On October 18th, La Osita restaurant completed its first week in a new location after transitioning from a renowned food cart on SE 122nd Avenue to the remodeled restaurant space in the historic Taylor Court Grocery building at 1135 SE 80th Avenue. The breakfast and lunch spot offers dishes influenced by the owner’s Mexican American roots, featuring options for most diners, including several vegan items. Elizabeth Guerrero had initially planned to open her restaurant in the newly purchased building in October 2022. However, she soon discovered that the 100-year-old storefront, nestled in a residential area, would require years of work to transform into the restaurant space she envisioned. The long process of remodeling and relocating required the support of family, staff, and the partnership of co-owner David Doyle. For the staff, the effort was well worth the wait as regulars and Montavilla residents showed up in large numbers to enjoy the breakfast and lunch menu Tuesday through Saturday.
La Osita PDX opened as a small food cart in January of 2018 after Guerrero and Doyle noticed a lack of good breakfast locations near their home in East Portland. The partners bought their first cart from a friend and found space on 122nd in the parking lot of the Plaza 122 building. With a shared food service background and recipes inspired by Elizabeth Guerrero’s heritage, the owners brought coffee and breakfast service to an underserved area. “The original plan when we first opened the cart was just breakfast, but then people asked, ‘Why aren’t you opening for lunch?’ And I thought Why don’t we open for lunch? So we did lunch,” recalled Guerrero. After an Oregonian article widened La Osita’s exposure, they experienced a wave of new customers and eventually expanded to a bigger cart. Still, business increases, and they brought in more help, with staff peaking at five people on some days. Moving to a restaurant location was an obvious next move for the family-run business. “We were crammed like sardines,” recalled Guerrero.
Searching for a suitable small brick-and-mortar location near the cart proved challenging for Guerrero and Doyle. An expanded search led to the Taylor Court Grocery, where they instantly saw the potential in the 100-year-old retail space. The buildout took much longer than anticipated. “It had just so much work we had to put into it. There were three layers of flooring tile, and the same with the roof; it was a huge project, and honestly, we didn’t know it was going to be that time-consuming and so much money,” said Guerrero. The owners rented out the house that shares the lot with the retail space to generate revenue temporarily, but they needed loans to bridge the gap. “We used a Prosper Portland loan, a QuickBooks loan. We did a Square loan, and once that was out, we applied again for QuickBooks. Once that was out, we shuffled debt around,’ explained Guerrero. The team almost gave up hope. “I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted to quit, but I remember somebody said, ‘whenever you think you should give up, that’s the time when you shouldn’t give up.’ I always remember that, and it was all worth it because we’re here now,” remarked Guerrero.
Although three miles from the original cart location, they hoped customers would follow them to SE 80th Avenue, and Guerrero reports they have not been disappointed. “They’ve been very supportive and very happy for us. I was worried that it was going to be a slow incline of business, but it’s been pretty good.” October marks the beginning of the slow winter season for food carts; however, the restaurant’s first week in Montavilla saw summer-level sales. They hired an additional person to work at the location, and Guerrero hopes her daughter will join her at the restaurant on Saturdays before going to college in a year. It is important to her because family participation is already core to this space, with Elizabeth Guerrero’s sister, niece, and brother working there, and because her child was the inspiration for the business name. “The whole reason this is called La Osita is because my daughter,” explained Guerrero. Guerrero and Doyle would playfully add “bear” to the end of her name when she was younger, and Osita means little bear.
Elizabeth Guerrero knows she has years of work ahead to pay off the loans and build the business in the Montavilla community. The business owners are selling their old cart because they can not run two locations, and it will help pay down what they borrowed to build the brick-and-mortar location. However, she expressed heartfelt gratitude to her staff who worked in cramped conditions and stayed by her side throughout the years of delays. She is especially appreciative of her sister Maria Guerrero, who has remained part of La Osita since the beginning. She is also thankful for all the customers who supported her dream and the people who helped fundraise for the buildout. Now, she is looking to the future with only minor additions to the menu planned as the team becomes accustomed to the bigger space.
Several of the summer-only drinks, like agua fresca, will return to the menu more frequently, with select new food items planned. I wanted to add Chilaquiles, which is a very popular breakfast item in Mexico, but I don’t want to expand too much because that does make it harder on my cook. I want to add chicken, and I do want to add Mexican bread like conchas,” explained Guerrero. “I can envision somebody buying their concha and their brunch taco and their coffee. That’s the perfect breakfast in my eyes.”
People interested in visiting the shop for dine-in counter service or takeout can stop by from 7:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The menu features the popular Brunch Taco with melted pepper jack cheese on a crispy corn tortilla, topped with applewood bacon, fried egg, pickled onion, pico de gallo, bell pepper, and salsa. They offer several burrito variations with chorizo, carne asada beef, or steak. Some include eggs to fit in with the breakfast and brunch theme. The meatless options include Vegan burritos, tacos, and bowls. For drinks, they serve French press coffee or espresso-based items with an optional Mexican flavor palate. They offer freshly made green smoothies and a Cocoa banana almond chia smoothie, alongside other canned or bottled beverages.
When the weather turns warmer next year, Elizabeth Guerrero expects to have outdoor seating. People will eventually see the blue “Tabor Ct. Grocery” sign updated with the La Osita name. Still, the building’s new owners are working with a neighborhood caretaker to preserve the original surviving sign panel showing the location’s historic name. The spot is outside the traditional commercial corridor, a short walk from SE Stark Street and 82nd Avenue. They will depend on word of mouth for people to find them, but Guerrero said that has always worked for them in the past. She hopes people will help spread the word that they have finally moved in and are ready to greet their guests.
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