Mestizo (restaurant)

Mestizo
The restaurant's exterior in 2025
Interactive map of Mestizo
Restaurant information
Established2019 (2019)
OwnerKetsuda "Nan" Chaison
Food typeLatin American
Location2910 Southeast Division Street, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, 97202, United States
Coordinates45°30′17″N 122°38′08″W / 45.5047°N 122.6355°W / 45.5047; -122.6355
Websitemestizopdx.com

Mestizo is a Latin American restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. Originally a pop-up restaurant, the business has operated in a brick and mortar space in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood since 2019. The business has hosted various pop-ups, including Chelo and HeyDay.

Description

The gluten-and-soy-free Latin American (or pan-Latin)[1] restaurant Mestizo operates on Division Street in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood. Brooke Jackson-Glidden of Eater Portland wrote, "Inside, the space feels summery, with pops of oceanic blue tile, raw stone work throughout the space, and a large blue, grey, and orange mural incorporating design elements of Portland and Latin America."[2] The website has also described Mestizo as a pescatarian and "red-meat-free" restaurant with a "cool, breezy" interior.[3][4][5]

The menu has included banana flower tacos, empanadas with Beyond Meat, shrimp ceviche, and a mezcal-focused drink menu.[2] Tacos have coleslaw, coconut crema, and orange habanero sauce.[6] The restaurant has also served carne asada, chicken tinga, fried calamari and oysters, langostino, mushroom pozole, tuna tostones, and yuca fries with mojo aoili.[7][8] Various rice and salad bowls are served with black beans, corn, Haitian pikliz, tomatoes, yams, and chipotle aioli.[9] Drink options have included Brazilian caipirinhas, margaritas, palomas,[10] and Peruvian pisco sours.[5] The Sacsayhumán has habanero-infused vodka and passion fruit purée.[11] Non-alcoholic drink have ingredients like leche de tigre and pineapple juice.[5]

History

The business started as a pop-up restaurant.[12] In September 2019, Jackson-Glidden described plans for Mestizo to open on November 15.[13] The restaurant opened in November 30.[2] Ketsuda "Nan" Chaison is a co-founder and an owner.[14][15] Mestizo has hosted various pop-ups,[16] including Chelo,[17] HeyDay, Kumare, Mitate,[18][19] Plant Based Papi, Tikim, and Tume.[9][20]

Like many restaurants, the business faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.[21] In 2022, Mestizo was featured in Yelp's "Turn the Tables" campaign,[22] which highlighted "businesses that pivoted to face the newfound challenges" of the pandemic, according to the Portland Business Journal.[23]

Libre, Norah, and Phaya have been described as sibling establishments to Mestizo.[24]

Reception

Jenni Moore included Mestizo in Eater Portland's 2020 overview of thirteen "standout" vegetarian meals in the city.[3] She also included the business in a 2022 overview of the metropolitan area's best fish tacos.[4] Waz Wu included Mestizo in the website's 2023 list of the city's "primo special occasion" restaurants for vegetarians and vegans.[5] Maya MacEvoy and Nathan Williams included the business in Eater Portland's 2023 overview of the city's best ceviche.[25] The website's Zoe Baillargeon included Mestizo in a 2025 list of the best restaurants along Division Street.[10] Sararosa Davies included the business in the website's 2025 overview of the city's best gluten-free bakeries and restaurants.[7]

Mestizo placed second in the Best Gluten-Free Restaurant category of Willamette Week's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2024.[26] The restaurant was a finalist in the same category in 2025.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Egg Prices Send Portland Food Businesses Scrambling". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  2. ^ a b c Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-12-04). "A Ceviche-Happy Latin American Restaurant Just Opened on SE Division". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  3. ^ a b Moore, Jenni (2020-09-09). "13 Standout Vegetarian Meals in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  4. ^ a b Moore, Jenni (2022-08-03). "Where to Find Fantastic Fish Tacos in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  5. ^ a b c d Wu, Waz (2023-02-10). "Portland's Primo Special Occasion Restaurants for Vegans and Vegetarians". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  6. ^ "The Best Things the Eater Portland Team Ate This Week". Eater Portland. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  7. ^ a b Davies, Sararosa (2016-07-14). "Portland's Best Gluten-Free Restaurants and Bakeries". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  8. ^ Russell, Michael (2021-11-23). "These 40 new Portland restaurants survived — and thrived — through the pandemic". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  9. ^ a b Wong, Janey. "The Cross-Cultural Mestizo Makes Traditional Latin American Cuisine Gluten-Free". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  10. ^ a b Baillargeon, Zoe (2017-05-11). "The Best Restaurants on Portland's SE Division". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  11. ^ "Bar Mestizo". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  12. ^ "Portland's Food Scene Was Overwhelmingly White. One Thing Changed All Of That". HuffPost. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  13. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-09-20). "A Latin American Seafood Spot Will Open on SE Division". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  14. ^ Wong, Janey (2023-06-14). "At Libre, Whimsical-Yet-Daring Drinks and Desserts Are a Team Effort". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  15. ^ "Nan Chaison Is the Most Prolific Restaurateur You Don't Know". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  16. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2022-10-24). "The Mind Behind Mestizo Is Opening a New Vegan Pan-Asian Restaurant on Belmont". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  17. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2023-01-18). "What We Know About Luna Contreras's Incoming Snack Bar and Bakery". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  18. ^ Wu, Waz (2021-03-15). "Portland's Exciting New Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  19. ^ "A Beloved Vegan Sushi Pop-Up Is Opening a Food Cart and Has Plans to Open a Brick-and-Mortar". Willamette Week. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  20. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-10-08). "Zoiglhaus Brewing Company Transforms Into a Full-Blown Food and Beverage Hub". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  21. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-05-28). "Why There Won't Be a Grand Reopening for Portland Restaurants". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  22. ^ "Yelp's First Campaign Since 2016 Celebrates Restaurants' Ability to 'Turn the Tables'". Adweek. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  23. ^ Lawrence, Demi (May 20, 2022). "Portland Latin American restaurant featured in a new Yelp campaign". Portland Business Journal.
  24. ^ Kingsman, Kay (2024-08-09). "The 15 Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon". Fodors Travel Guide. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  25. ^ MacEvoy, Maya (2021-03-31). "Where to Find Bright Bowls of Ceviche in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  26. ^ "2024 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  27. ^ "2025 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Food". Willamette Week. 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
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