Owner runs the front. Incredible customer service and even better food. Definitely a hidden gem in Portland!

The reviews looked good and I was super curious about the machete. We arrived around 11am and the restaurant was fairly empty and we we greeted by a gentleman behind the counter. He was helpful and offered assistance. We ordered the machete with asada and a traditional taco with carnitas to go. The inside was decorative and appeared clean. We received our food and went home. The machete was great - great seasoning, plentiful of asada/cheese/onion/cilantro. It was about 10" by 4"! The carnitas taco was also great. Not greasy/flavorful/plenty of meat. The homemade tortillas on both of these item put these dishes over the top. We'll be back read more

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Been here a couple of times and it's always been consistent. Tacos were delicious, beans and rice had lots of flavor. The young man working the counter was very friendly and made sure to ask us if we had any questions. Restaurant is on the smaller side but they definitely utilize the space adequately. read more

El zalsoso - Taco plate - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

I love a place with beautiful wall art.. which is about the only thing that fascinated me about this restaurant besides the coconut horchata which could had use a little more coconut to bring out the essence. My meal (I added hot sauce prior to photo being taken) pissed me off. I ordered carne asada fries, I guess they forgot the asada (pictures are deceiving). On top of that the fries were dry crispy and hard. The entire meal itself, like what happened to beans (Ok, Ok I said no more other cities expectation)?? But what happened to me asking for no onions (lol they served me more onions than asada). I swore I paid a price different from what was pictured on the menu. read more

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Food is good still. But charging 3% for card fee is crazy without telling customers. I don't mind paying for card fees, but not mentioning it to customers is not okay. read more

This is my 3rd visit in 10 days. I chose the mulito with birria meat. It was filling and the price was spot on. So good! The handmade corn tortillas are amazing. The meat was perfect. I grabbed a burrito Zalsoso to take home for lunch tomorrow. Super friendly staff, my new favorite place. The orange salsa which I'm assuming is habanero has a lovely kick. I'm looking forward to trying the hurache on my next visit! read more

Good taqueria foodstuffs. Minus 1 star-restaurant pricing without the complimentary chips and salsa. That being said, the quesabirria broth is delicious and they give a full cup of it. Chips are thicker and "real" (none of that stoneground weirdness). Could use heat on the nachos, like jalapeños. They do provide 3 kinds of sauces (mild, medium, hot) for the table. The al pastor is my favorite, then the carnitas (needs more salt and crispy edges). All in all, it's probably the best taqueria in my neighborhood (Clackamas/Southern Happy Valley). read more

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We recently moved to the area from Tulsa. It's been tough finding Mexican food that could compare. El Zalsoso fits the bill and is our new favorite Mexican place in the PNW. It's a small homey place with great food and service. Anyone giving a negative review doesn't know what they're talking about and is simply nitpicking. read more

El zalsoso - Enchiladas - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

Second time grabbing a bite to eat here! The owner is really kind. Each time we're greeted and he goes through the menu items with us to see what we're craving or if we had any questions. It always helps when I can't decide! I ended up getting the street tacos with carne asada. Last time I got birria tacos. The tacos are soooo good. They're juicy and has the perfect amount of raw white onion and cilantro. They ask you in advance if you want it or not which is nice for those who may unfortunately think cilantro taste like soap- couldn't be me though pack on more greens haha! The tacos are always packed and they give you a bunch of lime wedges. It's in a great plaza area with lots of parking. They have music playing in the background and a few tables if you're dining in. Overall enjoy stopping in! read more

El zalsoso - 3. Street Taco - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

Some of the best food hands down ever had since being in Portland. Definitely best mexican food spot for flavorful items and great customer service! I got the chicken enchiladas and were to die for! My wife got the street taco plate and loved it! Both the rice and beans were incredible fresh and great ambiance! Would highly recommend to anyone! read more

El zalsoso - Enchiladas Suezas - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

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Been meaning to try this place for a while due to yelp reviews. Service was quick and friendly. The restaurant was clean and well decorated. Food was good. Tried the carne asada Machete which was really good. Also tried the El Poncho burrito which was not for me but my wife really enjoyed it. This all after ordering take out and eating about 30-40 mins after. Likely the food would taste even better if eaten off the grill at the restaurant. Would come back again. read more

