Por Que No? Taqueria

Great Mexican food. Fast service. Nice outdoor dining on a sunny 55° day. We are here mid-​afternoon and there is no heavy crowd. The tablets are revolving, staying full.

The restaurant was a fun place to stop in during my trip to Portland. Where I’m from we have a multitude of Mexican/​Tex Mex restaurants but this was definitely an experience from the menu to the atmosphere– I really can’t say that about a lot of places. The inside is pretty funky and colorful. The prices are average– it’s definitely affordable and not overpriced. They charged me for the bigger margarita which was a bummer but I’m sure it was a mistake. I’m planning another trip to Seattle/​Portland in June and I’d definitely come up here again. For other out out of towners, they have pretty limited seating and there is a line outside to where you order at the counter. They also have a few tables and chairs outside.

Delicious! As long as you can handle the tourists that have never been to this place and have no idea what the actual rules and etiquettes are… this place rocks get there early so you don’t have to wait the food is pretty good the margaritas are excellent!

This was my first time here and everything was delicious. Guac and chips were freshly made, and the salsa I am sure was authentically made in a Molcajete. The tacos themselves were super yummy! Will definitely be coming back!

Great carnitas and fish tacos. The chips and guacamole are also great. I would really recommend the cheese quesadilla because the Oaxaca cheese they use is bomb. The flautas were nothing special.
You order at the counter (line out the door) and can only grab seating once you’ve ordered. The place is cozy and has some cool artwork hanging.

Love the tacos, and the margaritas hit the spot. Great chips, salsa, and guacamole. Quite the selection of tacos allows you to get a wide variety of flavors. It gets crowded and there is often a line out the door but it always moves quickly. Great food to get to go and bring home as well. Almost forgot their bowls are a great combo of rice, beans, and tasty fillings.

REALLY LIKEED THIS PLACE!
My girlfriends and I were in town visiting and so far every where we had been had been great. This place was recommended to us by a few people so we knew we had to try it.
We got there and there was a line– very popular place so expect to wait. As we entered inside the place is kinda small, but very cutely decorated. We ordered a few drinks and a variety of different food. The food was delicious! The margaritas were great as well!
I would definitely come back!

Looking for deelish Mexi food in a hipster spot??? Welp this is the place to be! Food taste fresh and original and it’s a neat little hole in the wall area with plenty of Guys and gals wearing jeggings! Will def come back to eat!

There will always be lines of people waiting outside of a place like this. Why? I have no idea. It’s not authentic and it’s not clean or fast either. Happy hour must be the only reason why. Brunch lines are also long. There are too many children for my taste (drunk parents are almost as obnoxious as unwatched children of drunk parents). The one thing they do, fabulously, are drinks. Watermelon, serrano pepper margarita and chilaquiles? Pretty sexy.

I don’t get this place. It’s lame hipster huero gringo food. Go to the King Burrito truck across the street instead — twice as good for half the price, and you don’t have to stare at some dork’s manbun while you wait in line.

Really good, affordable food.
I had the calamari taco (highly recommended) and the special of the day, which was a sweet/​spicy chorizo (not so highly recommended). I also had the spicy cucumbers (recommended) and some hibiscus tea (highly recommended).
The calamari taco was my favorite of the bunch. The calamari was clearly fresh and very tender — not tough at all, which I’ve come to expect of calamari.
The chorizo was, well, not chorizo. Perhaps I’m only used to the type of chorizo you get in Texas and New York, but this tasted nothing like chorizo and more like breakfast sausage. I mean, the taco was good. I’ll say that. Like, if you are going to make a taco out of breakfast sausage that is how the taco should taste. It just wasn’t chorizo.
The hibiscus tea and the spicy cucumbers were tasty. I would probably try something else next time, but they were pretty good.
Overall, great spot.

You know those far off tropical places that you dream about? Well I dream about tacos.
First of all, let me set you straight. If you are in Portland, chances are it will rain. If you don’t like the rain, bring an umbrella. YES there is always a line. YES the line is wrapped around the corner of this little pink building with chalk all over it. YES you must keep the door closed in the summer, winter, spring and fall because chances are you are either letting the heat in, or out. YES YES YES you should go and dine here because of all the sweet sweet delicacies that it has to offer.
Guacamole & salsa & housemade chips. Oh my gosh. You should just order two. The salsa is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. The Guac needs a little more lime but, that’s why you ask for it ;)
Carne Asada — SPICAAAYYY. And so delicious
Pescado — Fish tacos with pineapple? You should be sold (and drooling)
Camarones — The shrimp, and the spice and the yumminess of this dish is a must
All paired with a Diet Coke, or a house made margarita. Perfecto. Great. now I need a taco.

