I don't pretend to understand how they are cooking and seasoning the carne asada here - if I knew I'd be making it at my house instead of writing this review. What I do know is that the only other place I've tasted it this good was Mexico. It's incredibly rich, savory, fatty, toothsome, and browned, with a deep flavor I can only describe as the equivalent of "wok hei", or, "breath of the wok" - the Cantonese way to describe the taste of the skillful, perfect cooking method itself. The other food we had was good, but the carne asada is truly exceptional, clearly the best in Clatsop County by a large margin. Visit this place and get a carne asada burrito - it'll make a believer out of you in one bite. read more

Update: 7/31/25 Second visit might be our last. Service is just bad. Chips weren't fresh (beginning to think this is common at Montealban). Avocados were fresh, but the refried beans were runny, almost like soup. read more

Montealban - Breakfast burrito with bacon (look hard). $9. - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

Food freaking delicious, big portions friendly service. Love love. Highly recommend with a Mexican coke. read more

Montealban - Tlayudas and mole, big portions amazing food, what else could you want! Freaking delicious! Must try. - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

BEST FOOD EVER everything is fresh enchiladas are fresh guacamole is literally the best everything melts in your mouth. read more

Montealban - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

We had fajitas and they are great! Servic3 is outstanding. The Margaritas were not so good, but we will go backand i bet they will make them better. Don, Wedding Officiant Don@ dgweddingbliss.com read more

Montealban - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

Came to the area in the winter, and most places weren't open late, which can be a struggle when you're going point-to-point on a road trip. Luckily, this place was open at an unassuming part of town. The folks were super friendly and had superb recommendations, especially the more authentically Oaxacan items. The tlayuda is huge, piled with avocado and meat, and definitely enough for two. Their plates have very generous portions as well. Coming from California I'm usually skeptical of Mexican food when not in southwestern states. This place is definitely legit! read more

I had the Chimichanga, and my brother had the Carnitas Plate. Both were absolutely delicious!

Terrible food, my fiancée and I ordered from them and it was disgusting. And when we wanted a refund the manager was incredibly rude to us. I will never eat gear again, it made me puke it was so gross. read more

Ate at the stand at Ilwaco Saturday Market, had the three tacos. VERY good! Cook talked me into having one spicy pork. Recommend it. Imagine the restaurant is even better. read more

Great breakfast burritos at Montealvan in Astoria! The food is always fresh and flavorful, and the portions are generous. Service is friendly, and it's a great spot for a quick, tasty breakfast. Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

From the outside this spot can definitely appear a little off-putting, but the interior is very nicely decorated with an authentic Mexican flair. Friendly staff, reasonable prices, and good food. -Giant Burrito (beef): 3/5, not necessarily "giant" in anyway but a regular sized burrito with a good amount of toppings and meat. Flavored well, but nothing to write home about. -Chicken Tacos: 3/5, these were alright. Again, nothing spectacular but they were good. Would've been a lot better in a corn tortilla as opposed to flour in my opinion. Chicken was a bit dry, but overall not bad. Overall, I'd say if you're in the general area it's worth a stop in for some decent Mexican food. Authentic flavor, and reasonable prices. Happy we came in. read more

Just enjoyed their chicken and pork tamales at the Ilwaco Saturday market. They were so good with all the toppings. Recommend any of their authentic Mexican Food. I am from San Antonio and these tamales remind me of home. read more

I called for a pick up order about an hour before they closed and it took 20 mins for pick up. I got chilaquiles with scrambled eggs, caldo de pollo and combination #1 with a chicken taco, pork tamale, and pork sope. I am a chilaquiles snob lol. They were okay. I give them 3 stars. The tortilla chips were too soggy they had no bite to them and the salsa underneath was underwhelming. It was a tad better by adding the salsa they gave me Togo. The soup was very bland, I had to add some seasonings to it to add some flavor. I give it 3 stars. The taco was very basic. I wouldn't suggest it. Similar to a fast food place taco. The sope was interesting. I've only seen them smaller almost bite size street food style. This one was huge. It had no bite too it either and had way too much lettuce, my husband thought it was a salad lol. The tamale wasn't that good either. Very bland. The tortilla didn't taste homemade. Maybe I caught them too close to closing, but no better quality than the store bought. The two people working were very nice however and the decor inside is traditional Mexican style and lovely. read more

See all

Tamales were great, homemade salsa on point, and margaritas were big, cheap and delicious. read more

Montealban - Margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

Wow. I'm so glad I tried this place - one of the best Mexican breakfasts I've ever had. (And I lived in Texas so that's saying a lot!) Gorgeous, huge, piping hot house-made corn tortillas, perfect huevos a la Mexicana with rice and black beans, excellent house-made sauces -- and beautiful interior. Do yourself a favor and stop in!! read more

Montealban - Huevos à la Mexicana with house-made corn tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

This place is amazing. Iced tea was fresh and strong. The salsas were unique and great. The chicken torta was one of the best I've ever had.

