Unfortunately though, no thematic coup can compensate for the fact that Esparza's food rarely exceeds mediocre, and never lives up to its price... The bulk of the clientele resides in a comfortable economic bracket and come down to the gritty Eastside to quaff top shelf margaritas and feast on manic kitsch. The hot corn chips and fresh salsa, which come fast and free, are the height of the meal. Smoked salmon enchiladas are just wrong; No quantity of barbecue sauce (in this case, cloying and acrid) is going to improve a tough, dry brisket. The pork tacos are equally dry, but the ground buffalo enchiladas are very macho and spicy (though they will linger painfully)... The beans and rice that accompany most entrees are utterly flavorless, a gratuitous use of space on the plate. Some people like beans and rice; Esparza's doesn't seem to care. It's a troublesome adage, 'you get what you pay for,' when you've gorged on flash and formula—and yet, you're starved for a good meal. Following the restaurant's closure, The Oregonian Grant Butler called the run that it had "remarkable". He recalled, "[W]hen Esparza's opened in 1990, it broke the mold of what Mexican fare in Portland could be. Instead of combination plates blanketed in shrouds of sour cream and melted cheddar, Esparza's served dishes that few people in Portlanders [sic] had ever experienced at the time". See also Hispanics and Latinos in Portland, Oregon List of defunct restaurants of the United States List of Tex-Mex restaurants References External links Esparza's Tex Mex Cafe, Travel Portland Esparza's Tex Mex Cafe: Menu, The Portland Mercury 1990 establishments in Oregon 2014 disestablishments in Oregon Buckman, Portland, Oregon Defunct Latin American restaurants in Portland, Oregon Defunct Mexican restaurants in the United States Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon Restaurants established in 1990 Tex-Mex restaurants