A New Salvadoran and Mexican Restaurant Will Serve Family Recipes Passed Down Through Generations

First-time restaurateur Josef Gonzalez will bring 40-plus years of family recipes to Portland’s newest Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant, Bicho’s, which opens September 21. The opening will fulfill a life-long wish for Gonzalez, who has dreamed of sharing the foods he grew up with in his own space since he was a child. “I’ve always been fascinated by how restaurants work and how dynamic they can be,” Gonzalez says.

Raised in a Salvadoran family in the Bay Area, Gonzalez noticed a stark lack of Salvadoran options within Portland’s city center, which prompted him to open a place of his own. “There is a lot of really good Salvadorian food in the Portland metropolitan area, but you just kind of need to drive a little bit further,” Gonzalez says. “You got to leave the city to get to these Salvadoran restaurants.” With Bicho’s he hopes to offer a taste of the food he was raised with to Portland locals, without having to leave the city.

The main focus at Bicho’s will be on its pupusas; 10 varietals including cheese and zucchini; cheese and chicken, and beans and cheese will be available on the daily menu. The pupusas will be served with a side of curtido, a vinegary Salvadoran slaw, and salsa. In addition to the pupusas, Mexican classics like flautas, chile relleno, burritos, and tacos will be available. In the morning, Bicho’s will serve a simple breakfast menu of breakfast burritos, huevos rancheros, and huevos con chorizo. Wine and beer will be available to pair, plus cocktails like sangria and margaritas.

Pupusas from Bicho’s. Bicho’s

The lack of Salvadoran options in the city isn’t surprising given its relatively small Salvadoran community. A self-reported study on Statistical Atlas showed just over 1,100 Salvadorans living in Portland, which makes up less than 1 percent of the Hispanic population of the city. Even so, a small number of Salvadoran and Latin American restaurants have come to call the city home like Salvi and Pupusas Montalvo.

Although this is Gonzalez’s first restaurant, he’s feeling more excitement than nerves as he approaches its opening date. “I’m really excited to see what people have to think of our food,” Gonzalez says. “I think everyone’s gonna love it. And now I’m excited to just see the smiles on people’s faces when they have a first bite, you know?”

Bicho’s is located at 3917 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97227 and opens on September 21.

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N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97227