Its unusual menu included buffalo tostadas, ground ostrich and nopalitos, several varieties of tongue, beef brisket, and more traditional options such as enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos and tamales.

[3] The Portland Mercury described Esparza's as a "quaint little cafe" with "interesting" menu options, including buffalo tostadas, ground ostrich and nopalitos (cactus deep-fried in cornmeal batter).

The menu also included beef brisket ("Smiley Burnette") and more traditional options such as enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos and tamales, with most entrees ranging from $9–11.

[3][6] In 1994, Martha shared her recipe for "Sudie Mae's Sweet Potato Pecan Pie", which came from her mother, who would make it on Sundays while growing up in Mineola, Texas.

[12] Portland Monthly called the food "so-so", but noted its menu, outdoor patio and jukebox, encouraging people to "bask in the indecipherable harmonies of norteño polka crackling from the vintage vinyl-and-neon Wurlitzer".

Wild West kitsch festoons the walls, but it isn't any wilder than some of the entrées that emerge from chef-owner Joe Esparza's kitchen.

"[1] In her book Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon, Rachel Dresbeck called the menu "spicy, flavorful, and tantalizingly aromatic", and described the atmosphere as "1950s Texas soda shop—just the right accent to complement the hearty fare".

In a negative review for The Portland Mercury in 2000, Robin Rosenberg wrote: ... one expects the food at Esparza's to be something special; You might think that the line trickling out the door on a Thursday night is an indication of exceptional Tex-Mex, worth a considerable sum.

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.

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.

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".