La Calaca Comelona

Let me preface by saying that I like the restaurant.The regular menu, if a bit expensive, is delicious and creative. The decor is inspired in the Day of the Dead and Frida Kahlo. The cocktails are yummy and original but very light in the alcohol. The happy hour (8pm-10pm) is a total joke: the portions are so tiny that Papa Smurf would come out hungry. It's laughable. I wish I had taken a picture. The server even suggested us to order more, when my SO and I ordered a few happy hour items to share. We declined but got a good laugh when the food arrived, it was so surreal. Of course we needed to order more from the regular menu. And they bring you ""salsas"" but no chips. Unless you are in a severely restrictive diet or are a small, low-appetite smurf...skip the happy hour. more

If you have never eaten south of the boarder,stay home and don't write reviews on what you have no clue about. I was born in East L.A. and raised in the LBC, I've spent most my adult years in Tucson,AZ. I have dined at the best resturants from Mexicalli to Juarez,from Hermosillo to Basaseachi, M?xico. Even Tucson has no resturant comes anywhere close to the real thing,the true taste and flavor of real home made food on a plate,not served like a carnaval snack. Only in America can someone drop food into a vat of hot grease and call it food. Note in Mexico burros are pet in a fenced yard not a staple.If you don't like their Margaritas, then order a real Mexican drink. Try ""The flag"" with the best tasting freashly made sangria. But if you're the Corona with a lime kinda drinker stay home and drink your Coors,if you only knew why they serve limes with their beer,you would still be drinking mother's milk. more

This really was one of the worst restaurant experiences i have had in recent memory. The server who greeted us and waited on us was angry and put-upon the whole time because we had a large group (even though we had a reservation). He was very vocal about his unhappiness from the moment we arrived and acted put-upon that we were there. To his credit the food came pretty quickly, despite his incredibly poor attitude. The food--which is kind of expensive-- was nothing to write home about. This is not fine Mexican food by any stretch. The margarita was mostly ice and also mediocre. I recommend Nuestra Cocina on Division. Wonderful service and amazing food at about the same price as this very disappointing place. more

We picked this restaurant as a place to meet to celebrate our friend getting a good job! We arrived, were seated, but then had no service for almost half an hour. Then, we asked for our drinks, they took almost another 20 minutes to bring them and then didn't ask if we wanted to order. Sitting there for almost 50 minutes, we started wondering if they had food at all! Then the wait staff came by, asked if we wanted to order, we have food allergies to dairy, nightshade and onions and we talked to our server about our options on the menu. We decided to order an app and selected the Guac as an appetizer, only to find out that it was about 2 slices worth of avocado and then tomatoes and onions spread thinly across the plate! This was directly following the conversation that we couldn't eat these! So, very expensive quac for little avocado and not thinking through our order in reference to the conversation. I was so sad. I love Guac. Then we ordered food, which the rest of our party loved, but mine supposedly listed on the menu as having came with avocado which I asked for because it was missing and I was promptly brought 1 slice of avocado on a plate. Really? Really??? Also the happy hour it turns out is only good inside, where it's hot. Outside, you pay full price for a lack of service! Comelona, your food was sooo good, your outside seating was amazing, but your penny pinching on the details and your shoddy wait staff hurts me. I'm in a quandry how to rate you. I'll give you a 3, but that's just cuz the food was very good and different from your average Mexican fare. more

Disappointed to say the least? We were immediately seated as we walked in the door and which is typically a good sign. In this case it was the last good sign. We then sat at our table near an open door, in Portland with 50 degree temperatures and a slight breeze blowing, with water for nearly ten minutes as the bartender ?Josh? walked directly in front of us, not once asking if we would like something to drink. We asked if the door could be closed as the restaurant was cold. No, problem! Door closed?Then reopened five minutes later when the staff decided it should be opened. At this point I was ready to leave. Our waiter finally entered the bar where he had seated us and asked if we were ready to order. I ordered a chips and salsa and a Margarita as suggested by many. The only Mexican place in town not to serve chips and salsa. The Margarita was served. Ehhh, Margarita in a rocks glass? Extremely small and absolutely no Tequila. I have a Margarita at every Mexican restaurant I visit and this was definitely a $5.50 house Rita with no alcohol. We ordered an appetizer of Fresh Guacamole and Tortillas. This was good! After the ?no chips, no salsa, no Tequila? policy I decided against ordering an $18-$23 entr?e and go with a sandwich for $7.50. Pros: Food was warm. Cons: Service, Service, Service more

