A food truck serving Guatemalan cuisine out of Virginia Square’s Oakland Park opened for business earlier this month.
Parked near the intersection of N. Oakland Street and Wilson Blvd, Portal Maya has hopes to be the community’s “entryway to the Mayan world,” owner and founder Bayron Cisneros told ARLnow.
“There’s a big Hispanic community from Guatemala, and we felt maybe we could bring that little touch of Guatemala,” said Cisneros, an Ashton Heights resident who immigrated from Guatemala. “One of the things that we also want to do is teach folks about our country and spark the interest.”
Cisneros founded the truck after 28 years working at Capital One, where he provided financial services for the Hispanic community.
“I was always told, you should always find your passion, and if you love it, it wouldn’t feel like work,” Cisneros said. “Even though we’re working from like 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., it doesn’t feel like working.”
“We like to see people happy. Even at the bank, I loved what I did,” he continued, “but now I love bringing the flavors to Arlington.”
With a menu of made-to-order family recipes from Cisneros’ aunt, Adit Vicente, the truck is the product of strong cultural pride and family ties.
The name references the truck’s gateway into Guatemalan cuisine, but it’s also a nod to Cisneros’ daughters, Maya and Eva — who is nicknamed “Portal” for her love of food and novel experiences. The business’s logo, created by Cisneros’s wife’s graduate students, features iconography representing Guatemala’s geography.
Cisneros sees Portal Maya as filling a gap in Northern Virginia’s Hispanic cuisine scene.
The truck’s speciality is garnachas: five crispy tostadas with diced beef, topped with tomato stew sauce, parmesan, jalapeños and Guatemalan pickled salad on the side.
“All my family loves that dish,” Cisneros said. “So far, every time that we sell it, everybody says that they love it.”
The truck also serves corn tortilla tacos — with carne asada, chicken or spicy chorizo — and a carne asada plate with rice, refried beans and pico de gallo.
Cisneros shared a desire to expand the menu in the future after perfecting the initial offerings. One goal is to add a vegetarian option.
He is also coordinating with family members to see if the truck can obtain authentic spices from Guatemala in order to serve tamales this winter.
Cisneros had originally hoped to open Portal Maya in January, but its debut was delayed after the food truck was damaged in a fire while undergoing renovations in a shop.
Despite challenges, Cisneros said he received support from many people across the county, especially in the food truck community. Notably, David Peña, the chef at La Tingeria in Falls Church, sold Cisneros the Portal Maya truck itself.
“You can tell that the community is not like, ‘hey, there’s just another truck that’s gonna come and take our business,'” Cisneros said.
Looking ahead, Cisneros shared a dream of eventually expanding the food truck and finding a nonprofit partner to give back to the Arlington community or Guatemala.
“Our plan is to eventually have more trucks,” Cisneros said. “The idea is like, if all goes well, who knows what’s in the future?”
The food truck at Oakland Park is open from noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. For further updates, customers can check the truck’s Instagram.
