Taco Tuesday Review: Los Portales

This week's taco excursion takes us to downtown Rockford.

See our previous review of Mi Gordito's in Loves Park where Priscilla and I give our bona fides.

This was our second attempt to grab tacos at Los Portales. The Mexican restaurant, located across the street from the Faust Building and Oasis Micropub, unbeknownst to us, is closed on Mondays. Keep that in mind if you're planning a trip.

The other thing you should know is, as of last week, they are only doing carryout. Priscilla and I would have to bring our tacos back to the station and bother the sales department while we ate.

I had been to Los Portales before. It was a must-stop after a night of karaoke at the Rue Marche. It had been a while since I'd been back and they also just recently reopened after having to shut down for a bit. This would be Priscilla's first time at Los Portales.

The restaurant is modestly sized, basically decorated, and clean. While we were waiting for our food, Priscilla noted how the air vents were clean. That's an old restaurant tip. Check the air vents. The places that really clean correctly will make sure the air vents stay dust-free.

Anything you'd like to add to the first impression Priscilla?

I've driven by this place several times at night and was always curious but reluctant to go in because it was so dang bright inside. I'm glad I finally went in.

The menu has everything you'd want from a Mexican restaurant.

We were here for tacos. The order was two (2) steak and one (1) chorizo for me. Priscilla went for one of each. A small bag of chips and salsa was also ordered. Which was huge.

On to the rating. It will be broken up into 5 categories rated from 1-10. The categories will be: Chips and salsa, tortilla, fillings, value, and intangibles. A score of 50 would be the highest WROK taco rating a place could get.

Chips and Salsa:

Joe - 7 - Salsa was great. Chips, though plentiful, could have used more salt. This is the second place that I thought needed more salt on their chips so maybe I'm the problem here.
Priscilla - 7- I love a salsa where I can see cilantro and onions. Believe it or not, Joe is not the problem. I agree with the salt on the chips. I know, salt is not the best thing for your blood pressure, but they could've used a light dusting.

Tortillas:

Joe - 4 - Here was the biggest disappointment. I usually prefer a double tortilla but these were a little too thick while also being brittle. I remember them being better than this before.
Priscilla - 5 -I prefer a single tortilla that will hold up. I peeled off the second tortilla to of course end up with a taco blowout. Urg!

Fillings

Joe - 6 - The steak was fine but nothing special. Chorizo wasn't as greasy as some others which was nice.
Priscilla -6.5- I preferred the chorizo over the steak. It was a little spicy but not crazy hot. I could actually see some pepper flakes.

Value:

Total of $17.58 for 5 tacos, small chips and salsa, and one (1) Jarrito's.

Joe - 7 - This is exactly what I expect to pay for this much food.
Priscilla - 7 - No surprises here

Intangibles:

Joe - 9 - I love the feel of this place. The aforementioned cleanliness. And I saw the guy in the kitchen making individual servings of guacamole. Very nice.
Priscilla - 7- I would definitely try dining in when it becomes available.

Official WROK Taco Score: