Por Que No? Taqueria

The Barbacoa tacos are good but made with one corn tortilla instead of the usual two & I feel the food is overpriced the portions are very small this is more of a trendy type spot I just prefer a more traditional Mexican fare

I had the carne asada tacos and the meat could have been cut smaller. The drinks were okay. I forgot to try the churros which I originally wanted. I’ll come back to give it another try.

Their strawberry & prickly pear margarita was delicious! Veggie taco was okay. Barbacoa taco– yum!

We are from the south and moved to Oregon! And Ben in need of good authentic Mexican food and this is our new favorite place when we visit Portland!
Excellent food week worth it

This place is fantastic despite the long line. You aren’t suppose to sit until after you ordered but regardless of how many people in line everyone ends up getting a table (and we had 8 people).
As for the food… Awesome. Normally I’m an al pastor advocate but the carnitas blew me away. Great flavor and texture and when you add a little salsa and guac on top you can’t go wrong. Tacos are the way to go but the tortillas break as they are very thin. Worse things have happened to me. Don’t just stick to one thing though because the Flautas were quite the appetizer. I wouldn’t normally order them but I was given one and I will definitely be ordering more when I go back.
Finally drinks… Get them. The fresh juices make the margaritas so much better than normal and honestly, they are strong! The classic is the way to go but don’t be shy of the flavored ones because they add the juice on top so it’s not sweet and artificial like most places. To finish the rim with plain or spicy salt!
TLDR: Drinks and food are amazing but the line is long and the tortillas a little too thin (so get chips also).

This place is great. Fast service, amazing fresh food. A little pricey for the size, but the taste makes it worth it.
The ceviche, and the tacos are my usual favorites, but the bowls they offer, as well as the chips/​salsa/​guacamole are not to be missed!

Had a great dinner here last night. Line to order was about 15 — 20 minutes but as soon as you’re inside they take your drink order. I got rum mixed with a strawberry cherry aguas fresca and it was delicious! For my meal I had a vegetarian tamale, a fish taco, and a calamari taco. My vegetarian taco was really really good and filling. The calamari taco was filled with calamari and was a little spicy but I liked it. My favorite was the fish taco the fish was fried perfectly and it had a pineapple salsa on top that was perfectly sweet. I came with 6 other people and we had no problem getting a table that fit all 7 of us. The cashiers were friendly and as quick as they could be. The bathroom was also clean which is also appreciated.

Tacos are festively good! The long line looks intimating, but this is the line where you order your food right away and there’s plenty of seating. Gives you time to look at the menu while waiting. Once you’re done eating, you’re done and free to go when you please, so it’s kind of nice. Great to come during happy hour. I love the fish taco! The beef brisket taco was good, but very messy (lots of oil dripping). Chips, salsa, and guacamole were yummy. Horchata and Jamaica drinks were delicious. Fun atmosphere!

The good: the ambiance, décor, overall vibe. great on one of those warm, sunshiney days in Portland when you want to sit outside on their (adorable) back patio, drink a margarita, and listen to some music. my favorite dish (so far) is the Bryan’s Bowl with carne asada, it feels like a pretty good value.
The decent: the food & drinks — but the meat preparation could just be better, IMHO. Mexican food is all about the meat, and a lot of the taco fillings here are just not as good as I want them to be. the carne asada is decent, though. the al pastor & carnitas, not as much.
The bad: there’s almost always a line when I go. the tacos feel overpriced, based on their size & the meh-​ish preparation of the meat.

Love this place… great margaritas, great staff, great atmosphere and amazing food. If they have a Taco of the Day, just order it… their special tacos have always impressed. Chips, salsa and guac are also amazing. My kids love this spot, and everyone I’ve ever taken there has enjoyed it. There is almost always a line out the door from open to close, but it moves quickly and we’ve always been able to find a place to sit.
Finally… respect the house rules. Wait in line before trying to grab a seat for you and your friends. (Although most of the time this won’t be an issue, because one of their awesome staff members will politely ask you to go stand in line if you try and beat the system!)

