Im torn. I grew up eating at this place for mexican. you see, I always only ordered some queso and a cheese quesadilla. I was always very happy with my selections and experience. When i got old enough to drink, I ordered the margaritas. I dont think i was ever disappointed, what can you expect from a house margarita? Its going to be terrible tequila no mater what. I went here again a few days ago for the 1000th time and got nachos. They weren't great at all...too much lettuce, not enough queso or chips. It was hard to eat. My date got a burrito with beans and rice. not happy. I know its nowhere close to legit mexican, but the location is good for what it is. Hopefully, they'll work on some menu items. The inside is good and I enjoy the atomosphere and the outside patio. Ill still hit this place up since its so close to my parents house, but its far from my favorite mexican place. read more

Great margaritas. And the best Sky, Surf & Turf we've ever had! Plenty to share. Get a guacamole & we are set. Oh get extra tortillas for the turf. read more

The chicken soup here is r-e-a-l-l-y good. I have it EVERYtime I come here. I love the guacamole dip (loaded) as well. If you like cheese dip then you should have some jalapenos mixed in it for an added zing. And of course..... .Margaritas.......everything else is just an excuse to partake of this natural drink, or perhaps, one or two of these. I of course, consume margaritas for the natural cactus juice they provide. See ya there! read more

From food, to drinks, to service in general, this place has gone WAY downhill since we moved into the area (early 2010). They used to be generally great all-around, but it's almost like the ownership has changed or something. The food's generally bland and poor quality, and when my wife and I recently came and ordered a pitcher of sangria, it literally seemed void of alcohol, or perhaps at most the equivalent of 2 glasses total for the whole pitcher. And to add insult to Injury, despite us ordering it as soon as we sat down, it arrived at our table after we were finished with our meal! Wish the old El Porton would come back. The area could used a decent Mexican restaurant again! read more

My family and I have been going here for years. The food is always delicious no matter what we order. This is one of the few restaurants that I have ordered 10+ off the menu and love them all. I always have a tough decision to make when we come for dinner. The staff are nice and the managers always say hello to us when we eat. The margaritas are absolutely delicious! read more

Very good service and food was great - UNTIL we found a hair in our food. DISGUSTING! The manager came over and apologized, but said the hair did not come from her staff. Hmmmmmm. Well, then - where did it come from??? We won't go back. read more

We've been here many times, too many to count. Today was horrifying. My husband and I had not been here since pre-Covid19, which was March and it was September 12. We stopped by because there was no one seated at the patio. We had drinks and an appetizer. We also had the complimentary salsa and chips and we were near the bottom of the salsa and there was long dark hair. I was grossed out, disgusted and sick. The server was an older gentleman with a white beard. I remembered I didn't like him as a server from past experiences. When he came back to see if we needed anything, I let him know about the hair. He with his flat personality said, "I can bring you another one". Um, no, thank you. The bill please. I couldn't wait to leave. A hair maybe no big deal, but it was, especially since we are in a pandemic. And not to mention there are signs outside indicating there is a cleaning service being used. Servers are wearing masks but what is the point, there was hair in the salsa. As I write this I'm being reminded of the nauseating experience. I did feel sick on our short drive home and when we got home I did vomit. Literally. The drinks were good, I typically love this place but today there was no love. I may or may never go back. Yuck! read more

Far better than Nacho Daddy or Armando's. This place has a broad menu, authentic food and good service. Bartenders know what they are doing. Best Mexican around. read more

Last night we went for our usual (and final) Friday night dinner at El Porton in Duluth. Ann ordered a shot of 1800 tequila. They brought her something else (this has happened before) She tasted the tequila, rejected it and asked for what she originally ordered. We were sitting in the bar area and saw the manager take a funnel and pour that tequila back into the bottle. They can't be trusted with food or drink anymore. read more

