Taqueria So Mexican

Sad enough to say, I was not impressed. I’ve found it very difficult since moving to Portland (from LA) to find anything remotely reminiscent of Mexican food (by both LA and Mexico standards), with the exception of what I would categorize as street food. So I thought hey, try some Mexican street food in Portland, how bad can it get? Well, it was… sad.
Now, to be «fair» (though as a customer I shouldn’t have to explain this) I didn’t order anything with meat. I ordered a veggie burrito, mainly because nothing else had a vegetarian friendly option (torta de huevo, tacos de rajas con crema, etc.) and because how bad can someone mess up a veggie burrito?
For starters, if lettuce is the only main vegetable then say Lechuga Burrito. Secondly, there was literally no cheese nor pico de gallo. In essence, I paid (the same price as meat options) for lettuce and black beans combined with what tasted like thinned out crema mexicana wrapped in a flour tortilla.
I work down the street and would love nothing more than to come to this place regularly. The people were nice, the habanero salsa was good, and I’m sure this is a newer small-​business trying to build a clientele in the area. So, it’d be great to see some simple additions to the menu that make it worthwhile for those who don’t only want meat. Papas, cebollas, huevos, poblanos, soyrizo, etc. are all ingredients that can all add to the «So Mexican» title of the establishment and give people greater variety of flavors.
I’m giving them three stars because I understand it can be difficult starting a new business and because I would rather come here regularly to enjoy the food than see you guys close your doors. Hopefully this helps!

Love this place! It is super close to my office, but I would trek to get this. I usually get the carnitas because it is so tender and flavorful, although the chicken is good to. The food is simple, but in a very good way that lets the flavors shine through. The sopes are great, but get there early as they do run out. Prices are very reasonable and even the smaller dishes are enough for lunch. I have eaten here many times and had only good experiences. Also, food comes out fast and the people who run this cart are very friendly. Other reviews are right about the green sauce, it is out of this world! It is not very hot (I love heat) but so fresh.

This cart has some legit Mexican food! I have had the carne asada tacos and the carne asada burrito. The tacos are the kind you get in Mexico– small and not many frills, but freakin’ delicious. The burrito is not gigantic, but it will fill you up. For $ 5 too. And it has all the right ingredients in the right proportions and cooked perfectly.
To me, this is in the top two for Mexican food in Portland that I have tried. Sanchez Taqueria in Tigard being the other. I lived in San Diego for 8 years, so I think my opinion is meaningful.
I wish they would bottle their hot sauce and sell it. It is that good. The green and the orangeish hot one are unbelievable. I would swim in the stuff if I could.
In summary, try this place out. The price is right and the food is authentic and gooooood.

Love their chorizo, black bean breakfast burrito! Service is fast and you can text your order ahead of time! Super convenient! I will most definitely be trying every item on the menu!

I owe Taqueria So Mexican an apology for this delayed update. As I predicted in my review, all I had to do was to ask for no rice and extra chicken. They charge just an additional dollar for the extra chicken and it is totally worth it.
Since my review, I’ve been stopping by on a regular basis. Their wet burrito for lunch is simply delicious, but should not be consumed entirely if you are planning to work afterwards! This is because they are HUGE! Their veggies are so fresh, you can literally hear them crunching in your mouth.
Last but not least, their breakfast burritos are, dare I say it… The Best in Town! Specifically, their sausage and egg burrito. Just make sure to get there before 10am as this is when they stop manufacturing their breakfast deliciousness. Also, remember to ask for an additional salsa verde, as one is never enough. At least not to me.

Also sells awesome and sizable breakfast burritos (no potato though) — get the salsa verde on the side!

UPDATE: I have started going here again, and they are stocking better. The lady who is always there is very nice and the food is pretty good, so they’ve earned a few more stars.
They still charge a fee to use a card which I disagree with on principle and which is not posted (part of the law allowing the fee). W/​o the fee I’d give them an extra star, but nothing bothers me more than hidden fees, especially when there is a whole line of carts around them that do not charge these fees.
OLD REVIEW:
This place should be called «Taqueria Sold Out.»
I enjoyed their torta enough to want to order it again (not the best I’ve had but it’s very conveniently located) and was told that they sold out. So I tried again. And again and again…
Today at 11:50am I went over. No way they would be sold out before the lunch hour, right?
Wrong. For the 7^th time they were sold out! This time it wasn’t the bread though, it was the Pastor. Fine… I ordered one with carne asada because I’d already waited in line for 5 minutes behind a lady with a huge order.
I took out cash specifically because they are cash only, but then saw a hand-​written sign stating that they now take cards. Hooray!
So I handed him my card only to find out that they charge a $.50 fee, one that they won’t waive even though they have wasted my time on 7 different occasions.
That was it for me. You can put me out a little and I’m okay with it, but I do expect my loyalty to be respected by businesses. If you don’t want my business though, then no problem, I don’t want to work with you.
Sorry «Taqueria So Short-​sighted,» that was your chance… times 7.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this Mexican cart.
I got the daily special (‘tamal oaxaqueño’, or Oaxaca-​style tamale) with rice and beans. Regarding the flavor and the ingredients, I think they have their heart in the right places, but the execution is not quite there yet.
On the plus side:
— The filling sauce and chicken was tasty and well seasoned (although it was nowhere spicy enough for my taste; in fact it was not hot at all)
— They have extra hot green salsa that you can get on the side
— They used banana leaf to cook it (the traditional way) — although they seemed to cut costs by using just a small square of banana leaf and adding a second layer of aluminum wrap
On the minus side:
— The ‘dough’ of the tamal was too soft and it fell apart as I tried to eat it. It did not have the right consistency to keep its shape.
— The rice and beans were just bad and tasteless. I cannot describe them any other way.
— There was a huge chunk of chicken bone in the filling (meaning that I got a tamal half filled with chicken, half filled with chicken bone)
I haven’t tried their tacos yet and I am willing to give them another shot, but so far my experience has been underwhelming to say the least.