Pepper Box Cafe

What makes this place so great is they don't try to pretend to be something they're not. This restaurant is far from the Portland norm. Don't come here expecting super healthy food, or a great place to eat salads. This food is deliciously greasy, spicy, flavor packed, and will leave your stomach full on a low budget. I ordered delivery from Postmates, so i can only comment on the food itself, not the vibe or service. Their breakfast tacos remind me of some places back in Austin, with the combination of Southwest flavors. I also ordered their green Chile burger. It was packed with flavor, and the meat was cooked perfectly with a nice pink center. Their tortilla sandwiches were also amazing, they use a special kind of tortilla, not your typical run of the mill restaurant style flour tortilla. I even tried their pancakes, surprisingly some of the best I've had since my own mothers homemade pancakes. This place is a winner, I will be coming back.

Very potato heavy menu, and the chorizo options definitely carry more flavor than bacon of the same. All delicious! Amazing service and although it seemed busy we got a table almost immediately. Only paid about 25 bucks for a full breakfast for 2, excellent deal (chef's kiss).

This place is literally the greatest place ever. Tastes like home, homemade tortillas, The burritos are NM size NOT Portland portions and for a reasonable price ($). Go get a breakfast taco from here everyday!! The pastrami and bacon Christmas is the way to go! Tacos $3.50, burritos $6.50, and stuffed sopapillas 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

I ordered 2 Farmer's Tacos and they were HUGE! AND so delicious! I couldn't finish and I have a big appetite. So yummy and affordable and very friendly service!

Great spot for a quick and cheap breakfast. I got the original taco with red sauce and the farmers breakfast taco. The red sauce has a good amount of heat to it, it was plenty filling without any meat but I think I would get bacon or carne next time for better textural contrast. The farmers breakfast was great too, lots of fresh veggies and cheese. For an average appetite 2 tacos were too much, I only finished about 2/3 of my food. You order at a counter and someone brings your food, it came out within about 5 minutes. We got there right after opening but I could imagine the limited tables filling up quickly on a busy weekend morning so plan accordingly. But you could easily spend less than $5 for a very filling and flavorful breakfast here so I would recommend it to anyone.

Friendly service, and huge portions! I had the papas with both salsas, and added bacon and Carne. It was a challenge for me to finish it, and I am not a small man! I enjoyed this meal on their quaint outdoor seating. Felt like I was served a meal from a Tia. Highly recommend!

I went to Pepper Box Cafe for the first time today. We ordered takeout as we have to right now. I had The Standard. Two eggs, and potatoes with a side tortilla. I added the homemade chorizo. It was good. Plenty of food. It was a nice find.

Absolutely delicious comfort food made from scratch. The Migas and sauces are amazingly delicious. Staff is very friendly.

Popped by on a Sunday morning for a breakfast burrito and it was INCREDIBLE. My partner got his with bacon and I just got the regular b'fast burrito. This place is phenomenal and their sauces (that my burrito was drowning in) are insanely good. What a great find!

Good food, good service, good dining area, decent price. I was the first customer for the day so I got very fast service and really fresh ingredients, not sure if it's like that all day. In the 30 minutes that I sat there, the dining area mostly got filled up with customers so it's a pretty popular place. I got the huevos rancheros plate, which comes with two eggs your way over a corn tortilla, served with diced potatoes, pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheddar, and red or green chili. It was really good, tasted like a nice home cooked breakfast with lots of effort put into it. The potatoes were delicious and definitely my favorite part. The dining area is pretty cool and cozy, lots of variety in seating options, and they have self-serve water out. I'd definitely recommend this place, but this plate was about $14 before tipping. In my opinion a meal tastes way better when you know it was a good deal, I'd give this place five stars if you could get a simple breakfast like this for under $10.

6.4/10 Ok breakfast taco, interesting choice to put salami in a taco. Very white pretty bland wouldn't recommend for the price tag of 6.50 a taco.

Yeah!! They have resumed indoor dining, again! So here is the thing, if you are looking for Mexican food with the typical tepid TexMex sauces- stay away. But if you are little more adventurous and are wanting scratch that itch - here you will find amazing bold sauces from New Mexico. I had the Original Breakfast Taco, rolled and smothered with the red sauce. YUM!! If you can't decide on red or green - order it Christmas - half red, half green. The portions are generous and budget friendly.

