La Cocina Restaurant
| Address: | 3939 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-278-5414 |
| Site: | lacocinarestaurantpdx.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Sierra Scott
Like I said before I walked out of this biased, discriminatory shindig that they call a restaurant I am VERY disappointed in the service. First of all when my husband and I walked in they were dead as a doornail and I couldnt help but get a negative vibe, like we were disturbing them. It felt like when you accidently walk in on someone changing. The staff reluctantly greeted us then instructed us to seat ourselves where we remained sitting for a good 2 minutes before we were approached and received water, and mind you Im 6 months pregnant, and then finally after the water, we received menus. Then two older gentlemen walked in and the atmosphere changed so quickly you wouldnt believe it was the same staff let alone restaurant. The waiter, possibly manager, greeted them immediately and with such friendliness he couldnt attend to them quick enough. They barely sat down before their menus were in their hands. While all this was going on our "enthusiastic" waitress was taking our order and I couldnt even pay attention to her because my jaw dropped in such disbelief. It was such a gut punch that me and my husband decided to cancel our order. What makes it even worse is how the workers were acting completely dumbfounded that I was upset and what I was upset about when I addressed it before leaving. It was such a "in your face" difference in treatment I dont know if it was cognitive dissonance or theyre really that stupid. What I want to ask is were you worried you wouldnt receive a good tip? FYI, regardless of the taste of the food, which I sadly did not get to experience, we always tip at least 20% for good service, it doesnt even have to be great, just good. So I hope that your tip from the two older gentlemen that you were breaking your back to kiss a** for was worth losing potential regular customers. Im not sure if it was our age or how we looked, and although we were not dressed as nice as the two men who clearly just got off of work, we certainly were NOT dressed like scrubs albeit we were treated that way. However, what I am sure of is I will never come back here. They didnt even try to rectify the situation like a good business would have. So all in all, you could have a great experience here or it could be shotty, I guess it all depends on the employees perception of you and your company.
TR
Travis Ogan
In my opinion, some of the best food without having to travel to Mexico! The owner and staff are super fantastic, the food is hands down, amazing! The La Costa burrito with fish is my absolute favorite. Served with fresh avocado, pico and topped with a white wine cream sauce that is velvet like and smooth. A great contrast to the rich smoothness of the white sauce, are the bottled red and green sauces. They are very vibrant and have a good kick of heat to them. The habenero sauce is sweet and extremely spicy, I cant get enough of it. Used in combination with the red and green sauces, it creates a firey addiction that becomes a craving in your soul. Good as an appetizer or as a light meal, the quinoa salad is quite the pleaser. Quinoa with lime, peppers, corn, black beans, delish! To top it all off, we like to wash it down with a jalapeno or white peach margarita. Seating is limited, so Ill probably regret writing a review when the next time we show up and the place is packed more than it already is. However, better to be busy and have to wait, than to be slow or out of business. We eat there about once a week and have never been disappointed.
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Daniel Lenski
What a great find! My girlfriend had a craving for tamales and she managed to convince me to try somewhere new... wow, am I glad I did! The food here was fantastic, simply spot-on in terms of both its flavor and its colorful and elegant presentation. She had the vegetarian tamales and I had the salmon in chipotle sauce. Ive hardly had a more richly flavored and fresh plate in my life, and it was enhanced by several homemade dipping sauces, especially the excellent habanero with agave. It was the perfect meal for a cold winters day. The horchata and flan were also great and I enjoyed the chips with beans and cheese, which was a nice variation on the typical salsa or guacamole. The place is brand new and a bit hard to find without a prominent sign on the street. I dont think they need to bother, though. Im sure that in a month or two there will be a long line out the door, and Ill be bragging to everyone that I ate here before it was cool ;-)
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Connie Kuhn
Food was very good, with a large variety, fresh ingredients like the salsa/pico de gallo. Portions were good. The patio was nice even through youre right on MLK Blvd which is generally loud. The service was not so great and had an attitude. I really appreciate the menu, but not sure Id go back with the service that we received. It was extremely slow (5 pm on Friday) and the restaurant was only 1/2 full and only one other party on the patio. When we indicated to the server that we were going to a concert nearby and had time constrictions, the service seemed to get worse. We had to chase them down to get silverware, napkins, water, hot sauces (which are very good, house made), and the bill. Would have loved a second drink but couldnt chance being delayed any further. Mixed drinks were good too. Thumbs up for the food, thumbs down for the service.
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jeremy stewart
Being from Texas, I feel we have some of the best Mexican inspired food in the US but La Cocinca was a great surprise to stumble upon while on a Pacific Northwest vacation. The chimichanga that I had was great but it was their house-made habanero sauce that just put it over the top. A few days after our visit we passed back through Portland hoping to having it one more time but...they were closed on Sundays! I was heart broken but look forward to my next trip to Portland to have it again.
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Anna Sophia
Incredible, gourmet Mexican food. Its presented artfully and tastes heavenly. Ive had the vegetarian tamales (with the freshest eggplant, cheese, and other awesome ingredients), the beans and rice (again, so fresh and tasty!) and the flan is to die for. They have vegan, vegetarian, and meat options.. and soon theyll be serving alcohol, so head over to NE MLK before Portland discovers this amazing spot! I work right next door and look forward to spending way too much time in La Cocina :-)
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Jana Kreofsky
We decided to check this place out for a recent family celebration. The food and selection was great, as was the presentation. My sister ordered the Chile Nogada, it was perfect. The sauce was so delicate, floral and creamy, it actually made her tear up. And she is not even the foody in the family. The drink selection was limited, especially in regards to the tequila selection but the food, service and ambiance was lovely. Thank you for a great night and great food.
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Judy Serkes
Booked a dinner here for 27 relatives while we were all visiting Portland from all over the country and London. The owners and staff could not have been any nicer or accommodating. The food was outstanding, authentic and with the freshest ingredients. We used their new expanded space which worked out perfectly for such a large dinner party. Everyone had a fantastic meal and enjoyed themselves. I would highly recommend La Cocina while in Portland.
