Los Portales

What’s not to love about this place? Nada.
So the better question is, what’s to love about this place? Oh, I will tell you and some. $ 1.50 pollo taco — yyeess! And it’s made with white meat?!? Double yyeess! ANND it’s not greasy! Hell to the yes, yes, yes! Also, the corn tortilla is perfectly toasted, burnt just enough to give it a bit of crunch — uh get money. Alllsoo, it may be homemade, if so, kudos Los Portales! If not, shame on you for your trickery, but good job for being a great imposter. Their nachos are diggable — mostly crispy chips and some soggy ones from the beans/cheese/tomato…YUUM!
Contrary to the above, their pechuga de pollo a la mexicana plato was mad greasy. Nonetheless, it was flavorful and good, but I most likely won’t order again because grease isn’t my jam.
The delivery service is at the apex of a point (it’s that on point). You can enjoy your food as if you were dinning in — it’s hot diggity fast.

I never give reviews but I decided to start. It’s especially easy when the food is this good. Simply put, BEST TACOS EVER! I ordered the chicken hard tacos. I live really close by and with their late hours I can see myself back there quite often. Oh and it’s easily the fastest I’ve ever had my food prepared. Less than 10 minutes after I called, my food was ready when I walked into the restaurant, increíble!

What’s not to love??? You get TACOS that are so close to the street ones in Mexico that you will actually not miss vacationing in Mexico as much.
Amazing tacos!!! You can order with a single tortilla to make you feel healthier about it and definitely order a couple of Al Pastor ones and try all the others. I like mine with extra cilantro!!!
#TacosAreLife

I have only ordered delivery/​takeout here but I’ve never been let down. $ 1.50 for awesome tacos can’t be beat. The soup is on point as well, although, $ 9.95 is a but pricy for a quart of soup…
Lastly, if you live past Steinway they won’t deliver so borrow your neighbors address if you have to; well worth it.

With impressive tacos, late hours and friendly service, Los Portales may inspire repeat visits to check out the lengthy menu. I had arabes and al pastor tacos. It falls short of the fifth star because of the cemita, which has good bread and avocado, but doesn’t offer the flavor explosion that you might find in Jackson Heights.

Stopped a few weeks ago around midnight — ordered three tacos and a side of jalapeños (.75) for a tiny bit (no Bueno). Please change the price of the jalapeños or give more. As for the tacos — really amazing and well priced. So glad this place is in the nabe.

Ordered delivery from them, and I’d order again. Mexican food is pretty awful in Astoria overall, but Los Portales is definitely one of the best of the options available to us. Compared to the best Mexican food I’ve ever had, I’d probably give them a 3 though. Tacos were dry, but the chicken cutlet torta was good as were the beef and spicy chicken tostadas were very yummy. We enjoyed the nachos as well. Oh — and of their sauces, we preferred the green salsa (spicy, fresh, clean, acidic) over the red one, which tasted like smoky chipotle was a primary ingredient.

Really well priced ($ 1.50 per soft taco $ 2.50 for crunchy tacos). They do delivery and carry-​out and are very fast at both.
They offer a variety of tacos ranging from beef to beef tongue to pig ear (which sounds awful but is great!) all are very tasty and affordable. Also they include these slow cooked spring onions which just melt in your mouth, which is a nice touch that distinguishes them from the many other taco shops.
5 starts for price, quality, speed, convenience and originality.

You can’t beat a $ 1.50 taco. My first visit, my friend and I ordered all together:
Chorizo taco, chicken taco, chicken burrito and rice and beans, and avocado salad.
Everything was super cheap and tasted good for the price. It is definitely worth returning here, but there are better places around, however nothing within the price range you’ll find at this spot.

Can’t beat this Mexican place for the price, food is good, comes out quickly and delivery is fast. Guacamole isn’t very good but nachos are great. Personally I go for a few tacos (soft shell and they are $ 1.50 each).

Delicious tacos only $ 1.50! The steak, chorizo and Al pastor tacos are so rich in flavour. Wonderful! The burrito is nice too and taste healthy. The nachos are good but the one I’ve ordered has some stringy mozzarella which I could do without. Great portions, awesome deals here!

Craving for taco & soup & start Unilocaling to find tacos around astoria since I’m in the neighborhood & foubd this place. Its a small store with lots of tables & chairs inside.
I got the crispy chorizo taco with guacamole & spicy beef stew soup. My boyfriend got his pork cemita. We got this huge drink called horchata. Food is delicious! I love the beef stew soup. It is a huge bowl of soup. I didn’t even finish mine. I just take it to go.
This place is good when you wanna eat after a party on a weekend. They close late! For sure we’ll be back to try more!

