El Portal de Veracruz

Elite '08

174

361

Arnold E.

Orange, CA

I'm unsure of a lot of the items on the menu here, but I keep returning. Why? Because it tastes pretty darned good.

El Portal de Veracruz is, for the most part, a Mexican restaurant. According to the signage out front, this place is not only a taqueria, but it also serves mariscos (seafood), jugos naturales (fruit and vegetable juices), and even ice cream! Wow, all this place needs is a random assortment of sundries and it could double as a convenience store...

Anyway, back to the food. The first time I came here I picked up some tacos and a burrito for the wife and myself. My wife liked the flavor of the tacos (carne asada, chicken, and carnitas) and my burrito (carne asada) was very tasty. I stopped by again this week for a melange of tacos: carne asada, carnitas, chicken, al pastor (marinated pork), cabeza (head/skull meat), and chicharron (pork rinds; I chose the wet version). Like the first time, the first three were simply delicioso (unintentional reference to the Food TV show hosted by Ingrid "Could I have a more un-Latin/Hispanic last name?" Hoffman...sorry). The al pastor was fairly spicy as it was marinated in a chile sauce and very red in color. The chicharron was very similar (red sauce), and retained a slight bit of texture from its initial frying. My tacos de cabeza, however, were extremely gamey. I wasn't prepared for the smokey/bitter flavor of this meat (since I've had tacos de cabeza many times in the past), but I still ate them. If you don't like gamey meat, I suggest you avoid this last selection.

I have to give this place props for having a surprisingly extensive menu filled with dishes I've yet to try (pupusas, tamales, and menudo) as well as some I've never heard of (garnachas, pambazos, and tlacoyos, oh my!). I'm assuming these last items are regional dishes from Mexico.

So, why the run-of-the-mill three star rating? Well, during hot, summer days, this place tends to be hotter inside than outside. A lack of air conditioning, combined with hot stoves and ceiling fans that continually send hot air down upon customers makes for miserable dining. I suppose that's why I always order my food to go.

Overall, this place is one of the few restaurants on Chapman in East Orange that I'll be frequenting. The food quality has been consistent, the staff is always friendly (especially when I ask them for explanations of some of the dishes), and the food is prepared relatively quickly. Also, I haven't had any "digestive problems" yet resulting from the food.

If you're looking for this place, it's in the Albertson's shopping center on the corner of Chapman and Hewes, next to a an Ace Hardware store, a dry cleaner shop, and a liquor store.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review