The Zacatecas Burger for Cheeseburger Week at El Portal
Once a year, and once only, El Portal steps slightly outside its deeply rooted Mexican menu playbook and into cheeseburger territory — and longtime fans know exactly when to show up.
For Pasadena Cheeseburger Week, El Portal rolls out the Zacatecas Burger, a special that manager Armando Ramirez, son of owner Abel, describes as a house-made patty blending ground beef, ground pork and chorizo, topped with a slice of ham, American cheese, and the restaurant’s own chipotle mayonnaise, plus lettuce and tomato. It’s served with El Portal’s crispy fries, tossed in a homemade seasoning salt.
“This is our ‘once a year for Cheeseburger Week’ burger,” Armando said. “This is the only burger we offer, and we only offer it for this week.”
The idea traces back to a trip Armando took to Zacatecas with his wife, who is originally from the region. While visiting, he noticed a street vendor preparing thin patties made with beef and pork, topped with ham and cheese.
“I went out to one of the stands and there was a gentleman there that used to make them thin patties, very thin, with just beef and pork, and then the ham on top and the cheese,” he said. “So then I kind of took that idea and said, how do I make ours? And we came up with this one.”
The Zacatecas Burger has become a Cheeseburger Week tradition at El Portal.
“I don’t know, we have probably been doing this since day one of Cheeseburger Week,” Armando said. “We’ve been doing it every year. People wait for it, they know it’s going to come back.”
Outside of this annual moment, burgers don’t appear on El Portal’s menu at all — which only adds to the appeal.
Pasadena Cheeseburger Week runs through Saturday. Diners can sample entries across the city and cast votes for their favorites at: https://www.pasadenarestaurantweek.com/.
For El Portal regulars, the message is simple: if you want the Zacatecas Burger, now’s the time.
El Portal is at 695 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101. (626) 795-8553. elportalrestaurant.com
