Taqueria Villanueva

I came for the carnitas and was found them to be good but not quite what I was looking for. I ordered the taco plate which came with two tacos, rice and beans. The rice was great and reminded me of homemade mexican rice I used to get from a coworker in California — I think it’s short grain rice that really is the trick? The beans were very flavorful and loose — I think they were red beans and tasted more like chili than your typical loose beans. I enjoyed them even though they were different than what I expected. The tacos were placed between two sheets of parchment so that they were separated; I thought this was a great touch. The tortillas were heated perfectly — not too moist and sticky like a lot of places and they looked like they might have hit the grill for a short time as well. The taco was overfilled with meat and lettuce — in a good way although I prefer the more traditional onions and cilantro, again, I was okay with the difference. The carnitas were very interesting. They were quite moist, almost soupy and very flavorful. I can’t say I’d go back for the carnitas; I’m still looking for the perfect ones… but I think I’ll come back to try some of their other offerings.
They had two versions of hot sauce: green and red. The red tasted of too much chili powder and the green was rather bland. They would do well to have some of that creamy jalapeño sauce. That would have thrilled me to no end.
The service was quick and no-​nonsense. The prices were good and the portions were ample. The menu was quite varied with your basic offerings. I think I’ll definitely come back to try a few other things on the menu but bring my own hot sauce.

There are no obvious flaws at Taqueria Villanueva. Their menu is long, the food is delicious, the prices are below average, the location is sparkling and there is even some lawn chairs to eat your food while sitting on. Food here includes the typical menu of tacos, burritos and beverages. This place can be found right across from a set of food carts, which are in turn not that far away from Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
I went here for a pastor, otherwise known as pork, taco. It came after only two minutes. As usual, I separated a piece of meat and it was exceptional. The whole taco was well put together and the taste made me almost want to get a burrito thereafter, or at the very least another taco, on my tiny budget. Best of all, it was only a dollar and a half.
Taqueria Villanueva would still be exceptional if it were far inferior to it’s current iteration.

Great, authentic Mexican tacos! The beans and rice were far above the typical restaurant, and the ground beef soft tacos were wonderful. The salsa was also outstanding. The one bummer was they were out of fish for tacos.

Very reliable taco food truck for downtown lunch. I usually get tacos, all have been really good, very flavorful and none of the meat has been dry (like a couple other food trucks I’ve tried nearby). I recommend the fish tacos, a little different than your baja type but very tasty with the grilled onions and peppers.

I had the tacos ($ 1.50) and tried both pastor and asada. Cheap meat, but beautifully spiced and served very hot on a soft corn tortilla toasted almost to a crisp. Topped with just the right amount of lettuce, onions, cheese, sour cream, and a refreshingly potent salsa verde. Eat it right away, while it’s fresh.
My friend got the «junior burrito», and said she liked it. It was surprisingly substantial for $ 3.00!

I ordered the asada burrito and it is delicious. It came out super fast and I went around 8:30 on a Saturday night. The only down fall is the meat was a little fatty. I will definitely come back if I have a chance on my trip!

My brother brought me to this taco stand a few times cause he’s been coming here for years and it it his favorite spot. Once I finally tried their food I fell in love. Amazing food & really friendly! The burritos are huge. My favorite are the enchiladas!!! They definitely deserve a tip.

Best hard pork tacos that I ever had in Portland! Oh don’t forget to add the spicy green sauce too! Tasty meat, since they marinated pretty well! Good to eat it at night + cheap! :)

I am rating this as a Mexican food cart.
It’s the best in Portland and I’ve tried everyone. The husband wife team who run it are always so nice to me.
They have tacos for a dollar, and they’re not meat, cheese and cilantro.
They’re meat, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, et cetera. They don’t skimp in anything.
You can also get a giant burrito for $ 5 which will be enough for three meals.
I’m a Mexican food fanatic, and this place was by far the most delicious I have found anywhere in Portland.
Five food cart stars.

I have been visiting Portland for 8 summers now, and I realized I still have over 120 bookmarks. So, I am committed to trying new places this year, hopefully the list will go down, because I know I won’t be able to go to all of them. My husband and I tried this food truck. What a great recommendation from a fellow Unilocaler Tamara C. My husband had 2 tacos, carnitas and chicken and I had the carne asada burrito. The burrito was huge, which was a blessing for my hubby, since he ended up eating half of it. I tried both the red and the green salsas. The lady at the cart was not kidding when she said the red one was spiciest. I can handle spicy, I put a drop of the red one, I was speechless, mainly because my mouth was on fire. I guess that made my hubby happy for 5 minutes. I stuck to the green one for the rest of my meal. It was still spicy and delicious.

