A haiku review: I hadn't been here Since this place burned to the ground Many years ago Baby they are back Lemme get a blood orange marg Make it on the rocks This plate was loaded Chicken tinga on nachos Could have used more chips read more

Chez Jose - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Slipped out for a date night a few weeks back with my husband, and Chez Jose called our name. We had some InKind dollars, and Chez Jose is a great partner of the program. We had a lovely dinner, and will definitely be returning! I had a combo plate, with a chicken lime enchilada and bean burrito (intended to get a beef burrito but I think the server misheard me - no matter, it was still tasty!) The restaurant is definitely hole in the wall commercial plaza vibes, but the food is delicious so definitely recommend! read more

Chez Jose - Chicken lime enchilada and bean burrito combo plate - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food here never disappoints!! Unique twists on traditional dishes. I had a pan seared cod with sautéed zucchini and onions. I chose the sweet potato puree over the rice, so good!! Excellent service! Very consistent. Casual but comfortable dining ambiance. read more

Chez Jose - Seating area - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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After more than 25 years as a loyal customer, my family and I have decided we will not be returning to Chez Jose. For years, my favorite meal was the Pollo en Salsa Cachute--a thin-cut chicken breast topped with an incredible cachute sauce and hazelnuts, served with Mexican rice and black beans. It was one of the main reasons I kept coming back. Unfortunately, the version I received on Father's Day was completely different. The sauce had been changed, the dish included squash and zucchini, and it was topped with pumpkin seeds instead of hazelnuts. The online ordering photo still shows the original dish, making the change even more disappointing. What ultimately convinced me not to return, however, was the customer service. On Father's Day, my wife asked for two small containers of cilantro ranch dressing with our takeout order. After already paying and leaving a 15% tip, she was told it would cost an additional $5. The employee seemed completely uninterested in helping and made no effort to accommodate a long-time customer. This was not an isolated incident. About a year ago, I ordered extra cachute sauce with my meal. After driving 30 minutes home, I discovered the extra sauce had been omitted and replaced with a small 2-ounce cup that contained less sauce than the meal normally came with. When I drove all the way back to have the order corrected, I was treated as though I was inconveniencing the staff. Mistakes happen, and menu changes happen. What is disappointing is the apparent lack of concern for customer satisfaction and loyalty. Losing a customer of more than 25 years over a few ounces of dressing and repeated poor service seems shortsighted. I will miss the original Pollo en Salsa Cachute, but from now on I'll be working on recreating it at home for my family instead. read more

Been coming here for years and food is always consistently delicious! A must have is the Lime Chicken Enchiladas with rice and beans! The Mexican Caesar is fire and so is their warm salsa with chips! I love the old school Margaritas, they pack a punch but are delicious and rare these days! Sheila and Matt are the best servers! read more

I had been a regular diner pre covid & before reopening. I had dinner tonight & the food, service & ambiance is better than ever! Warm salsa was so good that I bought a pint for home. The beef fajitas were better than I remember!! I will be making this a monthly stop! IF you have ever been, try it out! IF you are like me & have not been in a few years......DROP ON BY!! read more

Food was awful! Horrible... preferred a chili's rayeno. Got a plate of nothing but boiling hot cheese. Eventually I found a pepper, no egg coating and not stuffed. The pepper was so completely burnt you could not even cut it, I even tried with a steak knife. The meal was gross! Skip this place! read more

It was dead on. Thursday night with live music all standard service and foods now since the original Amigo sold this place to a chain would not care to return read more

This restaurant is very close to Lewis and Clark which is why we came here. The food was amazing the guacamole was fresh and the service was friendly. We will definitely be back. read more

Made my way out of my neighborhood to try these nachos for $8 nacho week! Nachos were surprisingly amazing. They were very flavorful and finger licking good! Definitely a lip smacker. Only thing I would recommend is to add some jalapeños and to not serve their side salsa warm. Great portions, fast and awesome service! Recommend this spot for small and big groups. I did not get any beverages, but my folks said to the spicy caramelized pineapple margarita was fire. read more

Chez Jose - Nacho week! - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I love that this place is still open after the previous owners retired and the Urban Restaurant Group realized what a loss this would be to our community and bought it. They chose to keep all the original recipes and menu. I had my usual lime chicken enchilada plate with rice and refried beans, something I haven't had for 3 years and was happy it was the same as always although the enchiladas were a little bit smaller than before, I know everything costs more to produce, and happy they still had them. They also served their traditional chips with two salsas when you sit down. I always like the warm milder one, although they did charge us for these and wish they would have mentioned that, in the past they were part of the service. They were only $3 so not a biggy, but good to know. I also had their virgin blended blood orange margarita that was nice and refreshing. My friend had their fish tacos and was very happy with them. If you like TexMex food, this is the place to go. read more

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We had a great experience! The food and the service were excellent! Would definitely recommend.