Absolutely fabulous homemade tortillas! I came in for lunch and grabbed a half dozen fresh tortillas to go. They make them to order! They are delicious, soft, warm, rustic and remind me of traveling in Oaxaca. Friendly ladies and quaint dining room. Oh-- The refried beans are perfect, too. read more

Delicious food from the Oaxaca region of Mexico full of amazing flavors. Very friendly service and a lovely restaurant! I am definitely going to miss it! read more

Astoria is the luckiest small town because they have this restaurant to enjoy! We always make a trip to Montealban when we come to Astoria, the staff is so nice, and the food is so good! We've tried many things on the menu, my fave is the Milanese de Pollo. The corn tortillas are made in house, and they are spectacular! The house made hot sauces are also quite good. My husband is a very adventurous eater, and has tried quite a few things from the menu, all of which have been wonderful! They also make a very serviceable margarita, if you're in the mood for a bit of libation. read more

SO GOOD OMG. Randomly stopped by on our way back to WA from the coast and it was incredible. Lots of fixins, flavor, and melty cheese. Decent prices and large portions! read more

Montealban - Quesadilla!!!! - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

Extremely good chimichanga. Great flavor hot sauces. Margarita was good. Will definitely be returning

I got the fish tacos and when I added the green salsa to them, WOW! Really good food here guys. Also got a regular margarita, got me real drunk just how I like it. Five stars well deserved! read more

The food is amazing! This is the best Mexican food I've had in a long time. The service was very attentive I never had to wait. It's super cute inside it really feels like your in a Oaxaca house waiting for a meal read more

Wow! I had a great experience at Montealban. Everything was awesome. To start, the interior decoration is super charming and I love the live plants twining all over the place. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted, invited to pick out a table, and given menus and water. The menu is expansive, containing all the usual Mexican fare plus a lot of unusual offerings. Our server was really kind answering questions about dairy content in the food and helped me pick out and modify a dish that contains things I said I was craving while avoiding dairy. The food was absolutely delicious (even with the dairy removed), with filling portion sizes and a reasonable price tag. The ensalada de nopales (cactus salad) was so fresh and crisp, making a great pairing with my enchiladas verdes. So good. Would gladly do again if I'm ever back in the Astoria area! read more

Montealban - Enchiladas verdes (minus dairy) in the foreground. All the food was great! - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

See all

definitely is the beat food ever taste in USA. A small singular very Mexican place in the middle of nowhere. I travel a lot and I totally recommend this restaurant. MONTEALBAN. a very singular taste of real Mexican food. read more

Montealban - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

See all

Only reason for the 4 star is the black beans were a bit over salted. Authentic Oaxacan style food at it's finest. My belly was happy!! Not only were the tortillas homemade, but the hot sauces had excellent flavor. I had chicken that was perfectly seasoned, nopales (cactus) salad, and as mentioned black beans. I will definitely return to this place next time in Astoria!! read more

Montealban - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

We moved here from the SF Bay Area recently and it had been a minute since we had been out to Mexican food and oh my god was it glorious to find a place this good so close to our new home. The food was divine, handmade corn tortillas are a really special touch. The staff is friendly and professional, the atmosphere is both cozy and festive. My husband, son and I all ordered different entrees and everything was delicious. It's also very reasonably priced. We look forward to making this our new regular place to go when we want (incredible and authentic) Mexican food. read more

They deserve 100 stars, 5 is simply not enough! The al pastor is flavorful and crispy; the tamales are to die for; the carne asada tacos are amazeballs with the freshest tortillas; their tortas are bigger than your face with the freshest bread; the taquitos dorados are incredible, my only complaint is that I can't get them with al pastor instead of chicken; but the chicken mole -- tear off a piece of warm tortilla and scoop up some chicken for a bite sized morsel of chocolately and flavorful goodness! If I lived closer and could afford it, I'd eat here 7 days a week. You won't find a more authentic and original Mexican restaurant in the area, don't sleep on this one!!! read more

The food was excellent! One of the best tamales i ever had and Great tortilla on the tacos. Everything had great flavor. Love the aesthetic here aswell. Service was great. Would love to come back here again. read more

One star for false advertising. I was excited to order at a restaurant that advertised vegan items on the outside window but there weren't any designated vegan items on the menu. Ordered a dairy free veggie burrito only to receive a dairy-full burrito. Our server was very young and well-meaning, no complaints with her attempt to help. Not a stop for vegans/vegetarians. read more

