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 restaurant in southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood, 2022
Map
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; -122.6361
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[edit]

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,[2] chilaquiles,[3] pozole,[4] tacos, and tamales.[1] Its menu also includes chicken enchiladas, horchata,[5] quesadillas,[6] tortas, tostadas, chimichangas, beef tongue, machaca, chile rellenos, menudo, beans, and rice.[7][8] The breakfast menu includes a breakfast burrito, huevos a la mexicana, and huevos rancheros.[9] The restaurants' interiors have a "sunny" decor,[1] and the Alberta Street exterior has a Diego Rivera-inspired mural of a reclining woman.[10]

History[edit]

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.[11] 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.[12] By April 2021, it had indoor dining, takeout, and delivery.[13]

Reception[edit]

Photograph of the exterior of a building
Exterior of the Alberta Street restaurant in 2022

Thrillist's Dan Gentile included La Bonita on a 2014 list of the 16 best burritos in the United States.[14] Kristin Hunt included the chain on Thrillist's 2015 list of the country's 33 best burritos.[15] La Bonita was included in The Oregonian's 2008 guide to "meals without borders", which said: "The straightforward Mexican food is a magnet to locals and wayfaring strangers."[16] The newspaper's Michael C. Zusman included the restaurant's pozole in a 2009 overview of Portland's top pork dishes.[4] 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.[3][17][18]

Nick Zukin included La Bonita on Willamette Week's 2016 list of Portland's nine best chile relleno burritos.[19] In her 2019 Moon guidebook to Portland, Hollyanna McCollom said the food at the Alberta restaurant "is quick, inexpensive, and delicious".[20] During the pandemic, Brooke Jackson-Glidden included La Bonita on Eater Portland's 2020 overview of Portland eateries with "knockout" tacos for takeout and delivery.[12] She also included the Alberta restaurant in a 2021 overview of recommended eateries on Alberta.[13] Nick Woo and Seiji Nanbu included La Bonita on a 2021 list of twelve "unreal" burritos in Portland, and said the restaurant "has become synonymous with quality fast-casual Mexican fare".[21] Katrina Yentch included the restaurant in Eater Portland's 2022 list of eighteen "knockout spots" for affordable dining in the city.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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. ^ Woo, Nick (March 14, 2019). "14 Gargantuan, Stuffed Burritos in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "La Bonita". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Karbo, Karen (March 23, 2007). "Mission: Spring Break". The Oregonian. p. 09.
  7. ^ Ekman, Lisa (June 21, 2012). "Keep in mind: ethnic eating/Portland". The Oregonian.
  8. ^ Zusman, Michael (December 22, 2006). "cheap eats feeding frenzies with pocket change La Bonita". The Oregonian. p. 19.
  9. ^ O'Brien, Kyle (July 25, 2003). "La Bonita". The Oregonian. p. 14.
  10. ^ "Hispanic & Latinx Culture". Travel Portland. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Hunt, Kristin (August 14, 2015). "The 33 Best Burritos in America". Thrillist. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  16. ^ Porter, Roger; Melander, Christina; Zusman, Michael C.; Centoni, Danielle; Vitt, Shawn; Butler, Grant (June 13, 2008). "Think globally". The Oregonian. p. 42.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "The Nine Best Chile Relleno Burritos in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  20. ^ McCollom, Hollyanna (May 14, 2019). Moon Portland. Avalon Publishing. pp. 94–95. ISBN 9781640493681. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  21. ^ Woo, Nick (March 14, 2019). "12 Unreal Burritos in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  22. ^ Yentch, Katrina (July 17, 2015). "18 Knockout Spots for Affordable Dining in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to La Bonita.
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