Paradiso Encantador

They are closed for renovations only. Will be open early September!

Yes. Can not believe I am leaving a review for a mall food place. What a find! Lovely family, ran eating place.
We tried both Italian & Mexican. Delicious! Carnitas great flavor & tender. Spaghetti & meatballs just like mom made and shrimp with mushrooms (good but could have used a little more spice.
Love the salsa bar but mild was a bit spicy. Ok by me but not my mother in law.. Grabbed a to go menu and will be back!

Nice family run restaurant! Tried the huge chicken burrito which was great. It is located in a strip mall next to other eateries. It’s on the back side of the mall near the movie theatre. Google maps took me to the front of the mall and I had to drive around.

Very good food, nice people! I had fish tacos an they were good! Recommend!
This is an update. Stopped by again today and had the taco special.
It was good, but the shredded lettuce had a pretty strong sulfite taste.
I will be back!

As many other people have said, I was drawn to this place because of it’s awesome Unilocal status and because I needed to find a quick dinner place in this area. We ordered a carnitas quesadilla and a torta, which were both pretty satisfying. We also got chips and salsa at no charge while we waited for our meal. The service was fast, friendly and helpful. Their seating area isn’t that big, but it’s big enough if you’re in a small group of people (4 or less). I wasn’t blown away by this place, but I would come back if I wanted good, but cheap Mexican food.

What a gem hidden in a small food court. It is not food court food and service but 5 stars gourmet cooked and served with heart. Excellent.

Normally, I would not rate any mall foodcourt environment above 3-​stars, but if you can get past that, you’ll find the food here is good and fresh. You can tell it is family-​owned and I really like that. The extra star is for the surprisingly fresh salsa at the salsa bar and for the delicious apple chimi and vanilla ice cream dessert I decided to get on a whim (see photo). It was pure warm sugary-​cinnamon goodness. My kids said it was even better than the Peachwave and Cold Stone desserts that they had originally chosen. Not to be missed in my book.

My husband had been reading Unilocal reviews about this place and we decided to stop by for a very late lunch. We had a little trouble finding it, it is on the Theater side of Cedar Hills Mall in the actual Mall itself right next to the Thai place, thru the mall doors and on the right.
I was very skeptical at first a Mexican AND Italian Place and in a Food Court, not our usual standard. We placed our order and snacked on some very yummy homemade corn chips with several of their homemade salsas. The food came out quickly and piping hot!
I actually went Italian and ordered the Fettuchini Alfredo and it was spectacular. It was piping hot, obviously made fresh and from scratch, lots of chicken. It was a thousand times better than Olive Garden and even rival’s my own version. It came with some nice garlicky bread. I only managed to eat half as the serving is large and the price is small!
Hubby ordered a Beef Taco and a Chili Relleno. I did not have a bite of the taco but he said it was excellent. I did try the Chili Relleno and it was fantastic, full of yummy, gooey cheese and a great sauce.
The Salsa bar has a Green Salsa which I am in love with, slightly spicy and delicious.
I was seriously impressed. The girls behind the counter are very sweet, I wish I had the energy of the green haired Waitress, she was bouncy. We chatted with the owner a bit, they make everything from scratch and it is a family owned business, I am always for that! The 5^th star is for the enthusiasm and graciousness of the owner.
I can’t wait to go back and try some of the Mexican specials.

Don’t let the fact that this restaurant is located in a little mall deter you because I almost did and would have missed out on some of the best Mexican food. I lived in Deep South Texas for several years and first hand tasted pretty authentic Mexican food. This place is only the second place I’ve found here in the Portland area that has food that rivals that.
The seating is kind of small but it’s really not a big deal. The staff are all very friendly and the service is fast. They also have chips and salsa and the chips appear to be fresh made from actual tortillas (not out of a bag) and were amazing!

