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Lupe's Escape
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
17 reviews for Lupe's Escape
First, I have to confess, I am biased....I used to work at Lupe's...But I live 45 minutes away, and drove there once a week to work a 4 hour shift...trust me, I didn't do all that for the tips!!
There is a good chance that the person bringing you your food and drinks either owns the place or is related to the owners. They eat the food every day sometimes twice a day so ask them what you should have! Trust me, they won't steer you wrong! (Make sure you mention if you don't like something...they may be awesome, but they aren't mind readers!!) They are all expert mixologists too so don't be afraid to order a cocktail!
Yes, it is a dive...and dusty...and small...and cramped...and yes, (gasp) they use microwaves to melt the cheese...but get over it! Order a margarita (made from scratch...not mix) and just take in the atmosphere you can't get from a chain!
Portions are big and the chips are bottomless, but please, please save room for dessert! The deep fried ice cream and Xangos don't get enough attention! I know from experiance that the food is just as good the next day for lunch...or a mid-night snack! (Oh and on a busy weekend night, try ordering food to go! You get it faster and it is just as yummy eaten in front of th TV!)
My personal favs...Chicken and swiss (yes swiss) nachos with quacamole, Cheese enchilada grande with half red/half green sauce, or a pork verde chile rellano.
Shoot...now I am hungry....crap!
Since I am on a reviewing hot streak I have decide to go back to a place I tried but once. Lupe's Escape was recommended to me by a friend. Granted, this is a friend that waits for the $2 happy meal Tuesday's at McDonald's, so that should have been my first clue as to his taste.
It has probably been at least a year since I ate at Lupe's, so things may have changed, but the experience is fresh enough in my mind to still give an opinion.
Service was nothing spectacular, I remember it being average, so not really a bad mark on that.
Ambiance: It is a typical looking Mexican joint, nothing that would make it special, nor did it look horrible inside.
Now on the important stuff, the food. The salsa served before the entree was the worst I can remember having at a Mexican restaurant. I don't know if was store bought or homemade, but it was most definitely not good. I remember it being not spicy and also having a bad taste to it. I ordered a Carne Asada burrito and was very disappointed. The meat had a very strange texture that almost reminded me of a canned meat. It certainly did not seem freshly grilled and I can't recall any of that delicious char taste that enhances Carne Asade.
Overall I would not give this restaurant any more of my money and if someone else was treating I would try to convince them to go somewhere else, but it is not inedible. This place is what Taco Bell would be if they moved into a hole-in-wall restaurant and had private owners.
I love this place! They play oldies, real people eat there, and the waitress has an edge to her that is quite sharp, but endearing. I've eaten here a few times and I usually order the "Peasant Plate", but I have solidified it as my fave place for enchiladas. Their red ench. sauce is rich and dark, and out ranks their green ench. sauce which is usually my preference at other Mexican food places. Their salsa last time was a little bland, just tasted like canned tomatoes, and was not spicy at all which was totally disappointing.
I've searched the land far and wide for a place that serves good mole. It has been a harrowing journey. One place I went to had mole that was sticky (eew) and tasted like they added peanut butter or something it was nasty!! Some places don't even serve it claiming the "gringos" don't like it! Well, I've tried it from Gresham to Silverton and Lupe's is the only place this side of P-town that I've found has delicious mole that's worth coming back for.
Not a downside for me, but some people might not like their tiny, hole-in-the-wall feel. They have a sign that says they prefer cash, but they do accept a couple major credit cards if you're in a pinch. I'll recommend them to anyone.
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself, of this unassuming little place. While it did make me wonder what kind of place it was pre-Mexican resturaunts (my guess is 50's diner type thing!), it's otherwise got your typical decor.
Let's start with the only gripe I could think of - the chips are too thick! I'm used to thinner, crunchier ones...generally those that are made in house. These were definitely like Costco-bag tortilla chips, which is too bad because the salsa was nummy.
Now to food! I went with my usual - taquitos! Pretty freakin' nummy if do say so myself. The meat was tasty and they were fried perfectly - and the guacamole was absolutely delicious. Seriously, very very good. I'll definitely be going back to try to spinach enchiladas I spied (yup, they have veggie plates!).
Service isn't anything to scream about but I kind of appreciate when I'm left alone so it works for me :)
I've grown up with Lupe's Escape and have always loved it. My favorite? The chicken chimichanga. mmmmmm....
Bottomless basket of chips and the house salsa is brought to the table right off the bat.
Easy to miss hole in the wall, but the regulars are loyal for a reason and I have never thought of it as a dive. Full bar, but never crazy. Great place for kids/families and small to mid-sized groups (I wouldn't take 20 people there, but 5 or 6 sure).
And yes, the margaritas are good :)
A little hole in the wall place that has been in Aloha for twenty years. Lupe's was always the best around for good Mexican food.
Back in 92 I moved away and when I moved back in 2005 all of the old restaurants that I use to go to were gone or not the same. Lupe's is just the same as it was twenty years ago.
Good quality, fresh and yes waitresses with attitude. Isn't that true in most hole in the wall places that have good food?
As a regular I walk in and they asked if it's the usual and that's it.
