Date: September 15, 2007
Times visited: 2
When I asked where the infamous taco cart that had vegan options was, I was told it was on the corner of Awesome and Delicious, AKA SE 50th and SE Division, in the parking lot of a Cricket store. I was also told they had the best beans and rice - ever, and I thought,”How awesome can beans and rice be?”
Well, the Taqueria Los Gorditos cart has it all: Burritos, mulitas, nachos, enchiladas, tacos, Follow Your Heart cheese, Soyrizo, Tofutti sour cream and grilled tofu. So many fixins you’d think it was a vegan cart. But, alas, it’s not - they serve animals.
I ordered the Mulita. It was two corn tortillas with Soyrizo, bell peppers, onions, a bit of cheese, cilantro, a side of beans and rice and another of lettuce and tomatoes. The dish was good. I enjoyed all the flavors, though I’m not normally a Soyrizo fan. But that was it, it was good - not what I expected to be at the corner of Awesome and Delicious. Then it hit me. When I was about 3/4 of the way through I couldn’t get the food into my mouth fast enough - the taste was so wonderful.
By the time I got to the last two bites of my beans and rice I muttered, “these are the best ****ing beans and rice - ever.” Since I was eating alone, those around me thought it was a bit loud, but I thought I was being polite since I just wanted to stand on the table and scream it. All of my omni experiences growing up with Tex-Mex had come back to me and my love for the side of refried beans and Mexican rice on a hot plate with just a tiny bit of cheese. This was it - vegan style. Something about the oil seemed to be carrying all the flavors through. But my love didn’t end there.
I was happy with my meal and went along with my evening. The next day I had these intense cravings to get across the city to push as much of Los Gorditos food I could into my mouth. This is by far the best experience I’ve had with Mexican food since living in Oregon and since being vegan. Good job Los Gorditos! Can you please open another cart downtown?
Mulita, to go:
Nachos
Beans, Rice & Avocado with Soyrizo
Rating: 5 out of 5
Address: SE Division & 50th, Portland
Hours: Open Monday -Saturday for lunch and dinner
9 responses so far ↓
la // October 7, 2007 at 1:41 pm
hey, um. I just read this on LJ, and really seriously enjoy it a lot.
thank you very much, keep it up. I know what a word of encouragement can do, and I’m offering it here in hopes that it’ll encourage continual posting. muahahaha yeah self-interest. but seriously, keep it up. Or Else.
Megan // October 8, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Thank you for posting about this place. My mom only eats at small, no frills Mexican joints but I usually can’t find much to eat when I got with her to her favorites. Now I can take her here!
Chad // October 9, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Just a note from an insider… they have had their meat sales cut in half and replaced by veg orders. So much, that with all the clean-up and prep, it’s costing them a lot more to sell meat. And they’re really at a tipping point where a small increase in the vegan direction could maybe get them to stop selling meat altogether. 1/2 of the family is vegan, including the dad Javier, who makes the beans. Also, I think they’re having vegan plate specials on Fridays now. Pretty rad. Great people.
Erica // October 10, 2007 at 4:39 am
Wow, 5 out of 5? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that here before.
bikegrrl // October 13, 2007 at 6:16 am
Oh! I can’t wait to try it! How did I not know about Los Gorditos? I live so close! Thank you for all the insight!
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