I ordered two cheese empanadas, and they were extremely disappointing. I also accidentally selected…read morea maracuyá juice instead of a guanábana juice, and even though I realized the mistake immediately, before the drink was even handed to me, they still refused to change it. I ended up paying for something I did not want, which felt unfair and frustrating. This experience completely turned me off from returning or trying anything else on their menu. Based on this visit, I would not recommend them at all.

I had my first empanadas from El Pilon's food truck that's tucked inside of Midtown Beer Garden…read morelocated in downtown Portland! I got 2 to try, a Colombianita and chicken. I prefer the chicken one more because it was more flavorful and had way more meat. The beef and potato one was still good, but it was mainly just potato. Both empanadas were piping hot, but sitting outside and eating it fresh in the cold weather helped cool it down quickly. I was expecting them to be bigger, but it was actually pretty small and I could have ate it in 2 bites. The menu is very modern and easy to read/comprehend. I like the helpful descriptions for some items and I am interested in trying their yuca fries. The ladies who helped with the order were very nice! The person in the back was definitely on top of it because I am pretty sure they started preparing the food right when they heard my order, before I was even able to complete my payment.

I'm not a Colombian food connoisseur by any means so I chose this restaurant purely on reviews. I…read moreordered the Patacones with pork, Estofado de Carne, Arepa Rellena with veggies and cheese, Arroz con Pollo and Sanchocho de Gallina. The food was delivered and plated quickly upon arrival. I appreciated the cardboard containers vs plastic but it did soak through. The bags it was packed up in kept it from becoming a mess. The smells were amazing and I had to taste as I plated. Everything was amazing, very flavorful, tender overall and large portions. Sadly, the carne was a little tough and I would not order this again. The Estofado de Carne had a hot sauce I had on the side. It was a very hot and delicious habanero sauce that was amazing! Great food, we'll be back for sure!!

Good GOD! I have never had Colombian food before, but I had heard good things about this spot…read more Came here on a date, and after having a couple of beers at the nearby Barrio, we both wanted something to eat... enter Que Bacano! I looked at the menu for a while, and EVERYTHING looked amazing. I couldn't decide! I eventually settled on the Arepas Relleno, which is a thick corn tortilla that is fried and split down the middle, then filled with absolute deliciousness! It's a bit of a fragile eat (mine was falling apart as soon as I picked it up), but dear lord is it tasty. My mouth is literally watering as I write this, remembering how good it was. That's saying something! The gentleman working there was very friendly, and kept speaking to me in what sounded like Spanish (I clearly don't speak Spanish). He soon realized I had little to no idea what he was saying, started laughing and apologized after switching to English. All the guys that had been in line before me were speaking Spanish with him, so I get it. Anyway, not much to say about the ambiance as it's a food cart, but overall a very positive experience and I will DEFINITELY be back. I gotta try everything else!

E A T. H E R E . if…read moreyou're like me and maybe live nearby and have driven by or scrolled passed thinking "looks cute but I'm in 'X' or 'Y' mood right now and I'm not all that familiar with South American or Cuban etc so you put it off another day... STOP. Come here IMMEDIATELY. I popped in for brunch on a Sunday, no wait, Sat right at the bar. Vibrant bright sun filling the place, upbeat tunes playing. Handful of tables occupied. The vibes were 10/10 I pulled up a barstool and the menu had a lot of solid, tempting options. I went with a pressed Cuban sandwich topped with fried egg, bacon strips, hollandaise and sliced avocado. Had a beer and a shit, tasty. It was PERFECT. I'm coming back again, frequently, before this place POPS OFF. Gotta be a regular for me going forward. It is just GREAT!!!