I would say YES to service and ambiance. The food is trying to be elevated so far up that it doesn't have its unique dishes. The servers that have been there for a long time are the BEST!! Their are two male severs, I like the all of them too including front of house. I've started going with my parents and my whole family and friends from the start An after work destination. Totally bummed by changes, no more black bean / goat cheese quesadillas. The warm salsa was SO good. Luckily there is an online recipe for the warm salsa. it gives you a step by step so we'll probably All the changes are weird. Shrimp ceviche not fajitas. I don't mind paying for My teens still love it, but the old teens boys miss fajitas & Eva loved the thicker red sauce on the enchiladas. Cream Cheese with your Mexican food, I hope that's for children. I don't know if we will go back, we've been going quarterly before now. I would suggest Que Pasa, it's not too far at all. Sill love the service and the restaurant on the inside. if I'm going to be paying three dollars for chips and salsa then I definitely want the salsa back. read more

I've been at patron for over 25+years- was sad when first heard was closing, then happy -a lil worried - when heard was bought and to re-open- worry that my favorite dishes wouldn't be the same. Normally in years past- I'm with a large group but tonight alone I was craving my favorite beef enchiladas with their savory mild sauce. I worked all day and thought I'd give it a try- drop in & order some to go on my way home and hope it's still what I returned for all those years. Then? I read the menu- all the old favorites with a wonderful selection of new! I couldn't decide- finally... I chose instead to stay and try the crusted cod filet with pistachio mole, sweet potatoes and sautéed fresh vegetables- SO glad I did! Cod was moist and flavorful- sauce was a nice lite addition, sweet potatoes fluffy and vegetables were perfectly sautéed as well! So glad I stayed & tried it! Atmosphere was much the same- very warm and welcoming. Btw? I still ordered my favorite beef enchiladas- to go ;) Next time? I want to try the shrimp ceviche! Or? Seared ahi! Lil long review for me- just so happy! Chez Jose is still here- the old and the new! read more

Chez Jose - Cod with pistachio mole - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Spicy carmelized pineapple margarita was delicious - good kick and flavor. Pleasantly surprised by the nachos! Quick service. read more

Chez Jose - Restaurant area - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Great to see that Chez Jose is back serving Mexican food. The restaurant looks identical as it did in the past only it's under new ownership today. My go to dish is always the chicken chimichanga Verde which was a little drier than the old days, but still good. The chips taste the same only the salsa is a little different from the old Chez Jose. Overall, happy to see that they are back in business. read more

Chez Jose - Delicious McKenzie IPA - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This was a wonderful surprise! The food is very fresh and perfectly flavored. They were able to accommodate a larger group quickly on a Saturday night. read more

Nothing fancy except the food and service. The service was prompt and accommodating. The food and beverage selection as good as any other Mexican restaurant. Flank steak dinner was great. Love their salsa choices. We will be back when we have an itch for Mexican food. read more

White washed mexican food with ZERO FLAVOR. Disgusting establishment gave me food poisoning too. read more

Such a great spot love the food, drink and service! Thanks for always being here and for such a long time too! read more

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My family loves Chez Jose. We've been coming here since my sister and I were kids and now its one of our kids favorites. It's one of a handful of restaurants that the whole extended family all agrees on (& begs for). Adult favorites are Goat cheese and bean quesadilla, Beef chimichangas, Squash burrito, and Chicken bowl. Kids favorites and the Chimi dogs, enchiladas, burritos, and quesadillas. read more

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A Portland staple! The food is amazing, and large portions. You can tell that everything is made with love, and that they aren't cutting corners here. I remember coming here in the 90s - THATS how memorable and delicious this place is! (Plus the people are very friendly!) read more

Thank goodness Chez Jose is still open after closing down the Broadway location! That place was literally my childhood and when I recently tried the salsa at the Terwilliger location I was instantly transported back to being a little kid out to dinner with my family. Major nostalgia! I'm obsessed with the salsa and could literally eat it for all meals of the day. Thank you Chez Jose, never change! read more