Four stars is NOT something I would expect to provide as a rating to Mall Food. It’s mall food, not a major restaurant, and to top it off it’s one small stall sharing staff between three other stalls. However, if I could give it 3 and a half, I absolutely would.
Presentation:
Easily 5 Stars here. Attention is clearly given to the visual presentation and quality of the food given. Having been places where they clearly threw something frozen into a microwave and tossed it on a plate, this was a cut above. Nice serving, nice appearance. Expectations Exceeded.
Décor:
Three Stars here. This is a mall stall. There are just a few tables, and it’s difficult to make a tiny rented space in the middle of a mall all that special, so I don’t hold it against them. Bonus, however, was the feeling of family that came with having quite literally the whole family there, children included, nearby.
Menu:
3.5 Stars. Clearly not trying to be Mexican/​Italian Fusion, thank heaven. A little weird to see a place try to offer offerings from both, but they avoid the trap of offering TOO much. There are limited choices from both menus, but that simplicity works in their favor by not getting them bogged down.
Food:
3 Stars. I ordered mall food, I got mall food. Bonus points for clearly being made fresh and from scratch. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo rather than a Mexican dish, and while I wasn’t blown away, I was satisfied. Portions were nice, and as I said the presentation was excellent. The sauce was a tad bland, but I find that often the case with Italian food if you expect to spend less than 10 – 15 dollars for a plate. My only real complaint is that the grilled chicken wasn’t spiced, marinated, or flavored at all. It tasted pretty much how I would expect a thin, boneless chicken breast to taste straight from the freezer to the grill. Next time, I’m going to order something from the Mexican menu instead.
Don’t let the complaints above deter you, however — there’s a reason for the high ratings they get, and it’s not the ‘free dessert’ sign others have talked about.
For mall food, this is a clear winner.

Hallelujah! Chili rellenos all day long! The green salsa in the salsa bar is better than just about anybody’s, the proprietor is amazingly personable. who’da thunk it. Mexican /​Italian bistro food in a strip mall, walking distance from Powells.
I’ve never had the desserts, but my wife loves the flan. Which I was happy to PAY FOR.

Hanging out on a Sunday afternoon and we and some friends had a craving for some Mexican food. Found Paradiso Encantador on Unilocal and… wait…it’s in a Mall food court? Really? I mean, how good can it really be?
Paradiso Encantador is an interesting combination, both in name and in the food they serve. Paradiso is an Italian word for «Paradise». Encantador is Spanish for Lovely. So, in a mixed Italian and Hispanic way, the restaurant’s name is «Lovely Paradise».
The food, similarly, is a combination of Italian and Mexican foods. Owner Graz is of both Italian and Hispanic lineage, and the foods on the menu represent a beautiful marriage of the two. Linguine Alfredo on one side of the menu, Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (Shrimp in a garlic sauce) on the right.
I ordered a Chile Relleno, a lovely cheese-​stuffed green pepper, served with Spanish rice and refried beans. Others around the table ordered the Camarones, and Wife N ordered a plate of Enchiladas. While we were waiting, we were given a basket of freshly made chips and invited to the salsa bar featuring several freshly made salsas.
Graz was up front taking the orders and his wife Teresa was cooking the food in the back. We had a great conversation. Graz and his wife (their daughter was behind the counter helping out as well) have a great passion for excellent food, and they are very friendly and totally happy to strike up a conversation about whatever.
The food arrived after a bit of a wait (hey, you can’t rush art!) and… oh…yeah, this is the stuff. The Chile Relleno was the best I’ve ever had. Teresa explained that it’s one of her most difficult dishes to make. It shows. This was not «toss some cheese in a chile and bake it.» This had flavor, spices and sauces and a whole lot of yum was on that plate. We all kind of sampled bites from each others’ plates and everything at our table was top-​of-​its-​game. Enchiladas were perfect, not too spicy (but they had a spicy fresh salsa that easily takes care of that for those like me who like to crank it up a few notches). The Camarones were flawlessly cooked and wonderfully flavorful. Beans and Spanish rice were great too.
We liked their food so well we decided to order a Tiramisu dessert. He had two different recipes he was using; the first had less rum in it but was a bit dry. We told him this was the only blemish. He explained that he was trying to target the mall audience. I offered the unsolicited advice that he should never compromise his values to appeal to an audience. He returned with a second Tiramisu he had made the night before the way he really wanted to make it. It was fantastic. Probably the best Tiramisu I’ve ever enjoyed. I told him THAT is the one he should be serving moving forward.
The pricing is too low. Yeah, I went there. So sue me. This is food you’d EASILY pay 50% more for if you weren’t sitting on metal mall food court chairs. Paradiso Encantador suffers from an unfortunate location crisis. But since that’s not their fault I am not deducting anything from my rating.
I’ve now been there twice, with a different friend the second time. He had a soft taco with beans and rice and it was $ 5. He said it was better than most place’s $ 10 taco plates.
In chatting with Graz, he hopes to open his own brick-​and-​mortar soon. I’d drive across town to eat there.
Yeah, I’m hooked on mall food. I never thought I’d hear myself say that. Still can’t believe I did. But if you want excellent Mexican food, keep Cedar Hills Crossing in mind.
ADDENDUM: Apparently (from reading other reviews) there is some kind of sign saying you’ll get a free dessert if you give them a good review. I never saw that sign. Nor was my dessert free. That said, this is a serious, heartfelt 5* review. My reviews are never bought and paid for. I walked into a mall, and had the best mall food of my life. And THAT is what this review reflects.

