Every Mexican restaurant gives you a window into somebody's abuela's kitchen, and Porton is no exception. Cross the threshold, open the "gate" and try your favourite classics. I love that tacos are so de-rigure that they forgot to even add them to the menus (that's been fixed)! Their Pastor is fantastic, the service friendly (they even limp along and tolerate my bad Spanish), and the salsas are bright and flavourful! They have an extensive "pesces" menu (perhaps aimed at ovservant Friday and Lenten Catholics) of seafood offerings--I cannot speak to them further, as I was raised beside the Pacific Ocean and do not eat seafood 2000 miles away from the sea. The ambience is typical of a taco-joint: formica tables and sliding chairs; nothing fancy, but not a place you'd loathe eating. They do a swift business at primary meal times; but I have never had to wait for a table or had food to take too long to arrive. Carry-out is similarly swift whether you order ahead (online pr by phone) or pop in for takeaway. They accept card payments; including tap. There is an offering of beers and traditional "aquas Frescas," like horchata and jamaica, as well as some Jaritos sodas and Coke products. Very handy spot worth a couple visits a month for sure. read more

Great food! Would waitress! Always visit when we come back. Tortas, tacos and enchiladas with spicy salsa- Yum!

Small place... no bar but bottled beer available- food is great- servers so great. Salsa is amazing and good food for the price. read more

Taqueria El Porton - Guac - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Food is great, not happy at all with the phone system, I don't think they want to talk to customers, I guess I'll find a new place to get my Mexican, fired!!! Not happy with robot service, can't talk to a person to order your meal a certain way is just dumb! read more

We stopped in while on a road trip. We passed up a Mexican restaurant right by our hotel and chose this instead. Good choice! Service was very pleasant and quick and portions were generous. I had the chimichanga with pork and hubs had his usual burrito. Excellent and best of all was their amazing salsa. Too bad we live so far away. read more

Authenticity at it's finest. Excellent food for the value. The employees are always friendly. Delivery is ridiculously fast! Best choices, burria taco, sope, menudo, ceviche, not necessarily in that order. The seating area is quaint, but I do believe they cater? Also a variety of beers to choose from. read more

The best breakfast burritos in Bloomington!!!! Great portions at a great price and amazing service

Great birthday meal! We had a small guacamole, table chips and salsa, both delicious and fresh. Chips were crisp, but not too salty. I had the combination taco, quesadilla, and tostada with pastor. My wife had the chicken taco plate, both came with great rice and beans. Great verde and spicy red salsa. Service was prompt and polite! We will be back! read more

Taqueria El Porton - Combination and taco plate. - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

food was good, only thing i didn't care for was the portion of salsa. They could've given more, service was decent better than most places. kinda noisy but that's just because it was busy. food was hot and well prepared read more

I had some eye issues and this place is only two blocks from the eye clinic. This place makes me not unhappy to spend more time in the neighborhood. It will make unfortunate trips to the eye doctor much more pleasant. I've been here a couple times and have been working through their taco menu. The basics, like carne asada and chicken tacos are great! All tacos get double corn tortillas, lime, lettuce, pick de gallo, and two kinds of red salsa on the side. My favorites, though, are the lengua (beef tongue) and chili rellenos tacos. So yummy. Brought a friend here on Father's Day and the place was packed. Easily the busiest restaurant in Bloomington! read more

Taqueria El Porton - Interior view - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

The place is always crowded; the amount of tables vs the floorspace is unusual. The food is pricey for what it is, and not having a real mexican taste. The staff is not customer oriented. There are better options in town for mexican food. This place is a NO GO read more

Absolutely love this small but really authentic gem of a Mexican restaurant. Starting out with delicious and spicy salsa is a treat. I could munch on it for a long time. On this particular visit, I got the bisteca con cammerones (garlic shrimp was my choice), and couldn't be happier. The butter from the shrimp and the onions on top was just a fantastic flavor. I highly recommend this dish and this restaurant! read more

Taqueria El Porton - Chips and Salsa - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Amazing food! Best carnitas and carne asada tacos I've had in town! Their salsas are no joke.

