Despite the squeeze of the pandemic on Portland restaurants, Mexican food in Portland has only grown and diversified. Carts specializing in birria have parked in lots throughout Gresham and East Portland, while restaurants focused on contemporary Mexican cuisine have opened in the heart of the city. Vegan carts sling soy curls al pastor as pandemic-era pop-up chefs ladle containers of pozole for customers found on Instagram. Meanwhile, the small mercados, panaderias, and taco trucks that have retained customers for decades remain open, packing carnitas and cabeza into small, house-made tortillas.
Whatever the future has in store, tacos are a high-resiliency dish — built for travel, ingredient flexibility, and easy eating. So here's a look at some of Portland's finest tacos, from dripping guisados to super-crispy carnitas. This map focuses on spots underrepresented on some of our other Mexican food maps, so for more options in Gresham or birria-specific spots, look for options via their specific maps. Note: The points on this map guide are not ranked; rather, they're organized geographically.
Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
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