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

How three Portlanders brought a Mexican classic to town.

By Lucas Chemotti

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

Willamette Week's journalism is funded, in part, by our readers. Your help supports local, independent journalism that informs, educates, and engages our community. Become a WW supporter.