Called to order takeout - if you want to speak to an employee who doesn't know the menu, is rude, and hangs up the phone on customers, Peter the bartender is your man. Stop by and tell him hello so he can spit in your drink. If that's not your thing, order in person so you can get the wrong food at lukewarm temperatures. They'll even let you talk to someone pretending to be a manager upon special request. So grateful for their level of care and concern. Thanks El Porton! read more

As a kid I came here with my family nearly every other week, and even in college would still eat here when I was home on break. Today I ate here for the first time in a while with some of my old high school friends, and was waited on by an excellent server (didn't catch her name, she had dark hair and a Mexico soccer shirt on). She was so sweet, constantly asking if we needed anything, bringing our food out at lighting speed (as usual in this place) and even gave us our checks early when it was evident we planned to stay a while and chat. So sorry I didn't catch her name, but great job as always. I love that even as an adult in a constantly changing life, it's nice to always be able to come home and visit this place that always stays the same great restaurant! read more

I LOVE this place, as do my co-workers. Even though it's rather far from the office, this is the place we Always choose for Mexican dining. It is authentic Mexican food, not Tex-Mex. Everything is light and fresh tasting like your Mexican grandmother would make! And best of all, the food is consistent! Favorite entrees are rhe Choripollo (add cactus, just trust me), the Chimichanga, Carne Asada and Everything else on the menu! You can't go wrong with this authentic gem. read more

This is a normal place for my family to go for great Mexican food. We've even taken groups here, and my son LOVES the big beer.

I have grown up in this area and eaten here over the years. Service remains the same each and every time. Servers are at tentative, managers are willing to fix and issues with a meal (rarely any issues), and music is always pleasant. The food is similar to a Hispanic restaurant of this nature but always return for the service. Definitely recommend the burrito and fajitas. The restaurant always has specials and deals going on through the week. I recommend this to anyone who wants to grab a quick bite to eat or sit down with a group for a while. read more

Had a delivery meal tonight and an absolute waste of money, food was just this side of garbage and threw most of it away. Been going off an on for years since it's close but the food we got tonight looked and especially tasted like it was made a week ago. Not even warm on only 2 miles away, even the chips tasted old and stale. I know times are tough but many others are saying the same so do not waste your money here, we are hoping from the little we ate that we don't get sick. Absolutely awful!! read more

I love this place. I love the one over in Roswell and I love this location too. I have literally never gotten a bad meal from them, and they have always been reasonably priced too. In fact after almost two years living in Houston Texas I still haven't found a Mexican restaurant that beats them for quality of food, drinks, or price. I recently visited Atlanta and once I had decided to stay in the Duluth area I KNEW I wanted to eat at El Porton. So when dinner time came on the Saturday night I was in town off we went to my favorite little Mexican restaurant. Once we settled at our table they dropped off some chips and salsa and took our drink orders, a strawberry daiquiri for me and a strawberry margarita for my date. The drinks were well made and not watered down. They were also very reasonably priced. I've always loved the chips and salsa here too, and it is limitless. As long as you want more they will bring it. And the salsa is often a good compliment to your entree. My ex always used to get the Chimicanga here and always raved about them. I've often gotten the Tacos El Carbon, a variety of different burritos, and the regular tacos. We have both always loved their refried beans and Spanish rice. On this trip my date and I split the Fajitas for two with chicken and steak. Well that's what we ordered but they brought chicken and shrimp. When I pointed that out to the waitress she simply brought us steak to go with it. It was a win win for everybody. My date loved the shrimp, I loved the steak, and we both loved the chicken. There was so much food that we took some home and ate it the next day and the flavor was very rich and savory, not bland at all. The only downer was that they only brought three shells each for us, and wanted to charge extra for additional shells. Otherwise I would rank this as the best fajitas experience I've ever had. While I didn't get dessert this night I have in the past and both their fried ice cream, and their churros are excellent. Service can occasionally be spotty or slow at El Porton but that was not the case on this visit. Aside from the mix up in the order (which was promptly fixed) our service was uniformly excellent on this night. I've eaten a lot of Mexican in my life, some good some bad, at all different price points and I have yet to find a better Mexican restaurant then El Porton. It's almost unbelievable, but apparently I have to fly from Texas back to Georgia to get Mexican that I consider to be better then just OK. read more

