Smart Donkey

Last updated
Smart Donkey Burreria
Smart Donkey logo.jpeg
Smart Donkey
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Oswaldo Bibiano
ChefOswaldo Bibiano
Food type Mexican
Street address3420 Southeast 50th Avenue
City Portland
CountyMultnomah
State Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code97206
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°29′53″N122°36′40″W / 45.4980°N 122.6110°W / 45.4980; -122.6110
Website smartdonkeypdx.com

Smart Donkey Burreria, or simply Smart Donkey, is a Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon. [1] Chef Oswaldo Bibiano operates the food cart in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood, in a converted car wash. Smart Donkey has garnered a positive reception and was named one of the city's best new food carts of 2022 by The Oregonian .

Contents

Description

The Mexican restaurant Smart Donkey operates on 50th Avenue in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood, near Foster-Powell. Eater Portland has described the space as "something like a single-cart pod and beer garden". [2] Among burritos on the menu is the El Gordo, which has chicharron, chorizo, and potatoes, and the El Guapo, which has vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and avocado salsa. [3] The El Hipster has kale and red cabbage braised in apple cider and red wine vinegar, [4] and the Zumpango has Guerrero-style shredded beef. [5] Drink options include draught beer and cider, micheladas, wine, and cocktails such as margaritas and mimosas. [5] [6] [7]

History

Chef Oswaldo Bibiano opened Smart Donkey in a space next to SuperDeluxe that was previously used as car wash. [3]

Reception

Writers for The Oregonian ranked Smart Donkey tenth in a list of Portland's best new food carts of 2022. [8] The newspaper's Michael Russell described a "perfect" mean at the restaurant: "A burrito with barbacoa in the style of Guerrero, Bibiano's home state, plus a tall margarita and a lawn game played on the former car wash parking lot." [9] Katherine Chew Hamilton included Smart Donkey in Portland Monthly 's 2023 overview of the city's best Mexican cuisine. [5]

Nick Woo and Janey Wong included Smart Donkey in Eater Portland's 2023 overview of fourteen recommended eateries for "gargantuan" stuffed burritos in the city. [4] Brooke Jackson-Glidden and Maya MacEvoy included the business in the website's 2024 overview of "jaw-dropping" happy hours. [6] In KOIN's 2024 overview of Portland's "top-rated" burritos, Aimee Plante said Smart Donkey had a rating of 4.8 on Yelp. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papi Chulo's</span> Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Papi Chulo's is a restaurant with two locations in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The original taqueria in the Pearl District was opened by restaurateur Ramzy Hattar in December 2019, with Antonio Javier Palma Caceres as the chef and Davide Bricca overseeing cocktails. The trio had previously worked together at River Pig Saloon and Two Wrongs, two neighboring establishments also owned by Hattar. A second location opened in northeast Portland in 2023. Papi Chulo's serves Mexican cuisine, such as tacos, burritos, nachos, birria, margaritas, and micheladas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xico (restaurant)</span> Defunct Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Xico was a restaurant serving Mexican cuisine in Portland, Oregon's Richmond neighborhood, in the United States. The restaurant opened in 2012; sibling establishment Xica Cantina opened in northwest Portland in mid 2019. Xico closed in March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorne Asylum</span> Food cart pod in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Hawthorne Asylum is a food cart pod in southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. There are more than 20 carts, as of April 2021. The pod also has picnic tables and fire pits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Barbecue</span> Defunct restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Holy Trinity Barbecue was a barbecue restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Kyle Rensmeyer established the business as a food cart in southeast Portland's neighborhood Creston-Kenilworth in 2019. Holy Trinity and its barbecue garnered a positive reception; The Oregonian deemed Holy Trinity one of the city's best new food carts and Portland Business Journal said its barbecue was "hailed as among the best" in the United States. The restaurant closed in October 2022 and Rensmeyer has since held pop-ups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jojo (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Jojo is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Established by Justin Hintze in 2018, the business operates in southeast Portland's Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood and northwest Portland's Pearl District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Jong Grillin'</span> Korean restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Kim Jong Grillin' is a Korean restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The business operates from southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood as of 2022, and plans to expand with a stall in the food hall at Block 216.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magna Kusina</span> Filipino restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Magna Kusina is a Filipino restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Bonita</span> Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

