Here we are at Santa Fe Taqueria, right in the heart of 23rd Avenue’s lively hum. Picture it: the early 1990s, the Northwest District is changing, and Danny Cardoso arrives on the scene, eager to share the flavors of Puebla, his family's homeland. He opens these doors in 1990, and pretty soon, the large dining room is buzzing with locals and visitors, all drawn in by the tangy scents of simmering salsa, fried tortillas, and blue-corn chicken wafting into the street.
Walk past the cantina and you’d feel party energy from the start. The margarita menu alone could inspire a game of chance-guava, blood orange, passionfruit-enough to make you wonder whether Danny had an orchard in the kitchen. If you need a hangover cure, their horchata became a local legend, even snagging a Willamette Week award in 2009. Some said it worked miracles; others just said “I’ll have another, please!”
Santa Fe was always ahead of the game. While Portland’s food scene was still finding its spicy side, Danny made sure there was something for everyone-whether you were craving jackfruit carnitas or the ground Beyond Meat loaded nachos. The air inside rang with mariachi and the chatter of generations-families with little ones wolfing down free Wednesday meals after 5 p.m., students, longtime regulars, and neighborhood dreamers who’d found their favorite corner.
The place enjoyed moments of pure joy, like the 25th-anniversary bash. Free food, drink specials, live music, and a stampede of balloon animals-it was a family fiesta with as much laughter as salsa splatter. In harder times, like during the pandemic, the team rallied. The $6,000 patio was cobbled together from corrugated plastic, offering a makeshift oasis when indoor dining shrank, at least until a surprise Portland snowstorm sent it tumbling in 2021. But nothing ever really cooled down the spirit inside.
What’s wild is that Santa Fe Taqueria is closing its doors on September 30, 2024. After nearly 35 years, Danny’s saying thank you with a farewell party-where even the tables and chairs are heading off to new homes. As you stand here, you can almost sense decades of happy dinners and late-night taco cravings blending together.
So, here’s to Santa Fe Taqueria: for every taco, taco salad, and face-painted child, it was-and always will be-a taste of Southwest sunshine in rainy Portland. And let’s be honest, when a Portland restaurant becomes this iconic, “taco ‘bout a legacy!”
