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    El Portal Mexican Grill

    4.6 (29 reviews)
    Open • 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Jessica P.

    Amazing food and the owner is very nice and attentive. We first tried this spot for breakfast and were very happy with the service and food. We came again for lunch a few weeks later and happy with everything again! Meat Mexican food I have found yet :) the homemade tortillas are great and the taste of the food is not Tex Méx like so many other places in Houston. The music, lighting is also great!

    Daniel G.

    Great food and even better service! Will definitely go again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Breakfast tacos were

    Mar y tierra fajitas steak with bacon wrap shrimp, chunky guacamole, chips and salsa, charro beans a frozen margarita and a piña colada.

    Today was are first time in this place and my husband and I totally recommend it. Everything was delicious definitely we will come back. Excellent service, beautiful restaurant.

    Enchiladas and Al carbon tacos beef
    Cole S.

    Amazing beef tacos, incredible salsa and chips too + great service/very attentive local spot

    booths

    Finally got around to trying El Portal Mexican Grill. This little gem is unfortunately a bit off the beaten path, hidden on a residential street on the south edge of Oak Ridge, and overlooked by many including us until we made it a point to check it out when jonesing for some sizzling beef fajitas. It's everything a great Tex-Mex restaurant should be... very attractive, very clean, great service, excellent prices, and a mixed menu of wonderful typical Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican dishes. Very glad we found it.

    Inside

    Went for breakfast and loved it!! Chips were fresh and salsa was hot and had a great flavor. Breakfast chilaquiles plate was great. Could've had more potatoes, but was delicious. The tortillas are homemade and had a great buttery flavor. Service was superb. Very cute, clean place! Can't wait to come back.

    La Villa platter comes with small avocado salad, cheese puff shell and a taco.
    E B.

    Simple and flavorful entrees, plenty of choices. A family friendly establishment with pleasant ambiance. For a Mexican Restaurant compare to many in the area, portions are plateful and very reasonable pricing. Always greeted and exceptionally good service with constant attention to customers. Well lit are located within a neighborhood street. Few parking spaces in front and many behind this restaurant building on their property. Hope to see their service, quality and quantity is maintained. No disappointments for us so far. Good for lunch, dinner small parties and to go.

    Grande Burrito
    Cristina B.

    Back again and did not disappoint! So flavorful and the staff is very attentive! Everything I have had is so good!

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Small Mexican restaurant that should be busier than it is. Great prices and quality food with great service.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Hidden gem. Everything was amazing for an affordable price. Highly recommend the Bloody Mary.

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    2 years ago

    We've gone a few times. A good menu and drinks. The food was ok and the service was ok.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Had breakfast here on Sunday. I had the chilaquiles migas and it was excellent. Great service too. The chips and salsa were tasty too.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Had chicken enchiladas, meat was very dry and tough, not fresh at all. Salsa was served warm, it was ok, not great. Would not recommend.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great food. Easy, quick and flavorful. Nice selection on the menu. Clean and nice atmosphere.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Delicious!! Would recommend I've always loved Beto's so decided to give El Portal a go and just as great!

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    3 years ago

    Great found, terrific service and reasonable prices ! Any yummy margaritas!! I recommend El Portal highly!

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    4 years ago

    Great place! Very nice interior, good amount of parking and the food is so good! Everyone was very nice there

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    Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen

    Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen

    4.4(1.1k reviews)
    3.9 mi
    •$$$

    Schilleci's is one of my local favorite seafood restaurants in the Woodlands area. This is my first…read moretime visiting their new location, and the ambiance is nothing short of spectacular. The waitstaff is always polite, helpful, and attentive at just the right times. The food is consistently top-tier--my absolute favorite meal is the Argentine Ribeye. If you're looking for a great meal or a fantastic after-work drink, look no further. Peace! Ask for Hannah Marie or Zach.

    Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen definitely gives date-night vibes. The dim lighting, cozy seating…read moreand intimate atmosphere set the mood nicely. The menu was also a good size not overwhelming, but still enough variety to choose from. We made reservations and, although there appeared to be open seating toward the front, we were taken to the back. We ordered Hurricanes, lamb chops and the fried sampler, and I can honestly say the food was delicious. Our waiter was also kind, attentive and took great care of us. Unfortunately, something about the seating began to make me uncomfortable as the evening went on. While we were waiting for our food, I noticed that the fairer-skinned patrons coming in appeared to be seated toward the front, while guests who looked more like us were being seated toward the back. I obviously can't speak to the restaurant's reasoning or whether there were other factors involved, but once I noticed the pattern, it was difficult for me to ignore. It made me uncomfortable enough that I eventually lost my appetite and couldn't finish my meal. That's unfortunate because the food itself was genuinely good and our waiter did nothing wrong. But the overall experience matters just as much to me as what's on the plate, and I left feeling uneasy about what I observed. Because of that, I personally don't see myself returning to this location.

