Mexico Autentica
503.287.7555
5507 NE 30th Ave
Portland, 97211
Hip-spanic Restaurant Brunch
A friend at work has raved about Mexico Autentica’s dinner selections and on their site I saw they had begun offering brunch as well so I figured we could give it a try to see how it matched some of the other southwest themed destinations we had visited. It was on Killingsworth on an area of town we weren’t very familiar with so it also gave us the opportunity to rubberneck at a few other destinations along the way. We arrived and parked street side just in front of the rather tiny restaurant entrance and ventured inside. Despite all the hustle and bustle within we were seated immediately at a small wobbly table in front of the window and given a couple of glasses of warm water (why doesn’t anyone give ice at these breakfast places)? We scanned over the tabloid sized piece of paper containing the menu items which seemed odd considering the minimal amount of selections for brunch it could have easily filled a legal sized or double sided letter sheet. I recognized most of the words and found a few items of interest but still waited to hear what the waitress recommended. Carly is not a fan of mexican spice of any kind so I was surprised she did not protest more when I told her our destination. The waitress gave me a list of 3 different “specials” all of which sounded delicious and to varying degrees dangerous on the Scoville scale. I finally settled on the safe choice of steak and eggs with a side of black beans with some coffee. A short time later along with our drinks came a little trio of sauces, the green ones seemed harmless enough but a whiff of the glowing reddish oil made me tear up a bit with happiness. Our meals were a little slow to arrive but I attributed it to the extra influx of large parties that arrived shortly after us. I do love black beans with a meal so I was extra happy with my selection especially the side of chorizo which went very well with the slightly crispy fried eggs. The steak was a little tough even despite how thin it was but very tasty. We also received a basket of tiny fresh tortillas to sop up the flavor and assist with getting the tiny bits. Carly was less enamored with her mole’ chicken enchiladas and I’m not really a fan of the chocolate flavor of them either but I assume that’s part of the “Autentica”.
GALLERY
SERVICE
Tiny Coffee cups but friendly warm reception
AMBIANCE / DESIGN
Modern interior with nice color scheme but a rather simplistic menu design
MEAL
Wonderful steak and eggs with plenty of flavor and heat
Portland Breakfast Club 