I was told this was a Portland institution, and I can totally understand why.
I waited about 20 minutes in line to order. They have a stash of umbrellas to help you power through the rain, and they take drink orders while you are in line, so it isn’t too bad.
I ordered the chicken with salsa verde, the spicy cucumbers, and the chicken in a spicy salsa. All of the food was so good. I added the tomatillo salsa and the habanero sauce found in the back refrigerator to each taco, and it put the flavor over the top. They’re served with double corn tortillas, just as a traditional taco should be. The cucumbers were super fresh, crisp, refreshing, and had a bit of a kick. I also ordered a prickly pear and pineapple juice that was good but could have had a stronger flavor.
The décor here is absolutely adorable. So kitschy. They definitely need a bigger space, though. The only downside was the very long wait for the food. Like 25 minutes for some tacos.
The food is cheap and delicious. I could eat here every day.

Everything I’ve had here has been so good! I love to eat out in the back during the summer time.
I’ve tried almost everything on their menu without a complaint. The meat is always perfectly seasoned. Every time I go, it’s a must to get a calamari and shrimp taco and a tall glass of aguas fresca. If I had to pick a favorite flavor, I’d definitely say the blood orange.
The only bad thing I can say is that the line can be horrendous. It’s slightly overpriced but I don’t really mind because the food is pretty good.

I visited Por Que No on a Wednesday evening at about 6pm with a friend for dinner. We lined up outside and we had a about a total of a 15 minute wait before we placed our order at the register and found seats. Cute touch: A bin of umbrellas outside in case you have to wait in the rain.
We ordered at the register and I remember ordering a Chorizo bowl with all the delicious ingredients that came inside. I received my order along with chips and guac. When I started to eat the bowl, I noticed a long hair inside the food. Some of you may find what I did gross; however, I don’t immediately complain. In fact, I know that can happen, so I pulled it out and continued eating. However, I found a second one deep inside the food and then a third. At the time I found the third, I did bring it to the attention of the cashier and she prepared another one and also remedied the situation with a gift card as well.
The new one that was prepared I took home, as I really didn’t feel like eating immediately. I am giving them four stars, because what I tasted was really good. I also feel that they remedied the situation in an appropriate way. Therefore, I would try them again at some point in the future.

Whether I want a little food or a lot, healthy or greasy and cheesy, a margarita or nonalcoholic drinks, I know I’ll find it at Por Que No.
The prices can be a little steep but the tacos, ceviche and bowls are worth it. My latest favorite is the quesadilla with pollo asado. It’s not too heavy on cheese and full of flavor. Also hands down the best breakfast tacos if you come at 11 am on a weekend! Who knew pickled onions would go so well with bacon?
The line might look long but they’ll fetch you a drink while you wait to order at the counter, and there’s a surprising amount of seating so I’ve never had too much trouble finding a table.

Really good Mexican food, and that’s coming from a Southern California native, where Mexican food can be found within any mile. I ordered the carne asada, al pastor and lengua. My most to least favorite are as followed: lengua, carne asada, al pastor. The lengua was nice and moist, yet you could still taste the flavor. Carne asada was a tad dry, and the al pastor didn’t live up to my expectations. I’ve had al pastor in Vegas where the flavors were much more pronounced. Here the flavor of the al pastor was mediocre… I probably wouldn’t get the al pastor during my next visit. Overall, great tacos, but rather pricey (approximately $ 3 per taco, but during happy hour its 50 cents off).
Would come back if I were in the area

Cool spot, groovy hipster taqueria. i’m always skeptical of Mexican joints that are run by really white folk. But hey, it’s Portland.
This place has a great vibe and slings solid tacos. I tried the carne asada, pollo asado, and camarones (steak, chicken, shrimp for my gringo brothers and sisters). All were tasty and surprisingly the chicken was the winner (awesome cream sauce). I also got the starter salad which was pretty Baller (what’s up with Portland and amazing produce?!?) and took few bites of the Ben’s bowl (which I wish I ordered instead of tacos).
My biggest gripe is that the tacos came with only one tortilla as opposed to two and the tortillas were crêpe thin. Totally cool that they make their own tortillas in house but perhaps today was an off day. I like soft tortillas that are chewy and have some bite — these barely held the contents of the taco. Maybe the tortilla maker for the day had a rough evening and was pressing extra hard when making them?
I would come back here if I’m in the neighborhood but wouldn’t go crazy for this place. It’s good. i’m going to try the bowl next time.

