La Carreta Mexican Restaurant: Difference between revisions

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant
La Carreta Mexican Restaurant
	The restaurant's exterior in 2021
Restaurant information
Established	1990
Food type	Mexican
Street address	4534 Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard
City	Portland
County	Multnomah
State	Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code	97202
Country	United States
Coordinates	45°29′24″N 122°39′11″W / 45.4900°N 122.6531°W

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La Carreta Mexican Restaurant was a Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The menu offered traditional cuisine including burritos, chile rellenos, chimichangas, enchiladas, fajitas, flautas, quesadilla, taquitos, and tostadas. Established in 1990, La Carreta had a banquet hall upstairs and hosted a variety of events. The restaurant's colorful interior featured hanging plants, murals, flags, tiled tables, and stucco walls.

The restaurant received a generally positive reception, especially for its margaritas and other drink options. La Carreta closed permanently and a food cart pod called Brooklyn Carreta is slated to open on the site in 2025.

Description

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant was located at the intersection of McLoughlin and Holgate Boulevards in southeast Portland's Brooklyn neighborhood. Willamette Week's Martin Cizmar described the restaurant as a "mazelike Mexican roadhouse", with murals of people and prickly pears on stucco walls. The interior had hanging plants, some of which were decorated with small American and Mexican flags. There were tiled tables, chairs upholstered with traditional blankets, and booths.^[1]

In 2013, the Portland Mercury's Ned Lannamann described La Carreta as a "funky, homey Mexican joint" serving "ample Mexican fare and dizzying margaritas". Lannamann continued, "It's a Portland old-school favorite, unsullied by the hands of hipsterdom." The second level had a private banquet hall for events.^[2] La Carreta operated until midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.^[1]^[3] The magazine PDX Parent described the restaurant as "spacious and colorful" and noted children could eat for free on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays after 4 p.m.^[4]

The menu offered Mexican cuisine such as burritos, chile colorado, chile rellenos, chimichangas, enchiladas, fajitas (chicken or beef), tostadas, tortillas, rice and beans, and chips and salsa; meals ended with a complementary scoop of ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.^[1] As of 2002, the Fiesta Platter featured quesadillas with green chili and Monterey Jack cheese, flautas with shredded beef, taquitos, and "deluxe" nachos.^[3] The drink menu included more than 20 varieties of tequila as of 2002, when blended margaritas were available for $2 during happy hour. As recently as 2015, the drink menu also included margaritas, beers, and coffee cocktails.^[1]^[5] The La Carreta coffee blended beans with Baileys Irish Cream, Frangelico, and Kahlúa, and was topped with whipped cream and a cherry.^[1]

History

The site occupied by La Carreta previously housed a Waddle's Drive-In restaurant.^[6] La Carreta opened in 1990, according to its website.^[7]

Novelist Peter Rock references La Carreta in The Bewildered: A Novel (2005).^[8] The restaurant closed permanently and a food cart pod called Brooklyn Carreta is slated to open on the site previously occupied by La Carreta in February 2025.^[9]

Events

La Carreta hosted a variety of events. In 1991, the restaurant hosted the Portland–Guadalajara Sister City Association's eighth-anniversary celebration. The event was attended by former Portland City Commissioner Mildred Schwab and sister city scholarship recipients, featuring cantina music.^[10]

In 2001, a representative from the Oregon Employment Department delivered a presentation on labor issues on behalf of the Pacific Printing & Imaging Association.^[11] The restaurant hosted a gathering following the death of a Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient in 2005.^[12]

The Portland Mercury co-hosted the 2014 La Carreta Meltdown, a rock and roll show benefiting the Sisters of the Road nonprofit cafe located in Portland, with performances by the Pynnacles, Eyelids (including John Moen), and Hutch Harris of The Thermals.^[2] The Multnomah County Republican Party's 2020 Lincoln Day dinner at the restaurant featured chairman James Buchal as a guest speaker, as well as state representative Mike Nearman and local political candidates.^[13]

