, and while I often go back to my trusty Verdue puffy taco, I’ve never tried something there that I don’t like.
Keep an eye on their Margaritas, they infuse all their own tequila, so each one is unique. I’m in love with their blood orange.

I’ve walked past this place a hundred times, but it was never really the right timing. My wife and I were in the city Wednesday afternoon for an appointment, and decided to try it out for lunch.
Very nicely surprised. Hadn’t read any reviews here, so we went in cold with expectations tempered, but it was very good. At least, the tacos were very good. I got a soft taco with the slow-​cooked beef, which was my favorite; and two grilled corn tortilla tacos, one a fish taco (which was also exceptional) and a pulled pork taco (that was OK, partially hampered by a burnt shell.) My wife got the chicken one and the slow-​cooked beef; I had a bite of the chicken one and it was good, if not really memorable.
I like the variety of sauces they offer on the side. As for the side dishes themselves, these were somewhat disappointing. I got the black beans and rice as part of the platter, and they were both very bland. My wife got the pinto beans with bacon, which I didn’t try but she said were better than the black beans.
My favorite part of the meal might have been the appetizer, which was the Queso Fundido, full of melted cheese simmered on a cast iron skillet with peppers and tomatoes. Really tasty.
The inside of the place is funky and festive, colorful and inviting. The bar looks cozy and I wouldn’t mind dropping in for a beer and a soft taco one night on the way to a show at Space or Port City. Service was very friendly too. Great stuff overall!

I have come to accept that Mexican food exists on wide spectrum of authenticity… and I am OK with that. I’ve purchased tacos out of a truck next to a construction site in Los Angeles, and I’ve also bought a burrito made by a 65-​year old hippie using a camping stove in the parking lot outside of a Phish concert. While one version may be more authentic than the other, both have a pequeño lugar in my corazón.
I view Taco Escobarr as being somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. For the purpose of this review, I see this place as an Americanized Mexican restaurant, as opposed to an authentic Mexican restaurant — my focus is more on the quality, service and atmosphere instead of how closely it reflects authenticity. From my current local dining experiences, good authentic Mexican is still sadly missing from the southern Maine scene.
I came here on a Sunday night before a concert at The State. The place was still bustling, and since I was riding solo I grabbed a seat at the bar. The place is very festive, and the billions of chili pepper lights on the ceiling are certainly the focal point when you walk in. Between those lights, the infused tequilas they promote, and the wood and exposed brick façade/​bar back, think the feel they are going for is a trendy, modern rustic (if that even makes sense?)
The bartender seems like he was a bit overmatched because of the influx of concert-​goers; it took a few extra minutes to get a beer and a menu from the brusk gentleman. They had several of the expected Mexican beers on tap, as well as a complement of local ones. As I mentioned, they also have several infused tequilas on display, and I would love to give them a shot when I feel like having a ‘where’s my cell phone and my right shoe?’ kind of night.
I ordered the enchilada, and it came out very quickly. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Perhaps not as ‘authentic’ as I was hoping, but very tasty. I’m used to (and turned off by) more Americanized Mexican restaurants smothering enchiladas in shredded cheese and hot sauce to mask the flavor that doesn’t exist, but this had very little cheese and the focus was on the beefy goodness.
If you’re a Mexican purist and your benchmark for good Mexican food is a mom and pop taco shack in East LA, then you’ll probably hate this place. If you don’t mind Americanized Mexican (accompanied by a few fancy infused tequila shots or local beers), then try it out.

There are lots of great reviews for Taco Escobarr so I won’t bore you with another that extols the virtues of their delicious guacamole and fabulous happy hour Margaritas.
But I will tell you that I went to Taco Escobarr solo — that’s right — on my own before a show at SPACE gallery. I had some work that I needed to finish and was tired of being in the office so I popped over and drank a margarita while finishing a grant proposal. I sat at the bar and my only complaint about the experience was that my bartender wasn’t very friendly. He didn’t check on me after delivering my drink or ask if I wanted any food. It was surprising, especially because the waitress for the table directly behind me seemed awesome. I loved the size, lighting, menu and vibe of TE and I’m sure I’ll be back the next time I’m craving margaritas!

Only stopped in with a friend before an art exibit, so this is only based on the couple of margaritas and the free basket of chips and salsa. We were there around 530 and there were a few happy hour stragglers drinkin away. Their drink menu consists of several tequila based cocktails along with a full bar and beer selection. I’m not sure exactly what’s on the happy hour menu because it wasn’t specified (that I could see), but I also didn’t inquire.
The bartender was attentive and poured us each a decent drink. I ordered the Palermo, a normal margarita, sans triple sec (thank goodness), add a splash of grapefruit soda — very light and refreshing! But I should have ordered salt. I’m not sure what the name of my friend’s drink was, but it looked delicious (not to mention she was a slightly forced to drink it in 10 minutes due to our art date).
We walked out each paying around $ 8.50 each. The basket of chips and salsa were complimentary, and tasty! Homemade, crispy tortillas are my favorite to dip with. The salsa wasn’t chunky and had lots of fresh flavor. I’ve heard their guacamole is fantastic, so I’m most definitely going to order that my next time around!