In today’s installment of “What Did Spencer Eat For Lunch Today” I checked out a new restaurant called Ki’ikibaa that serves up Yucatecan food such as Panuchos, Cochinita Pibil, and Relleno Negros. Last year at this time I was down in the Yucatan and really enjoyed the food, culture and weather. This year, no fancy vacations, but I’m glad I just heard of this newly opened restaurant. Located in the back of a little strip mall on NE 82nd Ave, this unassuming restaurant is already making some waves and promises some of the better Mexican food in Portland proper.

I got a Carne Asada burrito, which though it seems like a plain jane order is often how I test out a Mexican joint. Their beef was better than most in terms of flavor and having too much gristle to it. The burrito had beef, lettuce, rice, beans, guacamole, cheese and sour cream. Normally I’m not a big fan of lettuce or sour cream in my burrito, but here it works. The burrito had an interior melty quality with the cream and cheese that worked, and the lettuce didn’t get too soggy. I also was excited to see Panuchos on the menu, which you don’t see often up here. It’s a taco sized fried corn tortilla with refried black beans and topped with your choice of meat and a variety of toppings including pickled red onions and jalapenos. It was solid and definitely took me back to eating street food or beach food in the Yucatan.

Well worth a visit, I look forward to returning and really digging into some of the regional specialties, especially cochinita pibil and relleno negro. They had some interesting looking soups happening too, like menudo and some others I wasn’t as familiar with. Good salsas and prices.