Enticed by all the good reviews for this place and a hankering for Latin American food, I needed to…read morecheck them out. They're quiet on a Friday afternoon. Their space is very colorful and has a lot of fun energy. Their menu is pretty focused but the items all sound very tasty. We went with an Empanada of the day, The Cubano, and the Bandeja. Their focused menu certainly paid off when you see how fresh and well-executed their dishes were. The empanada of the day was a mushroom and cheese. It's made fresh so the cheese was nice and gooey. Their crust is different from what I'm used to. It seems to be a mix of maize and cornmeal rather than flour. I think it gave a nice crunchy crust and slightly chewy inside. A bit small for the price though. The Cubano was again made fresh. Bread was nice and crispy. Inside was filled with hearty meat and cheese. A solid sandwich, especially when paired with their pico de gallo. The start of the meal was easily the Bandeja. You can choose between chicken and flat iron steak for the Bandeja; we went with the steak and we weren't disappointed. It's cooked medium-rare, making the steak super tender. The outside crust was well-seasoned and flavorful. The Plato came with a lot of other tasty things like a perfect over-easy egg, rice and beans, avocado, and the best chicharron I've had. It's small but packed a punch. The outside was crispy all around while the fat layer was still melt-in-your-mouth soft. This dish had everything, perfect for sharing. The staff were attentive and friendly. Happy hour is from 3-5PM on weekdays. All in all, we had an amazing meal and will be spreading the word of their goodness for sure.

Deciding where to eat in a foodie city is sometimes difficult, especially if there are multiple…read moremouths to feed, so the Mercado is a great choice with a number of food trucks and many different ethnic dishes. Today I chose an Al pastor burrito from Fernando's Alegria and my wife had chicken in mole from the Oaxaca truck. Everyone was happy! They have both outdoor and indoor seating available.

A casual fun place for quick food grab or hangout with friends and don't have to clean up…read moreafterwards. There's 8 food carts outside, inside there are a cute little bar, a handcrafted churros, a Xocotl, mini market. On site parking for about 15 cars, then street parking at a very busy intersection so look at all directions before you walk or cross anywhere. I would definitely come back to check out the rest of the food carts when I get really hungry. For today's quick brunch while having out with a few friends, my orders were okay with the exception of fried sweet plantains. You just can't go wrong with fried sweet plantains, right? From the La Carreta Pura Vida, Costa Rican cart, I wanted the fish ceviche since I love and prefer the lime based for fish ceviche style. The cashier said they was out. She convinced me to get the Grilled Tilapia Fillet because it came with side salad, black bean, rice, and you guessed it, sweet fried plantains! I also got the watermelon with lemon. My total at this cart was $21.50. The tilapia was about 3-5 oz and salty with no flavor, salad and black been were typical, but the fried sweet plantains saved the day. The drink was okay, and not much taste of either watermelon or lemon. To got rid of the salty dish taste, I ordered plain churros mini for $5.00 from Don Bigote. They were supper busy! It took almost half an hour for my order. They do have a big menu. The churros were made fresh to order. Their sign shows handcrafted churros! I like the churros but didn't care for the artificial strawberries jelly sauce. Xocotl looked good with all the fresh fruits only so I ordered the Diablito for $7.99 since it supposed to have tamarind fruit which I love. I asked to make sure the fruit was actual tamarind and the staff said there's about 3 oz of tamarind. It was rather disappointed with slushy watery iced with some flavor tamarind.

Amazing.... area (Pearl District), food, staff, drinks, decor - everything!! Highly, highly, highly…read morerecommend this delicious spot to anyone. Bonus: They are very accommodating to dietary restrictions; I have a tree nut allergy and another guest was gluten free. The restaurant is also open yet cozy. Beautifully decorated and well done overall. Just do yourself a favor and make a reso to enjoy a yummy meal

I seem to have a very poor memory of this place. I thought they had improved their menu and food…read moreand was looking forward to eating here again. Overall I would say it was a disappointing meal as the food quality and offerings don't justify the price point. Cocktails were good and perhaps just stopping here for a drink is all that's needed. For food we ordered the following: Empanada: Tasty and probably the best thing we had, although the portion was small for the price Scallop Ceviche: Red onion overwhelmed everything so was hard to enjoy Quinoa rice dish: Super boring and not very tasty Lomo Saltado: Overcooked beef and soggy fries. Strawberry shortcake: seasonal dessert: Cake was dense and lacked flavor. This was an exceedingly disappointing meal and I'm sad to see this restaurant hasn't improved over the years.

