Portales Taqueria - Castro Valley | Best Tacos & Mexican Food Cabo Verde
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Full MenuCustomer Reviews
Allison F.
A taco plate from Portales Taqueria is always a good time. Service is fast and staff is always so nice when I go. I typically place online orders and they are always ready in a timely manner. I like doing the three taco plate with refried beans and rice. Any place that allows refried beans is extra good to me. The food tastes good, the portion size is the perfect amount and it's convenient to get. You can't go wrong with this local restaurant.
PdxJunebug ..
Good food and exceptionally quick friendly service. I've been here three times this week.
TreeVera L.
Always great service and delicious food. Great place close to home with a lot around. Staff is always friendly and love the food!
Melanie A.
Great service great food. The tacos are great. The owner is wonderful. She treats everybody kind love going there.
Crystal T.
The food here is always solid; I especially love the veggie tamales and nachos with ground beef. The service and staff are wonderful. Portales has become my go-to for a quick bite with friends.
Nae N.
I loveee this place! Hospitality and atmosphere is awesome!! This used to be my go to for lunch breaks because quick yet good! I'm so disappointed today in the meat quality.... I really hope it was just a bad day but I didn't want ground beef tacos I wanted asada tacos.. super disappointed the beans even had crunchy dry chunks in them so wondering how old they were. Makes me sad because the family owned business is awesome but I'm going to think twice before coming back now with the lack of quality meat. The rice was hella good!! Love the salsa bar too!
Jessica F.
The vegetarian burrito is delicious! I added impossible meat which is an extra charge but they add a lot of it! My total with the burrito and drink was $21. They have a lot of options like vegan/vegetarian there's also meat options. They have horchata but it's only if you dine in since they don't have a to go cup for it. The person who took my order I believe is the manager and she is really kind! I can tell they put a lot of care and love into the food they make! The style of the restaurant is comforting! I do wish I knew where the parking was because I got a little lost but other than that this place is wonderful!
Miranda C.
The food was amazing nice hot and fresh. I had three Carne Asada tacos with a side of frijoles and arroz and let me tell you those tacos were the best tacos I had in a very long time. my husband had Chile Reyenos with a side of frijoles and arroz as well and he just feel in love and it reminded him of his moms cooking. If you are definitely craving Mexican food this is the spot to go 10 out of 10.
Lori S.
Very good food. Friendly service. Rosa is a very kind and loving person and is always helpful.
Ale S.
This is probably the best mexican food I've had in Castro Valley. The man who took our order was very nice and made me feel welcomed. We decided to sit outside, overall a nice quick lunch
VJ S.
The best Mexican place for burrito, taco. My personal favorite is the wet burrito with both sauces - colors. Great people and economical. Sit down or take out you will be served well.
Caroline C.
The food was delicious and the person behind the counter taking our order very kind. I will definitely be back
Cin-Yee S.
Loved my empanadas (3/$10), especially the perfect fried-to-order cornmeal crust! Served with avocado crema and sweet chipotle crema, but great on their own. Can't wait to come back and try more items, as everything the other patrons had ordered looked delicious on the tables.
Sammi C.
Portales is my FAVORITE Mexican restaurant that I've been coming to for the past decade. Their food is consistently delicious and home-y. The owner Rosa is the sweetest lady, and gives such great service. The vibes inside are colorful and casual, with a chip and dip bar for dine-in. It's a Castro Valley staple and some of the best local food around!
Pamela R.
Stopped on the way home at this small Mexican restaurant. Parking was a little difficult, but food made it all worth it. Walked in very great service. Placed my order at the front and was given FRESH chips and salsa. I'm Mexican and that salsa was really good. Then I ordered a green wet burrito. Two to eat it so my pictures show the aftermath a little bit. I also had ordered a Sope which was also amazing and you could tell by my picture. Overall give this place out five stars. Very great amazing food. Everything was fresh. Will come again.
John T.
In this country the prevalence of manufactured foods has reduced the population's capacity to enjoy seasoning and flavor. The unfortunate result is a descent into blandness of not only American dishes, but also the cuisine from other parts of the world -- where with reluctance, ethnic restaurants dumb down their food to avoid being labeled "too hot" or "foreign." Nationally, Mexican restaurants are among the worst casualties of this trend. But for some of us there is hope. Here in California, especially in communities with a large Hispanic population, it is still possible to find the real thing: Mexican cuisine devoid of pretension, prepared to order, and served in a relaxed and informal environment. This is the sustenance of a hard-working people for whom good food is an essential bond with the social fabric, whose cooks use ingredients indigenous to America (in the sense that large parts of this country were stolen from Mexico), along with home-grown methods of preparation that are a refreshing alternative to the European tradition. At Portales Taqueria, located on a quiet stretch of Castro Valley Boulevard in the Bay Area city of the same name, where parking is plentiful and well-behaved dogs are allowed, the customer orders from a cafeteria-style menu on the wall and then adjourns to one of the small tables, inside or out. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and was among a handful of customers. Service was friendly and welcoming. My three-taco plate featured a different meat for each: beef, pork, and chicken, giving each its own personality. All three tacos were richly flavored, juicy, and fresh. The homemade essence of the dish, down to its in-house refried beans and salsa, brought back my fondest memories of this uniquely American cuisine. I'll be back!
