4636 NE 42nd Ave

Amazing new restaurant in NE Portland! Carnivores rejoice! Friendly staff, great food, and plenty of street parking. I came by for some lunch items to take home and absolutely loved everything. I tried the elk tacos, powwow burger, seasonal salad, and the chili and cornbread. Good portions for the price and everything was delicious! I would recommend all of these and can't wait to come back! The restaurant itself was clean with plenty of seating, and had a community pantry available for those in need. Pro Tip: You can use the InKind app here for discounts!

This is my third time coming here. Every time we come it is a lovely experience. We love the amazing quality food, we love the simple and beautiful decor, and we love the staff. This place IS the vibe. I recommend it to anyone looking for a perfectly splendid and non-pretentious place to eat. You're still reading...? Stop reading and head there right now!

Cuz they deserve it Chili was crazy flavorful Frybread was amazing Snow pea tea i think? Was beautiful

Had a family meal here, it was good and we appreciated several things: the service, the salad, and they even had a very nice offering of local, indigenous owned beers and very nicely crafted tea blends!

This was our last dinner this visit to Portland- we had been looking for a place unique to portland with an experience we couldn't get in Seattle and this delivered. The menu is fantastic and full of variety--making our choices was a challenge. The chips and dip and shishito peppers were a great way to start things off with our cocktails. I went a little overboard getting the chili AND the Bison short ribs but I couldn't decide between the two. The fry bread is a wonderful side serving a dual role of a savory accompaniment and a simple sweet dessert.

Finally got the chance to visit Javalina and was not disappointed! The menu was beautifully created and it was so hard to choose. The service staff were so attentive, I tried the elk fry bread which was AMAZING! So flavorful and delicious, Indigenous cuisine presented with intentionality and care. It was a delight and I will be back for more!

I happy to have Javelina as an option to support indigenous restaurant and catering that focuses on non-colonial cuisine, powwow comfort food and first foods in PDX! They offer their own craft tea leaves, fairly large selection of them. I drink my strong so next time I will let them know for sure. The fry bread was much smaller, less fluffy, and airy than I expected. My order was beautiful presented though the taste didn't quite hit the spot for me. I definitely come back to check out their weekend tasting menu one of these days. Super cozy indoor space! Exceptional service! P. Y. No toilet seat covers

Food was unique and flavorful and service was good but portions were very small and prices were high.

First time trying indigenous food and I have been wanting to come here for a while. My partner and I ordered the bison chili, taco fry bread (vegetarian version) and the 3 sister mash appetizer that's a medley of beans, special corn and squash. Our favorite two dishes or the bison chili and the three sister mash appetizer. The bison chili had an amazing taste and wasn't heavy. The three sister appetizer had a nice pure simple flavor. We would totally order both again in a heartbeat. Meanwhile the fry bread item didn't quite stand out. It looked good but flavor was mild and texture-wise, it seems really similar to a Chinese crueller donut (the one you eat with congee). We loved that it was filling, and there was fresh condiment on top, but it just didn't stand out as much as the other dishes. I did see this place has an extensive non-caffeinated herbal tea menu, and some other cool dishes (most are non-veg). So maybe I'll come back here myself without my partner.

I was a bit hesitant to try this place - not sure what unusual foods might be on the menu. It was SO good! Really tasty bowl, yummy drink, and delicious fry bread with maple syrup. Will be back, with friends. So many interesting new things to try!

All food was delicious! So much fry bread and tea! Elk burgers are very tasty! Huckleberry ice cream was great too!

I went to a wedding reception at Javelina last week. It was just lovely! We had elk, fry bread, these taco-like things and fresh tortilla chips with a house made dip. The drinks were also to die for! He even put marigold petals in my cocktail! I didn't get a pic of it but just when I wanted more fry bread, out came house made berry sorbet and fry bread with sugar and cinnamon on it! What a nice experience!

What an amazing cultural food experience! A must if visiting the area and even if you're a local. Make reservations. First time having Indigenous cuisine and I enjoyed every bite. Myself and other diners don't eat red meat or pork but we were able to find some great choices on the menu. We tried a little of everything. But hands down collectively it was the fry bread. We had three orders of it including the dessert option. I like the fresh ingredients the vegetables and the flavor was divine. My personal favorite was the peppers dish. The corn maiden was my favorite traditional beverage. Service is delightful, they cater to you. The rabbit and rattles snack was a tasty dish-we ate everything as prepared, but I think I would have asked for that to be cooked on the grill a little longer longer if at home to have a more crispy texture. Otherwise we were pleased with everything we ordered. Once in a lifetimes for some experience. Glad to have been able to break read here.

I was excited to see that there was an indigenous restaurant in Portland! The huckleberry palmer was sweet but not too sweet, refreshing and had deep huckleberry flavors. The sunbowl was excellent and had so many different flavors and textures. I really liked the large beans the manoomin had a lovely delicate texture. The steelhead was plentiful and had a deep smoky flavor.

