A Fry Bread Feast Awaits at Javelina, PDX’s Only Indigenous Restaurant | Eater Portland

"Tucked away in Northeast Portland, the city’s first (but hopefully not its last) Indigenous restaurant offers a come-as-you-are atmosphere and a kitchen led by chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson, who explores the intersection of pre-colonial ingredients and post-colonial Native foodways by reclaiming dishes such as fry bread and pairing them with ingredients native to Turtle Island. Debuting in early 2025 and now firmly situated along 42nd Avenue next to the Native American Youth and Family Center after a minor relocation, it’s a spot where fry bread anchors the menu: I’d go for the elk fry bread ($25), piled with slightly sweet, tender braised meat, arugula, pickled red onion, and puffed amaranth under a burgundy swirl of huckleberry barbecue sauce—big enough to share—while the wheat berry salad ($8) balances richer plates with pumpkin seeds, toothsome whole wheat kernels, dried cranberries, crisp shaved fennel, and a honey-sumac vinaigrette that coats each bite in tart sweetness. For a deeper dive, the reservation-only Inɨ́sha tasting menu ($145) is fully composed of decolonized ingredients (think Olympia oysters with chokecherry mignonette, coal-roasted bison skewers, and blue corn cake), with optional wine ($75) or Indigenous tea ($30) pairings. The beverage program is as exciting as the food; look past the usual suspects for coffee and no-proof cocktails featuring native tea blends and North American ingredients—the Sun Dancer blends cold brew, oat milk, corn milk, cinnamon, corn pinole, cacao, and maple syrup over crushed ice with a dusting of blue flowers. This very community-oriented restaurant welcomes kids, and there’s even a high chair on site." - Brenna Houck