We were able to try this place for the first time. It’s been on my wish list for months, but I haven’t wanted to brave the crowds. Thank you Portland «Show Day». Since people in Portland don’t know how to drive in Snow, everyone stayed home and there were NO crowds.
Food was EXCELLENT and the staff friendly.
I will definitely be returning.

We finally gave into the hype and ventured over to this place last night. We thought, «this can’t be as good as the Mexican food we had when we lived in San Diego.» Impressed, we were! (Yoda speak, in light of Stars Wars movie première this weekend.)
After standing in line for about 20 mins on a chilly Saturday evening, ordering our food and getting our drinks, we found ourselves a cozy corner table in the back. We ordered chips with salsa and guac, a Bryan’s bowl with carne asada and chips, and a pork tamale with rice and beans. Food was flavorful and delicious, with the perfect amount of spice. Staff was nice and food came our fairly quickly. Portion sizes were decent for the money, but chips and salsa really should be free. Overall meal was a bit spendy though.
So why not 5 stars? (If I could give them 3.5 stars, I would)
— I have to order my food at a counter and bring my drinks to my table myself
— The place is horribly cramped
— The fact that they have a tip jar at the counter is odd. You’re asking me for a tip when the only thing you’re doing is handing me my margarita at the counter and bringing my food to my table? Nobody comes around to refill drinks or check on you.
— Nothing to stand under when the line gets long and it’s raining
— Even the water is self-service…they can’t even bring you a cup of water after you’ve tipped them 20%? WTH?
— Too many ‘rules’ on the little cards on the tables. «Bus your own table, no saving seats,» and a few other things. What is this, an elementary school cafeteria?
All in all, delicious food, nice staff, but the service model needs improvement. This feels more like an indoor food cart vs. a sit down restaurant.
Recommendation to Management: Ditch the tip jar or make this place less self-​service to justify tips. Also, rethink the overall service model to be more customer centric.

Update – manager /​owner studies reviews and reaches out to amend a situation. I completely appreciate that move. This added star is for strong management skills and using feedback to improve performance. Three cheers for that!
Former review:
Damn – I hate when this happens. Dinner here tonight was a rushed, served cold affair. Coming here in the summer? Add a star, maybe two. But do yourself a favor and avoid Por Que No? In the winter. It’s crowded to the point of unpleasant, and tonight the service was bland and totally off point.
I’ll be back in June but never again on a cold day with absolutely limited comfortable seating. Tonight’s dinner should have been fun; due to poor service and room temperature food, we just wanted to leave.

Great food and really really good margaritas. Pint for $ 9 and i am sold. The food was really good too. We tried the veggie flatuas and the chicken bowl and they both were really good. I finally get why there is always a line out the door fir this place. This place is going into my top ten mexican restaurants list

This place is the reason hipsters get a bad name. Overpriced, sub-​standard quality, minuscule portions, cramped and a general lack of seating, compulsory tipping as though you’d been taken care of by a server at a walk-​up-​and-​order place… but the ambiance was great! If the only thing you did right was the décor, then no, I’m sorry, that’s not what constitutes a great culinary experience for the customer — and of course tipping is always the right thing to do, but when I haven’t been waited on, I shouldn’t be prompted to offer you 20%. To add insult to injury they charged me $ 3 for a few chips and a normal sized single salsa which is, in my opinion, a big faux pas in regards to Mexican joints. That’s like charging for the breadsticks, or the water. Who does that? This isn’t Europe.
The food was dry, flavors were average, portions were retardedly small. I ended up ordering some tamales because I’m not a fan of open faced tacos, which comprised the vast majority of their under-​stocked menu, because they don’t even have burritos on the menu which is what I walked in there thinking I was going to order. Hold Up! This is a Taqueria and they don’t sell burritos, the categorical urban log, the one item that every Mexican food cart has for sale if they don’t sell a single other item. Por Que No Burritos?
Y tambien por que no Chile Relleno? Even though it’s somewhat of a more specialized menu item, my husband was really disappointed that they also do not have Chile Rellenos.
I liked the rustic dark-​and-​gritty-​side-​of-​Catholicism vibe; I loved the salsa! Couldn’t stand the Hipster pretension oozing out of every pore of this joint, staff and customers included. My husband commented that it felt uncomfortable being there because it felt like everyone just came to be seen by everyone else, because Por Que No is hip, and they want to be hip too. In fact all of Mississippi Avenue is terminally hip.
My husband ordered the flautas… 3 bland (according to him) flautas and nothing else, for $ 7 something. When we got home we had a second dinner.

Mmmmm… I am still thinking about the Bryan’s Bowl with shrimp a month later. My husband and I came here after a recommendation from a local as we were on our honeymoon.
It was a Friday night, so it was pretty busy, but I felt the recommendation said it was worth the wait. And it was! Margaritas were delicious and the food was even better.
It was a beautiful night so we weren’t able to get a seat outside, and seating inside can get a bit cramped. Still worth it though!

