Food was delicious, service was great. We had the carne asada street tacos Mexican style and…read morechilaquiles. It's a must stop place to eat if you are in town.

Authentic Mexican. Food was good. Portions were good. Looks rough but it was clean. Crowded when we…read morecame in.

The wife and I stopped in the other day for dinner, the food was very good. Would we go back?…read moreDefinitely.

I've eat here many times (and reviewed it several times) and for a small town in northern Wisconsin…read morethe food and service is decent. While the cuisine is standard Americanized Mexican food, it fills an important niche in our neck of the woods, and I will continue to patronize them whenever I am in town and hankering for a burrito or something like that.

great food, wonderful expeditious staff, large servings with a huge variety of entrees !!!…read moreambiance is muy bueno !!! will return next week with 5 peoplr !!....love el tarasco !

I gave it three out of 5 stars because it was good, but not great. There was no "wow" to the…read moreflavors or menu. Very tourist friendly, I get it (protein choices chicken, beef, steak shrimp). I was looking for more options, like tripa or lengua, lomo en res de arbol to be honest. Elote. Menudo. The menu has all the classic Mexican fare I would call it - tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, fajitas, quesadillas. Traditional dinners as well like Carbe Asada, Bistec ala Mexicana, Huevos Rancheros, and Chilequelles. The restaurant itself is very nice inside and clean, with a beautiful bar area. When you walk in you can see directly into the kitchen and how clean the floors and equipment is. We stopped on a Friday around 3pm, not an ideal time but we had been traveling for half the day and needed to eat. Big points for having a selection of hot sauces at every table, including Tapatio or my favorite El Yucatec Habanero; roja AND verde. Our server was Uriel (great name), who seemed to be the only server on duty, which I understand considering the time and day but he had several tables aside from the 3 of us and spread throughout the place so he was in and out of the dining room constantly. My wife ordered the chile rellenos enchiladas with salsa roja, and my daughter chicken quesadillas. I ordered the bistec Mexicana, with corn tortillas. The meal came with chips and salsa. The salsa had good flavor, timid on the cilantro though, and the chips were good but didn't taste made in house, in my opinion. Our meal arrived soon after ordering, and it was good! The bistec was made with canned or pickled jalapenos, and not fresh, so they lost major points for that. The meat was good, but the jalapenos brought a salt and brine flavor instead of the Smokey fresh and vibrant pop that fresh jalapeños provide. The rice and beans that accompany the meals are well prepared with good flavor. The beans were well executed and almost velvety, and the rice had flavor and consistency. In all, a good meal at a great price point. Would definitely eat here again.

The food is always good and the wait staff are always friendly. It can get pretty busy in the…read moreevenings so it can get a bit noisy, but the quality of the service has never suffered and the fact that it is always busy is a testament to their popularity.

Attentive staff welcome you in. Classic Mexican serenades…read moreplay while you view the authentic handmade and hand-painted furniture for a wonderful atmosphere. Flavorful authentic meals served from a family run business that cares about a great dining experience! Thank you- we will be back! Mel and Sergio

Was pleased with our first dining experience at this restaurant. My hubby & I both ordered burritos…read morethat was served with rice & refried beans on the side. Burritos were full of fresh quality ingredients. My burrito was chicken & hubbys was the Baja Beef. We have enough leftovers for another meal. We also both had margaritas that were large and tasty. Atmosphere was nice & Mexican /Florida style. Bar owner was fun to Chat with & we will be back.