The staff was very nice and checked on me and asked how I liked my food. I had to be honest with them so this is what I said: The margarita wasn't what I expected. I ordered a carmelized pineapple margarita and it was the cheapest tasting margarita I could imagine...it wasn't super expensive so I could've probably customized it but when you say caramelized in the description, it sounds sweet and delicious. It was not that. Whatever, it was fine and I drank it. The best part part of the meal was the butternut squash enchilada... It is a very specialized recipe with peanut sauce. It was absolutely delicious.. Lastly my fish taco... Ayiyi! Granted I am from Southern California and we probably have the best Mexican food in the world. Our taco trucks are rolling gourmet experiences.! This fish taco was the most limp bland "taco" I've ever tasted. When they saw I didn't eat it nor wanted to take it home the staff told me it was not fresh fish and sub-par.... so glad I did not eat it after that first bite. Total $33 + $6 tip =$39 for one person. Not worth it! Chez Jose is a decent place, but I wouldn't bring a date here, you'd have to apologize! . Maybe would bring aging parents who don't really know Mexican food anyway... read more

Definitely disagree with the 1 star reviews. there are so few decent sit down Mexican restaurants around that I appreciate this place. I didnt find the food 'tasteless' at all. I had a snapper special and it was really good. Loaded up on chips and salsa and my friend had a huge portion of fajitas for 2 for $20. Also had the happy hour sangria. It may be a bit americanized, but cant deny it was good! read more

The food was so mediocre I threw portions of it in the trash. It was so disappointing because years ago it tasted better and the portions were larger. The clove flavor in the beef was so overpowering that I couldn't even taste the meat. I've had canned beans taste better. The chicken had a weird watered down taste and the texture was like it was dissolving in my mouth and not in a good way. It tasted worse than Mexican food I make at home and I'm inexperienced. read more

We love this place and are so glad they are back. Food is old school and drinks are fantastic. Everyone who works here is awesome! Our whole family will be back on a weekly schedule. Be sure to get the margaritas and guacamole. So yummy. They also have several really great veggie options. read more

Chez Jose - This is the bar - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Nice little restaurant in a small strip mall. We stopped in here for dinner after some friends recommended we try it. It was a nice meal out but far from becoming a favorite place for us. We had a short 10-15 minute wait to be seated after adding our name to the list of other waiting guests. We were then sat at a nice table with one side having booth seating and the other wooden chairs. Our server arrived quickly to take our drink orders and ask if we'd like chips and salsa. We noticed beforehand that chips and salsa are NOT free here but they don't mention this when asking if you'd like them. We were served chips salsa and a bean dip. I highly recommend getting the chips, especially with the bean dip, because I think it was the best part of the meal. After getting our drinks and chips our server returned to take our orders. I orders a chicken taco salad and my husband orders the carne asada fajitas. I will add at this point that the menu items are higher priced here than most Mexican restaurants of this type. I estimate most items are priced $5-$8 higher than average. We received our orders fairly quickly considering that there were several full tables and several people seated at the bar as well. My chicken taco salad was very average without much flavor. The chicken was cooked nicely but had very little seasoning or flavor to it. I found myself wishing I could add actual salad dressing to it to add some flavor. I did find the black beans after I started breaking the shell apart. They were UNDER the taco shell, spread on the plate itself and the taco shell set on top. Not in the taco salad at all. That was different. My husband's fajitas were very average too. The cuts of carne asada were nicely cooked and good sized but there wasn't good seasoning or flavor to the beef either. We left a little disappointed in the entire meal and went to look for dessert elsewhere. It's a nice, clean, comfortable place but we won't be back because we LOVE big flavors in our Mexican food. read more

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There is nothing Mexican about this place. I mean "chez" is French.. the name even gives them away for gods sake. The food is bland. Very bland. read more

I had Sunday brunch here for the first time, and it was wonderful. My coffee came with a plate of small churros drizzled with lemon and raspberry cream. Everyone in my party ordered something different, and everyone loved their dishes. We forgot to take photos because we couldn't wait to dig in. read more

This experience was mediocre at best. The food was fine. Ordered the chicken lime enchiladas and looked forward to some decent margarita fare.. First of all they do not have agave , period. They use triple sec. Also, they don't have Tajin for the rim. Drinks were underwhelming and they still use plastic straws. Waiter might have been having a bad day as well. This place needs to up its game. read more

