|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When it comes to fine dining, there is no cuisine that I love more than Mexican, especially the cuisine found in the northern part of the country, where cattle ranches frequent the mountains and deserts. It's the kind of Mexican food that I grew up with, and it's the kind I always seek out when I'm in the mood to enjoy delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine. El Portal Taqueria, located on Lincoln Blvd., in Lincoln, CA serves the brand of Mexican cuisine I savor... and the staff is as friendly as it gets! As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's late Saturday morning, September 12, 2026, and I've arrived at El Portal Taqueria, located in downtown Lincoln, CA, to enjoy a hearty Mexican dinner for brunch. I'd hiked from my home in Roseville to downtown Lincoln to attend an event, and I'd worked up quite an appetite. Placer County is home to many amazing Mexican restaurants, and El Portal Taqueria will satisfy your craving for all of your Mexican favorites!
Photo: The dining room is large, open, tastefully furnished, comfortable and squeaky clean. The decor is very colorful and features lots of Mexican touches. The bar and the order counter are at the rear of the dining room.
Photo: To place an order, you walk up to the counter, choose your selection from the menu, and pay for your order. The counter person will hand you a basket of fresh tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa, and you sit at any open table. When your order is ready, it will be brought to you with a smile. Like many restaurants in 2026, to-go orders are very popular, and are ordered over the telephone or from the restaurant's website. Completed to-go orders are picked up at the counter. When I comes to dining, I'm "old school" as I prefer to dine in a restaurant's dining room.
Photo: Anna was the friendly staff member at the counter, who took orders, tended the bar and brought orders to the table. The bar offers a great selection of domestic and Mexican beer, with all imported beer on tap. You can choose your size of draft beer from a pint all the way up to a pitcher, so there's a size for everyone. In my case, a 22-oz Pacifico draft beer seemed perfect for the occasion.
Photo: The menu lists all of your Mexican favorites. This is only one page of the menu, as the complete menu is two pages.
Photo: I placed my order for a plate of "Carne Asada," and friendly Anna rung me up at the order counter. Note the printed menu on the counter.
Photo: After I placed, and paid for my order, Anna handed me a basket of fresh tortilla chips, and a bowl of in-house made salsa cruda, which made for a great appetizer. It seems that I'd just seated myself when Anna came over to my table, and placed a icy-cold 22-oz mug of Pacifico beer in front of me. Talk about an appetizer... chips, salsa and a Pacifico beer in a frosted mug! The toasted tortilla chips were crispy fresh, lightly salted and crunchy delicious. I loved the in-house made salsa, as it had just enough "kick" to get your attention, but it was mild enough where your Aunt Dorothy from Kansas most likely would enjoy the chips without complaining. The salsa was flavorful, with lots of fresh diced white onion and mild jalapeņo pepper. The chips and salsa made for the perfect appetizer.
Photo: The kitchen and the prep area can be viewed from the order counter, where you can watch the talented staff at work. Completed orders are placed on the shelf for the wait staff to bring to the table. It looked like Anna was getting ready for my order, so I made my way back to my table.
Photo: Meet Anna, my amazingly friendly server, who brought my order of "Carne Asada," along with a side of five corn tortillas to me with a smile. My order was delivered to me in a little over ten minutes, which is super fast service! I wasn't in hurry, but if I was, it would have been great.
Photo: I raise my mug of Pacifico beer and toast Anna, the chef, and all of the talented staff at El Portal Taqueria, located in downtown Lincoln, CA. Cheers!
Photo: From the "Platos Especiales" section of the menu, I went with "Carne Asada," which is a large platter of thinly sliced steak, with an amazing selection of sides. Like all platters on my menu, my "especial" included refried pinto beans, rice, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and tortillas. The menu offers a choice of flour or corn tortillas, and I went with corn, which netted me five hot-from-the-kitchen, fresh, delicious corn tortillas. I ordered a 22-oz Pacifico Mexican lager beer, poured from the tap, for both an appetizer to go with the chips and salsa, and dessert. Alright, it was 10:30 in the morning, and I ordered a full dinner, but I was hungry and in the mood for some delicious Mexican cuisine. My brunch began with a large slab of carne asada, seasoned, sliced very thin and perfectly grilled. The steak was tender, flavorful and juicy, and simply delicious. I loved the grilled green onions, and the grilled jalapeņo chili pepper that topped the steak, as it added to the presentation and to the taste of the steak. The pinto beans were refried, with a very delicious, slightly "nutty" taste that's hard to describe, except to say it was delicious, and tasted like the countless helpings of refried beans that I've enjoyed during trips to Mexico. To add to the taste, the beans were topped with melted, shredded Mexican cheese. I loved the refried beans! Along with the beans, the Mexican rice made an excellent side, and helped round out the plate to make it a complete meal. To add a cool touch, a small side salad rounded out the dish, with a large scoop of fresh guacamole placed on a bed of shredded lettuce, and topped with sour cream. The guacamole added a cool, delicious contrast to the warm steak, rice and beans, and made for perfect dipping. Five warm corn tortillas rounded out the meal, which made for wonderful dipping, and a great way to clean up every last bite. The "Carne Asada" plate was simply delicious, as everything was perfectly seasoned, and cooked to perfection. The chilled guacamole added a great, cool touch to the meal, as it deliciously contrasted with the warm meat, rice and beans. When you're in the mood for delicious, authentic northern Mexican cuisine, you'll want to head over to El Portal Taqueria, located on Lincoln Blvd. in downtown Lincoln, CA.
Photo: I cut off a piece of the carne asada and dipped it into the guacamole, which was sublime! The cool, creamy taste of the guacamole made an amazing contrast to the warm, juicy bite of steak, and the contrast was delicious. The guacamole and sour cream added a delicious, cool touch to this fine meal! The food is authentic, delicious and there's plenty of it, as you'll never leave hungry. The beer from the tap is cold, the specials are plentiful, the price is right, and the friendly staff will treat you like family. You'll love the authentic cuisine of northern Mexico, and you'll love your dining experience at El Portal Taqueria, located in downtown Lincoln, CA. Muy sabroso. El Portal Taqueria Copyright(c) 2026 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
|