Every dish at Javelina centers on the perseverance of Indigenous food - which makes it a really special place to experience. I had the Elky Fry Bread which was perfectly seasoned with rich, dynamic flavors. My wife had the Blue Corn Tostada and could've eaten two - they were so good. Ordering the Fry Bread with Wild Flower Honey should be a requirement for everyone who visits. This will absolutely be a regular place for us. The staff, vibe, food, and story of Javelina are incredible.

This restaurant was on our bucket list for years. It did not disappoint!! We started with the heirloom bean dip and corn chips. For an entree I had the Hopi blue corn someviki and a side of three sisters mash. Everything was seasoned perfectly and included ingredients I don't typically find in vegetarian cuisine. Absolute delicious. The husband had the R & R relleno which included rattlesnake and rabbit sausage. He didn't talk much except some cussing about how fantastic it was. Our cocktails were an Uncles Old Fashioned and The End of Harvest. As distillers of blue corn whiskey, we especially enjoyed the creativity of the cocktails and how they paired perfectly with our meals. Highly recommend.

I really wanted to enjoy my experience at Javelina but there were several parts of the experience that could have used improvement. Firstly, they are noticeably understaffed. While we were there, maybe 3(?) waitresses were serving all tables AND making drinks. My cocktail arrived 45 minutes after I ordered it, even after asking about it several times. Secondly, the size of the mains was pretty small. Not enough to fill anyone. Be aware of that. If I go back it will be for tea and trying some sides at most.

Amazing experience. We had the rattlesnake and rabbit relleno, fry bread and the bison steak. Everything was delicious and the team was great working with us to accommodate some allergies. Service was friendly and quick, this place is a gem! Cocktails were delightful as well, will definitely be back.

I think this is the only Native American restaurant I have been to or even seen, besides fry bread from fairs as a kid. We went with the R&R Relleno & Elk frybread w/ an order of bison meatballs on the side. We enjoyed the relleno and meatballs, but the elk frybread was just meh. It was shredded meat pulled pork style which I am not a fan of & a bit lacking in flavor. The R&R relleno was great - similar to chile relleno but it is a sausage stuffed pepper instead of cheese, and the pepper wrapped around it is more roasted w/ cheese. Although I couldn't taste any rabbit or rattlesnake it just tasted like a juicy delicious normal sausage. Served w/ side of beans & pickled onions. The bison meatballs were pretty good too. It was drizzled w/ huckleberry sauce which sounded odd but actually worked really well. It is a bit of a fancy/expensive place tho. Menu seems to be constantly changing.

I was so excited for this reservation. But overall, the experience was very disappointing. First off, I have to admit the bar was set pretty high because my mom is Native American and we have exposure. Some immediate notes: 1) the chili was served lukewarm! It was also not spicy at all and contained no (discernible) chili itself. Super weird. My parents got these and let me try it. If I had ordered this, I would have sent it back, but they were too nice to say anything. I felt bad for my mom because she was raised on Native American chili. Eeeek. 2) the salmon in a corn husk was so, so boring. It tasted like salmon I make at home that I want the picky kids to eat. Aka bland and dry. Bland native food!? What on earth is going on! So much potential here. Why wasn't it served with an amazing sauce??? 3) credit is due for the R&R sausage dish. It actually had some flavor and had a nice presentation. 4) the fry bread was good but it was absolutely tiny. Shouldn't be labeling something a "pow wow comfort food" when you can eat it in one bite, lol. I understand having to charge more in a setting like this, but why was it literally 4 inches across? Can't share this with a table and the 5 dollar price tag makes you think you will be able to. I would have preferred to see it double the cost and triple the size. That would make a lot more sense. Also, why is it being served with butter and not honey!? Honey should at least be in option- I never had fry bread in New Mexico at least- without it. I'm sure the owners are passionate people but I have to say it. This place is like native food for very very white people. Bland, overpriced, uninspired. It's possible we came on a bad night but unfortunately the drive is too far for me to ever come back when the food was that boring. Ps. If anyone is ever near Minneapolis, there is a native restaurant there called Owamni that was one of the top 3 meals of my entire life.

Food was fresh and delicious. The verity of teas is amazing. Cant wait to go back and get the fry read flight!

Easily some of the best food in Portland. The smoked salmon was exquisite. It was dried just enough to let the smoke really pop. The boar bacon BLT was deliciously indulgent. The bison chili could maybe use a little more spice, but the provided hot sauces let us customize our spice level. Every bite and sip was wonderful. Maybe my favorite restaurant in Portland.

I've been to Javelina before during their lunch, and we thought it was great! But our most recent visit during dinner was actually pretty disappointing. I booked a reservation ahead of time, and let the restaurant know in the note of the reservation that I intended to propose to my partner during dinner! I don't know if they don't actually receive those notes at the restaurant or if it was ignored, but they did not reach out to help coordinate anything beforehand or when I arrived. We didn't even give us one of their tables with flowers on it. We got seated in the back corner next to a huge loud group that at the end of their meal decided they all wanted separate checks, so our server was busy dealing with that for most of our meal. The bison steak was also listed as being $50 on their menu online, but was actually $65- which made the amount of gristle I had to chew through even more upsetting. My partner enjoyed the meal, saying the bison meatballs and blue corn were delicious, as were all the teas we sampled. At the end of the night I was no longer interested in proposing at the restaurant, and tried to get a shirt for my partner as a souvenir, but they were all out of mediums. I'll probably still return, their food is generally wonderful, but this visit was very disappointing.

