La Bonita
2839 Northeast Alberta Street, Portland, OR
(503) 281-3662
Everyday 10 AM – 10 PM
May 23rd, 2011
As a former resident of Southern California I’ve grown up on some really great Mexican food. Some has been what I’ve learned to make myself, some has been from amazing family cook outs with my friends or their parents, and the rest has been from restaurants as a whole. With this being said, I’ve been quite spoiled when it comes to my tastes in this particular cuisine. My roommate Dave is also a big lover of Mexican cuisine. He grew up in San Diego, California his whole life and has eaten some top-notch food there. I know this because I’ve eaten a few with him.
Since moving up here we’ve both looked around for some spots that could at least give a good medium because we figured it was just not going to be the same. With the search continuing I figured he’d love to check out La Bonita with me to see if it held water.
We arrived on the scene to the restaurant pretty full with people and a small line at the counter. The menu is right above the register for all to view while they wait. Right below you could see through the passing windows the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. It looked big and open on their side, which is just how I like it. I knew exactly what I wanted so I waited no time going over the menu too much since they had ones you could take home to browse over a bit more later on. I approached the counter and ordered the Torta with Carne Asada. Just saying it aloud made my mouth water. I also got a side of chips and a drink to keep me preoccupied during my wait.
I sat down and Dave soon joined me. He ordered a Carne Asada Burrito and fish tacos. Dave doesn’t mess around. I waited for a small amount of time before hearing my number called. I eagerly walked over to pick up my tray and get back to my seat. The Torta was hot and smelled lovely. I began right into it milling over each bite. With the exception of the beans I was quite taken with the whole thing, with lots of goodies with just enough fattiness and tartness to really bring a nice round flavor from it. Dave really liked his Burrito but was saddened when his fish tacos, that were fried, were ice cold as well as completely lacking in flavor. I was sad for him as well but glad he got something out of the Burrito.
We finished up our meal and made our way out. Granted we hadn’t found the Mecca we were hoping for but its nice to know there’s a good spot to check out again.
Rating:
Bread:
The bread a crusty French bread with a chewy crumb. I was wishing it was a bit more flavorful in the salt content but other than that it had a nice toast on it that gave it a nice texture.
3/5
Filling:
I ordered the carne asada and it had guacamole, beans, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo. It was really tasty and a good quantity of goodies. The carne asada had a good marinade to it. The beans were a bit bland but the guac and pico had some nice flavor. Unfortunately it didn’t make up for the beans.
4/5
Price:
At $6.95 this is a really good deal. I think it’s an appropriate price for the quality/quantity of food.
4/5
Customer Service, Sides, Drink Selection:
They’re very nice over at La Bonita. They move their lines along quickly and make sure you have what you need. The drink selection is pretty nice since they have plenty of bottled as well as fountain drinks. They have some good sides as well. They had a great offer of Chips, salsa and a fountain drink for $1.75. I did that with my meal.
5/5
Over all Rating: 16/20 points
Repeat Visit?
Yes. They have some good eats there and would love to try their tacos, burritos, and other plates they have to offer.
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