TEOTE Tavern to Open on NE 30th Avenue in the Concordia Neighborhood

Soon, the Concordia neighborhood will get to experience their very own TEOTE. Image credit: TEOTE

The other day I was perusing Instagram and learned that the folks behind TEOTE—which includes the TEOTE House Cafe (closed) and the Mezcalería (also closed)—will open a new spot on NE 30th Avenue just north of Killingsworth in the Concordia neighborhood. This is one of those areas that I like to call a “food nexxus” (a term I used while researching and writing “Food Lovers’ Guide to Queens” over a decade ago) because there is just so much good food and drink around there. The arrival of a TEOTE property is great news for the neighborhood.

Closing of TEOTEs

It was over the past summer when the owners of the various TEOTEs closed the two aforementioned businesses. So why did they close those two popular spots? From their Instagram:

“Covid and ‘post-Covid’ has been brutal on restaurants, especially in Portland. We have struggled on but need to take a break and down-size for a bit. We will still be open downtown in the Pine Street Market and are available for catering and events, but we are moving out of the Teote Mezcaleria at the end of this month and still working on our next steps at our original location, the Teote House Cafe.”

Regarding TEOTE House Cafe, online listings indicate it is only temporarily closed. PDX Eater indicates something more substantial from August: “A sign in the restaurant’s window reads ‘permanently closed,’ and a letter posted on August 4 from the building’s landlord declares a default on the lease, citing approximately $21,000 in unpaid rent since May 2023.”

On a personal note, I have such great memories from eating at the TEOTE House Cafe. Such tasty food in a relaxed atmosphere is one of my favorite combos when it comes to dining in Portland. I do hope they can resolve things with that property.

TEOTE Tavern

As for the TEOTE Tavern, the website What Now Portland writes that “The owner, Michael Kennett, stated that the name of the restaurant is not currently set in stone.” Frankly, I kind of like the alliteration of TEOTE Tavern. They also want to bring “something fun and different to 30th Avenue.” There is already a lot of awesomeness in that little area: Extracto Coffee, Toyshop Ramen, Wilder, Flour Market, Gabbiano’s, Expatriate, and others. So there is a high bar to meet here.

Interestingly enough, when the property lease was on the market, 5513 NE 30th Avenue was the focus. But since the summer, YUI next has closed—could these two properties be combined to make a larger restaurant space? No permits have been filed for any kind of physical work, so perhaps the TEOTE Tavern will stick to the 1,400sf restaurant space, which was recently home to Nonna.

I’ll keep an eye on things there and hopefully have updates for you soon.

TEOTE Tavern [opening TBD]
5513 NE 30th Avenue, Portland
teotepdx.com | Instagram