Love this food, and the service in the past has been wonderful. As a native New Mexican, I can say that this is by far and away the best New Mexican food available in the Portland area. We have ordered from Pepper Box weekly for quite some time. Last week, we were disappointed that they had run out of tortillas and were unable to fill our order. This week, the new employee taking our order by phone was unwilling to include the side dishes we requested, claiming he did not have time to do "specials." This despite the fact that we have placed this same order many times without problem. After the second time he was rude to me, I politely canceled the order and walked away. I truly hope you get your act together, Pepper Box. We adore your food but are not willing to put up with service like we have had recently. We will give it one more try, and I will amend this review if the service improves.

Really enjoyed delivery lunch from Pepper Box Cafe! You'll see in the photo that it doesn't look like much, and truthfully I wasn't sure what I was ordering, wasn't sure what I got, but you bet that I loved eating it all regardless. I'm not sure how I hadn't been to this spot before now! The $3 sopapilla with honey is a must-order on my opinion, for that cheap coat and delicious flavor.

This is probably closer to 3.5 stars.... Small funky café, you order at the counter and bus your own table but they do deliver the food to your table. The woman at the counter was very welcoming and friendly. Great menu of Tex-Mex-inspired breakfast and lunch food, very much the menu of a diner in New Mexico or Arizona, love what they offer. It's nice to see Sopapillas and Christmas (red & green) sauce options. There aren't a ton of tables but we were lucky to grab one, unfortunately right by the door but it worked. It's definitely not a cozy warm place to eat but at least they do have seating indoors. I ordered a sopapilla with honey and a breakfast burrito, and my friend ordered a breakfast taco. Food arrived quickly and was hot and freshly prepared. The ingredients were mostly good, fresh ripe avocado and nicely cooked whole beans and chunks of breakfast potato in the burrito which was smothered in Christmas sauces. I asked for extra cheese and got almost no cheese, and what I did see looked like cheap pre-grated mix for which I dinged them a star, but the burrito (which is really a large enchilada that you eat with a fork and knife, the ends are open and it's covered in sauce) was fine otherwise. The sopapilla was fresh and not too greasy, served with a plastic bottle of warm honey to squeeze over it. My friend said her taco was good, it was big for a taco and everything looked fresh and well-prepared. Overall the food was pretty good but it wasn't the nicest place to hang out and eat. Might give them another try but would probably prefer to get food to go and eat somewhere nicer....

The food is excellent! This place is just a little hole in the wall but it is so good! My husband had Huevos Rancheros and I had Calabacitas. We also got a side of sopapillas served with honey as they should be.

I had somewhat high expectations for Pepper Box Cafe. I wanted to taste a bit of home again from this place. The food is okay but no taste of New Mexico. My first experience was a Sunday morning. The place was dirty and busy. I got the breakfast burrito with green chile smothered. First bite, there was no extra kick or spice to the green chile and it was bland. My bf had the chorizo burger. I would prefer that more compared to the burrito. The sopapillas were burnt slightly and flat, no fluff or that golden color. Next visit I got the chicken enchiladas with green chile. Enchiladas looked like a tostada and chile wasn't doing the meal justice.

Great migas, I've never had them before but they're very similar to chilaquiles, would recommend

I love pepperbox. Their food is usually very good. I can't give them 5 stars though because the prices are a little high. For one sopapilla they charge $5.50. In New Mexico you either get it free or no more than $2. The tortillas are $2.50 so why are sopapillas $3 more?

Great New Mexico style dishes. Well prepared and tasty. We highly recommend. Not a fancy restaurant and only open for breakfast and lunch. Urban, so parking can be a challenge, but worth the walk.

This food was honestly representable we got the potato's, fries w/chipotle crema, breakfast burrito w/ scrambled eggs + red Chile sauce, chorizo burger w/cheese fries + more chipotle crema and it was pretty damn good we live here and it's now one we'll def go back to at some point but it's a nice place to go if you just wanna eat some good breakfast 8/10

Pepper Box is Portland's unsung brunch hero. If you are a fan of, or new to New Mexican food, this is the place to eat. The only downside is they are not open for dinner too. My favorite is the breakfast taco, delicious fresh flour tortilla filled with eggs and potatos, I order it with pork adobada and "christmas style" which gets you both red and green chile sauce. Add avocado if you can pronounce it along with the rest of your order. Def. get the sopapillas, hot puffy fry bread you eat with honey. Not a fancy place and not a hint of attitude....they are just super nice people. Please open for dinner tho!

First of all, Pepper Box Cafe is an underrated, flavor bomb, hole in the wall restaurant, located in the hip and lovely Grand Central or GOAT Block district. When you need a good grub, and don't feel like spending your life savings, grab a few Primo's (which I love) and thank me later!