First things first, after my first review, I was contacted by management with a sincere apology and gift certificate. I was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, that’s where the goodness ended.
I’m sad to report that our next visit (different location) was just as bad — if not worse. I thought I surely must be getting punked.
It was a beautiful warm afternoon. We ordered and we sat outside with our margaritas. I ordered shrimp tacos. When our orders came, his was right, mine was wrong. Fish tacos. Normally, I’d just eat it and move on with my life, but I was super disappointed and the shrimp is more expensive. I grabbed the nearest employee and she whisked my food away with a quick apology. I ate chips and guacamole (yay) while I waited. When I reached into the chips my fingers grabbed something thin and wiry. It was a metal twist tie that had been fried into the chips. I gave it to the employee who dropped off my food. No apologies were made.
So look. Here’s my take on this place. If you’re looking for tasty (hopefully wire-​free) food, come here. It may not be correct, but it will taste good. They have that going for them. The problem with these types of places is that you pay/​tip up front. I suggest holding off on your tip and bring some cash to leave afterwards.
Oh — and I did write the management again to update him on our second visit. He was apologetic. I mean, I am super glad he wrote back and followed up. That went way above and beyond my expectations. I felt bad for him.
We found a couple of great other taco places so I doubt we’ll be back here, unfortunately. Those shrimp tacos are bomb.

I am a fan!
Came here after a night of drinking at Oktoberfest (at Prost) and Bar bar. They close pretty early on a weekend, but it was definitely worth it!
Who doesn’t like Mexican food after a night (or should I say day?) of drinking! I have to deduct a star for being pretty pricey… But it was soooo good. I’m kinda weird in the way that I can’t eat super spicy foods but I LOVE spicy food. Each taco comes with their special made salsa on top and the cashier said the spiciness level was a medium. To me… It was more than a medium, but still very enjoyable.
I’d definitely come back for their alcoholic horchata too *insert heart eyes

Awesome mexican place in Portland — my review may be somewhat biased since I was on Mexican food withdrawal ever since moving back to Germany. But the tacos, the tortillas and the margheritas totally hit the spot. The atmosphere and the service were also really friendly and welcoming. There is a long wait to put in your order but I have to say it was totally worth it.
If you’re in Portland and you are in the mood for Mexican, I believe this is the place to go.

My friend took me here for lunch and we lucked out beating the rush because literally after we finished eating, the line was ridiculous!
Por Que No? Is a cool little spot that bodes well if you’re looking for some Mexican food and spaces to sit outside on a nice sunny day. My friend and I ordered:
— Carne Asada & Camarones Tacos
— Carrot Pineapple Aguas Frescas
— Ceviche with Cucumber slices substitute
The tacos were average to me, as coming from San Francisco and the mission, tacos are a bit unparalleled. I’d probably try a Bryan’s Bowl next time. What really sang for me was the aguas frescas and ceviche! Maybe because it was a nice sunny day, having those things really was the cherry on top of lunch. Both refreshing and delicious!

Came here on a 90+ degree day during happy hour. It was crazy hot in Portland. This taqueria had some outdoor seating and we decided to sit out doors. It wasn’t too bad because they had some mist spraying thingys to keep you cool.
We had a wedding banquet to go to so we decided it would be best to just get tacos during happy hour. It got packed during happy hour! It’s 50 cents off tacos! I think they came up to be $ 2.50 each. There are other happy hour items but I forgot what they were!
The tacos were pretty good. Not amazing but I could tell the ingredients are fresh. I ordered the chorizo and the pork tacos. I really enjoyed the chorizo tacos. I thought it was better than the pork. It’s a bit on the salty side but it has a perfect amount of spice and flavor. As for the pork it was sort of bland. The pork was very tender and juicy though! I didn’t realize there’s a tray full of sauce behind me, so don’t be like me and be sure to try the sauces! I bet they would taste amazing with it.
I will be back again to try more food!

Delicious flavors of true authentic Mexican cuisine. Not sure how this place has done it, but they have managed to become the Salt & Straw of the Taco world. Please do me a favor and open a spot in Tigard, or better yet, get a food truck and drive it to my house!
I had the lengua, pastor and carne asada tacos. Full of flavor, natural flavors not diarrhea meat from taco bell. The drinks they have are also unique and delicious. Be prepared to wait but trust the system. People eat and are on their way. Not much lingering.

D E L I C I O S O!!!
Made of fresh local produce, amazing vibe, amazing food, amazing drinks. Highly recommend this place if you’re in North Portland.
We had to wait about 25mins before we could order and sit at a table but it was worth the wait. It’s super casual and loads of fun…
Pretty much everything is home made, even the tortillas. The tastes are authentic and most delicious!
Everything was delish.