Reception

The restaurant's interior in 2021

Writing for The Oregonian in 2002, Susan Fitzgerald described La Carreta's atmosphere as "cheery faux-Mexican" and recommended the restaurant for comfort food. After describing the menu, she wrote, "Pair any of these options with a bottomless basket of fresh, warm tortilla chips and salsa, and you'll end up nicely carbo-loaded for a long winter nap."^[3] The newspaper's Kyle O'Brien said La Carreta offered the "best margarita on the cheap" and recommended the "tasty and cool" happy hour margaritas. He wrote, "At these prices, might as well get two while wolfing down the decent chips and salsa. The old-school cantina pipes in Mexi-Muzak over the sound system to ensure a bueno time."^[5]

In 2008, La Carreta was named the "best Mexican restaurant" in a "City's Best" survey published by AOL's CityGuide.^[14] In 2015, Cizmar ranked La Carreta the city's best sit-down, midrange family-style Mexican restaurant,^[15]^[16] as well as Portland's best Mexican restaurant for drinks. He described the atmosphere as "fully immersive" and complimented the beef enchiladas and frozen strawberry margaritas. Cizmar also called the La Carreta coffee "very nice", but described the salsa as "watery" and "not very spicy" and said the rice and beans were "nothing to get excited about".^[1]

In addition to performing at La Carreta, members of Eyelids frequented the restaurant. In a 2014 article about the group, John Chandler of Vortex Music Magazine described La Carreta as a "venerable Mexican eatery ... known for its roving band of mariachis, dubious cuisine and towering cocktails".^[17]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cizmar, Martin (December 1, 2015). "Your Favorite Portland Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Lannamann, Ned (December 12, 2013). "A Rock Show in La Carreta? Yes!". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Fitzgerald, Susan (February 22, 2002). "Dining Cheap Eats La Carreta". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. p. 13. ISSN 8750-1317.
^ "Portland Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (or Close to It)". PDX Parent. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ ^a ^b O'Brien, Kyle (July 5, 2002). "The Drinks". The Oregonian. p. 04.
^ Anderson, Heather Arndt (April 27, 2016). "The Way We Were". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "La Carreta Mexican Restaurant". La Carreta Mexican Restaurant. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ Rock, Peter (April 15, 2016). The Bewildered: A Novel. Catapult. p. 67. ISBN 9781940436395. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ Roland, Rebecca (2024-09-25). "A New Food Cart Pod Is Opening at the Former La Carreta Site". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
^ Butterworth, Beverly (February 24, 1991). "Mardi Gras Ball Offers Fun Way to Help Boys & Girls Aid Society". The Oregonian. p. L02.
^ "Monday". The Oregonian. May 20, 2001. p. D05.
^ "Obituaries – Thursday, April 28, 2005". The Oregonian. April 28, 2005. p. D08.
^
Buchal, James. Multnomah County Republican Central Committee:
- "2020 Lincoln Day Dinner". Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- "2020 Lincoln Day Dinner". January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ Green, Susan (July 31, 2008). "McCormick & Schmick's among AOL's 'City Best'". The Oregonian. p. 14.
^ Walsh, Chad (December 4, 2015). "The Mercury Takes The Feisty Lamb to Slaughter; Praises La Moule for Flexing Its Mussels". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ Cizmar, Martin (January 6, 2016). "Your Other Favorite Family Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ Chandler, John (July 2, 2014). "Keeping an Eye on Eyelids". Vortex Music Magazine. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

External links

Media related to La Carreta Mexican Restaurant (Portland, Oregon) at Wikimedia Commons

[Cizmar-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cizmar, Martin (December 1, 2015). "Your Favorite Portland Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[Rock-2] Lannamann, Ned (December 12, 2013). "A Rock Show in La Carreta? Yes!". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[Fitzgerald-3] Fitzgerald, Susan (February 22, 2002). "Dining Cheap Eats La Carreta". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. p. 13. ISSN 8750-1317.

[4] "Portland Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (or Close to It)". PDX Parent. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[Drinks-5] O'Brien, Kyle (July 5, 2002). "The Drinks". The Oregonian. p. 04.

[Anderson-6] Anderson, Heather Arndt (April 27, 2016). "The Way We Were". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[7] "La Carreta Mexican Restaurant". La Carreta Mexican Restaurant. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[8] Rock, Peter (April 15, 2016). The Bewildered: A Novel. Catapult. p. 67. ISBN 9781940436395. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[9] Roland, Rebecca (2024-09-25). "A New Food Cart Pod Is Opening at the Former La Carreta Site". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2024-10-18.

