3717 SE Division 97202
503.548.6343
xico@xicopdx.com
$6 to $25; $3 sides & salsas
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday 5 pm -7 pm
Lunch window: Wednesday – Sunday 11:30 am – 2 pm
Dinner: Seven days 5:30 pm – close
Xico (chee-ko) is Division’s hip new Mexican restaurant which coincidentally was named among the city’s 20 top restaurants by Portland Monthly.
The decidedly upscale 60-seat restaurant impresses with awe-inspiring ceilings, simple matte-white walls, and enormous triple-paned windows, yet the collective architectural aha feels warm and inviting.
A borrowed view and patch of green from the landscaped rear patio (which adds twenty additional seats in good weather) offers a beautiful and refreshing natural counterpoint to the minimalist interior.
Chef Kelly Myers and owner Liz Davis characterize the menu as “ingredients-driven regional Mexican with a northwest slant”.
This breaks down in part to the use of no fewer than seventeen different fresh and dried imported chiles; a standing order for a whole goat from Brookside Farms in Gresham (from which Myers makes chorizo, tacos and braised chops); locally-sourced vegetables from 47th Ave Farms south of Woodstock; and hearty artisan tortillas hand-made from organic corn ground in house.
There are several ways to engage the menu:
In the evening, pick up a pre-ordered rotisserie chicken dinner to-go at the take-out side window. Chicken dinner comes with tortillas and optional sides like rice, beans, and escabeche (pickled onions and tomatoes). Reserve 24-hours in advance at chickendinner@xicopdx.com).
From 5 to 7 pm, at the bar, sample a flight of mezcal (premium tequila for the uninitiated) at happy hour prices and enjoy a Sonoran Hot Dog (grilled Nathan’s all-beef frank, bacon salsa verde, heirloom goat’s eye beans).
Order from the limited lunch menu at the side window to take away or bring inside and eat (no lunchtime table service).
Drop in for Taco Tuesdays for the three-taco plates ($7 to $9), with options including vegetarian quelites (wild greens), red chorizo with potatoes, and steak tacos.
Come in for dinner and order from the full menu. Reservations are accepted but not required. Begin with the Xico Tortillas and Four Salsas and perhaps a glass of Fattoria Moretto Secco, a refreshing Lambrusco which stands up nicely to Xico’s toasted and charred, spicy-smoky flavors.
Raise a toast to Myers’ and her three staff cooks, natives of Chihuahua, Jalisco and Yucatan respectively, and to their fine collaboration.