Aura Dorada: Bringing Coffee, Cocktails, and Chill To Portland

A project called Aura Dorada crossed my desk this spring, and I was particularly drawn to the name, which means “golden aura” in Spanish. I reached out to co-founders Jorge Adrade and Natalia Martinez to hear more about the project, and Jorge was able to join me in conversation. Here is what I learned.

Jorge and Natalia

It’s not often that you get to go into business with your best friend, but that’s exactly what’s happening with Aura Dorada. “Natalia is my best friend,” said Jorge. “We met working at the same restaurant that I’m still working at, about six years ago.”

He continued, “And we just instantly became friends. She’s part of my family now. We spend holidays and everything together. We’ve been through a lot with each other. And there’s nobody else I would rather be doing this than her.”

How Aura Dorada Came To Be

“We started with this idea last year as a mobile bar for events and and whatnot,” he explained. After we did one event, we thought, ‘Why not make the big jump and really focus on getting a spot and making this a reality?’ We just decided to go for it. 

“And now we’ve landed on a concept that’s going to be a coffee shop by day with very much of a laid back vibe—of course, it’s Latino-owned, so we’ll bring Latino heritage and culture into the coffee-making. And then we’ll close around midday and open up as a bar at night.” We want to keep it a very smooth, chill vibe with R&B-like music, and create that perfect mix between a bar and a hangout spot.”

He added, “And we want to keep it very modern, as well.”

And although they are the creative force behind this project, they could not have gotten this far without their community. “We like to say we have a great circle of people around us that help us out,” said Jorge. They see Aura Dorada as both a business for them and their support system of family and friends—and of course the guests and patrons to come.

Location of Aura Dorada

They do not have an address that they can share at this point, as they are still working out the lease details with their location of choice. But Jorge mentioned that the space they are working toward is located in the Pearl District.

“And if that place does not work out, we would like it to be somewhere near the Pearl District,” he remarked. “Hopefully soon, we will get that finalized and we’ll release an address for everybody through either our Instagram or our webpage. Petty soon, we’ll have some news for everybody.”

But More on the Desired Location for Aura Dorada

They are super excited about the possibility of nabbing this space—which Natalia originally found. “She saw that it was around the Pearl District,” he explained. “And once when we were out for some meetings, we decided to drive by. It’s actually right next to one of our favorite bars and right next door to another one of our favorite spots for food and drink!”

They also love First Thursdays in the Pearl and are excited about the possibility of having a presence there as a business. “Last year they closed down a couple more blocks and it started to get bigger,” remarked Jorge. “There’s been a lot more people, and it’s been great to watch it grow. Hopefully we’ll be a part of it.”

Aura Dorada: What’s in a Name?

Natalia was the one who picked the name, and it’s one that she really loves. “She’s very into spirituality,” Jorge explained. “We’re very religious, as well. So, when you think of a golden aura you think of of a good vibe.”

Jorge and Natalia are both Catholic, and that faith tradition plays a significant role in their lives. “A couple years back, I found my way back into religion and it’s been the greatest thing,” he said. “And it’s also something that keeps me pushing towards these new projects and everything that’s been going on in our lives. I know Natalia is very big on it too.”

They both have Mexican roots, too, and are looking forward to bringing aspects of their culture to the table (literally and figuratively) but want to make it clear that everyone is welcome at Aura Dorada.

Past Food and Drink Experience

Both Jorge and Natalia have worked in hospitality and food over the years. “I myself have been in the industry for about eight years now,” said Jorge. “I actually started when I was 19. I’ve done managing, bartending, serving. I started out as a as a busboy delivering drinks, delivering food, and worked my way up and just kind of been in the industry for them many years with the same company.”

He says that Natalia has been in the industry a little longer than he has.

Design

As far as the design and visual elements of the potential space, that’s Natalia’s realm. “She’s the creative mind behind everything,” said Jorge. “And then in terms of the concept of remodeling [our eventual space], we know what we want it to feel like. We know what colors we want—we know what we want to do.”