This was absolutely delicious. We ordered the fry bread taco, fry bread burger, the three sisters, and the corn bread. Everything had so much flavor. Also, the Indigenous salsas were so tasty. The blueberry/habanero combo was such a unique flavor. 11/10 give this restaurant a try!

Delicious interesting food and great service. Reasonable prices. First indigenous restaurant in town, great addition to foodie culture

The food, the art, and especially the people are all wonderful! I accidentally left my bank card on the table yesterday and they held it for me to pick up today! So grateful!

No one is as hard working and dedicated as these owners. They are definitely "all in" when it comes to this new restaurant and making it a success!

Some of the most amazing and delicious ways to cook Indigenous food in modern day, hands down. Taking ancestral knowledge of foods and cooking to make it for everyone. I'm personally here for bougie Native food all day! Why? Because we can't say it's really been done before.

I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. We are visiting from San Diego and have been eating at all the most highly rated restaurants in town. This one is as good as any. We loved every dish. The seasonal salad and the salmon were standouts. We also loved the drinks program, with the interesting cocktails and great wine choices. The new restaurant is very cute. The only thing that needs some work is we found the servers were stretched thin among the 3 spaces they had to help people in. Usually at a nice restaurant we would order 2 drinks, maybe 3 to pair with the different courses. We had all of the 4 courses we ordered on our table pretty fast. My husband tried to order a second drink halfway through the meal and it never arrived. The server was just too busy in all the spaces and couldn't see us well in the front corner by a wall. Since this is a recent move, I am sure they will work out small kinks like this. Portland is lucky to have such a beautiful, unique restaurant. We'll be back again and again!

This is the best food in the best atmosphere I've had in a long time. I had the bison chili, and it was wonderful! I also had the best bread--fry bread--to accompany it. There was a little caddy of three hot sauces that helped stir things up. My friend had the elk fry bread, which was basically an open face sandwich in a huckleberry bbq sauce with a huge pile of mixed greens. The elk was very lean. She loved it. Service was great, and the prices were very reasonable. Of course, this was lunch. They also have a multi-course dinner that requires a ticket and advance reservations. The ice tea was pretty spendy for what you got, but that's tiny compared to the positives. All in all, it was a great experience, and I fully intend to go back--frequently!

The flavors, the food, the tea, and the service is excellent! The fry bread is comfort food. The chefs are awesome! This is indigenous comfort food we all need.

my favorite restaurant, its been a joy to bring friends family and my classmates and professors to come enjoy amazing food and drinks. my 5 year old daughter looks forward to getting her frybread and chilli each time. love love love this establishment, such amazing people!

Amazing food and great service! I was also impressed with the ambiance and every detail down to the art, decor and the dish ware. Super unique!

Best new restaurant in PDX! This is exactly how I love to eat and the staff makes you feel right at home! We loved everything we had, including their selection of hot sauces! Food: 10/10 would order anything with roasted elk. I got the sun bowl with wild rice, giant creamy scarlet runner beans, delicada squash, arugula, roasted elk, and pickled red onions. We also got the elk frybread topped with arugula, pickled red onions, and blueberry bbq sauce that cuts through the richness! For dessert, we had the fluffiest blue cornbread cake and maple butter! Drinks: 10/10 Try their First Foods Cider with apple, cranberry, and sumac (my favorite!) and if you're looking for something else, the coffee is delicious! The coffee is from Bison coffeehouse, another great Native-owned business in Portland. Service: 10/10 We were greeted by Chef Alexa and seated within a couple minutes. Both owners checked in on us. Ambiance: 10/10 The restaurant is gorgeous and cozy, full of beautiful Native art and momentos of Chef Alexa's family and heritage. We're incredibly lucky to have them in Portland. Take your people!

The food was very tasty. Cant wait to go back. Im dying to get the three piece sweet frybread amongst other menu items.

Wow! Absolutely delicious I was very impressed! Newfound love for huckleberry. Flavors really stand out from the bison meatloaf to the fry bread taco. Lovely staff too. I'll be coming back!

I am so happy to have found this eatery! Gourmet Indigenous food served beautifully. I had the salmon and beans and my friend had the elk birria, along with roasted corn on the cob beyond compare. All were delicious. I wanted the rabbit but it sold out fast! Next time! I hope they open a permanent restaurant; I would take all my friends and visitors there!

how refreshing and enriching to have a new indigenous restaurant serving authentic and delicious food to our all too desperate community! thank you chef Alexa and the javelina team for sharing your culture and talent with us. you are special and I can't wait to eat anything and everything you and your team are willing to serve us. with gratitude and deep thanks, let them cook #onenationbb