Chilango PDX

“Chilango” is slang for somebody or something from Mexico City. Vanessa Arochi, a Mexico City native, moved to Portland with her husband in 2017. In Mexico she had studied biochemical engineering with an emphasis on food, and then had a career in developing new food products for companies in Mexico. So when she decided to open a food cart in 2019 serving vegan Mexico City street food, she was well qualified. “Delicious,” “authentic,” “imaginative,” and “amazing” are all words that people use to describe her food. Vanessa operated a roving food cart for two years before moving it to a stable location on Alberta Street. Then, in April of this year, Chilango PDX moved a few doors down into a brick and mortar location, a space left vacant by Back to Eden.

I tried many items, and they were all delicious. If you order tacos, tostados, quesadillas, taco bowls, sopecitos, or holadritas (slider-sized sandwiches), you can choose from seven different guisados (fillings). There are guisados made from jackfruit, garlicky mushrooms, Impossible and Beyond “meat,” tofu, and more. They are all full of complex flavors and textures, and are all created by Vanessa. Because the tacos are small, most people order three or four as a meal. Chilango PDX makes their own queso fresca from almonds and crema from sunflower seeds, and both just melt in your mouth. I tried the esquites, or corn salad in a cup, consisting of corn kernels, onion, and epozate cooked in a broth, and served with mayo, queso fresca, lime, chili powder, and salsa—an amazing combination of different tastes!

Vanessa became vegan seven years ago for reasons of compassion. She decided that bringing delicious vegan food to the community was her way of making the world a better place. She calls her restaurant her “project” and her employees “collaborators.” They get training, not only in cooking and serving, but on how to foster a non-toxic environment using nonviolent communication.

The large mandala on the wall—made from plastic luchadores (Mexican wrestlers)—represents all of us working together, doing our part, and fighting to make a more compassionate world.