[10] Butterworth, Beverly (February 24, 1991). "Mardi Gras Ball Offers Fun Way to Help Boys & Girls Aid Society". The Oregonian. p. L02.

[11] "Monday". The Oregonian. May 20, 2001. p. D05.

[12] "Obituaries – Thursday, April 28, 2005". The Oregonian. April 28, 2005. p. D08.

[13] Buchal, James. Multnomah County Republican Central Committee:
"2020 Lincoln Day Dinner". Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

"2020 Lincoln Day Dinner". January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[14] "2020 Lincoln Day Dinner". Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[15] "2020 Lincoln Day Dinner". January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[14] Green, Susan (July 31, 2008). "McCormick & Schmick's among AOL's 'City Best'". The Oregonian. p. 14.

[Walsh-15] Walsh, Chad (December 4, 2015). "The Mercury Takes The Feisty Lamb to Slaughter; Praises La Moule for Flexing Its Mussels". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[16] Cizmar, Martin (January 6, 2016). "Your Other Favorite Family Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

[17] Chandler, John (July 2, 2014). "Keeping an Eye on Eyelids". Vortex Music Magazine. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

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@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 | other-label         = <!-- replaces "Other information" label -->
 | other-information   =
-| website             = {{URL|lacarretaportland.com}} {{dead link|date=July 2023}}
+| website             =
 }}
-'''La Carreta Mexican Restaurant''' was a [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican]] restaurant in [[Portland, Oregon]]. The menu offered traditional cuisine including [[burrito]]s, [[chile relleno]]s, [[chimichanga]]s, [[enchilada]]s, [[fajita]]s, [[flauta]]s, [[quesadilla]], [[taquito]]s, and [[Tostada (tortilla)|tostada]]s. Established in 1990, La Carreta had a banquet hall upstairs and hosted a variety of events. The restaurant's colorful interior featured hanging plants, murals, flags, tiled tables, and [[stucco]] walls. The restaurant received a generally positive reception, especially for its [[margaritas]] and other drink options.
+'''La Carreta Mexican Restaurant''' was a [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican]] restaurant in [[Portland, Oregon]]. The menu offered traditional cuisine including [[burrito]]s, [[chile relleno]]s, [[chimichanga]]s, [[enchilada]]s, [[fajita]]s, [[flauta]]s, [[quesadilla]], [[taquito]]s, and [[Tostada (tortilla)|tostada]]s. Established in 1990, La Carreta had a banquet hall upstairs and hosted a variety of events. The restaurant's colorful interior featured hanging plants, murals, flags, tiled tables, and [[stucco]] walls.
+The restaurant received a generally positive reception, especially for its [[margaritas]] and other drink options. La Carreta closed permanently and a [[food cart]] pod called Brooklyn Carreta is slated to open on the site in 2025.
 ==Description==
+La Carreta Mexican Restaurant was located at the intersection of McLoughlin and Holgate Boulevards in [[Southeast Portland, Oregon|southeast Portland]]'s [[Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon|Brooklyn]] neighborhood. ''[[Willamette Week]]''{{'s}} Martin Cizmar described the restaurant as a "mazelike Mexican roadhouse", with murals of people and [[Opuntia|prickly pears]] on [[stucco]] walls. The interior had hanging plants, some of which were decorated with small [[Flag of the United States|American]] and [[Flag of Mexico|Mexican flags]]. There were tiled tables, chairs upholstered with traditional blankets, and booths.<ref name="Cizmar">{{cite news |last1=Cizmar |first1=Martin |title=Your Favorite Portland Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed |url=https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2015/12/01/your-favorite-portland-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |access-date=March 24, 2021 |work=[[Willamette Week]] |date=December 1, 2015 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107001515/https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2015/12/01/your-favorite-portland-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
-[[File:La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 2021 1.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of the colorful interior of a restaurant|The restaurant's interior in 2021]]
