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La Bonita

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La Bonita
Logo with a red flower and the text "La Bonita" and "food for the people" in white, over a black background
Photograph of building's corner exterior
Exterior of the southeast Portland restaurant in 2021
Restaurant information
Food typeMexican
Street address
  • 2839 Northeast Alberta Street
  • 2710 North Killingsworth Street
  • 2138 Southeast Division Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°33′33″N 122°38′10″W / 45.5592°N 122.6361°W / 45.5592; -122.6361Coordinates: 45°33′33″N 122°38′10″W / 45.5592°N 122.6361°W / 45.5592; -122.6361
Websitelabonitapdx.com

La Bonita: Food for the People, or simply La Bonita, is a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon, United States. The family-owned business operates three locations in north (since 2011), northeast, and southeast Portland (since 2020), serving burritos, chilaquiles, tacos, tamales, and other traditional cuisine. The restaurant has a good reputation, and has been included on two Thrillist lists of the country's best burritos.

Description[]

La Bonita: Food for the People[1] is a small chain of casual Mexican restaurants based in Portland. The family-owned business has fast counter service, serving burritos, chilaquiles,[2] pozole,[3] tacos, and tamales.[1] Its menu also includes chicken enchiladas, horchata,[4] quesadillas,[5] tortas, tostadas, chimichangas, beef tongue, machaca, chile rellenos, menudo, beans, and rice.[6][7] The breakfast menu includes a breakfast burrito, huevos a la mexicana, and huevos rancheros.[8] The restaurants' interiors have a "sunny" decor,[1] and the Alberta Street exterior has a Diego Rivera-inspired mural of a reclining woman.[9]

History[]

The original restaurant opened on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood. A second restaurant opened on Killingsworth in north Portland's Overlook neighborhood in 2011.[10] The third restaurant opened on Division Street in southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood in 2020, and has a seating capacity of 34.[1] All three locations operated via takeout during the COVID-19 pandemic; as of May 2020, the original restaurant also offered delivery service.[11] By April 2021, it had indoor dining, takeout, and delivery.[12]

Reception[]

Thrillist's Dan Gentile included La Bonita on a 2014 list of the 16 best burritos in the United States: "You wouldn't think there'd be much change leftover from the proceeds of a $3 burrito, but in addition to serving some of Portland's best and cheapest Mexican, this Mom-and-Pop spot regularly donates large chunks of their proceeds to charity."[13] Kristin Hunt included the chain on Thrillist's 2015 list of the country's 33 best burritos:

The burritos at La Bonita run in the $3–$8 range, so they definitely won't bust your lunch budget. But you aren't compromising on quality here, either. The family that owns this Portland spot (well, spots -- there are two of them) makes everything by hand, including the tortillas. Clearly, it's billed as 'food for the people' for a reason. And yes, that includes you, vegetarians: the veggie burrito menu is even longer than the meats one.[14]

Restaurant sign mounted to the exterior of a blue building
Exterior sign on the Alberta Street restaurant in 2019

La Bonita was included in The Oregonian's 2008 guide to "meals without borders": "The straightforward Mexican food is a magnet to locals and wayfaring strangers. Trust the crowds: The quesadillas, chimichangas, burritos, tortas and tamales are worth knowing."[15] The newspaper's Michael C. Zusman included the restaurant's pozole in a 2009 overview of Portland's top pork dishes.[3] Lisa Ekman of The Oregonian wrote in 2012, "While a football-sized beef chimichanga may not represent every intricacy of Mexican regional cuisine, it is delicious, especially as prepared by friendly, informal La Bonita. If you're after tacos or tamales, be sure to order the full plate, because the beans, rice and guacamole are among the best you'll ever gorge yourself on."[6] Michael Russell and Samantha Bakall included La Bonita on the newspaper's 2015 and 2016 lists of the city's 10 best nachos and 25 best Mexican restaurants, respectively.[2][16][17]

