El Portal #1

Here on business and tried it for the first time off a recommendation of a friend that lives in the area. It did not disappoint!

Food was fabulous! Service was great. I had the Fundidos Mix Plate. And... they have some homemade Mexican ranch dip that they bring with the chips and salsa. Wow! It was soooo good. Need the recipe for sure.

Was a tad bit pricier than your average Mexican restaurant, but well worth it.

I'm from Arizona visiting family in Falkville. I was intrigued to see what southern style Mexican food had to offer.... this place is not southern at all. It is AUTHENTIC Mexican food and delicious! The restaurant is clean, atmosphere is welcoming and the food came out quickly. The staff were incredibly friendly. I highly recommend this place.

So far the food we've ordered has been great, so personally I love this place!!!

Nice little place right off the highway, easy access, super authentic looking with a very authentic taste. The service was excellent and the food uncannily flavorful. I am not a fan of refried beans but these had a smooth and very woodsy flavor. My entree was packed fairly full of meats and very filling. Definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting an authentic feel.

This is our local go-to for Mexican food. Great service and food is always good. Thanks Jose Fransico for your kindness and perfect service! Food was hot and tasty and beer was cold!

Great experience. Great staff. Good food. Local ownership. You can tell they care!

The chile relleno was delicious they had cheese and meat inside of them. They were also very tender. Will definitely back for them again.

They have really good food, and the staff is really awesome in regards to service, however do keep in mind that it takes a while to get your order if you get take out, I almost always have to wait for my food to be finished. It's never been a bad meal, it just takes a while.

Always my favorite place to eat in Hartselle. The food is always good. I'm sad that my favorite server jumped ship to the new place across the highway, but the new guy who took care of us was very, very good. My only complaint: we had to ask 3 times to turn the music down. We'd ask, and they'd turn it down; but a minute later it got cranked up again. It was loud, like in a bar loud. But our server, bless him, finally got whoever to keep it to a reasonable decibel level. The price increase was not completely unexpected; it was just a little shocking at first. But the quality of the meal was worth it. It seemed a little slow for a Saturday night, but the upside was we didn't have to wait for a table, and our meal was served quickly. I love this place! It won't matter if 10 other restaurants pop up around it, El Portal #1 will always be my first choice for dining out.

My favorite Mexican/margarita joint! Live everyone here! The owner is super cool guy and I've never had a bad experience with staff or food, all around great spot! I've carried entire basketball teams in at lunch time and the owner and staff are always more than happy to take care of us!

Great food! Love their fajitas and cheese dip! My go to Mexican food in Hartselle!

If you eat at the restaurant it's good.if you get it to go,there's no telling what you'll get.i ordered a taco salad and got it home and I couldn't believe what I saw when I opened the Styrofoam to go plate it was in.about a quarter inch of water in the bottom.i guess they had washed the lettuce and it was still soaking wet.it had lettuce, chicken and sour cream.pitiful!! I used to love this place.but they've got sloppy.lost my business!!

Great food. Always supportive of the community. Genuine people.

Great food wonderful service

The food is always great, everyone is always so nice. We’ve gone a lot and most of the employees know our names and our orders. Great place to go!!

Very happy! Jasmine, 8u our server was as friendly, as she is beautiful. Food was authentic and delicious! Try the Camerones a la Diabla...awesome spicy burn and chicken chili too!

Excellent restaurant! I traveled up to this area yesterday and stopped by before making my last stop.I had a unique taco salad that was different from what I am used to but it was delicious.The melted cheese with the chicken and lettuce and tomato really hit the spot.Also the chips were great and the salsa perfectly seasoned.Plus the service from the waitresses was great and everyone working there was quite friendly.If I am back up this way sometimes I definitely want to eat here again.

The staff is very polite and great ar what they do. I do recommend this place and I will be back.

Food was excellent, as always! We were greeted with a smile and seated immediately. Our server came to our table in a timely manner and our food came out quick as well. Our server, as well as other staff, checked on us regularly and with a smile 😍. So we weren't in need of anything throughout the whole meal. The staff worked together to take care of us, which is GREAT in my book!! Will definitely come back and will do so, often!!

Really good food! Outstanding service