-La Carreta Mexican Restaurant was located at the intersection of McLoughlin and Holgate Boulevards in [[Southeast Portland, Oregon|southeast Portland]]'s [[Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon|Brooklyn]] neighborhood. ''[[Willamette Week]]''{{'s}} Martin Cizmar described the restaurant as a "mazelike Mexican roadhouse", with murals of people and [[Opuntia|prickly pears]] on [[stucco]] walls. The interior had hanging plants, some of which were decorated with small [[Flag of the United States|American]] and [[Flag of Mexico|Mexican flags]]. There were tiled tables, chairs upholstered with traditional blankets, and booths.<ref name="Cizmar">{{cite news |last1=Cizmar |first1=Martin |title=Your Favorite Portland Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed |url=https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2015/12/01/your-favorite-portland-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |access-date=March 24, 2021 |work=[[Willamette Week]] |date=December 1, 2015 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107001515/https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2015/12/01/your-favorite-portland-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, the ''[[Portland Mercury]]''{{'s}} Ned Lannamann described La Carreta as a "funky, homey Mexican joint" serving "ample Mexican fare and dizzying margaritas". Lannamann continued, "It's a Portland old-school favorite, unsullied by the hands of hipsterdom." The second level had a private banquet hall for events.<ref name="Rock">{{cite news |last1=Lannamann |first1=Ned |title=A Rock Show in La Carreta? Yes! |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2013/12/12/a-rock-show-in-la-carreta-yes |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=[[Portland Mercury]] |date=December 12, 2013 |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821150901/https://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2013/12/12/a-rock-show-in-la-carreta-yes |url-status=live }}</ref>
+In 2013, the ''[[Portland Mercury]]''{{'s}} Ned Lannamann described La Carreta as a "funky, homey Mexican joint" serving "ample Mexican fare and dizzying margaritas". Lannamann continued, "It's a Portland old-school favorite, unsullied by the hands of hipsterdom." The second level had a private banquet hall for events.<ref name="Rock">{{cite news |last1=Lannamann |first1=Ned |title=A Rock Show in La Carreta? Yes! |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2013/12/12/a-rock-show-in-la-carreta-yes |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=[[Portland Mercury]] |date=December 12, 2013 |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821150901/https://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2013/12/12/a-rock-show-in-la-carreta-yes |url-status=live }}</ref> La Carreta operated until midnight on weekdays and 2&nbsp;a.m. on weekends.<ref name="Cizmar" /><ref name="Fitzgerald">{{cite news |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Susan |date=February 22, 2002 |title=Dining Cheap Eats La Carreta |work=[[The Oregonian]] |publisher=[[Advance Publications]] |page=13 |issn=8750-1317}}</ref> The magazine ''PDX Parent'' described the restaurant as "spacious and colorful" and noted children could eat for free on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays after 4&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Portland Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (or Close to It) |journal=PDX Parent |url=https://pdxparent.com/kids-eat-free-or-cheap/ |access-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024091138/https://pdxparent.com/kids-eat-free-or-cheap/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
-La Carreta operated until midnight on weekdays and 2&nbsp;a.m. on weekends.<ref name="Cizmar" /><ref name="Fitzgerald">{{cite news |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Susan |date=February 22, 2002 |title=Dining Cheap Eats La Carreta |work=[[The Oregonian]] |publisher=[[Advance Publications]] |page=13 |issn=8750-1317}}</ref> The magazine ''PDX Parent'' described the restaurant as "spacious and colorful" and noted children could eat for free on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays after 4&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Portland Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (or Close to It) |journal=PDX Parent |url=https://pdxparent.com/kids-eat-free-or-cheap/ |access-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024091138/https://pdxparent.com/kids-eat-free-or-cheap/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 === Menu ===
-The menu offered [[Mexican cuisine]] such as [[burrito]]s, chile colorado, [[chile relleno]]s, [[chimichanga]]s, [[enchilada]]s, [[fajita]]s ([[Chicken as food|chicken]] or [[beef]]), [[Tostada (tortilla)|tostada]]s, [[tortilla]]s, [[rice and beans]], and [[Tortilla chip|chips]] and [[Salsa (sauce)|salsa]]; meals ended with a complementary scoop of [[ice cream]] with whipped cream and [[chocolate syrup]].<ref name="Cizmar" /> As of 2002, the Fiesta Platter featured [[quesadilla]]s with [[green chili]] and [[Monterey Jack]] cheese, [[flauta]]s with [[shredded beef]], [[taquito]]s, and "deluxe" [[nachos]].<ref name="Fitzgerald" />
