El Portal

Oh snap!!! I was just on a road trip when we came across this glimmering oasis of amazing Mexican food.

Great food and options for vegetarians! Flavorful pico, green salsa and fresh chips when you sit down. But don’t fill up on the chips and salsa the entrees are beautiful and tasty! The people that work there were conversational and knowledgeable about how items could be made vegetarian. We will definitely eat there again on our next trip from Detroit Lakes to Mankato.
Right off 94 on county road 13 /​exit 135. Perfect for a quick sit down meal.

Had the lunch special, which wasn’t on the menu. Quite tasty. The salsa was fantastic! A dollar or two more than I would have preferred though. Very friendly staff! Will be going back for more.

Family owned, run and served. Very tasty entrees and the salsa is so good I tease out the last bits and sauce with a spoon! They don’t skimp on the tequila in the Margarita. Ambience feels homey like a neighborhood restaurant in Mexico. The room is full of customers enjoying their food. It’s amazing to find such great place in a small town like this.

Absolutely the worst dining experience I’ve had in a long time. Ordered the «Home made» queso plate and was served a plate of microwaved cheese. Then my «Carnitas» which is slow roasted pork, arrived at the table, it was an over cooked pork chop covered in canned salsa verde. I was also over charged for everything, $ 46.50 for two entrees and an appetizer. I could have eaten at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for that. This food is about as «Authentic» as Taco Bell, avoid this restaurant like the plague.

All I could eat was the rice and beans. That’s the worst chili Relleno I’ve ever had.

Fantastic foods. Great portions. Friendly staff. Authentic. Fair prices. Highly recommend. What more do you want out if a Mexican Restaurant?

Just ate here and it was probably the best mexican in central minnesota area. Very good and friendly service too!

Great place to stop on the road, food was fast, fresh and priced great, service was excellent.

This place served not only the best authentic Mexican food I’ve had in Minnesota, but one of the finest meals I’ve had anywhere. The special features generous amounts of tender, tasty roast pork with beautifully fresh salad, cheese quesadillas, salsas, warm tortillas, tortilla chips, and the best rice and refried bean side dishes anywhere. The garnishes were fresh citrus fruits. All this and friendly service for a reasonable price. A destination diner has come to Central MN.

top notch service here, authentic mexican food served by really nice generous people… thursdays are taco day and the tortillas are made fresh while you wait… highly recommended!

Stopped here last week to celebrate the Cumpleanos of my Mom! Even though I haven’t been here in years the owner still remembers me and always greets me (in my second language; Spanish). I was quite impressed with their generosity, giving us chips with two kinds of salsa (green and red) and soup as a complimentary appetizer.
After scanning the 4 page menu I decided on the Chiles Rellenos. (side note: I HATE HUGE MENUS. There is no way everything on the menu can be good, which makes my job as a reviewer super hard. Stick to what you know, people. Make the food good. brief menu and make my job easy.) Okay, I’m back from the rant. I would classified the Chile Rellenos as «okay». They were taking a bath in the sauce, which overpowered all other flavors. I also thought their prices were a little wack for small town Minnesota…
They did give us fried ice cream and rendered the English version of «Happy Birthday» to my mom, which was very cute.
Peace, Love, Guacamole.

stopped for dinner tonight and WOW is all I can say!
this place has great traditional Mexican food!
we started with a green tamatillio salsa and
a chopped tomato salsa when we sat down
followed by a traditional chicken noodle soup with lime…
we got a pitcher of Horchata to drink for the family,
great stuff after a hot weekend!
I had the combo #5 with a stuffed pepper with homemade cheese,
a homemade spicy chicken tamale and a traditional soft corn taco… good stuff!
Even my 6 year old daughter loved it
and is polishing off the leftovers as I type!
We are having breakfast there before we leave tomorrow to get back on the road: D