In the back of the Cedar Hills Crossing mall, there is an independently owned business «Paradiso Encantador» which serves amazing hispanic food!
We got there at 8:10pm before Unilocal said they close at 9pm, however they close at 8pm — their rating and pictures of the food brought us here.
We saw a lot of places closing in the area, however we saw a lady in the kitchen and we asked if they were open — she said the business hours changed and they closed at 8 however she let us come in and eat while she was cleaning and preparing for the next day.
She showed us her hibiscus tea cooler, the hibiscus they get isn’t the dried stuff — it’s slightly dried soft and leathery hibiscus from Jamaica, amazing!
She handed us three home made salsas, excellent flavor with home made chips!
We got a pulled chicken burrito, and a grilled chicken burrito — they were covered in a rich red sauce, sour cream and real guacamole. The flavor of the chicken was so well seasoned and grilled to perfection, it melded in greatly with the soft tortilla and fillings.
We then got an Apple Chimi, an amazing dish with expertly crafted apple pie filling — soft flour tortilla fried then covered in cinnamon sugar and sided with fresh vanilla bean ice-​cream and whip cream then covered in almonds!
Her name is Theresa and scheme very lively and kind, then her husband Graz came in with groceries for the restaurant and he asked us how the food was — excellent!
We found out they’re an independently owned family business who cook their tried and true family dishes expertly plated working their way to become successful and buy their own establishment, I wish them the best of luck for I can tell they really care about their customers as individuals and have a lot of experience in the food industry!

Woweeee! So good!!! Family affair, everything made to order and fresh. Really sweet staff. Clean. It’s in the mall, so maps will only take you to the parking lot. Go in and try this place!!! I had my usual steak chimichanga. It was full of spicy, tender steak. I even ate the beans and rice which I never do. He had the Caprese sandwich. It was on a big roll with fat mozzarella slices and fresh basil. He said it was great. Then we split an apple chimi. OMG!!! Never had one before, but it was perfection!!!

I was looking for quick dinner place on saturday night and Unilocal showed me Paradiso Encantador in the nearby locations. I was genuinely impressed with the all 5 * ratings and wanted to check this place out asap. When I got there I was surprised to find this place in the Cedar mall. I ordered the chicken burrito as a safe option. The food was surprisingly good and I loved the chips and salsa too. The service was good and the owners were really nice. The food is prepared from scratch and taste like it came out someone’s kitchen than from a restaurant.
The owners also like to experiment with food combinations. They were talking about experimenting in combining alfredo sauce and chimichanga and how that came out good. So even though you don’t see that on the menu you can definitely order the alfredo chimichanga :)
Also I don’t believe most of the 5* ratings are accurate since the business gives a free dessert for a 5* review. While I think the food and service is good I do not think it is 5* good.

