chelo
Restaurant · Concordia
2930 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97211
Highlights
Mexican cuisine with seasonal produce, inventive dishes, and great sauces
Mexican cuisine with seasonal produce, inventive dishes, and great sauces
"Acclaimed chef Luna Contreras has been running Chelo for so long it’s sort of shocking that it hasn’t been a brick-and-mortar restaurant. On January 3, that changed, when Dame — the space that had been hosting Chelo — evolved into being simply Chelo’s permanent home. The food hasn’t changed, thankfully, with seasonal produce anchoring playful, inventive dishes like a duck leg confit smothered in mole served with Asian pears, grits, and escabeche. Head to Resy to book a table." - Zoe Baillargeon
"The bar at Chelo, a Mexican restaurant focusing on vegetable-packed dishes, is made for midsummer dates. Kick the night off with mezcal cocktails and local oysters livened up with sangrita, add a fiery tuna and shrimp coctel to the mix, and wait for romance to blossom." - krista garcia
"Chef Luna Contreras serves Mexican snacks and tlayudas with Pacific Northwestern produce Thursdays through Sundays at its new home in the Dame space. The menu is super seasonal, which means the tacos on the menu change very frequently; however, they’re often some of the best available in town, whether they’re filled with grilled wild steelhead and tobiko or slow-braised barbacoa goat with juicy yu choy. The salsas are always designed specifically for the tacos, with things like peanut-nutty salsa macha; Contreras also has her own line of hot sauces, with flavors like fiery chipotle. Reservations can be made via Resy." - Nathan Williams
"Chef Luna Contreras has taken her pop-up Chelo to a new, permanent home on NE Killingsworth as of January 3. Diners can expect the crispy tlayudas that became popular in the restaurant’s pop-up days, and may delight in the gorditas de hongos, which is made with local mushrooms. Book a reservation on Resy."
"Chelo is a restaurant in Portland specializing in Mexican cuisine, inspired by Guadalajara’s street food and fonda-style dining. It features veggie-forward dishes like maitake mushroom gorditas, tlayudas with seasonal produce, and a top-tier tres leches cake. The restaurant is owned by Chef Luna Contreras, who is known for her innovative Mexican dishes and advocacy for the trans community." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
