Acapulco’s Gold

What the food lacks in flavor, it makes up for in bulk.

Came in this afternoon from a long day of work for a beer… Some would say what??? A long day of work at 12:00 in the afternoon? If your day started at 4:00am it would be. The blonde with shoulder length hair could use some customer service training. I also felt preassured to buy lunch as if her pay check depends on taking bbq orders as part of a comission. If that’s the case im in the wrong bar to have a beer… The much older yet attractive (no offense) blonde with glasses was much more pleasant. She obviously noticed my empty glass in an establishment full of maybe 5 – 6 patrons…

I’m floored by the negative reviews here tho they are from users who seem fairly new which suggests revenge posts.
Regardless, my experience here was very good. I ordered a small plate of nachos which was MASSIVE (& I am a big, big, big eater). It was extremely tasty and went well with the margaritas we ordered. Service was good too which is again puzzling from other reviews…
There were 4 people in our party and everyone plans to come back.

Rotten tasteless food. Nice enough people clean place but someone needs to give them advice.

I flew to Portland to visit friends and this is the first place we went. We were refused service because the bartender (I think her name was Christina?) said she just did not feel comfortable serving us. She also refused to give us a reason why. We have no idea what the problem could have been. We’re nice people, clearly over 21. I’m going in to complain to the manager today. I have never been refused service before and I feel if she had the right to decline me I had the right to an explanation.

Worst Mexican food experience I’ve ever had… Our chimichanga was sweet? Also smelled like stale cigarettes? Im not one to knock a place due to looks but the food was worse than their music selection. Our server also did little to heighten our experience.

Jessica the bartender made my friend a wonderful margarita! Chili’s delicious. Real meaty nachos (needed Spice). Soft comfortable atmosphere and bench table.

We got the fish tacos and chile relleno to split and they were both so amazing! I got a screwdriver and my friend got a margarita which usually I am not a fan of but his was actually really yummy! Our bartender was awesome and super friendly! I will be back

Hands down worst «Mexican» food I’ve had, ever. I don’t think I have ever left a negative review before but if I can save anyone from paying $ 8.50 for guacamole which arrived brown with sliced black olives dumped on top and which turned near black after about 20 minutes… It’s my civic duty. Also don’t order a «margarita». Not sure what I was served but it was pretty disgusting (only $ 5.50 though, so points for that?). 2 stars instead of 1 because the server was sweet and because there wasn’t a dead roach in my meal or anything. But seriously, the entire experience was *almost* laughable it was so bad. Esp that damn $ 8.50 rotten, obviously pre made (like a week in advance?!?) guacamole. I’ll happily pay $ 8.50 for guac, avocados are expensive as hell, but this was atrocious.
Literally go anywhere else!

we came back a second time if that tells you anything. had a great conversation with our waitress /​front of the house bartender. the bartender in the back room on the first visit didn’t seem to interested in us. but the waitress was great and helpful. the tater tots are so much fun. our conversation led to grimm when I saw that in the window. LOVE this place and will make this a regular visit when I come back. thank you.

Great — um. Bartenders are fun — friendly staff — comfortable environment, I’m not into Tequila yet this is the Spot to hit if you are .!

Oh so mediocre! It’s the epitome of bland, boring, Americanized Mexican food. The service was prompt, the sidewalk seating was pleasant and the prices were affordable, but the food was truly «meh.» If you’re looking for «taco bell’ style of Mexican food, this will do just fine.

The mints here are very good. The chicken taco… leaves plenty to be desired. The service is good though!

Overall good food. We stopped here for a late lunch as a casual meeting before a photo shoot. Decided to sit in the bar so i could have mexican and my friend could have bbq. Both were great. Beef brisket sandwich was super tender and full of flavor. And my chicken chimichanga was very juicy with just a hint of heat. While we waited for our food we noshed on chips and salsa and sipped on our beers. Food came out hot and in decent time. Service was very friendly and easy going with a smile. Only complaint was that the rag the gal used to clean off the bar smelled a bit sour. Probably needed to be replaced along with the disinfectant solution.

Terrible time here. Everything is from a can or bag, nothing tasted fresh or home cooked but yet it took a long time to bring the food to me and a friend. Olives on every damn thing. From a can. Service was terrible. Server disappeared and waited over 20 minutes to pay my bill. Found her at the bar chatting with people. I told her that I wanted to pay my bill 20 minutes ago and she said it got busy at the bar. There’s no organization or communication, and definitely no good food here. Maybe the drinks are better?

I came in here with a friend mid-​afternoon looking for a much-​overdue quick lunch. Free chips and salsa before the meal was a nice touch, but they were cold and kinda bland; honestly the worst chips I’ve tasted at a Mexican restaurant. Maybe I’m spoiled by other Mexican places? Food was mediocre, edible, bland, cheaply priced. Portion sizes were fairly large, filled my empty stomach, but that’s about it.

Love the food and the service was as amazing as ever! However, bring the Andes mints back! They are a nice touch that makes the customer remember their stay, especially at a Mexican restaurant. Other than that, we will be back!!!

It’s funny: I’ve been going to Acapulco’s Gold now for more than 30 years. I don’t know if it’s the fact that my palate has evolved considerably or that the food at Acapulco’s has regressed considerably. .. methinks it’s probably a combination of the two.
For a couple of years in the mid-1980’s, I came here regularly with my ex-​wife. At the time you would often have to wait for a table, but they were nice enough to give (sell) you a beer while you waited. We’d usually drink a few beers and end up eating a heaping plate of nachos.
After that I moved out of town and have lived around the country. Every few years I’d stop back in for sentimental reasons, and it seemed as though things went downhill slowly over the years.
I’ve since moved back to Portland and my last two trips here were bad and then worse. The first stop was in January for dinner around 8 o’clock. My date decided she just wanted to have nachos, so we decided to get those and the house salad. The house salad was awful: made with cheap iceberg lettuce and crappy dressing. The nachos were large and tasted ok at first. .. . but flavor-​wise the nachos didn’t have much to say.
The second trip was for a late lunch and the food this time was awful. We ordered guacamole to dip into with the tortilla chips and salsa. It really wasn’t what you could call guacamole: it was more just a ground up avocado and it cost $ 5. I made the mistake of ordering the Tex-​Mex plate and it was an enormous plate of the blandest food I have ever eaten. I’m a large man, and I could only eat about a third of it. I ended up taking it home, re-​seasoning it, adding some decent salsa, and making burritos for the next couple of days from the leftovers. My date had a perfectly bland plate of enchiladas. On top of that the server wasn’t pleasant and seemed to resent our request for more water and to refill the salsa bowl.
I guess part of the problem is that I now expect Mexican food not to be Americanized and ultra bland. I’ve probably just outgrown Acapulco’s Gold. While I can’t fault the portion size (the reason it gets two stars), the food is incredibly bland and the service is less than stellar.
I don’t think I will ever return to this sentimental favorite.

I went to lunch here to try something different. I was not impressed. The food is like what a midwesterner would think mexican is… in the 1980s. White flour tortillas, iceburg lettuce, cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing. Blaaaaaaaand.
Portions are large, but I’d rather have a little more quality in the food. Décor is kitschy diner with some «south of the border» mixed in. The lunch crowd is as white, old, and bland as the food. The staff were very friendly, but the place seems like one of the «before» scenes from a restaurant makeover show.

First time visit the other day. I really dug this place… total diner meets mexican eatery. Get the nachos, they’re some of the better ones I’ve found for the price. And their margaritas were a hit too.
Will def be back!