When I was a kid, the only taco I knew was from family taco night. It was an Old El Paso (or some similar brand) hard corn tortilla shell with ground beef, shredded carrots, lettuce, cheese, yogurt, and taco sauce. My horizons have expanded greatly since then and I'm very happy about that, since tacos are very satisfying and fun to eat. There are so many taco options in Portland, from taco trucks to trendy restaurants and everything in between, you can find just about anything. Here are a few of them.
I liked Stella Taco a lot more the first time I tried their tacos. I had the green chile, black bean and egg taco and I thought it was a really tasty breakfast taco. And along with the avocado, which was crispy and flavorful and topped with slaw and creamy ranch, it was a great taco lunch. The second time I went to Stella Taco, I went to check out their new SE location, which I was excited about, because it is much more conveniently located. For dinner this visit, I had the avocado, which I thought was fine, but not as crispy and flavorful as my first one. The chile colorado which was unremarkable. And the black bean had okay flavor, which was improved greatly with the addition of salsa, although it was greatly lacking texturally, as it was all just soft beans.
I want to like Uno Mas (the one at The Ocean) a lot more than I do. On this visit, I found the tacos to be a bit greasy and the flavor was just okay for all of them. They do have a pretty extensive menu which generally falls into the more traditional options. I had queso with sliced avocado, carnitas, and pollo con achiote.
Por que no is always busy, these are trendy tacos. The tacos have traditional fillings, but are a bit "fancified" with different salsas and toppings. I usually enjoy a trip to Por Que No, despite the nearly ever present line out the door. The Al Pastor was a bit spicy. The Pollo Verde was flavorful, but a little too wet and the tortillas started to fall apart. The Pescado had a refreshing salsa of pineapple to go along with the cornmeal crusted fish.
When I first move to Portland 15 years ago, someone recommended Ole Ole to me, so it's been around awhile. I hadn't been there in a long time, but lately I've been going for lunch and 2 tacos for about $3, makes an economical and satisfying lunch. The tacos are good sized and pretty meaty and I have lately been partial to the carnitas and tinga. It is cash only, but there is an ATM, if needed.