Great atmosphere. Packed house. Good food. Great margarita. My seven year old woofed down the chips and salsa. Kid friendly. read more

El Porton - Strawberry margarita - Tex-Mex Near Me - Duluth, Georgia

Seriously questioning the amount of positive reviews on here. I've been to this location several times and never has the service been spectacular. The woman at the front door has the worst attitude. She is literally the face of this business as soon as someone walks in, and she's absolutely terrible. Even with the slow service, I continued to come here due to convenience and the food. However, after my experience this past Friday night I'll no longer be stepping foot in this place. My friends were in town for Dragoncon and we decided to grab dinner here afterwards. We were seated on the patio with two other tables. We waited for about 10mins and finally a server went over to the table next to us. I asked him as he was running back in if anyone would be helping us. He said he didn't know and went back inside. A few mins later another server came out and tended to the table on the other side of us. Not once were we acknowledged. After waiting for about 20 mins we got up and left. Thank goodness for Frontera on Sugarloaf. The server we had was amazing and the food and margaritas were just as good! Totally made up for the service at this place. read more

If I could give them a zero star I would! I went about 2 weeks ago and I ordered dinner for my friend and I. In the middle of dinner I noticed a weird taste of the tacos and I couldn't resist and went to the bathroom to puke. When I told the waitress she pretty much called me a liar and said that the only reason why I complained it was because I didn't want to pay for my food. What kind of place is this?! DO NOT RECOMMEND this place AT ALL. read more

Delicious. Generous portions. Fair price. I got rib eye steak and charro beans. Husband got shrimp fajitas with all the fixings. Every thing was fresh and tasty. We will definitely be going back and trying other things. Menu looks very interesting.. They serve red salsa and I also asked for the green one and the tomatillo special hot one. Better tex mex than other places in Duluth Area. For sure get the Charro Beans instead of the refried ones. read more

We had the lemon drop margarita, it was delicious. Not a big fan of the salsa, very watery and tasted like it had hot sauce. Overall the service was good. read more

I absolutely love this place! The environment is always so welcoming, the food is by far the most amazing tex mex I've possibly come across in the area!! It's always fresh! I am picky and my chips have never been stale and my salsa could not be any more perfect. I've never had a bad experience with any of the servers they've always been so friendly and always with smiles. The owner will walk and greet everyone she truly makes it feel like home. This place is amazing in regards to food and service! read more

El Porton - Chalupa tejana with chips, salsa and a natural pineapple beverage - Tex-Mex Near Me - Duluth, Georgia

Fairly good dishes, not just cheap standard. Friendly service and nice ambiance. Feels like your in a Hacienda in Mexico. Love the cheap tacos, and Chimicanga with an edible, crispy shell filled with salad and guacamole. read more

This is not a fancy place, but we visit every week with our 2 and 5 year old. The food is always tasty and the service is quick, even though we ask for accommodations to the regular menu items. We are able to get in, eat, and get out within an hour, which is important when you have a toddler. One of the managers checks in with us every time we visit. Since we eat there weekly I have tried several menu items and have never been disappointed. read more

Came here for lunch with my coworker, the soup was the best part. Literally. Usually when people go to eat taco, they want authentic, correct me if am wrong. Normally would come with cilantro and onion the NORMS. So our server did not bother to ask us what we wanted on our taco he just assumed, gave us lettuce and cheese, so we ask for onion and explain why we wanted onions, the first server she said but that's what you order. So she walks off we did not know if we were going to get the onion or not so we ask our server and he said okay, check comes their is a 99cent charge we politely ask why is that, server says it's for onion and we explain to him again, why should we be charge if he assume we wanted the item. Then he goes on to say it's on the menu.. point is you should never back and fourth with customer. Food was alright ... nothing special. read more