We must have ordered at the wrong time, based on these reviews. We ordered breakfast burritos, both of which were sadly quite bland and wet. Overall sadly quite disappointed with our experience here, but it's entirely possible they just had an off day when we ordered.

We had just arrived to Portland and we were starving. By random luck we stumbled upon Pepper Box Cafe! I just ordered what the cashier recommended which was the turkey sandwich and el tocino. All our food came out very quickly, very fresh, and looking amazing! We all enjoyed our food! So tasteful and great ingredients. I could eat here every week! Truly loved the food and so happy we got to experience lunch here:)

Love Pepperbox. A classic. Well-priced and friendly staff. I've had a bunch of menu items -- all tasty. I love that you can get both chili sauces (red and green) and I love the seating options and location. It's crowded on weekends, occasionally, but never unable to find seating. I usually order the lunch burrito plate as it's smothered in salsa and love.

What a pleasant surprise! I have explored many Mexican restaurants, from Santa Fe to Tucson, TexMex, Sonoran... Pepper Box uses authentic house-prepared chili-based sauces! While chain restaurants compete on common ground, places like Pepper Box provide the real thing. The service: friendly, accommodating. The ambiance... too low-key. Perhaps if their products and low prices were better known, PB could budget to enhance the space (or expand?). I was visiting for the holidays, but I will return... and continue to endorse PB!

This is a order at the counter kind of place and when I arrived, the line was almost out the door. It moved pretty quickly, tho. Everyone was friendly and courteous. I ordered take out and I would recommend calling in your order ahead of time, as there's not a lot of waiting room. But food arrived quickly so not a deal breaker. On to the food. Soo good. We ordered the breakfast stuffed sopapilla with carne adovada, chili with carne adovada, and calabacitas and it was all amazing. I'm so full, but already planning our next trip back. Be sure to finish with a sopapilla with honey!

Original Breakfast with Green Chili paired with Zunigas Salsa (not sold at Pepperbox). So simple, yet so perfect. I crave it daily but have weened myself down to once or twice a week.

Absolutely delicious! One of my favorite things about New Mexican food is how excited New Mexicans get for Green chili's! Everything I've tried has been delicious and so filling. I only wish they were open past 2pm. We even came on a day they were roasting Green chili's so we ordered some to take home. This place is awesome and I can't wait to make my way through the menu

The breakfast taco was pretty basic, the salsas however had a good taste. There are few vegetarian options as well It doesn't really strike me as a Mexican restaurant. The taco was decently put together but was lacking that savory and somewhat greasier taste that I was expecting. Their food was generally okay, but I can't really say much else.

I've been going here for about a decade now. Love this place, but I've got to knock 2 stars off after my latest visit. Called in an order and was told it would be "ready soon." After waiting 54 minutes on the sidewalk, my food was finally ready. You guys gotta give your customers a heads up if it's going to be that long of a wait. Respect my time please!

This is NOT Mexican food. I'll tell you about proper Mexican food in my next review. But first let's discuss this place. My friend's roommate recommended this place because she said "it's bomb and super affordable." I don't trust reviews based on cheapness. Also, she's a vegetarian. I don't know why I even took her advise in the first place. So it looked promising when we walked in. Per usual, it was one of those order and pay situations then get a number. What does Portland have against table service? You'd get more tips. Whatever. I took everyone's order, went up front and placed all our order together. Whilst this was happening, someone found a table while someone got everyone water. By the time we reconvened all we were waiting for was the food. I tried 3 of the dishes out of 4. The other was vegetarian so I was good on that. I got the torta. What I got wasn't a torta. I took the bread away and tried to eat the rest around it. I took the bread away because it was hamburger buns. I did even want to eat it to be honest. You don't use buns for torta, man. You just don't. That's like wrapping a burrito in corn tortilla. C'mon. The best part of my meal was the fries because it tasted like they sprinkled it with tajin.

Best tortillas I've ever had at any restaurant. Don't sleep on the carne adovada. Service is very friendly.

The only authentic New Mexico style food that I have found in Portland. The enchiladas and stuffed sopapillas are excellent. The red and green chilies brought me back to my memories of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Pepper Box is a tiny little space and you will miss it if you aren't specific at looking for the door. It's super low-brow in the inside and the food is A #1 delicious. I had the enchiladas with the asada and green salsa and it was flavorful, tender, spicy and abundantly flavorful. The pinto beans that come with it aren't sad refried from a can but beautiful, slow simmered beans that perfectly compliment the enchiladas. They are flat/stacked enchiladas vs rolled so don't expect that. They look like a glorious enchilada pie. The inside of the restaurant is, again, not fancy. Basic tables and chairs, a bus station, and it looks a little beat up but who cares with food this good.