+The menu offered [[Mexican cuisine]] such as [[burrito]]s, chile colorado, [[chile relleno]]s, [[chimichanga]]s, [[enchilada]]s, [[fajita]]s ([[Chicken as food|chicken]] or [[beef]]), [[Tostada (tortilla)|tostada]]s, [[tortilla]]s, [[rice and beans]], and [[Tortilla chip|chips]] and [[Salsa (sauce)|salsa]]; meals ended with a complementary scoop of [[ice cream]] with whipped cream and [[chocolate syrup]].<ref name="Cizmar" /> As of 2002, the Fiesta Platter featured [[quesadilla]]s with [[green chili]] and [[Monterey Jack]] cheese, [[flauta]]s with [[shredded beef]], [[taquito]]s, and "deluxe" [[nachos]].<ref name="Fitzgerald" /> The drink menu included more than 20 varieties of [[tequila]] as of 2002, when blended margaritas were available for $2 during [[happy hour]]. As recently as 2015, the drink menu also included [[margarita]]s, [[Beer|beers]], and [[coffee]] cocktails.<ref name="Cizmar" /><ref name="Drinks">{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Kyle |date=July 5, 2002 |title=The Drinks |work=The Oregonian |page=04}}</ref> The La Carreta coffee blended [[Coffee bean|beans]] with [[Baileys Irish Cream]], [[Frangelico]], and [[Kahlúa]], and was topped with [[whipped cream]] and a [[cherry]].<ref name="Cizmar" />
-The drink menu included more than 20 varieties of [[tequila]] as of 2002, when blended margaritas were available for $2 during [[happy hour]]. As recently as 2015, the drink menu also included [[margarita]]s, [[Beer|beers]], and [[coffee]] cocktails.<ref name="Cizmar" /><ref name="Drinks">{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Kyle |date=July 5, 2002 |title=The Drinks |work=The Oregonian |page=04}}</ref> The La Carreta coffee blended [[Coffee bean|beans]] with [[Baileys Irish Cream]], [[Frangelico]], and [[Kahlúa]], and was topped with [[whipped cream]] and a [[cherry]].<ref name="Cizmar" />
 ==History==
-[[File:La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 2021 2.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of the bar inside a restaurant|The bar area in 2021]]
+[[File:La Carreta, PDX, 2021 5.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of a neon sign with the text "La Carreta Mexican Restaurant and Cantina" and "Carry Out"|Sign outside the restaurant, 2021]]
-The site occupied by La Carreta previously housed a Waddle's Drive-In restaurant.<ref name="Anderson">{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Heather Arndt |title=The Way We Were |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/eat-and-drink-spring-2016/2016/04/27/17974400/the-way-we-were |access-date=March 24, 2021 |work=[[Portland Mercury]] |date=April 27, 2016 |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217200818/https://www.portlandmercury.com/eat-and-drink-spring-2016/2016/04/27/17974400/the-way-we-were |url-status=live }}</ref> La Carreta opened in 1990, according to its website.<ref>{{cite web |title=La Carreta Mexican Restaurant |url=https://www.lacarretaportland.com |publisher=La Carreta Mexican Restaurant |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121201757/https://www.lacarretaportland.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
+The site occupied by La Carreta previously housed a Waddle's Drive-In restaurant.<ref name="Anderson">{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Heather Arndt |title=The Way We Were |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/eat-and-drink-spring-2016/2016/04/27/17974400/the-way-we-were |access-date=March 24, 2021 |work=[[Portland Mercury]] |date=April 27, 2016 |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217200818/https://www.portlandmercury.com/eat-and-drink-spring-2016/2016/04/27/17974400/the-way-we-were |url-status=live }}</ref> La Carreta opened in 1990, according to its website.<ref>{{cite web |title=La Carreta Mexican Restaurant |url=https://www.lacarretaportland.com |publisher=La Carreta Mexican Restaurant |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121201757/https://www.lacarretaportland.com/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