Eli W.
My son and I love this place. Great service, daily specials, and delicious food. His favorite are the tacos, mine is the wet burritos.
Shepoklyak S.
Outstanding food and insanely nice staff. Make sure you try their new California burrito: plain awesome! Highly, highly recommend!
masa s.
I don't know if this is the best Mexican food in Castro Valley - depends on your taste and experience. But, this is my favorite. I think all of the things that I've gotten, I like, and some would absolutely be my favorite of the other places in the area. But, I like their value, service, attitude, location, and friendliness.
Marlys ..
This is a family run business. The food we've had has always tasted great. The owners are very nice. The restaurant has always been clean, and we haven't seen any critters running around ! I've seen critters at a different establishment, so I know the experience of eating at the counter and seeing someone with ANTENNAS passing by my plate!! May this business continue to be blessed to succeed!
Vanessa S.
My husband and I love this spot. Great burritos and the people are always SOO nice. GREAT service
Da’Rel H.
Service was good and they were friendly they double layered my bags because they seen I was on a bike and the food was good
W K.
Portales Taqueria is great! I have eaten there several time and the food is great and service is excellent! I had their pozole last time and it was really delicious.
L
Not only was the Food we ordered very delicious, reasonable prices for family night out , first time here and service was amazing the cashier/waitress/host was so friendly and kind not only to us but to all other customers who came in after us. Even though they were busy she did warn us ahead of time & decided to stay glad we did now we have a new place for my family to gather and enjoy wonderful food I don't remember exactly what everyone else got to eat but my dish was pozole I love that I had the option for chicken/pork I've never been given that option anywhere else so I was excited to try it out and I highly recommend it hit the spot and serving size was very generous too for dessert they offer a variety of churros nice warm and tasty to top off the night they also offer hot coffee/ doña Maria's hot chocolate / vanilla cappuccinos all day and came hand in hand with the churros I can't wait for our next gathering there I highly recommend this place they also have a variety of menu options even a kids menu.
Lam
Staff recommended asada and pollo asado for their most popular meats and I couldn't agree more for their asada. Nice and crispy with deep beef flavor. I would personally recommend definitely getting their chips and salsa, as chips were golden colored and crunchy. I would give a shoutout to the Al pastor tacos, as that is what I'm getting exclusively next time.
Ronneane Riley-Johnson
Jennifer Schmitz
Vegan burritos are soooo delicious!
Gabby Smullen
great tacos and salsas! really friendly service as well!
UmbraLupus64
Pretty good food and decently cheap for the area. Food portions are pretty generous as well
William He
Lurdes Costa
Very friendly
Carmella Goodman
We came from Seattle to Castro Valley for a memorial service. My brother in law said Portales Taqueria was my sister’s favorite restaurant. She passed away recently and they remembered her and what she liked. Rosa shared a hug and tears with me and then they served us the best dinner ever. I can see why it was my sisters favorite. Thank you Rosa and Ellie 🥰
Karen McDonald's
We had authentic Mexican food. The fish tacos were so good,creamy refried beans and flavorful rice. My friends had burritos they both enjoyed it. Highly recommend this restraunt.
Hugo Chavez
fps supressed
Had such a great experience here! From the moment we walked in, the sweetest abuelita was taking orders—so professional, warm, and genuinely grateful. You could feel the care in every interaction, with “thank you” going both ways all around the room. We were told the wait would be about 18 minutes, but our food came out in just 7—such a pleasant surprise! And let me tell you, the food itself was incredible. Truly authentic Mexican flavors, the kind that remind you this is real home-style cooking, not a watered-down version. If you’re looking for genuine, delicious Mexican food made with heart, this is the spot. Some people might not get it if they’re expecting a fast-casual chain experience, but if you appreciate authenticity, you’ll absolutely love it here.
Dakota G
Absolutely incredible food. Genuinely makes me emotional. Much love to Rosa and Gustavo, so friendly you feel you’re at home. I will be back.
Shandu B
I've never been disappointed in any of the dishes here.
Chris Monroe
Alexandra Thomas
Ellie was the sweetest, nicest and most awesome front of house customer service. She took our order and gave us her recommendations for the best flavor of Jarritos soda. The food was amazing! And we were able to sit outside in the nice weather today. Thank you Portales for a great experience 😎
Randy Li
Neighborhood gem with a huge menu - the staff is so warm, welcoming, and patient. The food always hits the spot.
Malik Kassa
Andy Pereida
D Montes
David King
Joshua Charles
Absolutely fantastic Mexican food.
Yolo Buddy
Amazing tacos. Pastor FTW!!
Roberto Lpz
Samir Totah
Monica Bruno
Good vegetarian/vegan food. I ordered the vegan taco plate with impossible meat and soy chorizo for the meat options and added cheese with it. My husband had the vegan burrito. My daughter had a cheese quesadilla. The food was very good. The service was great. We will definitely eat there again ☺️
Brian B
Great tacos 🌮 😋