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A little before noon on Tuesday, diners started to trickle into Los Portales, a family-owned Mexican restaurant that has operated on Moffett Boulevard in Mountain View for over three decades. A few customers made a beeline to longtime owner Salvador Puga, who smiled widely and gave out fist bumps and hugs.
“We created a big family,” Salvador Puga said. “A big family of customers.”
After 34 years, Los Portales is planning to close its doors on Feb 10. The restaurant has been struggling to stay afloat since the pandemic, but this past year has been particularly tough, according to Puga’s daughter.
“We’ve really been trying to think of creative ways to bring people in and let people know we’re still open,” Sara Puga said. “It just slowed down.”
Sara Puga attributed the slow down to several factors, starting with the city closing off Castro Street to cars to support outdoor dining during the pandemic – a move which is now expected to be permanent. The closure has made it more difficult to get to Moffett Boulevard from downtown Mountain View.
“It creates no flow,” she said, adding that people now do not come to Moffett Boulevard unless they already live in the area or need to pick up something specific.
Sara Puga also described changing trends in people’s eating habits since the pandemic. More people prefer to use Uber Eats and DoorDash instead of going out to restaurants, she said. They also are more likely to work more from home and are less likely to go out to lunch with coworkers and friends.
Another major issue has been the increasing cost of food. Sara Puga noted that everything has gotten more expensive – from fresh produce to sodas.
“Overall, people aren’t able to afford groceries, let alone go out and have lunch or dinner,” she said.
Plans to replace Moffett Plaza, the strip mall where Los Portales is located, with a six-story apartment complex has caused a lot of uncertainty as well. The project, which the city approved last August, will include much less retail than what currently exists at the plaza.
“I feel like there’s no support for small mom-and-pop shops here in Mountain View,” Sara Puga said. “They’re rapidly declining.”
Looking to turn the trend around, the city has invested more resources in trying to revitalize the downtown area, but for small businesses like Los Portales, it’s not enough to keep going in their current form.
“I think we’re done, but we’re not sure,” Sara Puga said. “We might reinvent or think of opening a taco truck or something.”
“Diamond in the rough”
When Los Portales first opened in 1993, there were a lot of small businesses at Moffett Plaza. The location was a big part of the draw for Salvador Puga to start his own restaurant after working at Celia’s in downtown Palo Alto for more than 20 years before that location closed down.
NASA and various tech companies were located near the restaurant. It also was close to the freeway and downtown Mountain View, as well as having ample parking, Sara Puga said.
“He saw the diamond in the rough,” she added.
Customers from Celia’s followed the family to Los Portales and business was brisk even during the early days, according to Salvador Puga. The restaurant prospered for decades, and it was common to see lines out the doors, especially during lunchtime, he said.
The pandemic changed that and Los Portales never fully recovered, Salvador Puga said. However, there are regulars who still come to the restaurant.
Early Tuesday afternoon, about a dozen customers were inside Los Portales, with Salvador Puga and his daughter busily cleaning off tables and taking orders.
Oscar Fuentes, a San Jose resident, said he has been coming to Los Portales since 1994. At the time, Fuentes lived in Mountain View and used to dine at the restaurant nearly every weekend, he said. On Tuesday, Fuentes was sharing a meal with his nephew.
“My whole family has been brought here,” Fuentes laughed, noting that he even brought his nephew’s mother to the restaurant when she was a baby.
Salvador Puga pointed out the menu items, many of which have been named after family members as well as longtime customers.
“I will for sure miss this place so much,” he said. “This is very difficult, but we have no other choice.”
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Another longtime eatery is closing—for housing!!! The entire strip mall as well. So my question is; how long will this property be boarded up before construction finally happens. Mtn. View has become a blighted community with all the boarded up buildings…including Ron’s Farmhouse…boarded up for over 15 years!!!