salvador mollys

we love molly’s – not only is everything fabulous, they have many gluten free menu options, like everything we had for dinner! gotta love that.

disagree?. i see some of the reviews below mine describing quite different experiences from my own. admittedly i have not been for roughly 6 months, but i haven't had any experiences that were negative. their pulled pork is some of the best i have had in portland, and assuming that things arent drastically different it is hard to beat a happy hour menu with exotic offerings not exceeding $3! try the great balls of fire, as featured on man vs. food, they are nice and hot!!!

this is a favorite lunch spot during the work week. the servers are super funny and attentive. i love all of the different types of cuisines you can try in one spot. the ambiance is super cool and eclectic. casual and fun.

i have tried lots of dishes on the menu and always return to molly's tamale. i love the artichoke and cotija tamale smothered with their "borrocho" red chile sauce. i also like the black beans, yellow rice and guacamole that accompanies the tamale. the atmosphere of this southwest neighborhood restaurant is festive. the colorful lanterns, banners and pictures of guests who have eaten the "balls of fire" make this a fun place.

we came here for one thing only… to complete the challenge of the great balls of fire challenge. to be honest, i already packed myself beforehand with too much food and this “stop over” was unnecessary. i really just wanted to make the stop for the challenge and because i saw it on man vs food. at the last minute we decide to order 5 and share it amongst three people. my cousin took a bite and threw it down and gave up. my wife manage to eat one and she was dying. i ate three… and then i paid for it. i recall running into the bathroom and washing my mouth out despite sculling down 2 cups of milk. i recall stomach burning from inside out and then forcing my cousin to rush into a gas station as i spent the next hour on the toilet in almost tears. when i peed it felt like fire coming out and my stomach felt like something was clawing from the inside. i’ve literally never been in more pain that that and i love my chilli. tips is to line your stomach with milk or pepto beforehand. it was a great adventure and unfortunately didn’t get my name on the wall but now i have this great and embarrassing story. the service there was great... it was quite empty when we walked in. she was quick with the milk and we actually ordered 3 balls but she accidentally gave us 5.... hence why i forced myself to eat 3....

globally inspired food and drink. great happy hour with indoor and outdoor seating. my favorite dish is the baja fish tacos grilled instead of beer battered as the menu describes. love the neighborhood vibe of this place!

not very many cons: might be a difficult place for very picky eaters

mothra says.....hot and tasty cuisine.i had heard
of salvador molly's and driven by this restaurant once prior. 
i thought that this was a strictly central american restaurant.  not knowing, for a number of weeks, it just
was not on my list of go to restaurants. however, i perused  zomato.com  and “sm’s” website and discovered something
entirely different.  k and i were in the
mood for a sandwich recently and dropped in for the first time. 

ian greeted us at the door and we seated ourselves
at the far end of the bar.  after two of oregon’s
finest, k ordered a kona long board and me a never ending iced tea.  yum! 
in short time, k’s two kahlua pork white corn tacos filled with peppers,
onions, cilantro, cotija cheese, and crema arrived…. served with yellow rice,
creamy black beans and pico de guyo.    my cubano sandwich served with garlic curly
fries arrived and looked delicious. 
first of all, my sandwich was hot out of the kitchen.  i motioned ian over and complimented the restaurant
(and the chef) on serving hot food.  it
is rather rare nowadays to get hot food ….. can you believe it?  in addition, this sandwich had ham, roast
pork loin, swiss cheese, pickle and mustard on a roll.  then, pressed just right so that all of the
cheese melted nicely.  ten minutes later,
my sandwich was still hot.  amazing.  the curly fries were seasoned nicely and not ian’s
fault, but just a little too much garlic. i moved it aside and continued dining
on the fries. 

i had a bite of k’s pork tacos and again, hot
food.  what’s up with that! nice.  the pork was piled nicely onto a white corn
tortilla and had all of the right ingredients in this flavorful taco dish.  i like yellow rice but normally pass on black
beans.  k scooped some onto my plate and
said to try them:  actually, creamy with
a nice flavor.

ian checked on us and must have filled my iced tea
glass at least four times on a rather warm portland afternoon.

this was an unexpected treat here at salvador
molly’s.  yes, a new favorite for the
mothra family.  great service, good beer
and drink menu, terrific food  menu
(yucatan jerk, bhan mei, satay chicken, fish tacos, chicken & mango just to
name a few), good prices, and hot food right out of the kitchen.    with 20% tip, $33.00 out the door.  mothra says……3.85 of 5.0

so if you want a slightly overpriced menu that really highlights the diversity of portland’s population or try your hand at consuming edible fireballs, check out salvador molly’s!

we waited 15 minutes and not a shred of acknowledgement. granted it was a sunday afternoon and during an i between time--not really lunch or dinner. there were dirty tables. the staff seemed unconcerned. doubt i will go back and give it a second shot. we walked next door where we got prompt service.

what happened to salvador molly's?. the food has taken a big dive in the last year, what happened???? about eight of us would go there all the time, now no one wants to go because of the change. their wonderful mashed potato balls are now mushy and cold, just nasty! almost none of their food is worth ordering, how sad!!! we miss what it once was!

getting the cold chicken shoulder.. sent back my order of drum pan jerk bbq chicken because it was served to me ice cold. the waiter apologizes, and then tells me that he will get it heated up. i agree, and i wait only to get the dish back a few minutes later more cold then warm again. the menu described the chicken as juicy roasted split half chicken, finished on the grill. i'm sure it was at one point, but the menu leaves out the fact that after cooked the chicken is frozen, thawed out, reheated and served half warm half ice cold. i ask the waiter to take the dish back for good. the waiter tells me the manager wants to pay for desert to make up for the cold food. great more cold food. i decline, and i ask for the bill. the bill comes with the chicken still on the bill. really? the waiter plays dumb. we have to ask to have the chicken removed from the bill. we got the cold shoulder from the manager. the manager never shows his face. i would understand if it was restaurant busy, but the restaurant was dead. lame experience. never again!!!

noisy, very noisy and needs a thorough cleaning.

eclectic unique vibe at this place. i had the roti (delicious) and boyfriend had the kalua pork ( a bit bland). i would go back to try the tamales and some more of their caribbean food but the kalua pork wasn't great. service was average. service 3/5 food 4/5 value for your dollar 3/5

overall we had a very pleasant experience while at salvador molly’s in portland, and definitely would recommend it to anyone visiting the area. if you have your own experiences or a review of salvador molly’s please feel free to drop a note in the comments.

bring back my molly to me.... what happened to the original molly..don't change a good thing! i have given two tries no, three and i can't say a return visit is in my future. the new menu doesn't stand up to the previous one. portland needs this anchor so rethink this one.