Casa del Pollo — Restaurant in Lake Oswego

Casa del Pollo is the only Costa Rican restaurant that I know about on the West coast. I am from Costa Rica and I had to have a taste of home when I drove by the small restaurant yesterday.

The menu is simple and a bit over-priced, offering casados, tacos and burritos. Tacos and burritos are not traditional Costa Rican foods, but I am guessing the owners offered these choices on their menu for diners who expect to find Latin American food that is familiar/Mexican. Since the restaurant is so young (opening only a few months ago), a burrito is going to attract more new customer than a casado, a traditional dish with which many people may not be familiar.

My husband and I both had a chicken casado. Traditionally, a casado comes with the meat of your choice, rice, black beans, fried plantains, tortillas, salad or vegetables and a fried egg on top of the food. At Casa del Pollo, the casado only came with a meat choice, black beans, rice and pickled veggies, which was a little disappointing. However, the taste of the rice, beans and chicken left me wanting two more helpings of each. The white rice has a hint of garlic, the beans flavored with culantro de ojancha reminded me of my grandma's kitchen and the chicken was juicy and tender. This dish is a taste of home without me needing to do any of the work...or dishes.

The owners told me that they are going to expand upon their menu so they can offer some more choices, like gallo pinto (a dish made of mixed rice and beans) and maduros (fried plantains).

If you like Cuban food, you'll love Costa Rican food. Also, if you do not like spicy foods, you'll love Costa Rican food. Give Casa del Pollo a try soon. I'll...

Casa Del Pollo (or "house of the chicken" as I often call it) is probably my favorite restaurant in Portland. To me, it is as good, or better food than you get at Por Que No, Pambiche, or Toro Bravo. Frankly, I dread the day when this place is "discovered" and becomes crowded with other Portland foodies. :D ...................................... I may be biased - I have been eating lunch at Casa Del Pollo basically since they first opened. I work nearby and eat there at least once a week, and I've sampled almost everything on the menu, even as the menu has expanded over time. I have never had a bad meal here, ever. I think my record is four days in a row - the food is that good ....................................... My personal favorites are the burritos and the chicken casado. The smoked chicken tacos and gallo pinto are also excellent. The food is flavorful (especially try the red and green sauces) and not greasy. I have eaten here with a registered, licensed dietician who described the food as "very healthy," and it is, but they also offer more hearty steak and sausage meals if you are looking for that. The portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. ...................................... They also now have a location inside the pro shop at the Lake Oswego public golf course - same food, same prices, but much more seating and they have a liquor license (the Boones Ferry location does not sell...

So I was in Lake Oswego for work after having moved to Costa Rica from the Portland area. I guess I was feeling a little homesick and, to my surprise, there was a Costa Rican restaurant just down the road from my office. I was blown away as I NEVER see Costa Rican restaurants in my travels.

I stopped in and ordered lunch, choosing from the "Eat like a Tico" side of the menu. I ordered a traditional plate with rice & beans, also known as gallo pinto, and I got the roast chicken because I heard it was great there.

OH MY GOODNESS, IT WAS SO GOOD. That chicken...seriously, the flavor was amazing, and it was cooked to perfection.

And that gallo pinto was among the best I've had anywhere. Seriously, it WAY exceeded my expectations. Costa Ricans aren't big on spice or heat as a rule, and I've definitely had some bland "afterthought" renditions of the gallo pinto. This was not that. It was good as a stand alone.

I had time to chat with the Tico owners and they were lovely as well and were very encouraging of my pitiful attempt at Spanish (I'm still learning lol). It was so much fun speaking with them.

I will definitely be stopping by again next time I'm in the states for any reason. They are not...