Taqueria La Sirenita

Name: Taqueria La Sirenita
Location: 2817 NE Alberta Street Portland, OR 97211
Contact information: 503.335.8283
Hours: Every day 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Cost: $3-$6 for burritos, tacos and other mains
Reservation recommended: Not Taken
Good for: Cheap, quick Mexican
Insider tip: If you want to eat, make sure you’ve got cash – nothing else is accepted

Review: This tiny cash-only Mexican restaurant on Alberta Street overflows at lunch hour when students, businessmen and hard-working landscapers flock to the cheap-eats diner.

Taqueria La Sirenita is one of the few places in the city where you can still get a bean-and-cheese burrito for less than a Big Mac. Although tacos and burritos are the most popular orders, the restaurant still serves some traditional dishes like tripe.

The food is what you expect for a meal under $5 – tasty, filling, but probably not made with top-of-the-line ingredients. Some things you’re better off not knowing. The restaurant itself is far past its glory days. Ask for your order to go and find a nearby park, or take it back home.