Enjoy family-friendly Mexican and Salvadoran dishes at Bicho’s in North Portland.
Anytime my family heads to a restaurant that has nachos on the menu, I know it’s going to be hit with my oldest child. And our recent trip to Bicho’s on North Mississippi Avenue was no exception. Bicho’s, which opened last fall, serves Mexican staples like tacos, quesadillas, chile relleno, burritos and taquitos. And, yes, a Super Nacho appetizer ($15, pictured above). The fast-casual spot also makes Salvadoran pupusas, corn masa stuffed with fillings like cheese, beans or chicken, which is then flattened and griddled.
We hit Bicho’s for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The space is inviting with a colorful, lively mural on one wall. My husband noticed that the restaurant was spotlessly clean. Pro tip: There’s a changing table in one of the restrooms and we spotted a toddler hanging out in a high chair.
The menu is extensive and we easily found things we wanted to try. My husband ordered the chile relleno plate with rice, beans, guacamole, lettuce and tortillas ($17) and a Salvadoran horchata ($6). My youngest child, who is a selective cheese eater, was excited by the option of a pork-only pupusa ($6) and a pineapple Jarritos soda ($4). I also tried the pupusas, opting for a two-pupusa plate with one cheese and zucchini, and one cheese and chicken, plus beans and rice ($15, pictured below). My older kid got the nachos with carne asada and no salsa. While my kids did not order off the kids’ menu, there is one with a selection of smaller-sized burritos and a cheese-only quesadilla ($11 each).
The nachos and chile relleno plate came out very quickly. My older kid dug right into the heaping plate of chips, black beans, cheese, sour cream and steak. My husband’s chile relleno was solid and the beans and rice were tasty as well. We all especially liked the Salvadoran horchata which differed from Mexican horchata because of added milk. It was super creamy and delicious. The glass was big enough that my husband didn’t mind sharing with all of us.
My pupusa plate came out a little later. The pupusas were large, two of them crowded the rice and beans on the plate. They came with small pots of a tomato sauce and a tangy curtido, an herbed, pickled cabbage slaw that brought a bright, fresh kick to the richness of the cheese. Both pupusas were good, but I especially like the one filled with cheese and zucchini. My younger child ate some of my curtido while he waited for his pupusa. (There was a mixup with his order, but the staff was apologetic.) My younger kiddo dug right in when his pupusa finally arrived, saying it was good and worth the wait. He piled on the curtido, enjoying the pickled punch it gave his meal. Warm and satisfying, pupusas really are top-notch Latin American comfort food.
Despite the hiccup with our order, we all enjoyed our lunch. Everyone — except for my nacho lover — said they’d order the pupusas again.
If You Go
3917 N Mississippi Ave.
Open Sunday-Thursday: 10 am-8 pm; Friday-Saturday: 10 am-9 pm.