Terrible tamale covered in an even worse mole! Chile Relleno filled with cheddar cheese. Yuck!!! Service was wonderful. Nothing authentic or delicious on any plate. There were 12 of us and no one really enjoyed their dinner, such a bummer. Wonder why people were so happy they were re-opening the business after Covid. I try to be fair and rarely post anything bad but save your money, worth the drive elsewhere! read more

I've been coming to Chez Jose for 20+ years and can attest to their quality & service over many years. It's a pretty casual space but actually is bigger inside than it appears on the street. You are seared upon arrival. Having a wait isn't unheard of around the busy times, but the wait is typically never more than 15-20 mins even during peak hours. You get free chips and salsa and by salsa I mean the best salsa maybe in the state. I think I speak for many when I say I could drink it with a straw. It's also WARM salsa so could eat it by the spoonful like soup. But there's truly nothing better than eating it with fresh tortilla chips. It's hard to save room for the meal with the warm mild yet flavorful salsa right in front of you. It's good thing they have a good turn around time or people would be too full on chips for entrees. Their burritos (chimichangas) and fajitas are my fav but it hard to go wrong with other too (I occasionally dabble in their salads). Note: if you get your burrito smothered, the mild salsa is the warm referenced above, so, you like, know that's the way to go by now, hopefully? Margs are good but some can be much too sweet so I stick with the skinny marg to avoid it. It used to be hard to park here but now with market of choice gone, it's become quite easy. Once that space is leased again it will get more complicated. read more

Chez Jose - Beef burrito with mild sauce - Mexican Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Love this place. Good food and good people. Try the squash enchiladas. Glad to have it back open.

Nachos were on point. The spicy caramelized pineapple drink was refreshing and had some residual heat.

Not good I had taco salad & it was crap. The lettuce was gross. Supposed to be a great piece but I won't go back. Then the hostess tried to seat us on top of other people and when I asked to move she was put out. Then the server never checked on us at all read more

so glad Chéz Jose wasn't closed for long. I'm guessing it was a relaunch after Covid or something? Regardless when I saw the post that they were closing it about broke my heart. I've been coming here since the early '90's(I was in high school back then & I think I had my first Black beans at Chez José?) & it's always been one of my fave Mexican Restaurants...really just a favorite restaurant regardless the genre. If eating in I love sharing the Nachos. The Chili Relleño , Chimichanga and Fish Tacos are also some of my faves. Back when I lived in SE and commuted to work in Lake Oswego() I would often order a "Combo Platter" on my way home for dinner. Also the Famous two Salsas(the mild is warm and thick almost like a soup, the Spicier is Cold and chunky...In over 30 years I still can't decide if I prefer one. So I always get both)are West PDX culinary legends IMO read more

You can tell this is a locals favorite as they knew some of the patron's names. Nice relaxing atmosphere with good lighting. I enjoyed the very tasty fajitas which were also generous. Also ate too many of the chips which were warm and seemed fresh, at least not stale. They have really good margaritas but they are a little small. I especially liked the blended strawberry and you could tell they have tequila vs sometimes you aren't sure they put any in. Solid place to go sit down for Mexican food with friendly service and offering tootsie pops at checkout. read more

For several years I heard what a great restaurant this was. My wife and I were finally able to give it a try last night, I have to say that I was quite disappointed overall. First I have to say that the restaurant is quite dark inside. It's extremely difficult to read your menu, and I felt like the waiter was rushing us along to make up our minds on what to order. They brought out some chips and salsa with guacamole and then apparently their world famous warm salsa, which I don't think I would call world-famous. It is very lacking in flavor and you also have to pay for it! We asked the waiter what he recommended and he recommended the grilled chicken bowl which both my wife and I ordered. We found that it was very lacking in flavor and I actually needed a lot of extra salsa and guacamole added to it. When I asked for some spicier salsa, I was given a bottle of standard Chalupa sauce. We also had a couple of the margaritas The spicy pineapple was very good but very small and for $11 I felt like it was a bit of a rip off compared to other Mexican restaurants in the area. Generally speaking I wasn't happy with it and I probably won't be going back. read more

Having read some of the recent reviews I was worried. We had a lot of take out from Chez Jose during the pandemic and after,We always enjoyed our meals. This Friday we went for dinner in the restaurant with our daughter and grand daughter. The servers were friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and the ambience was the same as it always has been for the many years we have gone there. A delicious and fun evening with good food , delicious margaritas and excellent service. Thank you for still being our favorite Mexican restaurant! read more