Hello awesome, monster-​sized, chicken burrito for only $ 5.50! The bean and cheese is only $ 3.00.
Seriously big. Seriously delicious. Seriously cheap. Seriously, if you dig Mexican food, go there and get some really awesome grub for chump-​change.
I have only tried the burritos but I know I will be back to try some other menu items. Their tacos are on my radar right now too. Like Jeannie J. mentioned in her review, it would be nice if they had their hours posted online and I would like to see an online menu as well.
The folks working at the cart are super nice and my order was prepared quickly.
This cart is a winner!
2014 — Review # 27

My favorite Mexican food cart. This is where to go when you NEED a burrito. Seriously. I get the bean and cheese with habenero salsa for a mere $ 3, and it fixes me right up! I get at least 2 meals out of one too, they’re ginormous. The only downside is that I’m not always sure when they will be open. I wish they had a website or Twitter account to check.

Best Mexican food cart in Portland. I have to stop by every Saturday. The only downside is I’m not sure what their hours are

Okay this was really good. Coming from a TEX MEX aficionado, this was very tasty. It’s not really TEX MEX, but who cares when the food is this yummy.
My only complaint was that I asked for no lettuce and sour cream and it came with both. I ate it anyway it was so good. AND CHEAP! Tacos are a buck fifty!
The location is a little unfortunate, caddy corner from the Portland Outdoor Store where a bunch of hoodlums were congregating. No shade here either. Wish it was a block away in the food truck park.

This little cart has dependably good food.

This review written by my 10 year old son:
The rice and beans separate are fail, but combined, (chuckle chuckle), I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise of your first bite of a rice, bean, cheese, and chicken taco.
Translated: Pretty good Mexican food. Not the best, but better than many of the other trucks in the neighborhood.

I used to think this place was great, but now I actually feel disappointed when my friends suggest we stop here late at night. Its not the long line of drunk people or waiting in the cold and rain that bother me, but rather its the quality of food (and I have to say that I’m vegetarian so I have a skewed perspective). They often mess up my order when I ask for no sour cream (they still put it in), and they advertise the burritos to contain guacamole — which I would bet 100 bucks it has never been included.
I wouldn’t spend my money here anymore… I’d rather go to santeria a couple blocks away

I’ll throw in a sober review of this place, just because a lot of things can taste good at 3 AM after a night out.
I grew up in southern california in a town that was primarily mexican. A lot of my friends, girlfriends, etc. were mexican, and I grew up eating a lot of really really good authentic mexican food, as well as going to mexico quite a few times.
Although they don’t really serve 100% authentic mexican food, it is pretty close and it is tasty, and on par with california mexican food. I don’t usually like shredded beef, but I prefer it here. I stuck with the tacos for a while, but got a burrito for lunch today for $ 5 and it probably was a couple pounds. I still need to try some of the other stuff on the menu, but the food is hot, the (soft) drinks are cold, and the price is right.

This great taqueria is located in SW corner of 4^th and Hall. I have been coming here since i started school at PSU a year and a half ago. This is by far one of the most authentic mexican food carts in portland. The guy running in it, Jose, is also one of the nicest, most genuine persons i’ve met. His story is one of struggle to success. His wife also helps to run a different location, which i have yet to check out.
Tacos at $ 1.50 each and Burritos at $ 5? Deliciously cheap. and all other items, taquitos, sopes, etc are made from scratch. i would recommended to place to anyone and everyone that enjoys true mexican food.

The Taqueria Villanueva I go to is on SW 3^rd Ave and Oak St. It’s somewhat near Stumptown Coffee and Ash St. Saloon, except on the other side of the street.
This place has been consistently VERY good. I’ve eaten here during the day and late at night. Burritos seems to taste better at 2am, funny how that works, right?
I’ll post a picture above of what to expect.
In terms of So-​Calness, this place does an OK job. I think they have their own flavor thing going on, and you end up with a carne asada burrito consisting of So-​Cal style ingredients (only carne asada, salsa fresca, and guacamole — no rice, beans, lettuce, etc.), but it just tastes DIFFERENT. And not in a bad way.
The burrito is spicy. It’s juicy. It’s BIG.
I don’t know what they do with the meat at this cart, but they season it with crack. I could eat 4 of these things in a row. Seriously.
The quesadillas they do here are damn good too. Big tortillas. Super-​stringy cheese. Really, stretch that sucker, because you can.
I’m not going to say this is my favorite carne-​asada so-​cal burrito in town, but it’s my favorite PDX-​style carne asada burrito. If you asked me to go here or La Sirenita in Sellwood, I’d have to really think about it.