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    Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen
    Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen
    Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen - Wall to the left of our table

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    Wall to the left of our table

    Pirates Paradise - All hands on Deck

    Pirates Paradise

    4.1(81 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    It matters that they make everything in-house. And the owner proudly talked about sourcing locally…read morefrom Tomball and such, something we really appreciate. We ordered Fried shrimp, with creamed spinach and onion rings. The flavor of the food was good, well-seasoned, and it was new to me to have leaf spinach served in a cheese sauce and I decided I like it! If you like your food spicy, then order the Shrimo Cocktail. It was a little spicy for me, but the flavors were good. We ordered a stuffed baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives. The potatoes skin tasted great, not sure how it was seasoned, but we liked it and the prosaic boring stuffed baked potato was really delicious when I poured the remainder of my spinach's cheese sauce over it. Desserts are homemade, and today's offerings were crème brûlée and Key lime pie. They weren't bad. The owner was welcoming and I liked our nice chat, particularly as they were short-staffed as somebody had not turned up for work. Overall, we had no real expectations going in and thought the food tasted much better than we had anticipated. Try it.

    So I hear Wednesday is their big day. It's Prime Rib day. I called a day ahead to see what hours…read moreit's served. The owner who answered the phone told me that actually the employees of one of the companies in the area reserved like the whole cow. I think he said 64 lbs or something like that. Savages. But he did say they could save a piece for us if I told him when I wanted to come in. I asked him for a good time to come. He said usually they're done cooking it by 12:30 pm and then it needs time to cool down. So he suggested mid-afternoon like around 2 pm. Ok. Well what the heck. A late lunch it is then. I've always been a whore for a good cut of meat. When we got there I told the host/waiter that we had a reservation and he just replied ok and didn't bother asking our name or checking us off a list or anything. Understandable I suppose since the place was empty. When we got the menus my first observation was that a number of the prices were higher by several dollars than as listed on their website, including the prime rib. The waiter replied it's just a few bucks, and then noted it's actually been like that for a few months. When I talked to the owner later he said they're waiting for the lady who handles their website to make the update. I've posted pics of their current in store menu so you can know the current prices. I think the waiter was new. Because he didn't ask how we wanted our prime rib cooked (I had to ask him later if we have a choice). Also when I asked for more horseradish (it doesn't come with the prime rib automatically) he took my plastic thimble looking cup and just refilled it, which seemed a bit unsanitary and odd. Also I had to ask for ketchup for the onion rings. When I was signing the bill he just hovered and immediately took it. It just felt weird. I dunno. Maybe his shift was ending or something. I know this sounds weird to comment on but the water tasted off. It's the first time I've ever said that. But it just tasted weird. I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe like it already had some lemon in it? Yet there was a lemon slice on the rim of the glass. So I'm not sure. Anyway onto the prime rib. I thought it was ok. My kid absolutely loves prime rib and that's the real reason we came. But she just didn't like it here. However it is one of their most popular dishes and the way they sell out obviously folks in the area are ga ga for it. So definitely come give it a try for yourself. It comes 2 sides but not a baked potato which is $5 extra. I love baked potatoes but the extra cost made me not want to get it. The waiter said the mashed potatoes do not come with gravy but actually the sauce that comes with the prime rib is pretty thick and could easily be used for this. I thought the cream spinach was good as well as the fries and onion rings. Note the QR codes on the bill didn't work to pay. I'm not sure why. I think the waiter said something was wrong with their computers. When we asked for a to go box the lid on my gravy container didn't securely close. The waiter said that actually all of the containers have that problem. Yikes. Well just be careful you don't spill it in your car. I guess the waiter told the owner my kid didn't like the prime rib and when we were boxing it up the owner came to our table and was apologetic and super nice about it and offered to comp her plate. Now that's old school class. I've been to some of these newer places where they couldn't give a crap. But the owner here actually cares that people have a good time. So kudos to him. Their menu is extensive. And they have something for everyone. They also have a kids menu with reasonable prices. The monte cristo and pork knuckle were catching my eye. Maybe another day.

    Photos
    Pirates Paradise - Not like the picture on the menu.

    Not like the picture on the menu.

    Pirates Paradise
    Pirates Paradise

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    El Portal Mexican Grill - newmexican - Updated October 2026

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