+Novelist [[Peter Rock (novelist)|Peter Rock]] references La Carreta in ''The Bewildered: A Novel'' (2005).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rock |first1=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-EREAAAQBAJ&pg=PT67 |title=The Bewildered: A Novel |date=April 15, 2016 |publisher=Catapult |isbn=9781940436395 |page=67 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325230941/https://books.google.com/books?id=w-EREAAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&lpg=PT67&dq= |archive-date=March 25, 2021 |url-status=live |authorlink=Peter Rock (novelist)}}</ref> The restaurant closed permanently and a [[food cart]] pod called Brooklyn Carreta is slated to open on the site previously occupied by La Carreta in February 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roland |first=Rebecca |date=2024-09-25 |title=A New Food Cart Pod Is Opening at the Former La Carreta Site |url=https://pdx.eater.com/2024/9/25/24254307/brooklyn-carreta-food-pod-opening-portland-oregon |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=Eater Portland |language=en}}</ref>
-La Carreta hosted a variety of events. In 1991, the restaurant hosted the Portland–[[Guadalajara]] Sister City Association's eighth-anniversary celebration. The event was attended by former Portland City Commissioner [[Mildred Schwab]] and [[sister city]] scholarship recipients, featuring cantina music.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Butterworth |first1=Beverly |title=Mardi Gras Ball Offers Fun Way to Help Boys & Girls Aid Society |work=The Oregonian |date=February 24, 1991 |page=L02}}</ref> In 2001, a representative from the [[Oregon Employment Department]] delivered a presentation on labor issues on behalf of the Pacific Printing & Imaging Association.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monday |work=The Oregonian |date=May 20, 2001 |page=D05}}</ref> The restaurant hosted a gathering following the death of a [[Vietnam War]] veteran and [[Purple Heart]] recipient in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Obituaries – Thursday, April 28, 2005 |work=The Oregonian |date=April 28, 2005 |page=D08}}</ref> The ''Portland Mercury'' co-hosted the 2014 La Carreta Meltdown, a [[rock and roll]] show benefiting the Sisters of the Road nonprofit cafe located in Portland, with performances by the Pynnacles, Eyelids (including [[John Moen]]), and [[Hutch Harris]] of [[The Thermals]].<ref name=Rock/> The Multnomah County Republican Party's 2020 [[Lincoln Day]] dinner at the restaurant featured chairman [[James Buchal]] as a guest speaker, as well as state representative [[Mike Nearman]] and local political candidates.<ref>[[James Buchal|Buchal, James]]. Multnomah County Republican Central Committee:
-* {{cite web |title=2020 Lincoln Day Dinner |url=https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027061443/https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner |url-status=live }}
-* {{cite web |title=2020 Lincoln Day Dinner |url=https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner_blog_post |date=January 7, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021101713/https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner_blog_post |url-status=live }}</ref>
+=== Events ===
-Novelist [[Peter Rock (novelist)|Peter Rock]] references La Carreta in ''The Bewildered: A Novel'' (2005).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rock |first1=Peter |title=The Bewildered: A Novel |date=April 15, 2016 |publisher=Catapult |page=67 |isbn=9781940436395 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-EREAAAQBAJ&pg=PT67 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |authorlink=Peter Rock (novelist) |archive-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325230941/https://books.google.com/books?id=w-EREAAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&lpg=PT67&dq= |url-status=live }}</ref>
+La Carreta hosted a variety of events. In 1991, the restaurant hosted the Portland–[[Guadalajara]] Sister City Association's eighth-anniversary celebration. The event was attended by former Portland City Commissioner [[Mildred Schwab]] and [[sister city]] scholarship recipients, featuring cantina music.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Butterworth |first1=Beverly |title=Mardi Gras Ball Offers Fun Way to Help Boys & Girls Aid Society |work=The Oregonian |date=February 24, 1991 |page=L02}}</ref>
+In 2001, a representative from the [[Oregon Employment Department]] delivered a presentation on labor issues on behalf of the Pacific Printing & Imaging Association.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monday |work=The Oregonian |date=May 20, 2001 |page=D05}}</ref> The restaurant hosted a gathering following the death of a [[Vietnam War]] veteran and [[Purple Heart]] recipient in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Obituaries – Thursday, April 28, 2005 |work=The Oregonian |date=April 28, 2005 |page=D08}}</ref>
+The ''Portland Mercury'' co-hosted the 2014 La Carreta Meltdown, a [[rock and roll]] show benefiting the Sisters of the Road nonprofit cafe located in Portland, with performances by the Pynnacles, Eyelids (including [[John Moen]]), and [[Hutch Harris]] of [[The Thermals]].<ref name="Rock" /> The Multnomah County Republican Party's 2020 [[Lincoln Day]] dinner at the restaurant featured chairman [[James Buchal]] as a guest speaker, as well as state representative [[Mike Nearman]] and local political candidates.<ref>[[James Buchal|Buchal, James]]. Multnomah County Republican Central Committee:
