Cha Cha Cha Taqueria

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE GOING: I loved this place. I don’t live in the area so I never come by. I was down here so I went. Was excited to eat here. I noticed they changed there menu. I said «well all I want is nachos with beans, and cheese. Guacamole on the side» when my food come and has a bunch of other shit on it. I said. «I only ask for beans and cheese.» He said «well the menu changed this is what comes on it now.» Well for one you should have told me that all that other shit comes on it because I would have clarified again that I only wanted bean and cheese and guac on the side. So they took it and went to the remake it and he comes back with the menu and hands it to me and says «there’s a menu to go next time read it before ordering.» Okay well you just ruined my experience here and so I probably won’t come back
To further my rant. They boy said fuck about 20 times. Talked about his roommate crawling into bed with him, his upstairs neighbors fucking all the time. Talked shit about another customer because they didn’t tip him. I wish I wouldn’t have tipped him now. I should get a full refund if anything.
I understand I’m young and I looked like I don’t care what you’re talking about but I do. I don’t want you to hear you said fuck 25 times about anything. Learn some respect. I’m trying to enjoy my meal with out you yelling.
As for the food some how they burnt some of my chips and they’re most salty now. Probably won’t come back again.
I also don’t give two shits if you have «organic» ingredients now. That doesn’t make your shitty service any better.

I have been eating at this Cha Cha Cha location for years. It’s always been decent food and pretty darn quick. (Though their customer service has never been good). I placed an order to-​go today, picked it up and walked back to work. Upon opening my box of food, I quickly realized my order had been messed up. Now, this isn’t the first time they’ve gotten my order wrong and I don’t typically care much about that. But this time, it’s an issue of a food allergy. I made a very simple order, omitting one ingredient that I can’t eat. Not only was that ingredient heavily laced in my food, but the cheese was left out (no, I didn’t ask for it to be) and there was corn in my rice. Which I am also very allergic to. Being that I have eaten here for so long and have had orders wrong before, I do walk back in knowing there’s a chance my order will not be accurate. However, I have eaten their spanish rice on more occasions than I’m willing to admit and it has NEVER been made with corn in it. I am well aware of what I can and cannot eat and which restaurants have menu items that work with my food allergies.
I called to let them know what was wrong with my food. I didn’t call to get anything for free. I wanted to share the info so they could hopefully prevent this for the next customer. Their manager was very unprofessional and tried to argue with me about what is and isn’t in their rice. He did attempt to apologize that my food wasn’t made properly, offering to remake it or give me a gift card. But he wasn’t listening, I did not want anything for free. I let him know I’ve been coming in for years and I have never had rice with corn in it — to which he said «well that’s just not true». Really? Well I’ll spare you the details of what my allergic reaction to corn is, but I can assure you I would know if there had ever been corn in the rice. I suggested that they may not care about food allergies but it’s certainly a big deal for people who have them. I was told I was brash for suggesting such a thing. Here’s the deal; I suggested that because my food was made with ingredients that I’m allergic to. So pardon me, but I’m trying to help you by providing feedback that can improve your customer’s experience at your restaurant. I hardly think that’s brash.
Needless to say, I will not be back. So long, Cha Cha Cha.

Seeing the reviews of the awful service fellow Unilocalers had received recently, I wondered what I was walking into. I had been to this location in the past, but it had been a while.
Happy to update that the two gentlemen working the counter were helpful, patient and kind. We were not rushed, they checked in to make sure our food and drinks were good, made conversation, and took back my quesadilla (different from what I had ordered) without question and had my new one right away. The service was definitely better than I’ve had at this or any other locations.
The drink: La Picante, habanero infused tequila, guava purée, orange and a chile salt rim. Delicious! Might have to make something similar at home.
The rajas quesadilla is my favorite (poblano peppers, corn, cream sauce, jack cheese, add chicken) and is reliably good. Might add steak next time instead.

Nice little american-​mexican food place with small tables and a busy atmosphere. Happy hour specials that include several choices of meat are available, with several beers to choose from on draft, as well as your typical array of crative margaritas and tropical-​flavored drinks.
If the inside is too cramped you can stretch out a little bit on the sidewalk out front, but it’s a busy location so expect some intersting company as you enjoy your dinner. It’s certainly worth a stop for a quick bite and probably even a bigger meal, but don’t expect an intimate or quiet experience. The staff are excellent and quick on service, keeping the tables cleaned and easy to chat to, no let down there. The steak happy burrito special was delicious — i let none go to waste. Coupled with an Ex Novo IPA I was sated and on my way quickly. You could do worse on a Saturday evening adventure…

Been coming here for years. The food’s good and I hate to drop a bad review but the service has taken a big hit and I need management to know. The guy working the register for lunch today was amazingly rude. Not to me, but to everyone around me. I didn’t order, just walked out. They were filling a large phone order during a lunch rush. As a result, service was very slow. One customer complained that he’d been waiting a long time for his order, the employee said, «pre order over the phone next time». Another customer point out they got his order wrong. The customer was friendly but the staff was rude, printing out the receipt and pointing to it — well, turned out the customer was right. Honestly, not sure if I’ll be back after this.

