Pollo Norte

By Matthew Korfhage

5427 NE 42nd Ave., 287-0669, pollonorte.com. Lunch and dinner daily.

Pollo Norte cooks up estilo-Distrito Federal pollo on a rotisserie imported from Mexico, slow-cooking meticulously sourced and brined birds spiced with lime juice and achiote powder on a rotating spit, while letting the juices drip down onto the cabbage served with it. The shop's been industrious this year, building a pod out back housing not only neighbor carts but also a walk-in fridge that lets it brine and store a lot more chicken. The chicken is moist and flavorful, the skin browned to a lovely crisp crackle. We found no use for the distracting smoked ancho sauce, but the best-in-Portland coleslaw is fresh, citric and spicy, the meaty pintos are rich as hell, and the tomatillo sauce remains one of the freshest-tasting salsas in the city.

Check out Willamette Week's 2016 Cheap Eats guide here.

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