+*{{cite web |title=2020 Lincoln Day Dinner |url=https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027061443/https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner |url-status=live }}
+*{{cite web |title=2020 Lincoln Day Dinner |url=https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner_blog_post |date=January 7, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021101713/https://www.multnomahgop.org/2020_lincoln_day_dinner_blog_post |url-status=live }}</ref>
 ==Reception==
+{{Multiple image
-[[File:La Carreta, PDX, 2021 5.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of a neon sign with the text "La Carreta Mexican Restaurant and Cantina" and "Carry Out"|Sign outside the restaurant]]
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+<!--image 1-->| image1            = La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 2021 1.jpg
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+| alt1              = Photograph of the colorful interior of a restaurant
+| link1             = File:La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 2021 1.jpg
+| thumbtime1        =
+| caption1          = <!--image 2-->
+| image2            = La Carreta Mexican Restaurant, 2021 2.jpg
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+| alt2              = Photograph of the bar inside a restaurant
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+<!-- Footer -->| footer_background = <!-- footer background as a 'hex triplet' web color prefixed by # e.g. #33CC00 -->
+| footer_align      = <!-- left (default), center, right -->
+| footer            = The restaurant's interior in 2021
+}}
-Writing for ''[[The Oregonian]]'' in 2002, Susan Fitzgerald described La Carreta's atmosphere as "cheery faux-Mexican" and recommended the restaurant for [[comfort food]]. After describing the menu, she wrote, "Pair any of these options with a bottomless basket of fresh, warm tortilla chips and salsa, and you'll end up nicely carbo-loaded for a long winter nap."<ref name=Fitzgerald/> The newspaper's Kyle O'Brien said La Carreta offered the "best margarita on the cheap" and recommended the "tasty and cool" happy hour margaritas. He wrote, "At these prices, might as well get two while wolfing down the decent chips and salsa. The old-school cantina pipes in Mexi-[[Muzak]] over the sound system to ensure a bueno time."<ref name=Drinks/>
+Writing for ''[[The Oregonian]]'' in 2002, Susan Fitzgerald described La Carreta's atmosphere as "cheery faux-Mexican" and recommended the restaurant for [[comfort food]]. After describing the menu, she wrote, "Pair any of these options with a bottomless basket of fresh, warm tortilla chips and salsa, and you'll end up nicely carbo-loaded for a long winter nap."<ref name="Fitzgerald" /> The newspaper's Kyle O'Brien said La Carreta offered the "best margarita on the cheap" and recommended the "tasty and cool" happy hour margaritas. He wrote, "At these prices, might as well get two while wolfing down the decent chips and salsa. The old-school cantina pipes in Mexi-[[Muzak]] over the sound system to ensure a bueno time."<ref name="Drinks" />
-In 2008, La Carreta was named the "best Mexican restaurant" in a "City's Best" survey published by [[AOL]]'s CityGuide.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Susan |title=McCormick & Schmick's among AOL's 'City Best' |work=The Oregonian |date=July 31, 2008 |page=14}}</ref> In 2015, Cizmar ranked La Carreta the city's best sit-down, midrange family-style Mexican restaurant,<ref name="Walsh">{{cite web |last1=Walsh |first1=Chad |title=The Mercury Takes The Feisty Lamb to Slaughter; Praises La Moule for Flexing Its Mussels |url=https://pdx.eater.com/2015/12/4/9838020/week-in-reviews-mercury-feisty-lamb-la-moule |website=[[Eater (website)|Eater Portland]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |access-date=March 24, 2021 |date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=February 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228132216/http://pdx.eater.com/2015/12/4/9838020/week-in-reviews-mercury-feisty-lamb-la-moule |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cizmar |first1=Martin |title=Your Other Favorite Family Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed |url=https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2016/01/06/your-other-favorite-family-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=January 6, 2016 |archive-date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017051609/http://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2016/01/06/your-other-favorite-family-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as Portland's best Mexican restaurant for drinks. He described the atmosphere as "fully immersive" and complimented the beef enchiladas and frozen strawberry margaritas. Cizmar also called the La Carreta coffee "very nice", but described the salsa as "watery" and "not very spicy" and said the rice and beans were "nothing to get excited about".<ref name=Cizmar/>