The food is solid. I routinely go here for lunch to get takeout and I’ve usually had a pleasant experience– until they hired their new cashier. Never have I seen someone so rude and passive aggressive towards their patrons.
The first two times I came into contact with him, I noticed a very short and irritated tone in his voice. I figured hey, we all have bad days. This last time though, confirmed my suspicions that this guy clearly has no business in the service industry.
I noticed him being incredibly rude to the couple ordering in front of me– cutting them off mid sentence multiple times and even rudely answering the phone right in the middle of taking their order without even a simple, «excuse me for one second.» He also was shouting at a customer picking up their to go order who informed him the restaurant had forgotten something– «Yes, but what size do you need? WHAT SIZE?»
Then came time for my order. As he looked up with an almost psychotic, forced, clearly angry grin– he asked me in his normal (note the sarcasm) tone of voice what I’d be having. As I told him my order (a simple burrito), he exclaimed with great satisfaction, «That’ll be AT LEAST 20 minutes.» With this unwarranted response and clearly over inflated wait time, I opted not to order, exclaiming, «I’m all set, thanks.» As I turned around to walk out, I hear behind me, in a taunting tone, «BYEEEEEE» from the cashier. This was the last straw.
Cha Cha Cha, I’m sorry– I love your burritos and your jamaica but due to your complete lack of character evaluation in your hiring process and your cashier’s blatant disrespect, even bordering on anger towards the customers who keep your business alive– I will NOT be coming back to your establishment and I WILL be telling everyone I can about this experience.
The whole bowl down the street will be getting my money from now on.
Sincerely,
Your former patron

The vegetarian options sound delicious, but having tried a few of them now, I’m sorry to say that each one is as bland as the last. The horchata wasn’t bad, but not great.
There always seems to be some strife among the staff when I’m in here too. Prices are reasonable, but why bother when there are so many other good options right around here?

I’m missing something. The food here is mediocre, at best. The «restaurant» is a few tables jammed in to some cell like rooms. The «room» we were in had a very unpleasant oder. You line up for 5 or 10 minutes to order and pay. Drinks come sometime between when you order and when you’re nearly finished. The chips & salsa we ordered never did show. The beer isn’t bad. The wine is, literally, undrinkable. Hot, noisy! Couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Chile relleno burrito was very good. Shrimp taco missed the mark, was OK, spices weren’t right.
Service was friendly, place a little cramped.
Would def go again.

Reliable bland but healthy Mexican. Great for vegans. Always kind and prompt service.

Not exactly amazing but it’s constant. If you need to grab a quick lunch downtown it’s a good fast place.
I love good spicy flavorful Mexican food this is more of a mix between texmex and CaMex.
The chips and guacamole is a good deal. Make sure to add salsa and pico to it ! Really makes it a lot better !!

Is there a negative star rating?
Went there for lunch today and were extremely disappointed. The food was cheap tasting: meat was old tasting, the tacos were essentially all onion, I could go on but it is hopeless –We mentioned our displeasure to the waitress and her shrug along with the lame excuse of «this is how we’ve always done it» sais it all.

The chicken taco wasn’t worth $ 3.25
The chicken taco was okay. It didn’t have much flavor. It didn’t come with any guac either. I mean for a small taco, gone in two bites, I don’t see the value in paying over $ 3. I can buy tacos else where for half or less the price that taste better!
If you like tacos I recommend you try King Burrito! By far the best tacos I’ve had in PDX.
I did enjoy the pastor quesadilla. It was extremely delicious and flavorful that was fairly priced.

Not that I am an expert on Mexican food, but my chicken Taco salad was ‘okay’.
Wrong: not enough spices for my tastes, the smaller size was fine but I ended up eating more shell rather than salad which is a negative for me, considering I choose this because I want to enjoy a low calorie lunch.
Good: the drink! A chili Marguerita, really nice, and way to go on that rim. That earned them the second star.

Cute place, friendly to us, but the food is tasteless (and I like bland food). Second time I’ve eaten here, and shared multiple dishes that were all recommended — all taste like numbness. nothing. I was ridiculously hungry each time and I left almost the entire plate. Sauces taste even more bland, If you can believe that.
I’m here for the food, not the location. No bueno. Sorry.
Oh, burritos are 85% Spanish rice. Hardly any meat or others. Suggested that I put super hot sauce on my dish to drown out the lack of flavor… yeah, that’s what I paid for.

If you are wanting a large burrito, this place will not disappoint… may I suggest the carne asada with green sauce (mojado)…very nice. The line can be problematic sometimes but usually your order comes pretty fast. The tacos are a lighter fare and the horchata, hibiscus flower drink and the tamarindo are all lip quenching good. Pretty good value as well.

