Portland: Por Que No?

Por Que No? in Portland is arguably one of the best places to eat in the entire city. Last month, I headed there for the better part of the week- first and foremost to host the first ever Female Foodie Retreat (post to come soon!) and secondly to taste as much delicious food as possible that PDX has to offer!

Por Que No? was recommended by several people as I announced that I’d be making my way to Portland. And as it usually goes, when several people recommend a spot, there’s good reason for it.

My husband and I specifically made this our last stop before flying back to Salt Lake City because we knew it would be good. Before I get started on the food, let me mention how much I loved the neighborhood this specific location was in- the Boise neighborhood in the North East part of town (although they do have an additional location just off of Hawthorne in the South East part of Portland). It was quiet but still filled with personality. We enjoyed walking around for a few blocks after our meal and soaking in our last bit of one of my favorite cities ever!

Okay back to the food. We started with guac and chips (#duh) which were everything you want in a serving of homemade guacamole- thick, chunky pieces of avocado with just the right amount of salt, tang, and heat, enjoyed with crunchy, probablycookedinlard, delicious mexican tortilla chips. Yums.
I was more thirsty than I had been all day and before our tacos were even out I inhaled two of their seasonal fruit juices- both of which were delicious (watermelon and peach mmmm). And speaking of tacos we literally tried one of nearly everything. The gentleman that helped us at the counter just made everything sound too irresistibly delicious.

In top to bottom order:

• Camarones: spicy sautéed wild shrimp topped with crema, cabbage, spicy serrano salsa, onion, cilantro, and pineapple.
• Lengua: Cascade Farms beef tongue braised and seared crisp, topped with onions, cilantro, and spicy serrano salsa.
• Al Pastor: succulent Cascade Farms pork grilled with pineapple & topped with spicy salsa de arbol, onions, and cilantro.
• Pollo Verde: Cascade Farms chicken braised in tomatillo salsa & topped with salsa verde, onions, and cilantro
• Barbacoa: Cascade Farms beef brisket braised inside banana leaves in a three chile barbacoa salsa, topped with pickled red onions, cilantro, and crema from Ochoa’s Quesaria in Albany.

We we absolutely swooning over the incredible flavors and presentation of each of these tacos! It was so fun to try so many different kinds (highly recommend) but the shining star, we thought, out of all the tacos was the Camarones, or shrimp tacos. There was something incredibly satisfying about the combination of spicy shrimp paired with sweet pineapple and crunchy pieces of onion that literally made my heart sing.

Bottom line: the hype is real and it’s there for a reason. Make sure to prioritize Por Que No? on your next trip to Portland for some of the best tacos I have had in my life. And save a Camarones for me. 🙂
Por Que No? (3524 North Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR // 503.467.4149)