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El Brasero Mexican Cart
Rating Details »
Categories: Mexican, Food Stands [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Southeast Portland, Central Eastside12th Ave and SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR 97214
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Late Night
- Alcohol:
- None
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17 reviews for El Brasero Mexican Cart
I've only eaten one thing here, and it was on special:
Once upon a time the dude in the window stuffed a jackload of mexican cheese into a ground up corn exterior. He proceeded deep fry the living crap out of it and produced a crispy and super melty mystery prize which he called a quesadilla.
It was pretty great until a pocket of cheesy goodness at the bottom of the shell exploded onto my lap. Fortunately my lap did not affect the flavoring at all.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (4)
My goodness that was one delish crepe. Gruyere, ham, mustard, and a fried egg. What more could a gal ask for?
Oh, hmm...perhaps the breakfast burrito I came to El Brasero for?
Dude. You are NOT McDonalds. Your breakfast menu isn't on an automatic timer that magically flips over to lunch at 11am. I'm sorry, but it just isn't. This is the second time I've walked up and been denied my breakfast rights far before 11am (the time listed as end of breakfast on your GIANT sign), and rudely at that. Do you have a line that extends out of the tent? No? Wait, is there no one there waiting for food at all? Is there absolutely no food on the grill whatsoever? Maybe you just like the way I look when I turn and walk away across the parking lot to go procure a crepe that is pretty much perfection.
Learn how to run a bleeping business or someone else will. I'm so disappointed in you.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/14/2009
I deeply miss two things about Austin: Barton Springs and breakfast tacos. Look Portland, I get the… Read more »
This place was at the right place at the right time to save a 17-year-old from borderline alcohol poisoning. He was goaded by some totally off-the-rails waster into drinking way too much the day before at a house-show in Olympia, and he spent the entire day curled up in my friend's Subaru. So, I yanked him out and said "We're going for a walk", and he said "I can't...I can't..." But I knew this vacation would be completely wasted if we didn't get him up n' Adam, breathing the outdoor air, and sopping up that alcohol with some food. I took him to the foodcartopia zone, rounding the corners gently and slowly to avoid any puke action.
I thrust this burrito in his face and said "EAT!" He said, "No way...I'm just gonna throw it up...I can't!" So I assured him, "It's okay...burritos in Portland taste the same way going in as coming out." And by that I mean bland, which is characteristic of most burritos north of the 42nd parallel....but maybe especially this one! It was just beans wrapped in several layers of tortilla so that the first few bites were only tortilla. It was less textural than a 99-cent bean burrito at that worst-of-all-Pac-NW Mexican fast food chains, Taco Maker (see the Texaco station in Roseburg).
The kid did puke the first bite, and it came out looking like a little chunk of phyllo dough. He was like, "What is that?" And I was all, "I told you, dude. Keep eating."
He got the whole thing down, and it stayed down. Normally I'd rate a completely uneventful burrito as a one-star disgrace, but uneventful was indeed a virtue on this PDX burrito adventure. The kid was a lot sprightlier the following day and was able to withstand the pit of a seriously packed and heavily-jostlin' house-show with the Mayyors that night. That basement was so rough that night, walls were threatening to come down. No joke! But the kid did champion through it.
Meh. I had a taco and it wasn't that good. The meat was super dry and chewy and there just wasn't much flavor overall. The horchata was average. I'd maybe go back if I happened to be there and REALLY needed a taco right at that moment, but otherwise, no.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
I've been consistently disappointed by this cart. They're phoning it in.
People thought this was:
- Useful (7)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (3)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/5/2007 First to Review
Hola Don B., mi amigo, bienvenido a barbacoa estilo de D.F... Barbacoa muy rica y autentica.
So,… Read more »
In general, you can roll up just about anything in a tortilla and I will love it. But if there is one thing I really can't stand, it's hot lettuce. Pass.
$7 is a bit much for what I got- beans, rice, pico, lettuce. No cheese, no guac, no veggies. I could get that for half the price any number of places around town! I do like that there is a Mexican option at this set of food carts, but again, a little on the pricey side for the ingredients involved. That being said, if I had a food cart that served mostly drunk people after a certain point in the night, I'd probably charge that much too. Service was friendly, one star for that definitely.
I'll bet if they put up a selection of $5 recession special burritos, that cart would be a lot busier.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (2)
I've had lots of different experiences with Mexican food carts: awesome spices mixed in with the high-quality ingredients, the tempting Tex-Mex fair with all fattening cheeses and sour cream, the places with bad sauces and the "am I going to get sick from this cart" variety. This added another one: the "blah" experience.
The worst really is that my items seemed to feature iceberg lettuce as the main ingredient. The chicken taco I had seemed to contain very boiled chicken. The sope pollo had this cheese on it that reminded me of the powdered Parmesan, but tasted like it was the queso fresca variety.
