Inside Pollo Norte, Northeast Portland's Hot New Mexican-style Rotisserie Chicken Joint (VIDEO)

How three Portlanders brought a Mexican classic to town.

Sorry, loyal customers of Pollo Norte.

Don't mean to blow up your spot by giving the rest of the city a look into the tiny and already wildly popular Mexican-style rotisserie chicken restaurant. But it's time.

The rest of the city has to know about Norte's organic birds slow-cooked on an imported Valmex gas-powered rotisserie with a light coat of nutty achiote powder, lime juice, chili powder and sea salt. Portland deserves to know how those birds slowly leak their spicy juices onto a bed of leafy cabbage.

We asked Kelly Shelton—one of three co-owners, and one of two lead chefs—for a tour of his shoebox-sized storefront, formerly boarded-up and abandoned, now handsomely appointed with steel stools and wood counters.

Here's him talking about the idea, which came from an epic chicken tasting in Mexico City. 


WWeek 2015

Lucas Chemotti

Lucas Chemotti is a writer and video reporter. It’s okay to hate him for being from Southern California. He writes the weekly online fashion column BuyPDX. Follow him on social media @lucaschemotti.

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