Lilia Comedor

"At this intimate, window-lined, South Waterfront restaurant, chef Juan Gomez uses Pacific Northwestern ingredients to develop an inventive tasting menu using Mexican dishes as jumping off points. Menus change often, but on any given visit, a meal may involve Columbia River sturgeon tucked into an enchilada Suiza with wild onion salsa verde, or tamales made with house-nixtamalized masa and spring pea salsa. If possible, nab a seat at the chef’s counter, where Gomez happily offers context as he cooks." - Krista Garcia

"The city’s Mexican restaurant scene leans toward overstuffed burritos and birria, and Comedor Lilia is a nice change of pace. Why not uni and nasturtium leaves paired with heirloom beans? The ambitious restaurant from República & Co on the South Waterfront is the answer for upscale Mexican food that goes deep into the hyper-seasonal Pacific Northwest thing. The menu changes daily, so it’s unlikely you’ll ever eat the same thing twice. We recommend letting chef Juan Gomez take the reins and opting for the $98 tasting menu at the counter, and invite your Californian friend who insists there isn’t good Mexican food in Portland. photo credit: Brooke Fitts photo credit: Brooke Fitts photo credit: Brooke Fitts photo credit: Brooke Fitts Food Rundown The menu at Lilia changes depending on the season, but here’s an idea of what you can expect. Chayote Toreado Huarache This late-summer offering showcases thin slices of mild chayote paired with creamy housemade requeson, tart kiwi curtido, and crimson spoonfuls of sesame morita salsa. A few decades ago, this might be called fusion. Now it’s simply Mexican American food. Lobster Barbacoa It’s a meaty, chile-rubbed lobster tail encircled with garden’s worth of herbs and flowers atop an equally green snap pea congee. Salsa macha verde finishes off this stunning spring dish. Pork Collar Confit Order the juicy pork collar confit, if it’s available, to taste the meltingly tender meat paired with vibrant, highly seasonal ingredients like icicle radishes. Depending on the time of year it might come with carrot sikil pak or black bean caldo, plus pan arabe." - Krista Garcia

"The city’s Mexican restaurant scene leans toward overstuffed burritos and birria, and Comedor Lilia is a nice change of pace. The ambitious restaurant from República & Co on the South Waterfront is the answer for upscale Mexican food that goes deep into the hyper-seasonal Pacific Northwest thing. The daily changing menu might feature Hakurei turnips in mole or a carrot tlacoyo, moodily plated with pipian negro, black truffle shavings, and a pop of orange carrot foam. Order the juicy pork collar confit if it’s available. Depending on the season it might come with carrot sikil pak or black bean caldo, plus pan arabe. Or better yet, opt for the $98 chef’s tasting menu at the counter, and invite your Californian friend who insists there isn’t good Mexican food in Portland." - krista garcia

"Rather than simply duplicating the original restaurant’s winning formula, the República team has launched a string of thematically connected but distinct restaurant and bar expansions throughout the city. Perhaps the most exciting is Lilia Comedor — a tribute to chef Juan Gomez’s mother — taking the “Mexico-forward” approach of its parent restaurant to creative heights. The menu is highly seasonal and changes frequently. Opt for the tasting menu to enjoy a multi-course meal that might include scallop crudo, Oregon Coast Dungeness Crab, or pork collar confit — depending on the season." - Rebecca Roland, Nathan Williams

"Chef Juan Gomez’s humility and warmth is so disarming, it may lead some to believe the meal ahead is going to be similarly colloquial and casual; think again. At this Pacific Northwestern Mexican restaurant, Gomez meticulously constructs dishes with a clear point of view: earthy enmoladas topped with pieces of seared strip loin and nasturtium leaves, white asparagus tamales draped in petals of uni and foamy habanero egg sauce, Columbia River Chinook in an electric green aguachile, rolling in and out with the seasons. If possible, opt for a seat at the South Waterfront restaurant’s tasting counter, where you can watch Gomez plate each course with flowers from his spouse’s garden." - Eater Staff