I was introduced to La Calaca Comelona by a family member who has lived in the metro area for about 14 years. She and her husband (a relatively well known PDX food blogger and restaurateur think extramsg) have traveled several times to Mexico on ""food trips"" and they really have an eye for the best places in town. Walking up to the place I was pleased by the murals and sculptures outsize and upon entering the interior was equally authentic and fun. I don't drink alcohol so usually I'm disappointed at ""Mexican"" places because often the menu consists of the same old combo plates and the obligatory burritos the size of my arm along with tons alcoholic drinks. I was thrilled that they have decent collection of non-alcoholic liquados on the menu. Another thing that I loved about the menu was that is was different from many Mexican restaurants in that there are several different moles on the menu and no burritos. The other menu items are equally delicious owing to the ingredients and preparation. I am not a big meat-eater so I have not tried all of their meat items so I can't vouch for those. My family member brought me there but I've gone back for the food and the feeling that I'm in Mexico again. One con I have though (which is a small con) is that it is sort of tucked away in SE instead of downtown. But a benefit of that is that the prices are reasonable (with the acceptation of the most expensive items on the menuPr Pros: Love the food and the liquados Cons: location more

La Calaca Comelona has come a long way since it's little spot on 11th, but they still won't serve you a burrito (and this is a good thing). Pros: Tasty authentic ingredients Cons: Rickety outdoor patio, some overpriced dishes more

We decided to go there w/my husbands mom who was visiting from Denver. We took our three-year old son with us and asked to sit on the patio. The hostess told us we could not sit on the patio. When we asked why she said that children can't run around on the patio. I then asked, do you not allow children at all or is it that he can't run around? And she rudely replied that they absolutely just do not want chilren on the patio. So, we sat inside on a beautiful, sunny, high 80's day. There is also nothing on the menu for kids, I had to ask for a cheese quesadilla. I am not fond of out of control children either, but the rudeness was not necessary and the food wasn't good enough to make me go back. Pros: Good, interesting food Cons: Patio isn't kid-friendly; pricey; rude staff more

really cool setting, nice servers, interesting drinks - something snake with avocado? who woulda thunk. Pros: food, happy hour, drinks Cons: you can't sit outside to get happy hour food. more

Great food, wonderful atmosphere. Love coming to eat here. I absolutely love the margaritas, cadillac is my favorite-the house mix is not too sweet or sticky. Highly recommend this place. Pros: margaritas, food awesome patio Cons: can get pretty packed more

Me, my girlfriend, and her friend went there to grab a bite before a movie. We were in a hurry so the staff was friendly and able to accommodate us. The Latin music was nice but loud enough that we had trouble carrying a conversation. I loved the artwork and the punchy colors in this place. We decided to go with the veggie quesidillas which was basically one item, cheese, and only one tortilla folded in half (which we didn't learn until after our dish arrived). It was $7 each for this tiny portion. I thought it was pricey and was expecting a two full size tortillas. While they had some neat options to put in your quesidilla, they were not evenly distributed in my girlfriends. She ordered the chipotle chili ones and there were very few in there. I got the cactus one and that was better proportioned Their drinks were very tasty. I got something called the green snake which was mint, gin, lime, sugar, and some other stuff in there. My gf got a fruity drink that reminded me of an Orange Julius. We had asked the waitress for extra sauce since they brought out a tiny portion to share among the 3 of us and she forgot it. We were in a hurry so we didn't ask again. This was my first experience but I thought the staff was friendly, the ambiance was something I would expect to see in Mexico so it was appropriate. They could turn down the music a little and their food was boring tasting and sorta bland. I've had better Mexican food in PDX, so I probably won't go back there again unless it's for drinks. Pros: Punchy colors, nice artwork on the walls, friendly staff Cons: Pricey food for the small portions, loud, ok service more

I read about this is a happy hour guide book that gave it a 10/10 and invited my coworkers and friends along. Turns out happy hour is only in the bar, which is a very tiny space in the back. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun, but the drinks were pretty watered-down and my coworkers had to sit in the front room and pay full-price for dinner at 8:30pm. It seems pretty silly to me to have an appetizer cost $8 in one section of the restaurant and then, a few feet back, have it cost $5. I mean, it was Friday night and the place was pretty empty by around 9pm. You'd think they'd want to get rid of their grasshoppers at that point, right? Pros: Tasty food, good ambience Cons: Watered-down drinks, no space for happy hour more