Nick Zukin included La Bonita on Willamette Week's 2016 list of "The Nine Best Chile Relleno Burritos in Portland": "Since before hipsters 'discovered' tacos and white faces outnumbered brown ones on Alberta, this family-run taqueria decorated with murals has been serving high-quality tacos, burritos, tamales and pozole. The large chile relleno oozes a slow tidal wave of cheese and is the star of the burrito, despite too much bland rice and lettuce."[18] In her 2019 Moon guidebook to Portland, Hollyanna McCollom wrote about the Alberta restaurant:

This little taqueria may not look like much from the outside, but the food is quick, inexpensive, and delicious – and the walls display the work of local artists. La Bonita is family-owned and claims to be 'as authentic as Mexican gets.' It comes darn close with the al pastor tacos and unbelievably good carne asada. The burritos are enormous and run about $9 each. If you stop in a little early or want to plan ahead for tomorrow, grab a breakfast burrito, filled with eggs, chorizo, and hash browns.[19]

During the pandemic, Brooke Jackson-Glidden included La Bonita on Eater Portland's 2020 list of "Where to Find Knockout Tacos for Takeout and Delivery in Portland".[11] Jackson-Glidden also included the Alberta restaurant in a 2021 overview of "Where to Eat and Drink on Alberta": "The argument over which makes the better Alberta burrito, La Bonita or La Sirenita, is real. But La Bonita makes this list for its cheerful digs and well-priced burritos, especially the breakfast and chile relleno varieties. Plus, any burrito can arrive smothered in mole, which generally goes over exceptionally well."[12] Nick Woo and Seiji Nanbu included La Bonita on a 2021 list of "12 Unreal Burritos in Portland": "... La Bonita has become synonymous with quality fast-casual Mexican fare. The burritos here are famous for being almost as large as a newborn baby, with all the classic burrito ingredients and a short-list of proteins and veggies to choose from. While the size is the main draw here, seasoned customers know that you can also choose to make it a 'wet' burrito by smothering it in sauce or mole."[20]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Frane, Alex (February 26, 2020). "A Family-Owned Portland Mexican Chainlet Is Coming to SE Division". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Russell, Michael; Bakall, Samantha (September 4, 2015). "Portland's 10 best nachos". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Zusman, Michael C. (October 22, 2009). "Hog wild: Portland's top pork dishes". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "La Bonita". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Karbo, Karen (March 23, 2007). "Mission: Spring Break". The Oregonian. p. 09.
  6. ^ a b Ekman, Lisa (June 21, 2012). "Keep in mind: ethnic eating/Portland". The Oregonian.
  7. ^ Zusman, Michael (December 22, 2006). "cheap eats feeding frenzies with pocket change La Bonita". The Oregonian. p. 19.
  8. ^ O'Brien, Kyle (July 25, 2003). "La Bonita". The Oregonian. p. 14.
  9. ^ "Hispanic & Latinx Culture". Travel Portland. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  10. ^ DeJesus, Erin (January 27, 2011). "Alberta's La Bonita Expands, Second Location on Killingsworth". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (May 5, 2020). "Where to Find Knockout Tacos for Takeout and Delivery in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (October 10, 2016). "Where to Eat and Drink on Alberta". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  13. ^ Gentile, Dan (April 10, 2014). "These are the 16 best burritos in America". Thrillist. Group Nine Media. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  14. ^ Hunt, Kristin (August 14, 2015). "The 33 Best Burritos in America". Thrillist. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Porter, Roger; Melander, Christina; Zusman, Michael C.; Centoni, Danielle; Vitt, Shawn; Butler, Grant (June 13, 2008). "Think globally". The Oregonian. p. 42.
  16. ^ Bakall, Samantha (April 29, 2016). "Portland's 25 best Mexican restaurants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (September 4, 2015). "Renard? Meh. But Nachos Get Their Day in The Oregonian Sun". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Nine Best Chile Relleno Burritos in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  19. ^ McCollom, Hollyanna (May 14, 2019). Moon Portland. Avalon Publishing. pp. 94–95. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  20. ^ Woo, Nick (March 14, 2019). "12 Unreal Burritos in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.

External links[]

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