Great spot. I miss going to get food now that I'm back in California. All the ladies there are really nice and professional.

Well first off, there was a hair in my bag, then none of my 3 tacos had cilantro and onions, nor does it give you the option to add cilantro and onions...I used to order tacos from here all the time but quality has gone down. this is my last time ordering from here. read more

Taqueria El Porton - Hair found in the bag - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Not the best mexican food i have had, but not the worst. it was very average. The chimichanga was very average. Nothing more, nothing less. The chicken was eh, so I don't recommend getting that. They add this cheese that goes inside of it. Yeah no, make sure to take that off of the chimichanga. Probably the worst cheese i've had. But hey, the tomato was fresh, rice was really good, and the chips and salsa were really good as well. It's a very small place, but somehow decently comforting in a way. The service was fairly slow. We got in and out in about 45 minutes to an hour. However, the waiters were nice. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant. Authentic cuisine served by the best staff in town. You absolutely get the feeling that you're in a family business. Their al pastor tacos are the best in the city, and they offer a wide range of Mexican sodas, such as Coke, Sprite, and even Pepsi. Can't forget about the 32oz bottles of Corona Familiar, either. Whenever I am on an outing with friends at other Mexican restaurants in town, I spend the whole time wishing I was at El Porton. read more

Big chunks of lengua! Not sure if the tortilla were handmade, it was moist and not dry! Very good read more

Taqueria El Porton - Lengua taco - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Plate is pretty authentic. Caso here is Mexican style, not the fake kind. Will dine again. read more

Love their seafood tostadas. Their food is amazingly delicious. I would like to try their food options when I go but I keep getting the tostadas because they are so good. read more

You know it's a little grungy and a little unlit- but a solid place. Wasn't crazy good Salsa or queso- but the food a SOLID choice. Quesadilla was large and cheesy. Chimichanga delicious flavor. Wait staff was good even though busy. Margaritas came out of a can though. I'd get it to go again, however wouldn't go in to sit down. read more

Taqueria El Porton - Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Coming from Texas I was craving some authentic Tex-Mex. This is the place for it. Doesn't look like much but the authenticity makes up for it. Super fresh. read more

We are big fans of Taqueria El Porton. Their menu is delicious and very creative. Their food is authentic, and reliably amazing. They often win local awards for favorite Mexican restaurant. The dining space is small and cramped and a bit drafty, but who cares? Its a lively location near the university, so you get a mix of clientele. You are allowed to bring in your own wine. They also offer take out, so you can bring the fabulous flavors to the comfort of your own home. They serve a nice variety of beverages, too. And their soda fountain is perfectly calibrated for delightfully syrup flavored sodas. Yum. You must try the Chiri Pollo. The chicken with chorizo and white sauce are to die for. read more

We stopped by after reading the reviews on our way to St. Louis. The place looks authentic for sure and seating was hard to find at 5:30. The waitress was close to downright rude and I even saw other customers apologizing to her for asking to have the tables cleaned so that they could sit down. She was impatient. Anyway, the food looked really good and I did like that the inside of the menu had a lot of pictures. Prices are fair. Free chips though we waitress wasn't thrilled to bring us more salsa. The food was pretty flavorless. Skip the chicken tacos and do beef or pork instead. Large portions and rice and beans are like an extra $1.00. I would have given it three stars but the bathrooms were terrible. Smears of feces on the wall and other yellow dried shiny drips totally did it in for me. Sorry, totally needs a good cleaning. When I see that it makes me wonder about the kitchen. read more

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The food is fresh and delicious. The staff are all friendly and attentive. Theyre always busy and I have not been disappointed by anything I have tried here so far. read more

Best Tacos in the area IMO. Recommend calling ahead of time if you are picking up to go.

