Papi Chulo's is a restaurant with two locations in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The original

taqueria A taco stand or taquería is a Food booth, food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other List of Mexican dishes, Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredien ...

in the

Pearl District The Pearl District is an area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. The area has been undergoing significa ...

was opened by

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

Ramzy Hattar in December 2019, with Antonio Javier Palma Caceres as the chef and Davide Bricca overseeing

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

s. The trio had previously worked together at River Pig Saloon and Two Wrongs, two neighboring establishments also owned by Hattar. A second location opened in

northeast Portland Northeast Portland is one of the six major divisions of Portland, Oregon. Northeast Portland contains a diverse collection of neighborhoods. For example, while Irvington and the Alameda Ridge feature some of the oldest and most expensive homes i ...

in 2023. Papi Chulo's serves

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican Cuisine, Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agr ...

, such as

taco A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican cuisine, Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn tortilla, corn- or Flour tortilla, wheat-based tortilla topped with a Stuffing, filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and fing ...

burrito A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerre ...

nachos Nachos are a Tex-Mex dish consisting of tortilla chips or '' totopos'' covered with cheese or chile con queso, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken), vegetables ( ...

birria Birria () is a regional variation of barbacoa from western Mexico, mainly made with goat, beef or lamb. The meat is marinated in an adobo made of vinegar, dried chiles, garlic, and herbs and spices (including cumin, bay leaves, and thyme) bef ...

, margaritas, and

michelada A ''michelada'' () is a Mexican drink made with beer, lime juice, assorted sauces (often chili-based), spices, and chili peppers. It is served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass. There are numerous variations of this beverage throughout Mexico. ...

Description

Papi Chulo's is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

restaurant with two locations in Portland. ''

Eater Portland ''Eater'' is a food website by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Lockhart Steele and Ben Leventhal in 2005, and originally focused on dining and nightlife in New York City. Eater launched a national site in 2009, and covered nearly 20 cities by 2 ...

Brooke Jackson-Glidden Brooke Jackson-Glidden is a food writer and the editor of '' Eater Portland''. In 2023, she received the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award from the James Beard Foundation in part for her essay about Either/Or. Jackson-Glidden has been the editor o ...

has described the original

, located on 13th Avenue in

northwest Portland Northwest Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon, United States. Northwest Portland includes the Pearl District, most of Old Town Chinatown, the Northwest District, and various residential and industrial neighborhoods. A range of ...

's Pearl District, as "a colorful counter-service spot" with "design elements reminiscent" of similar establishments in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The interior has an "open-format" kitchen with multiple paintings, including one of the restaurant's name on the kitchen's hood and another of a bottle of

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

with a

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

, as well as a mounted

marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes between 9 and 11 species, depending on the taxonomic authority. Name The family's common name is thought to derive from their resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Taxonomy T ...

above the ordering counter. In 2020, prior to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...

'' Nick Zukin described the taqueria as "a popular late-night destination for hungry club and bar patrons".

History

The restaurant opened on December 7, 2019, in the space formerly occupied by PBJ's Grilled. Restaurateur Ramzy Hattar owns the taqueria, along with neighboring establishments River Pig Saloon and Two Wrongs. He had started developing a business plan for a taco restaurant after the chain Pink Taco reversed plans to open in Portland, and he confirmed the launch of Papi Chulo's in July 2019. The restaurant's opening was slightly delayed; in his September 2019 list of the city's most anticipated restaurant openings for the fall season, ''Eater Portland'' Alex Frane said the taqueria was slated to open on October 23. Hattar opened the restaurant with Antonio Javier Palma Caceres, who was raised in

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

and had served as River Pig's chef, as well as Davide Bricca, who oversaw cocktails for both River Pig and Two Wrongs. Food from Papi Chulo's was being served at Two Wrongs by February 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Papi Chulo's, River Pig, and Two Wrongs served customers in decorated and heated covered tents. With permission from the

Portland Bureau of Transportation The Portland Bureau of Transportation (or PBOT) is the largest bureau at City of Portland tasked with maintaining the city of Portland's transportation infrastructure. Bureau staff plan, build, manage, and maintain a transportation system with the ...

, Northwest 13th Avenue was closed off to traffic at Hoyt Street, creating a street

plaza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

for dining. Papi Chulo's also continued to operate delivery and takeout services, opting to staff for deliveries rather than partner with a

food delivery Food delivery is a courier service in which a restaurant, store, or independent food-delivery company delivers food to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone, through the supplier's website or mobile app, or through a thir ...

service (which Hattar deemed too expensive), as of May 2020. Sourcing quality beef in 2020 was frustrating and challenging for Hattar, who had to find meat outside SP Provisions because of the pandemic's impact on the food and

meat industry The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry is ...

. Someone burglarized the restaurant in October 2020, using a

hand truck A hand truck, also known as a hand trolley, dolly, stack truck, trundler, box cart, sack barrow, cart, sack truck, two wheeler, or bag barrow, is an L-shaped box-moving cart, handcart with handles at one end, wheels at the base, with a small ledg ...

to remove a

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...

. In November 2020, the business confirmed plans for a second location in a new development in

's Vernon neighborhood called Alberta Alley. The restaurant opened on February 17, 2023. The outpost has a similar menu and limited indoor seating, as well as a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

shared with neighboring establishments.

Reception

In March 2020, ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' Michael Russell included Papi Chulo's in his overview of "Portland's 40 best inexpensive restaurants" and said the birria tacos "are among the best lunch values you can find downtown". In May, ''Eater Portland'' Brooke Jackson-Glidden included Papi Chulo's in her overview of Portland's "knockout tacos" with delivery and takeout service during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Papi Chulo's ranked eighth in a list of Portland's "highest-rated" restaurants for tacos, based on

Yelp Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in S ...

data.

References

External links

* * {{Vernon, Portland, Oregon 2019 establishments in Oregon Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon Restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 2019 Restaurants in Pearl District, Portland, Oregon Restaurants in Vernon, Portland, Oregon

Description

Menu

History

Reception

See also

References

External links