There is nothing special, or authentically Mexican about the food here, but it is a decent local…read morebar that serves Mexican-American food and drink. The Watering Hole's fare is far from the best I've eaten -- but sometimes a basic burrito and a glass beer are exactly what one needs to fill their belly. I ordered the "Big Burrito" and my wife ordered the "Bean Burrito." Because they have no beer on tap we ordered bottles of Negra Modelo to drink. Both of our burritos were amply stuffed with meat or beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato, and served with refried beans and Mexican rice. Two ounce cups of salsa and sour cream were served on the side, and additional sauces (hot and mild) were on the table. Our burritos reminded me of the ones I make at home when I'm scrounging around the fridge to use up left over meat, refried beans, cheese and veggies. Even though the ingredients were casually tossed together and rolled up in a tortilla, and though it was not particularly attractive on the plate, the taste was fine, the quantity was ample, and our hunger was sated. I doubt that I'll come back specifically for the food -- but the location is convenient (right on US 51), the bartender/server was friendly, the kitchen was efficient, the price point was acceptable, and the food was satisfactory, so when it fits my needs, I'll come back.

On a road trip on the upper peninsula of Michigan. Stopped in Ashland. Wisconsin at the Taqueria…read moreLaMonarca on 2nd. I had a delicious beef burrito and my wife had a pollo asado taco. LaMonarca ( Monarch Butterfly ) gets a " 5" from us! It's one block off the main drag , it's well worth a visit. Tomt

Visited Taqueria La Monarca at about 8:00 PM on a Saturday evening. There were a handful of tables…read moreoccupied, but plenty of seating available (seat yourself). We were greeted immediately and given menus. They have a wide selection of margaritas, as well as wine and beer. I chose a cherry margarita, and it was great! We started off with the dip sampler (salsa, guacamole, and queso). Guac needed salt, but was good otherwise (7/10). Queso has some spice to it, and was great (8.5/10). I had the Fajita Trio and it was very good - a solid 8/10. Spouse had the Beef Quesadilla and said it was also very good - 8/10. I took about half of my fajita to go and also brought home a piece of Piña Colada Cheesecake. It had crushed pineapple and cherries on top and was delicious (8.5/10) - the perfect ending to a great meal! Overall an 8/10 - would definitely eat here again.

Always great service and the best food available for miles. And perfect limey margaritas!read more

Stopped here on a little Easter weekend trip. Absolutely wonderful! Fantastic fresh salsa and…read morechips, taco salad with chicken was wonderful and my husband loved the carne asada tacos. We're from California and laughed about how much better the food was here than at home! Great service as well. Thank you!

Visited on 4th of July long weekend. The town was very busy but they were able to sit 11 of us on…read morethe patio fairly quickly. Food came in very fast and they are child-friendly, provides kids menu selection and has high chair. We ordered mostly lunch specials, food is very good and prices are very reasonable. The pineapple dish was super yum

Good, good, good. Los Portales is a good Mexican joint in a town with too many Mexican joints…read more The vibe is festive and it was packed, 5 minute wait for seats for four. Got a Modelo , cold and gold, check. Otto had a steak that was seasoned well, but not awesome. I had chopped steak on a poblano rellaneos, with peppers and onions, it was throw down good. They missed the tortillas. Olive had shrimp fajitas, nicely done and Em had Pastor and chorizo tacos. Very good. Overall a great stop!

The food is okay here but I don't know if the quality warrants how expensive it is. We are local…read moreand rarely order from here because it's too pricey. Now, if they offered delivery and kept the prices the same, I'd be more inclined to order.

I can't believe this is the first review for this great little find. Located in downtown Phillips…read more Street and side parking is available. Tonight was probably our third time eating, each time the service and food has been really really good. Pretty extensive menu with a price range between $12 and $25. They also serve some pretty good margaritas. Chips and salsa are complimentary. I'm not a big fan of the salsa but it's still good. Tonight we did a 2 person combo that had enough food for 3. We will definitely be back.

We were very pleasantly surprised with our dinner tonight. Our server was super kind and the…read moreservice was incredibly quick, which we appreciated having an impatient toddler. We had shrimp ceviche, pineapple shrimp, enchiladas, stuffed peppers, and street tacos. Everyone loved their food, and we also liked the chips and salsa. Definitely a great spot to stop for a quick and classic Mexican dinner.

This is a go-to restaurant for us when we vacation in Minocqua, Wisconsin. It's close to our home…read moreand has great service and good quality Mexican cuisine. This year it was just as good as it has been in the past.