We ordered a cheese enchilada lunch and a stuffed sopapilla with carne adovada (pork) lunch through Grubhub. We wanted red and green (Xmas) chili sauce on the meals, but we only got the red chili sauce. The meals tasted good (especially with the red chili), but the quantity of food was lacking for the money we paid. We also wish they had sopapillas with honey and chili rellenos on their menu. We will not eat here again because of the expense and the limited menu.

This place is a little hole-in-the-wall that we happened upon on our way to somewhere else. It's not for groups, since it's very small, but my husband ordered a shredded pork enchilada with beans, split the sauces, and some slaw. He couldn't stop talking about it, and he loves Mexican food, so that says a lot right there! I ordered the Albuquerque Turkey tortilla "sandwich", but subbed the flour tortilla for a corn one - tastes great and filled me up. I think the great thing about this place is that they don't over complicate things. Simple food with awesome flavor! PS - they have vegan/vegetarian options and GF corn tortillas available. Great for a quick, inexpensive lunch that is DELICIOUS and filling!

This place deserves five stars for the tortillas alone. Seriously, where else can you get a made-to-order flour tortilla?

There is nothing, I mean nothing, that pulls me out of the trenches of a hangover the way their Migas scramble does. This is my favorite place in Portland I literally owe them my life for saving me from some god awful mornings.

We picked up a couple breakfast tacos and the turkey sandwich to go and everything was absolutely delicious. LOVE the chili sauces! We will be back.

Very small restaurant my only complaint is the seating arraignments are ridiculously close to each other and there are maybe 6 tables and a bar area that held about 6 stools facing the window. It's self bus and you order at the window and take a number where someone brings you your order from the kitchen in about 20 minutes, the place is busy be prepared to wait or get it to go. The food was great my husband practically licked the plate it was that good. The green sauce was my favorite but they were both amazing and I recommend getting your order Christmas style so you can get a good taste of both of them. Side note if your going to have people self bus tables please have cleaning spray by the tubs I saw everyone bus the tables as they left but I never saw anyone wipe one down though not very hygienic in my book so 4/5 stars for cleanliness 5/5 for the food

I'll start with the food wasn't bad, it was over priced but fine. The tortilla was good from the breakfast taco I had. Small menu, pretty much no drink selection. Employee at the register didn't have much personality or possess much customer service skills. The silverware is kept in a container by the door, you know so everyone can put their Grimey hands on it. The water is in a bucket if you'd like water. The place is small and the one booth they have is fixed with duct tape. They do have 2 high chairs. I happen to choose the lucky one I guess. No strap between the legs and buckle that doesn't work. When my 18 month old slipped out of it for the 2nd time and got seriously stuck the employee standing right there was more annoyed about the fact we were in his way rather than their negligence caused this. I can't say I'd ever come back here, or recommend it to anyone to try..

Here it is folks the very definition of success. How good is this place? Three years. That is how long I waited to find this place. It was a food truck. I happened to catch it. I was reluctant to eat there because I just and still am not crazy about food trucks. I did and I loved it. Living the food truck life, when I went to revisit it was gone. I slammed on the brakes when I saw the sign. Could it be? Could it really be the same place? I had to go in and find out. The entrance gives a food cart kind of feel. Small little area. Line of people ordering. A couple stand and eat tables. Then there is a room that opens to another room. Yes it's that good. All the flavors are there. All the smells are there. The legend lives on. For me this is authentic Mexican food with a Portland kicker. The uniqueness and freshness of the flavor and ingredients make it better than other spots. A simple Truck could not hold the awesomeness that is the food coming out of this kitchen. I am so happy they made it out of the food truck zone and into the brick and mortar spot. I feel confident one day this place will run the whole block. I may go there once a week now that I found the Pepperbox again. So good. Soooooo good

One of my favorite restaurants here in Portland. It is a little corner restaurant that definitely doesn't get the notoriety it deserves. Dishes are so so so good from the migas to the juevos rancheros to the burritos and breakfast nachos... everything is delicious. Highly recommend coming here for both breakfast and lunch. Not a bad choice on the menu!!