Nice little taco shop. The homemade tortillas were delicious. I got the taco plate with 3 Birria tacos, beans, rice, a little salad and grilled jalapeños. The beans & rice were average. Nothing special. Filler on the plate. They could make them amazing if they added some flavor. So get the tacos & maybe try something else. I would go again. read more

El zalsoso - Colorful mural - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

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My husband and I love this place! The food is always hot, fresh, and delicious. They have items I've never heard of but glad I tried them. My favorite item is the Huarache with carnitas. So good! It's on a homemade tortilla. The staff is very friendly and patient. The place is always busy when we're there and we're here about once a week. read more

El zalsoso - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

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This place had high reviews so we thought we would give it a try. It was so good! Some of the dishes specified that dish used tortillas hecha a mano (handmade) so I had to get one of those. Beautiful presentation. Great flavor. Yummy sauces they bring to the table. Love it! read more

El zalsoso - 27. Taco Plate - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

I'm from San Diego and my family also owns a house in Baja California. This is prob the best place out of the 50 Mexican places I've tried in Portland. The owner is super kind and makes a conversation with everyone. I highly recommend this place! I'll be going here anytime I feel like Mexican food! read more

I had a great burrito bowl I think it was called. I asked for no meat and it was delicious. Friendly service.

You order at the counter, beverages are purchased by the bottle/can out of a cold case & there is a small space to eat-in with maybe 6 tables. Food was fresh, service was top notch & restaurant was clean and tastefully decorated. Their sauces were home made & delicious, 3 different options with varied heat. The menu covers the basics as well as options like asada fries, tortas & sopes. They do offer a kid's menu and assorted sides. Our order was delicious with quality ingredients. Look forward to trying more of their menu & put them on our takeout list! read more

El zalsoso - 3 chicken enchiladas with beans and rice. - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

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My shoe repair man recommended this place. Small mall space (similar to Seoul Kitchen in this same mall--and highly recommend) brightened with some wall paintings. Very very friendly and informative guy working here. Melba liked her pastor taco a lot, I had the queso birria tacos--hot, messy, greasy, oozey--wonderful. Prices maybe a little up. They make their own tacos. Want to go back for a machete (the edible kind.) read more

El zalsoso - hot, oozey, greasy, wonderful - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

My husband and I were in the area, and I was hungry. I pulled up Yelp and found El zalsoso not far from where we were, and so we went. They make their own tortillas, so you know it's gotta be good. The seating area isn't huge, but thankfully, there was one table left, and we snagged it. We got the side of rice and beans and an order of chips and salsa. The food was flavorful and crave worthy. We practically licked the plate clean. Service was great, and the folks working the counter were friendly and efficient. read more

El zalsoso - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

This spot is so delicious and the service is fabulous. I came on a Saturday and it was busy and the boy at the front was still friendly and helpful the entire time. The quesabirria was incredible and the torta was fluffy and amazing. It is small and understated from the outside but please do not let that fool you. Also they play good music and that means a lot. read more

El zalsoso - 26. Three Quesabirria Plate and Torta with Carne Asada - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

Located in a strip mall, you wouldn't think much of it but you're missing out if you don't try! This place has delicious street tacos. The meat was high quality! Fresh cilantro, onions, radishes. The rice and beans were flavorful. The person who took our order was very friendly and set us up with hot sauces. The churro was fantastic. I will come back to support them and try the rest of the menu. read more

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I was really craving a burrito and this place hit the spot! The size of the el pocho burrito was huge. The carne asada was great quality of meat, fresh pico, delicious avocado, and even fries in there! It's counter service, so you order at the front and they will bring out your food. They provided 3 types of hot sauce (all delicious, but the verde was my favorite). It's a no frills place which I appreciated. Ended dinner with a churro and it was perfection. Not too sweet, and had just enough crunch without being too hard. Amazing. read more

El zalsoso - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

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Delicious Mexican place! Their carnitas and birria tacos were my favorite. The owner is incredibly nice as well! read more

El zalsoso - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

Excellent place for Mexican food! The food is clean, delicious and the salsas are fantastic too! During my last visit I met Guillermo (owner), who is a great guy and clearly passionate about his business! It's reflected in the tasty dishes he and his staff make! Highly recommend! read more

Amazing food- was absolutely delicious!! Wish they would open an El Zalsoso in my home state Even ordering our food was such a delight!! Can feel their passion! read more

10/10 recommend!!!! The food is amazing!!! I got the pocho burrito & it was so so delicious, it included real nacho cheese. Guillermo was so helpful with letting me know what to pick since I was conflicted with all their good options. It's a family owned restaurant which makes it even better! They were so friendly. Will definitely be returning! read more