My chips, salad and dinner are all brought out I pig out on it and go. Consistently good food each time. I make the ten mile trip once a week.
oh lupe... why haven't i've visited you sooner?! i've lived within walking distance from you for 9 months and only now i do i pay you a visit.
lupe's escape is easy to over look. the outside looks like any typical mexican restaurant.. adobe colored and theme. it looks smaller than it really is. inside there are sombrero hats decorating the walls. eh.. enough about the ambiance.. more about the food.
i had the burrito juarez... pork verde, chicken, beans, rice & cheese topped w/ cheese & sour cream..... delicious!!! man, it was good! i haven't had good mexican food since moving from san diego. my boy friend had the sonora the king of enchiladas... double sized enchilada stuffed w/ pork(you pick which meat), cheese, onion, and olives. topped w/ red or green sauce, sour cream & a FRIED EGG over easy.. yes a FRIED EGG! and is also comes w/ rice and beans! he said it was very very tasty! and our friend had the chimichanga... flour tortilla w/ beef & chicken(you pick the meat), cheese and beans deep fried. topped w/ ranchero sauce and sour cream. comes w/ rice and beans... you can sub. a salad if you want.
oh and we split a xango... tortilla wrapped cheesecake chimichanga, fried and topped w/ chocolate and caramel sauce(you pick what sauce), and whipped cream... oh man it was good. we devoured it in a matter of minutes!
the service is fair. they are short staffed so it's understandable. it's family run. very nice people!!!
i will be back... very soon! lupe.. you are my escape!!!
Lupe's IS a dive--but a wonderfully delicious one. Totally worth slumming it in the Beav.
As I am not an authentic Mexican, I cannot comment on the authenticity of the Mexican food, but I can tell you that I made a kickass refried-bean-and-rice volcano on my plate here one night--and then I devoured it. Yeah, I was over legal drinking age when I did this, yet I had not been drinking. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?
If you, god forbid, live in the area, or are just stuck there visiting family, and happen to get a craving for the Mexican food, this is the place to go if you don't want to try your luck with a taco truck.
Sorry I don't understand the other reviews of this restaurant. We could have had the same dinner by going to Trader Joe's and buying some frozen Mexican dinners (they would probably have more flavor). Hasn't anyone noticed that they heat every meal that goes out to the tables for 2 minutes in the microwave! I mean it every single plate. This is not fresh food made to order. Who knows if they made it that morning or last week.
I also must comment on the very bland flavor of all the food. The only way to get flavor on the meat was to drown it in salsa. The meat itself was completely lacking any spices.
I will say the margaritas were good and the service was very friendly. But sorry we won't be back. Almost every other Mexican style food in this area has had more flavor.
Super good. For years I drove past this place in love with the name and wanting to try it. For years my dear man thought it looked like a dive. Finally, tonight, we went.
Prices are so reasonable - $5.25 cheese enchiladas, $7.25 for larger version with meat (and even a $6.25 in between), and $8.50 for the Sonora the King of Enchiladas that is really yummy and topped with a fried egg (for him, not me).
Service was wonderful - Reading reviews I expected some wait, but there really wasn't much of a wait, and our waitress was kind enough to let us try the difference between red vs. green sauce since apparently we don't get out enough (and both now know we like green).
Food was good - Everything just tasted good. My steak enchilada (yes, steak for the same price as ground beef, chicken or other choices) had good-sized pieces of steak, and the everything was just good like that.
Atmosphere - A lot like I thought it would be all those years (cute, lots of Mexican-themed stuff), and way better than my man was afraid it might be.
I'm so glad we finally went, and I still love the name.
Long stuck at nowhere, merely a spot between here and there, Lupes escape is easily passed by. But if you stop at what some consider a dive, you'll be treated to great food, good prices, and drinks to relax with. Over the years I have yet to be disappointed. The salsa is generally on the sweet side but not from sugar (like some think),but rather from ripe tomatoes, subtle differences from visit to visit always make it worth savoring. the guacamole is always worth it. The spinach enchaladas are a nice addition, and the chile rellano has always been light, filling and not too eggy. I could go on, but some things are best left for your inquisitive tastebuds to experience.
Love the waitresses, we have fun sitting at the bar - and most recently I've taken to having them order for me to try out new stuff. My new favorite - the Chipotle Chicken Spinach Salad - a nice escape from rice and beans and oh so yummy.
I drove past Lupe's Escape for years because I'd mistakenly pegged it as a dive bar. But on the recommendation of a friend, I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised by the food.
Everything I've had there is tasty--tacos, enchiladas, chile rellenos--I suggest that the next time you're driving down TV Highway, you pay them a visit.
Really, I am not looking to rant--we have passed Lupe's enough times and we love a good divey Mexican joint--and we went in with those particular rose colored glasses on. The smell as we walked up was very promising... The place was dirty, and that is not really a knock because, well, it's a dive and that is just part of the casualness of a place. The menus had "samples" of many of the dishes. OK, that'll slide too. The salsa? Oh, I am sorry, sweet has no place in a Mexican salsa. The salsa is Just Wrong. Funky chips--and I will not abide with the argument that you cannot get decent tortilla chips in Oregon, they are out there, I know, and I love 'em--these weird little things at Lupe's are not stale, they're just not good. And that poor pig that died to be my carnitas...I was served a sort of steamed canitas-thing. Nope, that ain't right. Cook it in a flavorful broth, then shred it and fry it up, that's how it is supposed to be done--and this wasn't a bad day in the kitchen--though a peak in the kitchen as we left would gave us the impression that quite possibly they had a very, very bad day--no, this seemed to be how they cook carnitas there. The pico de gallo was made from those crappy green-on-the-inside WinCo romas, I recognize 'em. The guacamole was actually good, the service, very good--God love the servers there. So are we heading back? Most likely no--though to hear you all go on about this place, maybe we will--the bar specials looked good and liquor can hide a multitude of sins in a bad kitchen...
Lupe's Escape remains a reliable experience. It is definitely a dive, but the spinach mushroom enchiladas keep me coming back every time. On a sunny day, the patio and a pitcher of margaritas makes the day.
Wow! Delicous food and great service! This restaurant was a welcome change from the typical Beaverton big name restaurants that are around every corner. My husband and I both thought the food was amazing and this will be our go to place for Mexican food from now on!
Great local authentic mexican place. Traditional dishes, full bar.
