Domingo's Will Open in the Old Pollo Norte Space in Portland

Celebrating their new location on NE Glisan.

This is news I’ve been meaning to write about since early November: Domingo’s, a new restaurant from the Santo Domingo Taqueria folks, is arriving on NE Glisan in the space previously occupied by Pollo Norte.

But First, Pollo Norte

Pollo Norte shut down on Thursday, October 10 after ten years in business. Interestingly enough, they started out on NE 42nd Avenue, right next door to Santo Domingo Taqueria. The OG Pollo Norte space is now home to a great Indian restaurant, Daawat A Ishq.

Their Glisan location opened in 2016 and they shut down their spot on 42nd Ave in 2017. They made really good rotisserie chicken.

And Now, Domingo’s

On November 3, the folks from Santo Domingo Taqueria posted on social media that they were going to open a sister restaurant, Domingo’s. The location was not completely obvious at first, with the accompanying photo showing the address numbers covered (I do not know if this was intentional).

Someone commented, though, “That sure looks like the ol Pollo Norte on Glisan…” and on their Facebook and Instagram pages it was confirmed that the location was “off 29th and Glisan.” And thus, the connection was made clear.

I asked Leslie Carrasco, one of the family members behind Domingo’s, about how they decided on this location. “We had been looking to open a shop in SE Portland for quite some time,” she said. “This opportunity presented itself to us, and we simply could not pass up the area. It feels far enough, yet still close, to our original shop.”

Domingo’s Menu

I also learned from Leslie about the Domingo’s menu, which will have a bit of a different approach compared to Santo Domingo Taqueria. They plan to serve more Oaxacan regional dishes, in particular.

“Domingo’s will be taking a step back from our almost “fast-food” pace at Santo Domingo,” she explained. “As a sit down, casual shop, we hope to offer the Kerns neighborhood a little bit of our home state: huaraches, tetelas, a plato de mole, tlayudas, posole, and more cactus dishes.

She continued, “We won’t be offering them all on the first day, but we will slowly be incorporating each item by the end of December. We will definitely still be finding our rhythm!”

Domingo’s Opening Details

It looks like they plan to open their doors on Sunday, December 1. There’s something poetic about that, as “Domingo” means “Sunday” in Spanish. And Leslie goes further with this connection: “For many latinos, Sunday is typically a day families get to hang out together, as we often do.”

And then there’s this sweet connection: “The name “Domingo’s” pays homage to our hometown’s patron saint, as well as honor’s our owner’s late father, Domingo.”

A Little on Santo Domingo Taqueria

The owners of both Santo Domingo Taqueria and Domingo’s are Abraham Carrasco and Gloria Martel, who hail from Mixteca region of Oaxaca. On their website they have stated that they want to “look for new strategies to expand their business without neglecting the services.” Looks like they’ve done just that after 20 years running the restaurant.

At the Taqueria they offer a lot of familiar dishes: tacos, sopes, quesadillas, enchiladas, tamales. My understanding is Portlanders like their breakfast burritos and especially their chilaquiles. I am one of those people, and really enjoy their chilaquiles: tortilla chips covered in green salsa with a choice of meat (or not), topped with onions, cilantro, queso fresco, and eggs. When it’s available, their champurrado is also worth a try.

Chilaquiles from Santo Domingo Taqueria.

I asked Leslie what is not to be missed on the the Taqueria menu. “Huaraches!” she exclaimed. “Sister to the sope, this Oaxacan dish reminds us of our hometown, of crowding around a small kitchen and patiently awaiting a steaming huarache to smother in beans, salsa, and cheese. Patrons will be able to order a huarache with meat or as a veggie option.”

And—no surprise—she adds, “At Santo Domingo, you cannot miss the chilaquiles! Domingo’s will also be offering chilaquiles.” Sounds good to me.

“We are really looking forward and are so excited to share our love of our home state with the neighborhood, our friends, and family,” remarked Leslie. “And for us to get back to our roots, both in food and the people working. You will see a lot of the Carrasco family working behind the counter!”

Look for Domingo’s in December, with the aim to be open 7-days a week. Best of luck to Leslie, Abraham, Gloria, and their team as they prepare to open.

Domingo’s [opening December 1, 2024]
2935 NE Glisan Street, Portland
Instagram (temporary, for now)

Updated November 18, 2024.