They have a nice dining area and their appearance makes customers optimistic, for sure. I think this is more for the late-night drunk crowd that aren't very particular. Maybe the burritos are where it's at.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (3)
It takes some cajones to make customers wait ~40 minutes for a burrito from a cart, but that is exactly what I witnessed at El Brasero last night (around 10:30). I'm a man who loves a good burrito and I have had burritos that are almost worth waiting that long... this was not one of them. The flavor was quite bland. I could barely tell the difference between my Carnitas burrito and my wife's chicken burrito. The salsa inside could only be tasted on occasion. As others have mentioned, it was heavy on the rice.
I remember the first time we went to the original Flavour Spot that we had to wait ~15 minutes for our waffle. But it was fun. Everyone waited in eager anticipation and were not disappointed. When we walked up to cart through a group of people waiting, I should have known this would be different. They did not look happy and excited, but rather quite annoyed.
The scene turned even uglier after we ordered. People buried their faces in their hands in utter discouragement. One guy kept checking in every 10 minutes and then visiting firend over at Potato Champion. One time he slapped the El Brasero menu sign in frustration. In the time we waited for our burritos (~40 minutes), there were probably about 5-6 orders picked up, none for more than two people.
It was crazy. Easily my most disappointing food cart experience and my worst Yelp review. I give two stars because the burrito was not terrible and because the people inside the cart were friendly.
People thought this was:
- Cool (1)
In the beginning my relationship with El Brasero was a mixture of indifference and frustration. I mean really, seven bucks for a veggie burrito? Seriously? But I kept handing over those hard earned dollars because, honestly, I'm rather lazy and this cart is mere blocks from where I've been staying.
Than last night everything changed: I returned home tipsy and hungry and overwhelmingly in need of burrito sustenance. I headed over to el brasero, and decided to branch out a bit and try the green chile chicken burrito.
Holy smokes, was that burrito good. I actually busted out my happy burrito dance for the first time in years when I finished that sucker, it was that good. El Brasero, you rascal, you proved to be quite a revelation.
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
Three words: Mushroom fajita burrito!
If you want a good burrito, go earlier in the day. In the evening, these guys' burritos become skimpy on the main ingredients and use iceberg lettuce and flavorful rice as filler.
During the day, however, I'd recommend the carnitas and the machaca burritos -- big, tasty, and quite filling. The green salsa is quite spicy; it burnt on the way out. The red salsa is more savory. Oh, and their tamales are good, too.
I went with friends and ordered three burritos at about 930pm on a Friday night. As has been noted here plenty, $7+ is a lot for a burrito. But all of cartopia seems to be a bit over-priced, we sucked it up and ordered a jicama, mushroom and a soyrizo vegetarian burrito. 1) the jicama burrito had all the basics plus GIANT hunks of jicama. Like.. non-bite-sized. And they were all piled at the bottom, so I was a bit unsure of even what type of burrito i was eating until the bottom 2) Mushroom was the best out of all 3, but was still under-whelming. 3) soyrizo wasn't good... could you throw in some avocado? extra veggies? something to make it taste like more than just store bought soyrizo? I would choose one of the other carts next time
they have answered the call for quality vegan burritos!
and they're open frequently!
love the chorizo, under $7 with guac, yum!
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Honestly, one of the best burritos I've had in Portland.
People thought this was:
- Useful (6)
- Funny (6)
- Cool (5)
you know, i've been back a few more times and gotten burritos (carnitas) and they've been really good. the carnitas was crispy and not at all fatty, and the proportions of the "guts" were just right. no too much of one thing.
all i ask is no rice, and please wrap it to go in aluminio, porfavor.
People thought this was:
- Useful (7)
- Funny (4)
- Cool (5)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/25/2008
i'm a fan!
i ate at el brasero before reading their reviews on yelp... and i'm glad i did. they seem… Read more »
Being from Chicago and having late night mexican restaurants all over the city I had to see how the tacos held up in Portland. I ordered one taco for $1.50, great price! When the taco came out it was meat, onion and cilantro on two small tortillas with some lime on the side. This is how it should be! Simple, cheap, street food. The taste was just as good as it looked. The onions and cilantro both tasted fresh and the meat was cooked perfect. This is a great cart to hit up if you have been drinking down the street at Roots or Lucky Lab. The only downside is how long it took. It shouldn't take more then five minutes to make a single taco.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
I got excited there's a Mexican food cart about less than 10 minutes walking distance from my work. I ordered the chicken burrito and lemonade. My burrito was tasteless. Not enough seasoning and they put....*drum roll please*,
ICEBERG LETTUCE
in it.....
My lemonade is tasteless too. I think they need to change the cook. I really want to like this cart. 2 stars for friendly service and nice tables and chairs to sit on.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