El zalsoso - Pocho burrito - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

Fantastic food, good prices, and the staff was excellent. One of our orders got misunderstood and they offered to remake it on the spot. Great customer service. Comes read more

El zalsoso - Sign - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

These were the blandest vegan tacos I've had in my life! I truly wanted to like this place because they're small but honey no! There was absolutely no flavor in these tacos and I paid $4 each for them. The service was so lovely though so that's why I added a star. I felt like I wasted my money this day. I'm sure their other food is amazing but their vegan food really needs a re-vamp! You can tell from the photo that there was no flavor. It's like they steamed the veggies and them dumped them on the tacos, I couldn't believe it read more

El zalsoso - Vegan tacos - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

Dropped into this place on a whim. The staff was super friendly, the food was delicious and the prices were reasonable. I'll definitely be back. read more

I had chili realano not good refried beans were good. The chili was not pealed just bad.

The service was very delayed. I ordered the food on line at 4:30 or so. It said it would be ready between 5:00-5:19. So I left home after 5. When I go there she said 5 minutes. So I waited and waited and waited. I got my food after asking them for my money back or cancel the order. It was almost 6:00. Also the people that came in from the street got their order before me. There was Haley anyone left in the building by the time I left with my food. So they waited on everyone but me although I ordered way before the customers that came in after me. read more

From Southern California so we've eaten a lot of Mexican food and the entrees here are delicious, generous and reasonably priced. Not your average Mexican food.Had a wonderful carne asada torta and husband raved about his carnitas burritos. Their green sauce is fabulous! Highly recommend! read more

We love this Mexican place. We are very picky too! Such good friendly service too! The food is amazing and big portions.

Delicious street tacos on small double corn tortillas! Comes with a few sauce choices in squirt bottles. read more

El zalsoso - Carne asada steak, al pastor pork, carnitas pork, birria beef and pollo asado chicken street tacos with onions and cilantros - yumminess! - Tacos Near Me - Clackamas, Oregon

I really wanted to like this place, the food looked sooo good. We ordered a California burrito and a shredded beef burrito. They gave us 2 tiny salsas total for two massive burritos, and that was my first disappointment. The California burrito was mine and I was looking forward to it! The tortilla was great, soft and not dry/cracked like so many other restaurants. Unfortunately the fries and the beef tasted completely unseasoned, and the burrito was missing the cheese it was advertised to have. The tiny green salsa lasted a few bites then I had to resort to some hot sauce I had in my fridge. It was just very bland and without any seasoning on the asada all I could taste were the slightly undercooked potato's. read more

This Taqueria is next to Michaels in the Ross center across from Winco Foods on 82nd Ave. we saw it when we stopped at Michael's to pick something up and I looked it up on yelp and they had it was either 4.8 star rating or 4.9 I can't remember which, But after seeing the high rating, we decided to come here on our date day and we're so glad we did.We split the Machete and each had a Traditional taco both had homemade tortillas and were delicious and a side of rice. Just a little tip, the super friendly owner explained the salsas that the medium was just a little bit spicy and the spicy was hot but not crazy. We'd say the green one is the mild it tastes like green chili enchilada sauce, but the medium was plenty spicy for us and we like spicy. read more

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Delicious tacos. Everything so fresh and well made. Their homemade tortillas were wonderful, grilled meats were delicious, and I loved their green salsa. Thwy had a delicious coconut aguafresca. 'll be back soon. read more

Don't walk but run to this place!! Had the #28 today and there is more than you should be legally allowed to eat in one sitting. Yet you will want every single bite! The service is amazing, the friendliest, professional and happiest people in town. read more

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I'm a harsh critic when it comes to Mexican food but this place did not disappoint! Randomly stopped in after getting my nails done a couple doors down and got the Al pastor torta. It was delicious! Too hungry to stop and take a picture but bread soft and fluffy, meat flavorful, and green salsa very good. They were busy on a Saturday afternoon but were working hard. The young man at the counter was sympathetic to me waiting which besides starving lol I didn't mind. It is a small shop with a limited amount of staff. Be patient, it's worth it. Definitely recommend and will be going back to try more! read more

Saw the reviews online and had to try. Did not disappoint! The cashier up front was really kind. The food was amazing and came out fairly quick. They were playing some good music too! read more