We went here with friends, including one who is gluten free. To be honest, I'm always a skeptic…read moreabout gluten free options. However, this place was incredible. Everything tasted amazing, and they certainly did not lose any food quality with that choice. In particular, we enjoyed the breaded/fried calamari, and the sweet corn empanada. And the pisco sour was very well-prepared, as well. Give it a shot!

First off everything is gluten free!! This already made my day since it makes ordering my meal so…read moremuch easier. I split calamari with boyfriend for an appetizer and got the fish dinner for my main. He got the pork tacos as his main Everything was delicious but I would say portions are on the smaller side but tasty. I wish my fish meal was a little bit more flavorful, and we had a little bit more calamari. Please note the calamari picture I took. It was about a quarter eaten before taken. You can find street parking, recommended to check the neighborhoods. There's also plenty to do around here after you eat, which is kind of nice.

La Arepa is a great food cart with tons of authentic Venezuelan food. I had never tried Venezuelan…read morefood before, and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and variety of this place. Their menu is quite large, and there are options to suit many dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free). I particularly enjoyed their cheese empanadas, refried black beans, and vegan Pabellon arepa. Everything came out hot and absolutely delicious, and the service was pretty fast even though there was a bit of a line. I can't wait to go back and try more of their food.

Great Arepa cart near my home on Halsey. Had the Pelua, shredded beef with a generous amount of…read morecheddar. Be sure to add their spicy garlic sauce to complete this crunchy, hearty meal. Must try!

This place is a hidden gem. If you want the best Peruvian food made to perfection-- go here!…read more I had the seafood dish. They have one seasonal fish with the regular combination of calamari (sautéed to perfection, tender and tasty), scallops, all in a creamy rice base with little steamer clams presented in a semi-circle around the dish. A lovely shrimp, avocado, (mild) red onion salad on the side. How they got the red onions to taste like a crunchy "I'm-not-an-onion" salady thing is a mystery to me, and I cook! I had the panna cotta for dessert. Honestly, just go.

As a Peruvian visiting Portland, Casa Zoraya immediately made a great first impression. The…read morerestaurant is beautifully decorated, colorful, and unmistakably Peruvian the moment you walk through the door. The atmosphere feels authentic, the space is immaculate, and the attention to cleanliness was noticeable. Easily 5 stars for the ambiance and overall presentation. For food, I ordered the Lomo Saltado Criollo. It wasn't your traditional lomo saltado, and I'm assuming adding the word "criollo" and changing the presentation is what justifies the nearly $30 price tag. That said, flavor-wise it was excellent. The seasoning was on point, the ingredients were well executed, and the presentation was beautiful. No complaints about the quality of the food itself. Unfortunately, the service was a different story. Upon arrival, I stood waiting for approximately 7-10 minutes before anyone assisted me. A kitchen employee repeatedly told me, "She's coming," so I assumed the server would be right over. During that time, other guests arrived after me and were also waiting. When the server finally came out, she acknowledged me by saying she'd be right with me, then proceeded to assist the guests who arrived after I did. They were only ordering drinks, but it was frustrating that she didn't take a moment to determine who had been waiting first. Once seated, service remained inconsistent. Another table that had arrived before me was still waiting to place their order, and since I was dining alone and trying to catch a flight out of PDX, I was concerned I'd be overlooked. Thankfully, the food came out quickly. However, throughout the rest of the meal, not once did my server check in to see if I needed anything. I had to flag down another employee for aji and later for my check. Coming from California, where I'm used to paying California prices, a quality lomo saltado typically runs between $22-$27 and is often accompanied by attentive service. I don't mind paying $30 for a plate when the food delivers, and this one certainly did. But for that price point, the service should match the quality coming out of the kitchen. Overall: excellent food, beautiful restaurant, disappointing service. If Casa Zoraya focused on improving attentiveness and guest experience, this would easily be a 5-star restaurant.