Does anyone at this restaurant care about ANYTHING at all???
I have to say, that I have lived down the street from Los Portales for many years… and for many years, I have given them many chances and really always want to enjoy a great festive meal here… Tonight will be my last time ordering from here or supporting this establishment again.
The first disheartening thing is that there are MAJOR communication issues!
NO ONE speaks English here and no one really cares. You do not have to be fluent in English to live life and get by if you don’t want to, and that is perfectly fine… But when you are running a restaurant in America, you should at least care enough and have respect to engage and communicate with your guests who are giving you business! No one there understands what you are asking, no one understands what you are ordering, and no one cares to get your order CORRECT. They are constantly delivering incomplete or incorrect items, and it is such a bummer. I love ingredients and food and attention to detail… so if I have a question about a product or menu item because I am interested in ordering it, I should be able to get an answer or explanation back! It’s simple!
The ingredients are not the freshest or most crisp, and their style is actually not authentic or exciting at all.
My food is always COLD, and also so much of a mess the way they assemble and present things, that often times it is inedible. Very very soggy food.
To add to the cold factor, many dishes simple have very little flavor… no robust and tasty Mexican cuisine at this place. So sad.
I really have hoped and wanted them to get it right.
Tonight they failed again, and I was very pleasant and asked them to please redeliver the correct item made the right way with the right ingredients… When the delivery person came again with the remade order, it was something completely different again and of course, exploding everywhere and soggy. Lol, sigh… I didn’t even attempt to eat it…
This place closed for a long while and then reopened again… I don’t know what the reason for the closing was, and reopening it did nothing to improve at all. So, I am done. And sad, because it is so nearby.
If anyone has favorite Mexican spots in Astoria, I would love to hear of them and try!

Delicious food for the price point, great portion, great service. I usually do take out so not sure what the dine-​in experience is like. Try the chilaquiles or enchiladas, the green sauce is one of the best in astoria. Not a fan of the guac. Also try the picaditas, they’re pretty big, enough to share or have as a meal.

They deliver a mean taco.
I mean, physically deliver. And late.
And they taste pretty good, too. I recommend their steak tacos. And lengua[1]. And pork sausage[2].
If you’re willing to go to their restaurant, they’re generally open until 2am for your late night Mexican cravings.
[1] You know, beef tongue.
[2] I like sentence fragments.

The new management really came and screwed this place up. What used to be a wonderful operation now has sloppy food like they don’t care, isn’t open as long, and delivers at snails place. Ah well, there goes the neighborhood– luckily there are still a couple of other decent taquerias that deliver!

Fast delivery, the guac was a little watery. Al pastor taco was delicious and the spicy pork torta was alright. Skimpy on the meat. Fried plantain was greasy and crispy at the ends, perfection!

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood. Everything we’ve ordered so far — our favorites are the al pastor torta, tacos and nachos supreme — taste authentic and delicious.
The portions are large and priced reasonably. The delivery is always fast. The vast selection of food guarantees you’ll find something you crave.
We usually eat here or order from here a couple of times a month. Definitely worth trying if you haven’t already.

We came here for dinner. We got the lengua tacos & the cubana torta. The service was good & quick. The tacos were cheap! $ 1.50 for a lengua taco! The size is a bit smaller but it’s definitely worth it. The cubana torta were pretty good. The torta were pretty big.
Definitely worth stopping by!

I’ve left parties early just to get here before close. I get the same three tacos every time: al pastor, chicken, and veggie. The veggie taco is pretty substantial – the first time I ordered it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it includes rice and beans. If you like spicy food, try both the salsa roja and the salsa verde.
My roommates love the pork pozole and mushroom quesadilla. I knew this place was legit when my LA-​native roommate approved.
The only thing I don’t love is their guac. Pretty bland and too smooth for me.

I absolutely love the food at this place! I’ve been ordering from Los Portales almost religiously for months now because their authentic and tasty offerings really hit the spot.
If you haven’t tried any of their cemitas, you’re truly missing out. The AL PASTOR CEMITA is so delicious, every time I finish one I say «damn, that’s so good!» If you don’t know what a cemita is, you can google it but it’s from Puebla, Mexico and similar to a torta. Their cemitas are made with very delicate brioche-​like roll, the perfectly cooked meat of your choosing, grilled chipotle peppers, grilled onions, secret spices, avocado, and queso fresco. I die, it’s so good. All of the tacos, nachos and quesadillas all kick ass as well.
Tip: when placing your order, remember to get the 4oz sized container of the salsa roja — it’s the best I’ve had in NY (I’m a Mexican food snob from LA so this salsa roja is a big deal for me!).
Keep up the work, Los Portales. You’re the shining star of my Eat24 app.