Our first sit down experience since Covid hit. Staff was great, you could hear laughter and happiness in the kitchen. We were only one of two couples in the place and they seat us far apart. I felt comfortable with the experience. The food was good. A little different than the regular places. I had the green bean Tamales and my husband had the giant burrito. Overall great place and good upbeat music. read more

See all

I was a bit worried when reading the menu. There isn't an appetizer section. Things like tacos and nachos were only on the lunch menu. I was in the mood for cheese and wanted quest fundido with my shrimp fajitas. They were very accommodating and put cheese on my shrimp which were perfectly spiced and cooked! My husband had the chicken mole. The chicken literally melted in my mouth. The mole sauce was excellent. read more

See all

My wife loves Mexican . Me not so much But I caved in and greed to try this place. I did not know what I had been missing. The menu offers a lot of great traditional dishes. The service great in-spite of The fact they were under staffed. The portions are large so consider splitting meals or plan on taking some home . It l seems like everything is cocked to order so don't plan on grabbing a taco and hitting the road. Look past the gravel parking lot and the age of the building this place is the real deal and worth your consideration! read more

Great food, drinks could use a little more. Nice staff. Food is very fresh, hot, well plated, very good portions and polite staff.

Hey, this restaurant is worth the short drive to the edge of town. I had the carnitas plate, and it was remarkable. The carnitas was well seasoned and moist....it's easy to dry the meat out. And, there were fresh tomatoes, cilantro, and onion, and roasted peppers and green onion to scoop up onto the freshly homemade tortillas with the carnitas. I think the beans on the side were homemade. I don't know Oaxaca regional food, but I bet this is pretty authentic. read more

They have a sign out that says they make the best tamales. They did not lie!! I ordered the pork tamales with green mole sauce and a side of beans. The tamales were truly the best I've ever had. Mind you I grew up in Southern California, close to the border and like to think I know what good authentic Mexican food is. The refried beans were not over cooked and not too salty. They were amazing as well. My son had the burrito plate with beef. The burrito was also amazing and he thought the beans were great as well. The hubby had the chicken soft tacos with homemade tortillas. No doubt they were homemade. Another meal I highly recommend. Do yourself a favor and don't pass this place up! read more

I have been to Oaxaca many times. I have had real authentic mole. There is nothing that really compares, but, I have to say, this comes damn close. This is the only mole within the US that has brought me back to Mexico. The owner is polite and kind, service is quick and efficient, the place decorated appropriately (pirate ship painting on the wall?), the prices reasonable for a sit-down place. Five stars. Eat here. read more

Montealban - Authentic mole! - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, Oregon

See all

Hands down best sit down Mexican restaurant in Astoria with La Cabana de Raya a close second. I have not yet tried the new one on the Riverwalk, El Jarocho. One big word: MOLE! If you are a mole purist, you're in for a treat! Mole negro particularly, these owners know what they're doing. They are from Oaxaca originally -- mole capital of the world -- and it is obvious! Their Pollo En Mole Negro is the absolute best, but why stop there? You can order just about anything and slather this heavenly sauce all over it. I know mole negro might not be everyone's thing, so believe me when I tell you their pork tamales with green sauce, aka mole verde, are excellent! Went in for breakfast not too long ago -- who thinks of Mexican restaurants being breakfast places most of the time, but do it! Their chilequiles with carne asada plate rocks! And there are many more breakfast options to try. They even have standard American fare if you're in the mood for that. Ambience is the best! This place brings me right back to El Norte as if plopped right down in Oldtown San Diego. Beautiful wood-carved tables and booths, leafy tendrils climbing the colorful walls. The only reason I think La Cabana is a close rival atmosphere-wise is because it is river adjacent. Other than that, this place wins in every category. Service is lovely! Prices are reasonable. My only caveat is the nachos could use improvement. Other than that, did you know they don't charge a corkage? Yep, you read that right. Enjoy! read more

We were in Oregon for a mini vacation & went to check out the town of Astoria. I am 6 months pregnant and was wanting some Mexican food in hopes of finding some real, close to authentic tacos. I found this place via Yelp & at first we were like hmmmm, should we try it. HECK YEAH, we were soooooooo glad we did! The tortillas are homemade, tacos HUGE & the beans, YUMMMM! I was in pregnant girl craving heaven. If we happen to ever be in Astoria again, we will 100% go to this restaurant! read more

Some of the best Mexican food we've ever had. Tamale, sope, burrito, chili relleno, quesadilla--all amazing. Super flavorful meats, etc. - our family of 3 all give 5 stars. Had to purchase some of their amazing red sauce to take home!!! Will definitely be back when we visit Astoria again!! read more