Aura Dorada Sourcing: Food and Drink

As part of their operation, they will be working with Portland roasters, distilleries, and other craft producers for their food and drink needs.

Natalia has been taking care of the coffee side of things. And while they weren’t ready to share any of the names of the potential coffee vendors, they have met with some of them for their coffee program. Additionally, Natalia has been in contact with some coffee roasters down in Mexico, who also get their coffee from Peru and Guatemala, so they are looking at having relationships with them and their product, too.

Jorge’s strong suit is mixology and drinks, so he’s been the point person when it comes to the alcohol side of things. They’ve been in talks with at least a couple of whiskey companies for Aura Dorada, but are hesitant to name them at this moment in time. But they are familiar names, and Jorge would love to collaborate with them.

Food

They had though about going to a larger provider for morning pastries, but in the end decided against it. “We did think about it at first,” said Jorge. “But as we talked with our loved ones about what we really wanted to do, we came into the conclusion of, why look somewhere else when we have all the support here? My dad’s family—my grandma, her mom, they were all bakers.”

He added, “Of course, my dad kind of learned from them. I think that we will want to include him as our person who’s in charge of the baking in the morning.”

Aside from that, they’re thinking about offering small pates, like tapas, finger foods, and snacks. And there’s a reason for that.

“We love the great food nearby in the Pearl District,” Jorge explained. “And with everybody around, I think it would be really hard competition on the food aspect.”

That said, they look forward to bringing their culture to the food side—“So not just any type of finger food!” exclaimed Jorge. “We’re getting really creative with all the snacks we’re going to have. It’s not your usual snacks for finger food.” They are still working and finalizing the menu.

And who will be doing the cooking of the food in the evening? They’ve had talks with a chef they like. But if that doesn’t work out, Jorge says his dad is a great chef. So, they have options.

Quality and Drinking

They are more concerned with striving for excellence rather than putting together plenty of mid drinks. “I really want to emphasize that we are very focused not on the quantity, but the quality of of our drinks and cocktails,”Jorge remarked. “I think that’s our main concern right now: Making sure that we really give people something that’s excellent.”

He continued, “And in terms of the flavor profiles, I know Natalia’s got some great ideas for Café de olla. You can never not have too much Café de olla. That’s like the main thing that you need to have for sure. [Natalia] is working on some other recipes, as well, that will showcase that culture.”

Cocktails and Creativity

Jorge feels that his work with drinks and cocktails is an opportunity to be creative and lean into his culture. “My creative side comes from my culture a lot, so I try to really implement that in my work,” he said. 

He continued, “We will have a drink that’s a recipe made by me and my cousin that kind of tastes like a Mexican hot chocolate. It’s served in a martini glass, and you kind of burn up a bit of milk on top to create what we call in Spanish, a nata. With a little bit of cinnamon, too.

“So we showcase those flavors in our recipes. We also know that our Latino culture likes a lot of spiciness, and I think that works very well with drinks, too. So we definitely have some recipes there that will go great with all of that.”

Final Thoughts

Jorge and Natalia have put their heart and soul into this project, and are looking forward to sharing their vision and dreams with everyone. “We’re doing this out of love,” said Jorge. “People can tell when a business is all about people. We’ve been in the industry for a long time; we know what works and what doesn’t. 

He continued, “Natalia and I are lucky to have such a great group of friends and family that support us. I think that’s really the key and heart to this place—our community and the support that we’ve received from them. And once we open up, we really are looking forward to giving the community that quality that they deserve, and that we know that we can bring.”

I look forward to stopping in Aura Dorada when the time is right. All the best to Jorge, Natalia, and their team as they work on this project and bring it to us in the hopefully near future.

Aura Dorada [opening TBD]
Address unknown, Portland
Aura Dorada website | Instagram