My boyfriend and I have ordered from here on 2 occasions through Seamless, but haven’t had the opportunity to actually check Los Portales out in person. Their menu offers some sort of authentic Mexican/​Tex Mex food options along with more Americanized food items as well like salads, sandwiches and wraps. WRAPS. Not Mexican food, but still yummy if you want something burrito like sans rice.
Things that we have tried include their chicken enchiladas, their pollo adobado burrito, steak and carnitas tacos, their Spanish rice with brown beans and their chips with salsa.
Their tacos are generally on the smaller side, but they’re super cheap at $ 1.50 (except for their spicy pork which is still very reasonable at $ 2.00) so you’re getting what you pay for. They are yummy and I like that they’re double wrapped with soft tortillas (I think they’re flour based and not corn). These aren’t Jackson Heights, Queens quality — but they’ll hit the spot if you’ve got a hankering for cheap, good quality tacos.
Their pollo burrito is a nice size and also a steal at $ 6.50. This bad boy is stuffed with yummy and well seasoned chicken, white rice, beans (I opted for black beans!), lettuce, tomato, grated cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro. I asked for no lettuce, tomato or onions because I’m awesome like that. They followed my Seamless instructions to a tee and the delivery guys were friendly and most importantly — quick!
In all, I’m a fan of Los Portales for cheapo Mexican food whose flavors can still pack a punch, but not burn a hole in your wallet. 4 stars.

Passed by on the Q104 and Portales seemed to have closed! :’(Or changed owners/​name? Anyone have details?

A total fan. First time ordering from them, delivery, and it came in faster than they said it would! But I’m sure they don’t feel the same way about me :(because I had my phone on silent and didn’t answer my cell for a whole 10 mins! So ashamed!
But my lameness aside, food was delish and on time. And cheap. I ordered one chicken taco and one spicy pork taco — so gooood. And a chicken avocado wrap — again, so gooood. Might order from them again. Tomorrow. And the day after.
If you’re reading this, Los Portales employees, I am so sorry I made the delivery guy wait :(Won’t happen again!

Finally had a chance to check this place out the other night. Reading some great reviews, I was excited to try this place out, hoping to find authentic Mexican Food (which has been very hard to find since I’ve moved from Cali).
We ordered 3 steak burritos and 1 steak torta. Everything came out to about $ 33 something… including the sauce which they charged us for! Yes you heard right. I’ve never been to a Mexican spot where they tell you that they charge you for sauce… quite ridiculous.
The food was just ok, nothing great nor authentic. The torta was ok, probably the only thing with taste and flavor. The Burrito rice lacked flavor, the steak was dry and flavorless and just a huge disappointment overall. Plus, their service was simply horrible. Also, the menu prices are not accurate, the burrito prices are listed as $ 5.50, while they charged us $ 6.50 each.
This is definitely not a place I would return to because of both their service and quality of food. I’d recommend checking out De Mole on Sunnyside if your really looking for authentic, delicious and filling Mexican food.

The tacos were small, as previous reviewers mentioned.
I had the beef tongue, spicy pork and veal flank tacos.
Beef tongue was incredibly disappointing. I love beef tongue tacos and always order it if available. This one lacked flavor, and appeared to be limp slices of beef tongue that wasn’t griddled so there was no real texture.
Spicy pork costs 00.50 more, but is larger without any lettuce and is on a flour tortilla. This was a great taco but wish it wasn’t on a flour tortilla. Full of flavor and had a nice mild spice.
Veal flank taco was very flavorful but they left a lot of juice in it so it was pretty drippy. I realize they griddle the tortillas but not what goes in it? Which i find slightly strange. However, flavor was on point.
Staff appeared nice but i got no sauce until i requested it. The red sauce is a Chipotle sauce and is way better that the watery green stuff.
My brother had the burrito but there were no beans or cheese, even though the menu states that?
Overall:
Wish all the tacos came in the size of the spicy pork taco, and wish the spicy pork taco had a corn tortilla. Great place for the price and no long lines like the taco trucks in the area.