Portales Taqueria

One of my fav taco spots! $3.50 for a taco. I always get one steak, one chicken, and one carnitas. They have these super yummy 'special' chips that they only cook on certain days. I was disappointed one day as I thought they had them every day but they said to just call next time to find out if they're selling them that day! The lady who takes your order is so nice and friendly. And I love the color and decorations inside, especially being a Raiders fan :) Be sure to check them out when you're in CV!

(1.5 out of 5) 3/10I'm gonna start with the positives... the hospitality here is great, the lady thata always there in my opinion is the only reason this place is still standing, the food isn't good, they are nestled right in the middle of the Castro valley BLVD. but overall, this place is carried by the service and hospitality given to you.

Ordered take out and the lady on the end receiving my order was super nice!we had 6 tacos (2 steaks, 2 chorizo(?), 2 al pastor) and nachos.we weren't sure if we got chorizo or al pastor because honestly they look the same and tasted the same. A good portion of meat tho! I was expecting a title more onions since other places add more.The nachos were also pretty dry, an unholy amount of beans were on it, more beans than meat. The guac is a little weird since it's completely smooth and was warm.Overall I think it's alright, I wouldn't come back/anything spectacular

Picked up a sandwich from next door and decided to check this place out as well due to the good reviews. Was it a red flag that it was completely dead inside? Maybe.I ordered an Al Pastor Super Burrito to-go. This included a small bag of tortilla chips, pico de gallo, and a salsa. It was ready really quickly. Noticed the burrito looked small for a super burrito through the bag but whatever. When I got home, I cut the burrito in half and realized that their version of a super burrito is not the same as everywhere else? It was only meat, beans, rice, and onion. My fault for not reading the fine print in the menu lol. But I was missing the guac and sour cream. I chose Al pastor bc one yelper mentioned it was crispy, but it was actually mushy. Flavor was just ok. Everything in the burrito was one texture. One thing I did like about it was that it wasn't overly oily and the woman at the counter was really nice, however don't think I'll be coming back.

Came here for lunch on Thursday around 1pm and it was pretty empty. Parking is tough as to be expected. The inside is the restaurant has bright colors and a few tables. There are some outdoor seating as well. I ordered a bunch of items - 3 wet burritos, 1 super quesadilla, taco plate, and shrimp & steak fries. The lady that took my order told me it'll take 15 minutes so I wandered around outside for a bit and came back. When I came back, she was packing up the food. Since the order was well over $15, I had a good amount of chips and salsa for free. I had a wet burrito with pastor, no beans and it was pretty decent. Loved that it came with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa on top. It was very pretty! I did not like how there wasn't any pico de gallo or any type of salsa inside. So overall it was decent and at a decent price as well. I also had some shrimp & steak fries and due to getting it to go, it was crispy anymore. I was a little disappointed that it didn't have salsa on top either. It has some cheese and sour cream on it only. It's better than some other places but definitely has room for improvement. The one person who ordered carnitas meat did say the carnitas was very juicy and tender. Maybe I'll try that next time!

If you know anything about me, you will know that I absolutely love love love tacos. When I found out that Portales serves Birria tacos on the weekends, I had to stop by and give it a try. I was not very hungry, but there is nothing wrong with ordering an al a cart taco and enjoying a meal with friends. My Hubs ordered the Birria taco platter and he cleaned his plate. The platter came with rice and beans and there are chips available to munch on while you wait for your meal. The salsa was fresh and the customer service was so personable and you could definitely taste the love and care put into making the food. My brother and sister in law swear by this place and will rarely eat Mexican food anywhere else. I would agree with them that this truly is a Castro Valley Gem to be explored. See you soon Portales.

Ordered a super burrito because Yelp menu doesn't have updated menu . I went back into the restaurant and told the nice lady in front my burrito was missing cheese, sour cream and guacamole and she remade it for me . She also let me know that is called a supreme burrito there. Hopefully Yelp can update their existing menu with current food and pricing

I came with mission to try out the fish tacos. I order three fish tacos and one shrimp tacos to satisfy my curiosity and my cravings. The fish tacos were not what I expected. I was expected tilapia fish shredded meat with some hot spicy salsa and sauce with lime wedges. It came as deep fried fish with lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce. The sauce was kicking my tongue pretty good. It went very well with the fish itself. My first fish taco bite had warm tortilla but second and third ones were cold like it just came out from refrigerator. That was my only complaint. The service was always great. Here are pics for your curiosity as well.

I've been working in the general area now for a few months and ventured off to what seemed to me was downtown Castro Valley. Initially, I saw a deli and figured to give it a try but once I walked in they were slammed (which is a good thing) but I had a small window to grab lunch so I stumbled upon this place. They to were fairly busy but I managed to walk in with no one in line. The lady that greeted me at the counter was extremely nice promptly taking my order, about 5 min later she walked my food over to me and I started to indulge and ended up finishing the whole thing which for means it was really good. When you put good service together with good food you'll almost never go wrong. I highly suggest to give this place a shot cause i know I'll be visiting again soon!!

I love their burritos and their chips are the best! Love her hospitality as well. This is definitely my go to spot in CV when I'm craving a delicious Mexican meal