Po' Shines Cafe De La Soul
Soul food restaurant · Kenton ·
Soul food & BBQ with catfish, chicken & waffles, hush puppies
Soul food & BBQ with catfish, chicken & waffles, hush puppies
"Serving quintessential Portland soul food like blackened catfish, po’boys, and chicken and waffles outside its Kenton restaurant, with call-ahead to-go orders that are easy to enjoy in nearby Kenton Park." - Alex Frane
"At Po’Shines I saw the owners line the windows with images of black men killed in recent police violence and hate crimes, including George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, and they posted the image on Facebook with the caption, "We will never stop fighting for justice." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"I've noticed Kenton soul food restaurant Po’Shines has been giving away free meals to seniors 65 and older every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m.; seniors can order by calling (503) 978-9000 for delivery in North Portland or curbside pickup, and others can donate to the cause. Po’Shines Cafe is described as one of Portland’s best kept secrets and the oldest Black American–owned restaurant, a hidden gem in the heart of the historic Kenton district serving contemporary soul food with a Cajun flare." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"In the world of cornbread adjacent recipes, Po’Shines Cafe De La Soul might reign supreme. The restaurant’s cornmeal waffle is a menu staple, big enough to fill the plate and cooked to soft, honey brown perfection. It’s not designed to be eaten alone—any eater worth their salt in the South knows a good chicken and waffle when they see one, and that might just be Po’Shines’ calling card. Po’Shines serves their cornmeal waffle beneath three large, fried chicken wings, available all day and easy to douse in syrup. All things considered, the cornmeal waffle may have walked so the cronut could run."
"On the corner of N Kilpatrick in Kenton, Po’Shines Cafe De La Soul is a black-owned Cajun and soul-food restaurant owned by Celebration Tabernacle that has anchored the block for more than a decade and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Since 2007 it has provided work for people down on their luck and is part of a larger mentorship effort (Teach Me to Fish) that offers culinary-industry skills and on-the-job experience for underserved youth; the restaurant itself has expanded into Poshettes, Po’Shines Catering and a Culinary Clinic. Chef James Bradley—who found the restaurant after getting sober and joining the church—serves as opening chef and culinary guide, and the place functions as an unofficial community center where church ladies meet for breakfast, young couples come for lunch, and neighbors gather over catfish po’boys; Bradley emphasizes the importance of owning the corner rather than renting and sees the restaurant’s work as an extension of his faith and the church’s mission to feed the community." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden