Machetes pop-up begins residency at Gigantic Brewing Hawthorne
Photo by Brian Brose
Cult following Mexico City-style street food pop-up Machetes is taking over the kitchen at Gigantic Brewing’s Hawthorne location Thursday - Sunday from November 1st until the end of the year. The 2-month long kitchen residency marks what may be the final few months of Gigantic Brewing’s third location on Hawthorne as the building is currently up for sale.
Chef duo Diego Palacias and his wife McKenna launched Machetes in the summer of 2023 and the concept quickly caught fire for their signature dish “machete” from which they take their name. A Machete is a popular street food of Mexico City where Diego once lived, the dish is part giant length oblong taco and part melty and cheesy quesadilla, each folded and shaped like a sword. From hand-pressed heirloom masa tortillas Machetes are stuffed with up to four fillings: Past ingredients included marinated, grilled and stewed meats and veggies in housemade sauces; like chicken braised in peanut mole, nopales with heirloom corn and epazote, Enfrijoladas with chorizo and smoked refried black beans with spring onion, or slow braised beef tongue marinated al pastor accompanied with charred pineapple and salsa borracha.
For the Gigantic Brewing kitchen takeover Diego is promising more carne asada, seafood, and vegan dishes, and when the weather is right they may do outdoor charcoal cooking as well.
Diego is a veteran of acclaimed bistro/wine bar OK, Omens, and McKenna of acclaimed Indonesian restaurant Gado Gado. Their pop-ups have built them a large Instagram following from foodies and Hispanic Oregonians who haven’t found this type of food anywhere else. For the past 2 years Machetes have popped up frequently at wine bars, breweries, and cideries such as Brujos Brewing, Away Days Brewing, Bauman’s Cider, festivals like MXPDX, and top notch restaurants like Multnomah Whiskey Library and Castagna.
Machetes will kick off their first extended residency since last winter/spring this Saturday at the the Gigantic Brewing Hawthorne kitchen. In honor of day of the dead they are planning to have an altar for Dia Dos Muertos. Machetes at Gigantic will be open from 2-9pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On other days of the week Gigantic Brewing Hawthorne hosts Pizza the Gathering every Tuesday slinging hot, fresh pies along with Stumptown Trivia Tuesday nights starting at 630pm. Monday and Wednesday nights they have a housemade “dive bar menu” that includes chicken strips, popcorn shrimp, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs, onion rings, and fries.
Gigantic Brewing - Hawthorne
4343 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215