Amelia’s Rustic Mexican Restaurant

My husband and I had been planning to visit this place even before we got to Hillsboro, so we were a little bit disappointed that it wasn’t amazing.  When we got there, there was a sign on the door indicating there might be long wait times because they’ve been short-staffed, which was helpful to know.  It was pretty empty at the time we got there as you can see from the photos, so we didn’t actually wait long for anything.  They brought us chips and salsa right away.  My husband ordered carne arrachera which he described as “ok,” but he really raved about how good the handmade corn tortillas were.  I ordered the tostada oaxaquena, which is just a tostada with black beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado slices, sour cream, and queso fresco.  There was barely any beans in it at all which was annoying considering that’s the only protein in the dish.  I will say when I brought it to the attention of the waitress, she brought me a side of black beans and explained that they had a new cook.  She was very nice about it and once I actually had some beans it tasted much better.  The restaurant was clean and quiet and had fun music.  Not bad for a late lunch.

I really love this place. Their food is a different style of mexican than what you’re going to get in other places.

come by for a spontaneous date night dinner and it was SO GOOD. chill ambience, delicious drinks and the most flavorful mole i’ve had in a looooong time. definitely recommend everything we had (enchiladas mole, enchiladas rojas, classic margarita and michelada). will absolutely come back here to try other entrees! everything sounded so yummy.

Came back here and just had to update my review, to repeat the five stars and sing their praises.

This is the kind of place Yelp was created for. A place you’d never think of going to. A place you’d never even notice if you drove past it. And there’s no reason on earth you’d ever drive past this place at the far end of an ugly, industrial strip mall unless you lived in the nearby neighborhood. (They have a bright, cheerful space in the midst of this sparse industrialness)  

This is the kind of place Anthony Bourdain would love to visit and rave about. He’d try everything on their menu and adore every moment of that experience.

This is not your typical Mexican restaurant (and I love your typical Mexican restaurant). This is more of a gourmet Mexican restaurant (without the stuffiness).  It’s the kind of place you’d find on the East side of Portland. This is a place of Excellence. It’s a place of deep Tradition. Many of their dishes are based on traditional Mayan recipes (I’d love to understand that connection better).

You owe it to yourself (and to them) to try one of their specialties. That’s how I first discovered their Brilliance. I think these dishes are what sets them apart (though I’ve not had their Enchiladas yet). This visit I tried the Carne Arrachera. The flavors were delightful. This is how food is supposed to be. This is living 🙂  

This is definitely my go to place for Mexican food. I’m looking forward to trying the rest of their menu.

A picture says a thousand words so I’ll let my pic of the Arrachera say the rest.

I think I’m done here. The last three times I’ve been I’ve witnessed tables being served when they had arrived after my group.

And what’s up with wood plates? Can they be sanitary?

Chips are ok, heated bag chips. Salsa is mediocre.

Mole and other sauces are amazing and probably the only reasons to return.