Suzie Q’s Fun Facts:
The «cha cha cha» dance originates from 1950’s Cuba. It was inspired by composer Enrique Jorrín’s musical piece of the same name (1953).
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I really wanted this taqueria’s food to be as good as its tantalizing, extensive menu implied. Oh, what a tease.
My sister and I came here for lunch on the Monday after Christmas/​before New Year’s Eve 2014. We had been shopping in the Pearl, and had found Cha Cha Cha’s menu online. Its sheer variety had lured us here.
The place was virtually empty except for a fiddle player (yes… a fiddle player… who we didn’t realize was supplying the mood music until about halfway through our meal!) and a few employees.
Upon our arrival, I ordered an horchata (rice milk drink), which was fine, if a tad sweet; and a cup of tortilla soup. My sister also ordered some guac and chips for us to share. I decided to order the «Wholesome Bowl» (roasted poblano pepper, green and black beans, kale, corn, carrots and spinach sautéed in a lime Ajillo sauce, garnished with avocado and served with tortillas), and contemplated which meat to add on.
A quick word on your difficult protein selection choice: Cha Cha Cha offers no fewer than 15 different types and preparations of meat, ranging from the basic «Pollo» (grilled chicken) and «Chile Verde» (pork in tomatillo sauce) all the way to the eccentric-​sounding «Pollo Libre» (grilled chicken breast with bell peppers, onions and goat cheese) and «Picadillo» (ground beef cooked with almonds, raisins and potatoes). You have to admit, the options are pretty impressive. Ultimately, I ordered the «Carnitas» (braised pork) to accompany my Wholesome Bowl.
The guac, which arrived at our table first (after the horchata), was fine, if unremarkable. Perhaps a little under-​seasoned without quite enough texture. We thought it was weird that we had to ask for a plate on which to pour the table’s two green and red salsas (in squeeze bottles)… how did they expect us to dip our chips into the sauces otherwise?
I had expected the tortilla soup to come out before our entrees did. After all, it was already made; all they had to do was spoon it into a cup and garnish it, which should have taken all of 30 seconds. But after about twenty minutes, our entrees showed up with the soup still missing.
I assumed they’d simply forgotten about the soup, and I called over the cashier/​busser, asking him to remove it from the bill. «No, it’s coming,» the guy mumbled under his breath. «Wait,» I called after him. «I don’t want the soup!» Now that my entrée had arrived, a cup of soup seemed unnecessary.
But either the guy was hard of hearing, or deliberately ignored me, because he turned around and emerged from the kitchen a few seconds later with the cup of soup. He delivered it to me without any comment or apology. I thought briefly about making a fuss, but decided to just suck it up and eat it.
As others have stated, the tortilla soup is more of a tomato-​based purée than a broth-​based soup… and that preparation wasn’t super appealing. Its texture was so thick that it seemed more like a sauce than a soup. Not my favorite version of this dish. I sat there spooning it glumly into my mouth as my main entrée was getting cold, wishing the guy hadn’t ignored my request to take it off my bill.
As for the «Wholesome Bowl»: I do wish that I’d taken a closer look at the ingredients, which — in all fairness — are spelled out pretty clearly. I didn’t realize that the bowl came with no rice… just veggies and the Carnitas (braised pork) I had added on. This was a pretty «blah» bowl of food, though arguably healthy. My sister had ordered the same dish, and was even more bored by her accompanying small pile of «Pollo» (basic grilled chicken).
Ultimately, Cha Cha Cha’s mouth-​wateringly extensive menu promised so much more than it ultimately delivered.
Skip this place and go to Chipotle, which is cheaper and frankly, much better.

A massive, meaty, mound of Mexican. We placed an order for delivery (thanks, Portland Pedal Power!) and we stunk up the convention center with our speecy spicy stuffs.
My order: Wholesome Bowl… Roasted Poblano Peppers, Green & Black Beans, Kale, Corn, Carrots & Spinach sauteed in Lime Ajillo Sauce. Garnished w/​Avocado & served with a Gluten Free Teff Torilla + tempeh for $ 1.00 = $ 12). …holy…crap… The box was about 6“x4″ and FULL of incredibly spicy tangy filling salad bowl mush-​ness. This meal filled me for about six hours (and caused a bit of acid reflux… and a bit of intestinal distress).
Was it worth it? — for tempeh in my Mexican lunch box, yeah I think it’s worth a flavor. But this is a MESSY meal, and I’m not responsible for the safety and security of your lower intestine. Dine at your own risk (at least it will taste good going down!)

When I need a taco fix, this place does well. Lengua, chile Colorado, spicy tinga. I prefer them for tacos over burritos — but what I like best here is their weekend pozole soup. Very good and filling.
Their horchata is good. Jamaica is a little too sweet.
Service is friendly. They have liquor, beer, and wine and offer happy hour specials. One small tv but still good to watch an occasional soccer game.

Hopped on in to linger and it happened to be happy hour at Cha Cha Cha!
There are a lot of happy hour spots in Portland and this place is one of many!
I enjoyed their lemon zesty House Margaritas and they have other cocktail drinks! They also have beer on tap!
They serve up tacos, burritos and other Mexican homely food entrees!
A good spot to enjoy!