Here’s the long and short of it: the food and service here are very good, but I feel as though I was lead here (by Unilocal no less) under somewhat false pretenses.
You see I don’t know Beaverton all that well (I live in NE Portland), and I needed to grab a quick bite, alone on a weekday afternoon. So I searched on Unilocal,and Paradiso Encantador had the highest rating of any restaurant in a 5 mile radius. And by highest rating, I mean a perfect Five Star rating, derived from avaraging over 30 reviews. «Wow!» I thought. «This place must be pretty great.» So I went.
First red flag was that I discovered that it wasn’t a restaurant proper, but rather a stall in a food court inside an indoor mall. It does have a few tables in a small dining area, but it’s not a proper restaurant. To my mind you really only eat at a mall food court when you’re visiting the mall on other pretenses. No one goes to a mall specifically to eat. That’s right isn’t it? Or is it just me?
Second, they give away free dessert for a good Unilocal review. They have a sign right on the counter. This is like buying votes in my view, and it’s a likely reason for the skewed-​towards-​perfection reviews. This is how I (and probably a few other folks who use Unilocal to find restaurants) ended up here.
All of that said, the food is quite good. It’s not «wow, best Mexican food I’ve ever had» kind of good. But it’s solid. This isn’t franchise-​style mass produced fare. It’s all scratch made stuff, made with care. Also the proprietor is immensely warm and welcoming, and the service is top notch. So in that regard, if you were at the mall and encountered this place I think you’d be quite impressed. Or if you wanted to grab a bite before a movie, you’d be pretty happy. But if you were expecting the best Mexican restaurant in Beaverton? Probably not.
If I were ever at this mall and was hungry, I’d definitely eat here. And I think the proprietor is genuine and hard working and just trying to establish a solid customer base. Nevertheless. I would caution against the Unilocal review buying practice. It did get me in the door. I’ll grant that. But it’s a bit deceptive, and it made me feel slightly scammed. And that certainly affected my impression of an otherwise very good Mexican-​Italian place.

I admit it… I was drawn in by the Unilocal reviews. Of course, when I got there I saw their signs stating that you’ll get a free dessert if you give a 5 star Unilocal review. Ugh… my expectations immediately took a dive.
My family had Mexican entrees and we enjoyed every bite! This place is so very basic! However, we go out to eat for the food… not the décor. Right? Their location is also convenient for a quick bite before a movie.
Really friendly owners! I could only eat half of my chimichanga… which I think is the first one I’ve ever gotten in a restaurant that actually IS and LOOKS homemade. not like the machine assembled rolled chimis. Mine was grilled steak and delicious.
I wasn’t impressed with the Unilocal «offer» but I would go back… after all, it’s about the food.

Great authentic food! Felicidades Paradiso, Ustedes tienen un nuevo cliente!
I had the carne asada burrito and horchata… The flavours made me feel as if I were back in Mexico! As I waited for my food, I was kept company by the friendly staff and offered homemade chips and use of their salsa bar with homemade salsas… I look forward to making this a regular spot for my Mexican food cravings!

Great people who treat theirs customers like family. Although in a mall it really feels like a restaurant and A GOOD ONE AT THAT!
Everything made from scratch and delicious. The chicken burrito was not only huge but quite decadent, served with dressings and on a plate that makes you feel at home. It was obvious that they truly value their customers, offering free desserts and chocolate as well as serving your food and clearing your table as if you were in a small restaurant down town! Fresh flowers and decorative table mats on the tables and free home made chips and salsa.
Can’t beat this place. It deserves to be in prime real-​estate in downtown Portland. Great people, great food, nuff said.

Located inside the Hocken entrance of Cedar Hills crossing, this little place is a gem. The menu is populated with some favorites, both Mexican and Italian. I ordered the fettucine alfredo, with comes with grilled chicken for 8 $ and found out that since I was sitting down to eat, both the unlimited chips and homemade salsa were free as well as my fountain drink with unlimited refills (any order over 7 $).
As for the the food, it took about ten minutes to prepare and was more than I expected, especially for that price point. The sauce and noodles were good, but the chicken was great. Perfectly seasoned and more than enough for the portion of noodles. The garlic bread was obviously home made and a tasty addition.
Who I’m assuming was the owner was very attentive and friendly, keeping the small dining area clean, checking customer satisfaction, and refilling chips and drinks quickly as needed.
All in all, its not the type of sit down place for a huge group but for a small lunch or dinner alone or with a couple people, this place is both pallet and wallet friendly. I’ll definitely be returning for lunch more often.

By the look of the location (inside Cedar Hills Crossing across from Cold Stone) the restaurant doesn’t look like much. This is one of those cases where you don’t want to judge a book by it’s cover.
The shrimp & steak tacos delicious (although I liked the shrimp a little better). The steak burrito huge & yummy! The best part is the fresh self serve salsa & chips. I can eat that all day. I also ordered flan & plantains for dessert. I don’t like super sweet desserts. These were perfect, sweet enough to subdue my cravings but not so sweet it gives me diabetes.
Oh and if you’re craving something Mexican or Italian and it’s not on the menu, just ask they might be able to make it (ie. plantains)
The service is friendly and inviting as well.
Do yourself a favor and eat here!