Los Portales

Having lived most recently in Austin, TX I’ve been desperate for a good family-​run Mexican joint. I’ve been to all the places in Mid-​City, and haven’t really wanted to go back to any, particularly given that they aren’t that convenient.
I was super excited to see the newly painted yellow and red wall of Los Portales in my side of town. Even more excited that it opened quickly — last weekend was their grand opening.
Inside is also freshly painted and pretty cutely DIY-​decorated, with a flat panel playing soap operas in spanish. They have a small screened in patio that wasn’t open the day I was there. Husband and wife owners were both there.
The food was awesome! Better than I hoped for actually — it was as good as my favorite restaurants in TX, and that means something b/​c the competition is much tougher than here! The sauces were fresh, perfectly spiced and everything was adorned with good looking salad and avocados.
They seem to be having a soft opening — some of the drinks on the menu weren’t available. And there were no prices on the menu — each of our plates were about $ 8 — which was very reasonable for what we got. My husband and I had tried to go the day they opened, but had to leave because the credit card machine wasn’t up and running. When we came back, I didn’t notice if they were ready for credit cards.
There are a few things I didn’t like, and hope they are working on:
No tortilla chips and salsa!
The menu has great options, but is a little small — maybe 8 – 10 plates and nothing ala carte.
Appear to not sell beer or liquor, and at some point I am going to want margaritas!
They weren’t that busy, but they didn’t seem to be cleaning the tables well.