I have mixed feelings about La Calaca, because I love the food but I hate the service. Been here several times and have experienced rude servers who run around frantically like chickens with their heads cut off, even when it's not busy. Literally RUNNING through the bar and acting too busy to serve you. We were actually told that we could not stand in the bar--we had to be sitting down while we waited for our table. Our margaritas and mojito were terrible--totally watered down. Another couple returned their drinks while we were sitting there. If you can stand the service and avoid the cocktails, the food is great! The most authentic I've found so far in P-town. Be sure to try the pork in black sauce, puerco negro, I think it's called. Absolutely fantastic. The patio is wonderful, too. more

If you are looking for increadible mexican food at a decent price try this 23rd and belmont favorite. Weekends can be a little packed and sevice can be a little better earlier in the week. Waitstaff is friendly and efficiant and the portions are good sized for the dinners ""try the sarape "". The cadilac margarita Is choice and the chi can is one of the most interesting drinks that I have ever tried. p.s. they dont have chips and salsa or burritos Pros: exelent food Cons: a bit of a wait more

I love this place. Not the best Mexican I've ever had, but the whole experience has been pleasurable every time I've visited. The service is friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is just plain cool -- including the wonderful outdoor utopian patio. I've had tacos and sopes, as well as their fantastic ceviche and hearty meat skillets. Everything I've eaten is wonderful, but probably my favorite item on the menu is the spinach tortilla appetizer. They give you fresh onion, red and green hot sauce, and cilantro making this simple handmade fresh tortilla perfectly tasty. The crickets are worth trying just for the hell of it, but I certainly wouldn't get it every time. I did learn one very important lesson from the crickets: anything with chili and lime can taste good, even if it has small scratchy legs. Not too impressed by the drinks, but the smoothies and fresh horchata are totally awesome! It's a total experience. Pros: patio, variety, service Cons: drinks and happy hour more

Despite all of the negative reviews on here, my friends and I tried this place for a birthday celebration. We made a reservation for a party of 12 the day prior. When I got there, the host/waiter said that there was no reservation for us and further, that they could not accomodate a party of 12. He said that he was the only person that had been there the day before so we could not have possibly made a reservation. Pros: Good food Cons: Everything else more

The food was very fresh and the prices were reasonable. Don't go there if you are looking for Tex-Mex, this is very good ""Mexican"" food! Pros: Excellent food for a reasonable price, nice atmosphere Cons: Small, so it can get crowded more

Bitchen food. So-so mixed drinks. Margaritas should be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy better. Better margaritas at many other non-Mexican joints. Some excellent lighter-fare dishes. Had a very nice red-snapper empenada thing. Like a giant fish fritter. Cool outdoor patio seating. Pros: Authentic food, interesting, non-traditional menu, environs Cons: Drinks could be far better more

As self-proclaimed connoisseurs of authentic Mexican cuisine, my husband and I decided to favor the good reviews of this restaurant and give it a try. We're so glad we did!! It was positively excellent. Although the prices were high, the service, atmosphere, drinks and food made up for it completely. I would definitely go there again. (There are choices on the menu that will not break your bank as well.) However, when we were there, the menu said that happy hour started at 8pm, and there was no pond on the patio. Not having expected these things, nothing dissappointed us on our visit. Pros: Food, drinks, service, atmosphere Cons: ? prices are a little steep, but worth it more

After reading a really nasty review, I decided to write one of my own, because my experience was quite unlike theirs, although I do agree with a couple of things. I love the decor, the bar is quite cozy and pleasant, with my table near the fireplace. Service was prompt and friendly, even though we had several late arrivals, and ordered things one at a time, which I know, as a former service industry employee, makes the table "" high maintenance"". I love the avocado salad, and the pork tacos were so good, I ordered more, they are highly addictive. I do agree with some reviews that this place is overpriced on some items, and the ceviche was very fishy tasting. I tried the grasshopper appetizer, thinking what the heck, and it was gross. I felt like I had a mouth full of, you guessed it, insects! Pros: Decor, service, tacos Cons: parking more