For a place called pepper box, this food is remarkably poorly seasoned. There's a lot of potential in the authentic new Mexican chile sauces, but unfortunately pepper box's dishes just fail to realize it. The potatoes are burnt on the outside while simultaneously being raw at the center, the tortillas are strangely gummy. Beyond just issues with the food, the place is always hot and crowded, with never enough seating or even a good place to stand while waiting. Finally, even if you just come with a friend who likes the place and decide to sip on some coffee, you're out of luck. The coffee is burnt and served from a cheap airpot. Of the several items I've tried here, the sopapillas are the only ones that actually stood out in a positive way. Great texture and flavor. I can definitely recommend them to anyone who visits.

Omg ... Christmas all year around! I love Hatch chili but they also do a fabulous job cooking. Breakfast burritos ... yum! Carne arvada tacos .... try not to moan while eating them. Having lived in NM for 18 years (until I was 30), it's like being back home. I'm grateful they have stayed open during Covid.

Delicious food, I got the enchiladas Christmas style for lunch. Taste great and a great price. Have to come back for breakfast tacos sometime. Highly recommend.

I'm a New Mexican who currently lives in Boston. I was recently in Portland for a friends birthday and I had to stop here. Amazing food! I forgot I was in Portland and felt like I transported to Albuquerque! Green Chile was amazing. I'm back in Boston and woke up thinking of the Pepper Box Cafe.

This place haunts my dreams. The green sauce here is hands down the best I have had. The stuffed sopapillas is what I order everyone without fail. You can beat the price and you can't beat that flavor. Everybody I talk to in the staff is super amazing and kind and they make a mean drip coffee. Even with their loca too on being in the small side for dining in it doesn't stop me. This place will always be my favorite morning place to hit up if I have a hankering.

My fiancé is from New Mexico and always complained not being able to get proper green Chile outside of New Mexico, well now he can! This place has proper New Mexico green Chile, generous food portions. And if you are not into burrito or tacos, their turkey wrap is also very amazing! It has turkey, bacon, arugula! And green Chile crema. Will be back to try their vegetarian wrap/sandwich.

We are in Portland for thanksgiving and we decided that a good break from cooking would be lunch out. We have been driving by this place for months and decided that some Santa Fe style eats would be a great relief from all turkey all the time. Great call as it turns out. This is a good place, comfy/casual, the people who work there are super pleasant and the food is just wonderful. I went with chicken enchiladas with green sauce and my partner had the chili - we both cleaned our large plates. So, good value, probably won't need to eat again today. There appears to be parking but we are lucky enough to have this gem in our immediate neighborhood. We will be back, recommend that you give it a try- seems like a perfect help sort of spot

If you're looking for breakfast tacos in Portland, look no further. If you're looking for additional breakfast items, you're in the right place too. This is an easy review for me. Everything was amazing. Highlights include farmers taco, green chili crema, chorizo, and cornmeal pancakes. To make your visit to the Pepper Box Cafe easier, order one of each item on the menu. You won't be disappointed.

SO GOOD, fast, cheap, and they have a lot of vegetarian options! I got the breakfast burrito for 6 bucks. It was one of the best breakfast burritos I've had. It was big and covered in great sauce. I got the green sauce (the hotter of the two options) and it was pretty mild, but added a nice kick. It is a great option for vegetarians. Two of my friends got tacos and those looked good too. 10/10 would recommend.

I first experienced Pepper Box when they were a cart on MLK and eat at their brick and mortar a few times a year. While I still have the occasional hankering, I'm always so-so on the experience. * disclaimer: they enjoy a loyal following, the owner (from when I knew him) was cool, prices are fair, and atmospheric vibe is hip Portland, which is a good thing. However, I'm in the minority here as I consider New Mexico Green Chile overrated (gulp.) Blasphemy to many I'm sure. I've worked through the menu over the years, the Breakfast Tacos seem to be my go to. The Orange hot sauce does have an awesome kick. Seating is packed, but a table magically opens up when your order is ready. Parking is about a 1-2 block walk on average. So in the end the food is A-OK (3 Star). They probably do an excellent version of New Mexican staples, I just don't appreciate it.

I was recommended this place by our Yelp CM, Matt E., after disclosing my green chili addiction. I just got a bowl of chili and beans, as I really wanted to taste the chili. It was super tasty. It had a nice slice and smokiness. The tortilla they offered with it was fresh and had a nice chew. I look forward to coming back and trying breakfast sometime.

Laid back New Mexico style food that always hits the spot. After traveling through NM for a few months we fell in love with anything and everything with green chiles. The Pepper Box Cafe always hits the spot and reminds me of our adventures through the southwest, nothing like a little delicious food and nostalgia to get the day going. Awesome gluten free options as well.

Best breakfast in Portland IMO. The primo taco is insanely delicious. Love the Migas, everything I've tried has been excellent. Highly recommend!!