This place wasn't very clean and the decor is a bit rough. I almost didn't eat here because of that. The food on the other hand was surprisingly good for the price with one very notable exception. The salsa was watery and had a bitter taste. I'm pretty sure salsa should not be bitter so lord knows what they did with it. read more

I went here for some margaritas with a friend as we had supper at La Carreta, but left as soon as we had eaten since we couldn't hear ourselves over the marchai singer. El Portal is owned by the same owners as La Carreta; however, El Portal decor is brighter and cheerier. El Portal seems like the better option is you have a large group. One word of caution, when you order the margarita make sure you state the size that you want otherwise you will get the 28 oz margarita. Normally, this would not have been problem except I needed to drive home. Needless to say, I need to leave some behind. read more

Seated quickly and ordered fast. Food fast and hot. Everything was good and service was also good. Large portions. Friendly staff. Cheap prices. Try it! read more

The food is always hot and fresh! Service is polite and quick! Best Mexican food I have had! Prices are decent! Need I say more! Go! What are you waiting for!!! read more

El Portal - Floutas! Excellent - Mexican Near Me - Marshalltown, Iowa

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The taco & enchilada combination dinner was quite good. The enchilada sauce was some of the best I have tasted. The white cheese in the taco was very good. The only negative item for me was the salsa served with the chips at the beginning of the meal. It had the consistency and taste of a bad ketchup. I suspect they could do much better with fresh tomatoes and peppers. read more

I loved this place when I lived in Marshalltown, but now that I've experienced REAL Mexican food and restaurants, this place is a disappointment. The chips and salsa are probably the highlight, everything else is bland and leaves me feeling crummy. I wish Maria's Tacos would open a restaurant, they would get all of my business when I'm visiting. read more

I have to consider where this restaurant is, which is smack dab in the middle of Iowa. Ergo, the customer base isn't going to want smoking hot food. These are farm folks here, kinda new to Mexican food. Thus, the salsa is super mild, and their hot sauce was a bit weird, dark and different, not so fresh. That being said, the menu is huge, with all kinds of offerings. Many good looking choices to be had. The food came quickly, and was composed of fresh and hot ingredients. While the chicken was a bit bland, and the plate presentation was decidedly messy, the portion was huge, more than I could eat at one sitting. A real value for the money. So what it lacked in seasoning it more than made up for in quantity and polite service. A great place to take the kids on a budget. Fast service, massive portions, and friendly staff. I predict that within just a few years, this restaurant will be moving out of their current strip mall location into either an abandoned Applebees or Denny's; or else opening into a new location. Going the way they're doing, they will need to expand into larger digs, for sure. Give them time, they're on the right track. Keep right on you guys, you're doing just fine! read more

Excellent food! I had the # 1 with a taco and 2 enchiladas. The meat is seasoned right. The salsa has the right amount of cilantro. Good job Estaban! read more

Seriously, Taco Johns would have been better. The only good thing was my margarita and it was just good, not great. The guacamole had a off green color and was pasty. About 60% of the chips were all clumped together instead of being individual. The salsa tasted like a can of stewed tomatoes with a few chunks of onions thrown in. Refried beans were overcooked and the rice was undercooked. The Carnitas just tasted like roasted pork they didn't have much flavor. The kids ordered chicken fingers and they kept forgetting to bring out their food, it finally came out about 10-15 minutes after my husbands and I received our food. The kids ate their fries but the chicken was so overcooked it was too hard for them to even bite into the chicken. My husband ordered flautas he said they weren't bad they weren't good he just ate about half of them and scraped out the middle. Restaurant wasn't busy looked like there was maybe one table of maybe 6 to 8 people and one other table with four people. We came during the week around three or 4 PM. I can't believe I'm giving a one star review of Mexican food is like my favorite. read more

Wow, the only good I can say about this place is that you get a cold frosty glass for your beer. This is the most bland tasteless mexi food I have ever eaten and the salsa even is tasteless like tomatoe sauce. But then again, this is marshal / mexi town Iowa and I guess most people here don't know any better as the place was busy. Save your money or just go to Taco Bell. read more

Impressively bad. Couldn't even enjoy the refried beans and rice. Bland, blech, beware of this place.

My family is a regular here and we love this place. Most of the servers know us well and the quality of food is usually really good. The only questionable parts are when ordering non-traditional Mexican food or if you have a server who's English isn't super strong. Great place though with plenty of parking, seating and a good location. read more

It was good although I have had better fajitas. Thought it would have come out on a fajita plate. Didn't. Husbands lunch enchiladas was cold. Good atmosphere. read more

I wish I could rate this place zero stars. Because really it doesn't deserve any! My husband and I love Mexican food! But this place was crap! The decro was crap, the service was crap, the food was crap and even made us crap! read more

Excellent. My family visits the resturant at least 2-3 times a month. The staff is always friendly and prompt. The food arrives very quickly and is always good. I have never had a bad experience here. In my opinion, the chips and salsa are the best in town. read more

Was very disappointed in the food and margaritas. My husband ordered the taco salad. The shell was burnt and the meat was heavily salted. The shrimp fajitas were hot, however the shrimp was also heavily salted. The margarita was the biggest disappointment which was a mix no tequila. You would think that a Mexican Restaurant would know how to do a traditional margarita. I could have eaten better for less at any fast food restaurant. read more

I used to come here at least twice a week when i went to the high school. The food is great for what small choices we have here in town, and the service is always great. You get your food fast and its always hot, their guac is pretty good and i loveeee their salsa because i hate chunky salsa. The prices are awesome and i love coming here on dates :) read more

The best Mexican food in town. Very friendly service. Food always comes extremely fast. Always tastes extremely good. The chips and salsa are to die for. Locals buy the chips and salsa without getting a meal because they are so fresh and unlike anything from a store. Authentic! El portal is definitely better than la caretta. El portal has recently expanded their restaurant and have a large party room available. I love their ground beef enchiladas. Their enchilada sauce is fantastic! read more

Great food and dinning experience. Fast and great service!! Food selection is awesome and so is the staff! Fast service lunch hour. A must have in Marshalltown read more