If there is a better mexican restaurant in Duluth/Atlanta, I have yet to find it. Since I'm half Puerto Rican and half white, I love mexican food! (Sounds weird putting it that way, but I don't eat Puerto Rican food regularly and I'v eaten Mexican food my whole life.) The service inside is great and prompt. My family usually orders out and the only time they have gotten my order wrong was when I ate at the restaurant. The place is always clean and orderly, a definite plus! The food is good, we are always happy with what we get, but it depends on tastes. I have my favorites and least favorites. I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with their chiles poblanos, but I enjoy their burritos and enchiladas on the vegetarian menu. I just wish they would put a vegetarian taco on there and maybe add more options, like fake meat. Putting more items on there would be a nice change. I think they only have about eight and they are all very similar-made with lots of beans. There is more to vegetarian cusine then beans, and I'm sure that El Porton could do wonders if they got creative with it! I can't say much about the meat dishes there since I have not and never will have them, but the rest of my meat eating family enjoys what they have to offer, usually getting a fish taco or seafood platter. I guess the chicken stuff is supposed to be good. It's a great restaurant, try it you might like it. If you love Mexican food, I highly recommend it. I'm surprised there aren't more reviews. read more

The food is always so fresh. Even though the decor is a tad ghetto, I love how their booths provide privacy for talking. The lighting is great. The service is great. But the quality of the food and the menu is outstanding. They make the best chicken soup I have ever put in my mouth, and it's helped me with bronchitis. read more

The food is amazing. We usually sit with Nancy or Mark and are always satisfied with our service with them, however not all the staff knows the menu very well and we have on occasion sent food back up to as many as 4 times for not being what we ordered. But people make mistakes and we like these people, so we keep coming back. read more

BLAND. Nothing tasted good. NOTHING. The service was scattered and no one spoke proper English and as a result, our order was messed up. You're better off going to Lupita's or On The Border or even Taco Bell. AVOID. read more

Loooing for Mexican and found this awesome spot! They don't always have amazing service they often appear understaffed but me and my mom frequent a few times a month and we just love this place! read more

This place is SO close to our house, so I really wanted to love it (for hubby's frequent Mexican cravings), but it was meh in every sense of the word. Other than the chips and salsa (which I really did NOT like, but I am super picky - I need a big cilantro punch and a chunky texture), everything was just "fine" - not great, not horrible. Prices and portions were reasonable, and the menu is huge, but I don't think we'll be rushing back. read more

Loved it. So much food. Staff was so nic food was so good.

My absolute favorite place to go when I go back to my home state! The staff is really friendly and service is always really quick. I have recently moved out of state from this place and miss it so much! I actually just had a friend that was visiting this area and they brought me back food from here, after a 6 hour travel time the food was still so yummy! read more

Ok restaurant with average food. Small food sizes, need more then one entree per person. They use Average jar salsa which is quite disappointing. Wouldn't really recommend this restaurant. The atmosphere is ok but the restaurant is always empty! read more

Food was pretty good. I had chicken fajitas. My drink (I think it was a frozen mango margarita) was excellent. I had to ask waitress 3x for a to-go box. read more

Our favorite Mexican restaurant. Great food with variety and reasonably priced pitchers of Margaritas! Great service always. This place is well-run and always busy. Never a long wait though. read more

Amazing food and great service definitely worth every penny. Plus it was not even cheap!

One of my favorite things about Mexican restaurants is the salsa and chips and their salsa sucks. I think they add water to it. If you are looking forward to that treat, go down the street to Pure or Armandos. The food was pretty good though. read more

Great Guacamole and very satisfying Mexican food overall. If your in the mood for Mexican, this is the perfect place.

I love this place! Since moving to Duluth five years ago it has become a second home. The food is always delicious and the service, welcoming, caring while very professional. My menu favorites are the Chicken Soup, the Shrimp Cocktail and the huge Molcajete dish. Their drinks are wonderful too! The Chipotle Margarita is spectacular! They have a nice patio and the music in the background takes you South of the border. I hope many more people visit this place. read more