A Hip New Taco Bar Is Open on West Burnside

Tope, the new taco bar from the folks behind Ava Gene’s, is now open in the Hoxton hotel, making it the last restaurant or bar to open within the new Burnside hotspot. Last year, the fine-ish dining spot La Neta opened on the hotel’s ground floor, and a Chinese-American speakeasy began serving chow mein in a basement bar without an opening announcement.

Tope got things started with a big New Year’s Eve party, opening for real on the first day of 2019. The foundation of chef Johnny Leach’s menu is seven tacos, including favorites like al pastor with roasted pineapple and beef tongue (or lengua). Vegetarians may prefer the cauliflower taco with mole or the restaurant’s tlayuda, a Oaxacan dish in which a bed of tortillas gets a dose of refried beans, vegetables, and cheese, almost like a flatbread or pizza. Meat eaters are definitely the ones to benefit, however, with a fried chicken cemita and a Sonoran hot dog rounding out the menu.

The bar, a gold-and-glistening-white number crawling with vines, serves cocktails with cheeky names like Anyway, Here’s Wonderwall (Hendrick’s gin, aloe, grapefruit bitters) and Carrot on My Wayward Son (sweet potato, carrot, Bahnez mezcal). The menu also references comedies like Zoolander and Arrested Development with cocktails like A School for Ants (El Dorado five-year rum, Proud Mary coffee, amaretto) and Mr. Manager (rum, Montenegro amaro, cinnamon).

The space itself, which Eater PDX explored last fall, resembles a hip 50something’s conservatory, with plenty of living plants, windows, and wicker furniture. As the weather continues to cool, guests will likely try to nab a seat at the restaurant’s indoor fireplace, with wrap-around seating and dining surfaces.

Tope is open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Hoxton. Scroll below for a peek at the restaurant’s menu.

• Tope [Official]
• Chinatown’s New, Restaurant-Packed Hotel Is as Cozy as It Is Chic [EPDX]