+In 2008, La Carreta was named the "best Mexican restaurant" in a "City's Best" survey published by [[AOL]]'s CityGuide.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Susan |title=McCormick & Schmick's among AOL's 'City Best' |work=The Oregonian |date=July 31, 2008 |page=14}}</ref> In 2015, Cizmar ranked La Carreta the city's best sit-down, midrange family-style Mexican restaurant,<ref name="Walsh">{{cite web |last1=Walsh |first1=Chad |title=The Mercury Takes The Feisty Lamb to Slaughter; Praises La Moule for Flexing Its Mussels |url=https://pdx.eater.com/2015/12/4/9838020/week-in-reviews-mercury-feisty-lamb-la-moule |website=[[Eater (website)|Eater Portland]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |access-date=March 24, 2021 |date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=February 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228132216/http://pdx.eater.com/2015/12/4/9838020/week-in-reviews-mercury-feisty-lamb-la-moule |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cizmar |first1=Martin |title=Your Other Favorite Family Mexican Restaurant, Reviewed |url=https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2016/01/06/your-other-favorite-family-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=Willamette Week |date=January 6, 2016 |archive-date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017051609/http://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2016/01/06/your-other-favorite-family-mexican-restaurant-reviewed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as Portland's best Mexican restaurant for drinks. He described the atmosphere as "fully immersive" and complimented the beef enchiladas and frozen strawberry margaritas. Cizmar also called the La Carreta coffee "very nice", but described the salsa as "watery" and "not very spicy" and said the rice and beans were "nothing to get excited about".<ref name="Cizmar" />
 In addition to performing at La Carreta, members of Eyelids frequented the restaurant. In a 2014 article about the group, John Chandler of ''Vortex Music Magazine'' described La Carreta as a "venerable Mexican eatery ... known for its roving band of [[Mariachi|mariachis]], dubious cuisine and towering cocktails".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chandler |first1=John |title=Keeping an Eye on Eyelids |journal=Vortex Music Magazine |date=July 2, 2014 |url=https://www.vrtxmag.com/articles/keeping-an-eye-on-eyelids/ |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129223041/https://www.vrtxmag.com/articles/keeping-an-eye-on-eyelids/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
@@ Line 78: / Line 111: @@
 {{Portal|Food|Oregon}}
 * [[Hispanics and Latinos in Portland, Oregon]]
-* [[List of defunct restaurants of the United States]]
 * [[List of Mexican restaurants]]
@@ Line 85: / Line 117: @@
 ==External links==
-{{Commons category|La Carreta Mexican Restaurant (Portland, Oregon)}}
+* {{Commons category-inline|La Carreta Mexican Restaurant (Portland, Oregon)}}
-* {{Official website|https://www.lacarretaportland.com}}
-* [https://www.zomato.com/portland/la-carreta-mexican-sellwood-moreland La Carreta Mexican] at [[Zomato]]
 {{Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon}}
-{{Restaurants in Portland, Oregon}}
+{{Defunct restaurants in Portland, Oregon}}
 {{good article}}
 [[Category:1990 establishments in Oregon]]
 [[Category:Defunct Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon]]
+[[Category:Defunct restaurants in Southeast Portland, Oregon]]
 [[Category:Restaurants established in 1990]]
 [[Category:Restaurants in Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon]]

v t e Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon
Buildings	Aladdin Theater Brooklyn Library Johan Poulsen House
Business	Bear Paw Inn Berlin Inn Bullseye Glass Edelweiss Sausage & Delicatessen La Carreta Mexican Restaurant Original Hotcake House
Geography	Brooklyn Park Powell Park Ross Island
Public art	Along These Lines Passage Tri It
Transit	Marquam Bridge Rhine–Lafayette Pedestrian Overpass Ross Island Bridge Southeast 17th Avenue and Holgate Boulevard station Southeast 17th Avenue and Rhine Street station
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