I was tired of Thanksgiving usual affair.. I could not past old favorite while in town.. I called in the usual order of side of guacamole and two steak tacos w/ rice and beans. I could hardly wait to dig in as the delicious aroma hit my nose as soon as I got back in car. I don't need to check my order prior to leaving the restaurant because I know my order will always be right from El Porton. I ordered two steak tacos with rice & beans. Side of guacamole. The generous amount guacamole puts Chipotle side order size the shame.. The steak tacos is juicy and delicious, comes with onion & cilantro. I have been eating here for years and make it point to visit every time I am in town.and it does not disappoint read more

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One of the best places in town for authentic Mexican cuisine! I'm never disappointed when I come here the food quality is always on point and you can expect it will always taste as it should; absolutely delicious. read more

4/5/15: When i walked into this place to eat, i felt like i was in Mexico. Great Mexican food. Great price for the food. If you order a soda, it will be served in a can, so there are no refills. I ordered a mexican burrito with rice and beans. I prefer Veracruz over this place for the taste, but this is a great option and less expensive for what i order. 9/7/17 Update: My experience here on 9/7/17 was amazing! It had been a while since I had been here and things changed! They now have soda refills and getting it in a can is not the only option! I ordered a chicken burrito with rice and beans. It was perfect. The burrito was large. After eating the complimentary chips and salsa and half of my burrito, I was full. However, the burrito tasted so good, I had to make room for the remaining half. I thought the chips and salsa were very average tasting, but the burrito was amazing! read more

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Oh my gawd, I would move to Bloomington just to be near this place! Seriously. If ya knew me, you would know I'm all about my Mexican food and my tacos so basically, you can call me an expert on the subject ;) This place is up there on the list now. After 2 hours on the Amtrak from the city, I was capable of eating a small child so I found this gem. I ordered the al pastor taco, the chorizo taco and the steak taco. Rice and beans can be added for $1.50 so um yeah! Tacos were packed with flavorful ingredients and just phenomenal. You won't be disappointed!! read more

Taqueria El Porton - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Great experience!!! Food & customer service weekends are starting to get crowded again Love this place!!!!

Pulled up and my daughter said this doesn't look like a place we should go. Decided to give it a try anyway and both glad we did. She had 3 asada tacos and loved them. I did the asada burrito. It was very good and filling. Only issue for me was the salsa was too hot to enjoy. But probably anyone else would think it was fine. read more

Really enjoyed this place. I really enjoyed the salsa and the green cheese enchiladas I got. The tortillas seem to be homemade which makes it even better read more

Food was great. A nice stop off the interstate. Would recommend it for anyone passing through town

Best Mexican restaurant in the area. This is authentic Mexican, not a chain and not Taco Bell. It's an independent local business. The pork tacos have cilantro and marinated pork and are my favorite. Their rice is seasoned and delicious. It's a small building but always people there because it's so so good. read more

Our family's favorite authentic Mexican restaurant. We lived in Tucson before moving here, so we were so happy to find El Porton. In addition to the great food, they have quick service and their fresh salsa is amazing (note/ you can purchase containers of their salsa). You can't go wrong here! read more

As good Mexican food as you can get in these parts. I've had the enchiladas and tortas and both were great! Their menu is pretty extensive so there's no lack of dishes to try. Prices are very low and portions are big! You get a lot of rice and beans. Service is always very quick, friendly and attentive! Glad to have finally found some good Mexican food! read more

I feel cheated now that I have been to this restaurant! I have never been her until this past weekend. I was getting together with some high school buds and by some stretch none of us has ever been here! How crazy is that?! I ordered the fajitas and they were just astounding! The fresh flavors and the beans and rice were out of this world! This place is authentic people! You have to try it to believe it! The chips are awesome and they keep them coming but watch the salsa. It's house made and bites back! The staff was friendly and very fast! We all left with full tummies and a new favorite place! Don't count them out for specials and lunch deals either! They have awesome deals! read more

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Stopped in for breakfast. Service was great, waitress was confident and attentive. Food was brought out hot with plenty of tortillas. Overall a great experience. read more

Wow! I was very pleased with the quality and quantity of the carne asada burrito. I went here while on a road trip and needed to get off the interstate for food, fuel and restroom break. The service was quick, they appeared to do a decent job of reducing capacity to provide social distancing. I would have like to take my time and explore the rest of the menu but that will have to wait until my next trip. The red salsa was the only one I tried and it was tasty. The food that others were eating looked great too. read more