El Porton

We come here at least once a week and they have the best margaritas and chicken fajitas!

Food was pretty good. I had chicken fajitas.
My drink (I think it was a frozen mango margarita) was excellent.
I had to ask waitress 3x for a to-​go box.

Located on the side of a Publix shopping center the staff was friendly and seating comfortable, but the food was a mixture of good and bad.
I always feel like most of the shopping center Mexican restaurants are pretty similar, but are best judged starting with the chips, salsa and queso. The chips here were pretty nasty, queso good only nothing to use to eat it with and the salsa was just okay. We ordered the guacamole and I was very impressed only yet again no chips to enjoy it with. I even went as far to ask for some flower tortillas (which they charged me for) and they tasted like microwaved from the grocery store. The burritos I was told from our guests were pretty good and my wife enjoyed her quesadillas, but the beans and rice were not all that great. My son got the steak tacos with corn tortillas and it was pretty good, but nothing that would have me overlook the other shortcomings.

Mm I like good margarita the chips sauce delicious food

This place is delicious! The margaritas are amazing and the food is awesome!
Service is fast, chips delivered as you’re sitting down.
Reasonable prices as well.
Specify which Guac you want tho, because the Mexicano one is the best!

This is not a fancy place, but we visit every week with our 2 and 5 year old. The food is always tasty and the service is quick, even though we ask for accommodations to the regular menu items. We are able to get in, eat, and get out within an hour, which is important when you have a toddler. One of the managers checks in with us every time we visit. Since we eat there weekly I have tried several menu items and have never been disappointed.

I like this place! The portions are huge, the food is tasty, and the service has been consistently great.

Delicious. Generous portions. Fair price. I got rib eye steak and charro beans. Husband got shrimp fajitas with all the fixings. Every thing was fresh and tasty. We will definitely be going back and trying other things. Menu looks very interesting. They serve red salsa and I also asked for the green one and the tomatillo special hot one. Better tex mex than other places in Duluth Area. For sure get the Charro Beans instead of the refried ones.

My boyfriend loves to come here. I don’t really like to eat mexican food when I go out because at home there is always real mexican food. But anyways, this has been one of the best places we have gone. Food is good, margaritas are good and the staff is always friendly to us. We usually go when lunch time is over and it’s not crowded.

Definitely the best Mexican restaurant in the area. Last night I had the Parillada Mexicana and it was wonderful. Server was very attentive. I have eaten here several times and have always been pleased.

Horrible to-​go service. Won’t even try to make it right after they messed up the order. Will not be returning.

Best local mexican around! Always great service, ice cold beers and flavored margaritas. And dollar taco nights thursdays and look for server mark! Always nice makes strong and great drinks

I absolutely love this place! The environment is always so welcoming, the food is by far the most amazing tex mex I’ve possibly come across in the area! It’s always fresh! I am picky and my chips have never been stale and my salsa could not be any more perfect. I’ve never had a bad experience with any of the servers they’ve always been so friendly and always with smiles. The owner will walk and greet everyone she truly makes it feel like home. This place is amazing in regards to food and service!

Great margaritas. And the best Sky, Surf & Turf we’ve ever had! Plenty to share. Get a guacamole & we are set. Oh get extra tortillas for the turf.

The wait staff seem like they don’t really want to be there, so you probably shouldn’t either. If you can hear over their mumbling, you’ll hear them explain why the bad meal they just served you was actually good, you just don’t have the right taste for it.

From food, to drinks, to service in general, this place has gone WAY downhill since we moved into the area (early 2010). They used to be generally great all-​around, but it’s almost like the ownership has changed or something.
The food’s generally bland and poor quality, and when my wife and I recently came and ordered a pitcher of sangria, it literally seemed void of alcohol, or perhaps at most the equivalent of 2 glasses total for the whole pitcher. And to add insult to
Injury, despite us ordering it as soon as we sat down, it arrived at our table after we were finished with our meal!
Wish the old El Porton would come back. The area could used a decent Mexican restaurant again!

A colleague and I went here for lunch between client visits. It was around 12:30 and the restaurant was about ½ full. The server was very attentive and nice.
I ordered a simple carnitas burrito. It was served promptly. Comparing to other Mexican restaurants, the food was average. The tortilla was doughy, the meat and fillings were a little bland. I added habanero hot sauce to add some taste and it helped a little.
They did serve chips and salsa before the meal — the chips tasted home made and were served warm. The salsa was not spicy, and had something of a sweet taste. I prefer spicy, but that is a personal preference. It was certainly home made and very fresh.
So — service good, food average.

Here is what you MUST try: The Molcajete for 2. This is one of my favorite foods in the wolrd now. The Molcajete has Chicken and steak (and shrimp if you want), pineapples, onions, other things… and a freakin’ CACTUS (though I’ve seen a lot of people not eat it because it is an acquired taste).
The most DELICIOUS thing about the Molcajete? That sauuuce. Wrap it all up in your tortilla it tastes like heaven.
Other things that are good though: Fajita, and the Guacamole isn’t too bad. Service has also been great every time I’ve been there.

I walked on a Friday around 8. Wow, jam packed, a wait to be seated. Is the food that good here, or have I just died and gone to suburban Mexican Combo hell? In any case, there was a very pretty Hostess to greet us. Mosey over to the bar, and there is a nice very well stocked good sized bar. Lots of options on the menu there, and like 10 beers on draft, many of them solid craft brews.
Seated. Chips come out. Very stale, low quality. You really can’t begin to judge a Mexican place by their chips like you would the bread at French or Italian place, but I am just saying, they were pretty bad. They have some Tapas style little things here. We tried a Ceviche Tapas, for $ 6 I did not expect much. It was OK for $ 6 I can’t knock it.
I had a Horchata. Worst Horchata I have ever had. Waitress asked me how it was towards the end of the meal. I tried to play coy, mentioned «it was different». She said «Oh so you liked it?» I continued my ruse. I ask «oh so it is homemade, you make it in back?». She replied «There is a mix and we mix it in back». My ruse was done. it is sugar water. Like Kool-​Aid. Stay away from the Horchata here, es muy mal.
I had the NY grilled streak with Onions and accompaniments. She had the Wrap which I was told was quite good. The Steak had nice flavor and the menu lists it as a choice cut Steak. I was surprised a choice cut NY Steak would be 40% fat. Simply for that fact I was disappointed.
On the plus size service was good, and I asked for Habanero hot sauce, and yes they carry the super hot one, so I was impressed there. Couple that with a nice beer, proper bar/​beer list, cute hostess, nice décor and moderate prices and really can’t knock it with two stars. It rounds up to three. If I lived within a mile I would come here to watch games and grab a beer and light bite.

I MexiCAN… can you?
With the over-​flux of Mexican restaurants in Atlanta, which one is a solid winner?
I came to El Porton in Duluth for lunch and had fish tacos. It comes with 3 fish tacos and Mexican rice. The fried fish did not taste too fishy (yea I know an oxymoron) and it came with tomatoes, shredded cheese and lettuce on top of it. The vegetable toppings seemed fresh. The portions are generous. The salsa and chips they served were pretty good.
Service was ok.
Overall the food was good but did not blow my mind. It warrants another visit to try other menu items.