el porton cafe

afraid to let people know it's so good. el porton does not go out of its way to be known or discussed. it's tucked way back in a fairly empty strip mall off of roe, across from suburban lawn and garden, and those who do find their way back there are probably headed to brobeck's bbq and not el porton. but word of mouth is enough to keep this gem of a restaurant fully going, and its take on latin and cuban food is somewhat conservative in ingredients, but nonetheless some of the best food i have had. everything is made to order, and from all that i can detect (having eaten there regularly for over a year), most everything is made from scratch. the empanadas come out piping hot and beautifully fried to a golden crisp. what's inside--chicken or beef--has been expertly seasoned.arepascome in many varieties; my favorites are the vegetarian ones, such as fresh avacado and cheese. my kids love the chorizo arepas, too. the sandwiches are so tasty, particularly those that involve el porton's roasted pork. specials are wonderful: often a simply roasted, expertely seasoned chicken or pork served with black beans, rice, and a lovely salad of tender baby greens. my family swears that the tres leches cake is the best that they have ever had, and the portions of it and everything else are generous. live music on friday nights, and from what i can determine a bring your own wine policy makes this rather boring and hidden space come alive. "you're not in kansas anymore!" is what it feels like.

exceptional latin comfort food, exceptional price. i dined here for the first time today with my boyfriend, and i can easily say that we will be returning soon! the prices for the menu as a whole are very reasonable. we shared the bollitos de papa rellenos to start. they were so tasty! for being a deep fried appetizer, it wasn't too heavy. the sauce that accompanied it was fantastic. for lunch, we both gotarepasand split a side of rice. he got the ceviche & i had the de pabellon. the combination of tender pulled beef, sweet plantain, black beans & aged cheese was out of this world!! they also have excellent freshly squeezed juices (we had the mango).
my only complaint about the place was a slight language barrier between us & our server. it was slight enough to not impede ordering our meals; everything came out correctly. the ambience was lacking, but i did enjoy the pieces displayed on the walls. the servers were friendly & efficient. i am looking forward to returning soon.

very good. looking forward to returning often!. i went to el porton for the first time with my friend today. we were actually looking for a pupuseria that used to be in the same location, but when we saw it was venezuelan instead we were happy to go along with that.

i had the reina pepiada (arepa with chicken & avocado salad, $5) with the platanos maduros (sweet fried plantains $2) on the side and i thought they were outstanding. thearepasare a little softer and bigger than the ones i make at home, and i loved them. i think they are the griddled/baked kind rather than straight up fried kind.

i thought the plantains had great texture and flavor and i really liked the place. it's not so close to my house, but i know i will be back many times. i am really looking forward to taking out of town guests here for something special. the prices are reasonable and i had a filling lunch for only $7.60 (after tax, before tip).

i'm looking forward to trying some of the otherarepasvarieties, as well as the lechon, in future visits.

el porton's menu is a collection of classic dishes ranging fromarepasto picadillo (ground beef with potatoes, capers, olives, peppers and tomato sauce), both of which are considered quintessential comfort food. since the list ofarepaswas so long, and clearly a specialty, we ordered one to start.arepasresemble a sandwich made with white corn flour. they come with any number of fillings, including beans, beef, chicken and chorizo. our server recommended the arepa de guasacaca, which was essentially a chunky guacamole with diced tomatoes and a slice of queso fresco. i enjoyed the filling, but the "bread" was a bit dry

husband and i would recommend. latin american/caribbean food offered here. we enjoyed our first visit and sort of tried a few things all around the menu. we started with a beef empanada and a queso fresco arepas. loved the empanada and thought it stood up to others we had had in the past. thearepaswe were not too crazy about however there were a half dozen to select from and maybe we just made a bad choice. it was a griddle-warmed masa patty with thick slices of cold, white cheese inside. my husband can not pass up a cuban sandwich which is what his entree was and he enjoyed it, i had chicken in adobo sauce which was served with some fried plantain, rice, black beans and green salad. i thought it was all delicious. at one time i had had fried plantain and didn't think i liked it until i had "g" insist i try some of his at "g's jamaican" on troost and he was right-i love them done right. the plantains served here were like "g's"-yummy! there have been several reviews saying that the food was bland. i find latin american food to be full of choice ingredients which the cooks allow the fresh flavors to speak for itself. i found it all vibrant and rich with the flavors of the food and not salt and pepper. as for the service and atmosphere. i think the atmosphere is "comfortable" and the service is somewhat "laid back". come to dine and engage with your friends and the flavors of latin america.

good but needs some improvements!. the food is great on some days and great on others. while i do love the arepas, they lack that original homemade flavor. i have hadarepasbefore, and these are not the best. they dough itself lacks the minimal amount of seasoning which it requires so it ends up tasting bland. the last ones i had unfortunately were not fresh therefore the experience was ruined. although i still consider this to be one of my favorite restaurants, it is still lacking. the flavors need to be more consistent and the options need to be somewhat more extensive.