La Bonita: Food for the People, or simply La Bonita, is a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon, United States. The family-owned business operates three locations in north, northeast, and southeast Portland, serving burritos, chilaquiles, tacos, tamales, and other traditional cuisine. The restaurant has a good reputation, and has been included on two Thrillist lists of the country's best burritos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Blue Pizza</span> Defunct pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Baby Blue Pizza was a vegan pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. The restaurant operated from July 2019 to January 2022, closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yonder (restaurant)</span> Defunct restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Yonder was a Southern restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Chef Maya Lovelace opened Yonder in northeast Portland's Cully neighborhood in 2019. The business was named one of the city's ten best new restaurants of 2019 by The Oregonian and was featured on an episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2020. Yonder closed on June 26, 2022, when Lovelace converted the space into Hissyfit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mucca Osteria</span> Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Mucca Osteria is an Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toki (restaurant)</span> Korean restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Toki was a Korean restaurant in Portland, Oregon. It closed in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taqueria Los Puñales</span> Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Taqueria Los Puñales is a queer-owned and operated Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Opened by Brian Aster and David Madrigal in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant has garnered a generally positive reception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desi PDX</span> Indian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Desi PDX, or DesiPDX, is an Indian restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matta (restaurant)</span> Vietnamese restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Matta is a Vietnamese restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paladin Pie</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Paladin Pie is a Dungeons & Dragons-themed pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Owner Leo Brill started the business as a pop-up restaurant in 2020, before operating from a food cart on Alberta Street starting in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hapa PDX</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Hapa PDX is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest 5th Avenue food cart pod</span> Food carts in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Southwest 5th Avenue food cart pod is a group of food carts in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Following an update and renovation in 2023, the pod became known as Midtown Beer Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ki'ikibáa</span> Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Ki'ikibáa is a Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Spouses Manuel "Manny" Lopez and Suny Parra Castillo opened the restaurant in late 2022, on 82nd Avenue in northeast Portland's Madison South neighborhood. Specializing in Yucatecan cuisine, Ki'ikibáa has garnered a positive reception and was named Restaurant of the Year for 2023 by The Oregonian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masala Lab PDX</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Masala Lab PDX is an Indian restaurant and former commissary kitchen in Portland, Oregon. Chef and owner Deepak Saxena operates the business in northeast Portland's King neighborhood, serving gluten-free fusion cuisine such as fritters, sandwiches with Indian ingredients, and shrimp and grits. Masala Lab has garnered a generally positive reception.

References

  1. Russell, Michael (2022-01-19). "With Smart Donkey, one of Portland's most celebrated Mexican chefs rolls his recipes into burrito form". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  2. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2022-01-11). "Autentica's Oswaldo Bibiano Is Now Stuffing Burritos With Barbacoa at a New Food Cart". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  3. 1 2 "Former Autentica and Uno Mas Chef, Oswaldo Bibiano, Is Opening a Burrito Beer Garden Called Smart Donkey". Willamette Week. 2021-12-16. Archived from the original on 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  4. 1 2 Woo, Nick (2019-03-14). "14 Gargantuan, Stuffed Burritos in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "Portland's Best Mexican Food". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  6. 1 2 Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2017-12-22). "Jaw-Dropping Happy Hours Spotted Across Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  7. "Burritos with a Kick at Smart Donkey - PDX Parent". PDX Parent. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  8. Russell, Michael; Acker, Lizzy (2022-09-13). "Portland's best new food carts of 2022". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  9. Evensen, Julie (2023-04-06). "It's National Burrito Day! Here's where to find freebies, recipes and local favorites". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  10. "Portland's best burritos for National Burrito Day". KOIN.com. 2024-04-04. Archived from the original on 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-06-15.