Adorable décor and fun atmosphere but mildly disappointing dining experience. I ordered the Pescado and veggie tacos. The Pescado as decent, good cabbage slaw, nice fried cod piece, but the veggie was unexpectedly VERY spicy. Most other spicy items (such as the mango chili aqua fresca) seemed to be identified as such on the menu or by the guy that took my order, but I was unpleasantly surprised by the veggie taco and could not finish my taco :(My friend enjoyed her flautas but agreed that her veggie taco was extremely and somewhat unpleasantly spicy.
We did have fun coloring with crayons… Oh, and they have ample seating so don’t be alarmed if the line is long. I’d give it another chance but I’d be sure to ask about spice level when ordering.

Holy spicy tacos. I cannot deal with spicy, medium at most. So this is a fair warning to my peeps who are the same way.
They’ve got a bunch of different types of salsa — hooray! I love places that offer a variety of salsas due to my poor taste buds who can’t handle the heat.
Order first, then sit. Don’t be that jackass hogging all the tables and chairs while waiting for your friends to order. Also, don’t forget to buss your own tables.
My ultimate favorite tacos were the calamari and shrimp tacos. BUT, the calamari tacos come with the SUPER SPICY salsa and I did not know this. Let’s just say, my mouth was burning for my entire meal… which I was totally fine with because it was still freakin’ delicious.
This review is strictly for the calamari and shrimp tacos. I had the lengua and carne asada and I would give those two a mere 3 stars or less. The lengua should’ve been cut up more so that I wouldn’t have had such a hard time chewing it. I had to spit huge pieces out :\ The carne asada was bland, even with the spicy hot salsa on top.
Sooo, get the CALAMARI and SHRIMP! You won’t regret it!!!

So, I hate lines. HATE them. Portland is chock-​full of places for which people are willing to wait just an unreasonable amount of time, and it fills me with murderous rage. How rage-​y? Imagine Miss White from Clue: Flames, flames from the side of my face.
So why the rant? Because usually Por Que No? is one of those spots. I’ve waited enough time in line here that I was tempted to give them a three star review based not on their food, but just the general experience. Then I came at 11:00 am. NO LINE! I walked right up to the counter and ordered my tasty tacos, no hassle. This discovery firmly puts them in 4 star territory for me.
I’ve never had anything but the tacos, and while I think they’re a bit spendy for street tacos, you can’t deny that they’re good. I’m kind of a whore for al pastor (and for rhyming, apparently) and their version is certainly juicy, sweet and delicious. I’ve enjoyed the carnitas, chorizo and lengua, and on my last visit I discovered the calamari taco. Oh my… now THIS is good, and I’m ok with it costing a bit more since it’s something that I can’t get for $ 2 a pop down in the barrio. I get three tacos, which is a good sized meal for a hungry dude like me, and at lunch that comes with a free side of either pinto beans or rice. I get rice.
OK, I lied above. I have also had their chips and guac, and it’s legit. I don’t know much else to say about it other than I really like it. Though, I like most guacamole, because avocados are the bomb.
I’d be hard pressed to suggest somebody visit this place during peak hours, but if you can go when it’s slow, Por Que No? is pretty legit.

What an amazing set up. Back patio is decorated with the coolest/​funkiest Mexican trinkets.
The tacos are ridiculously good — you should be full after 3 of them. Don’t overlook their seasonal veggie taco option! Gauc is legit, we had enough to share with 4 people. MARGS too.

Ahhhhh ¿Por qué nunca he comido en Por Que No Taqueria?
Porque: someone told me the place was all hype. (I really need to stop listening to these people. Who call themselves my friends. Who clearly have no taste.)
***Yum! Cute! Fun! Fast! Cheap!
I met a friend for lunch on a weekday at 1:30. It was crowded, but less so by the time we left, and there were plenty of tables inside and outside. I had somewhat recently eaten, so I wasn’t too hungry and ordered the $ 6 Beans & Rice bowl. I got the salsa on the side, and the (most delicious possible mountain of) chips. So effin good. So much, I didn’t even finish. Ahhhh.
¿Por qué no he vuelto? I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow!