Pan Con Queso is the next Portland pizzeria you need to know about

Sep 09, 2023

Editor’s note: This week, we’re celebrating the pizza in all its modern glory, highlighting everything from a refined Neapolitan spot downtown to new pizzas with globe-trotting toppings, leading up to our guide to Portland’s best new pizzerias of 2023. Stay tuned to oregonlive.com/dining.

Food hasn’t always come easily for the breweries at Southeast Belmont Street and Seventh Avenue.

When it was The Commons, Cheese Bar’s Steve Jones set up an annex behind the brewery’s tap wall, slicing carefully chosen cheeses to pair with that brewery’s flagship Urban Farmhouse Ale. When San Diego brewery Modern Times took over in 2018, vegan burgers replaced the cheese. Beer was once again the sole focus after Living Häus opened last year; a QR code at the bar revealed a small menu of Japanese bar snacks from neighboring Afuri.

But some recent activity indicates there might be more to get excited about at this century-old brick building than ever before.

In June, Living Häus tapped Pan Con Queso, a new pop-up from pizzaiolo about town Henry Martinez (Dimo’s, Scottie’s) and mental health pro Makeila Magno, to act as a sort-of pizzeria in residence. (The brewery also hosted a guided beer-cheese pairing from La Femme Fromage, bringing things full circle.)

Martinez and Magno describe their pies as “naturally leavened modernist pizza” inspired by the partners’ “combined Mexican and Pacific Islander heritage.” With ingredients including fresh corn, pickled jalapeño and house-made chorizo, plus a prominent tang to the dough thanks to a minimum four-day ferment, Pan Con Queso’s pizzettas, or “pixxas,” as they call them, aren’t quite like anything I’ve seen in Portland, or anywhere else.

Yes, there’s a SPAM pizza, an idea suggested by Magno’s grandfather, who lived on the islands and liked to call the canned pork product “Hawaiian prime rib.” He died before he could try the pizza Martinez and Magno created and named for him, the Mr. MacArthur, which comes topped with SPAM, pineapple and red and green onions. Kahlua pork tortas are planned once Martinez dials in his telera roll recipe; ditto for a SPAM and egg breakfast sandwich on house-made muffins potentially coming on weekends.

So far, the Mexican influences are the more prominent of the two, including the chorizo con papas, which converts the classic taco filling of chorizo and potatoes into a pizza with melted mozzarella and cotija cheeses all drizzled with a cilantro crema. For summer, there’s an elote pie inspired by Mexican street corn, drizzled with crema and sprinkled with spicy-tart Tajín flakes.

The seasonal summer elote pizza from Pan Con Queso, a creamy corn pizza sprinkled with Tajín flakes.Mark Graves/The Oregonian

The sides have their own Mexican touches — the great arugula and watermelon salad has a gently spiced chamoy dressing, while the Caesar was first made tableside at a Tijuana hotel (the original did not use anchovies; I wouldn’t mind more in Pan Con Queso’s).

According to Martinez, the chorizo con papas was made on a whim for a farm dinner years ago. The enthused reaction from a diner helped inspire Pan Con Queso’s concept. After he and Magno moved to Portland, the duo became energized by the city’s pizza scene, which some have called the best in America. So after meeting Living Häus co-owner Mat Sandoval by chance, Martinez and Magno were able to send over a deck with their vision for a pizzeria operating out of the brewery’s dormant kitchen.

Pan Con Queso’s closest comparison locally might be Hapa Pizza in Beaverton, another new restaurant that treats pizza as more of a starting point for exploring non-traditional toppings while taking its craft seriously. In Hapa’s case, puffier 12-inch pies are inspired by Asian dishes such as Thai curries and Vietnamese soup and often feature criss-crossing drizzles of sauce and plenty of herbs.

(Portland did briefly have a pizzeria inspired by Mexico City’s punk rock pizza chain Perro Negro, with pan pies topped with taquitos, chilaquiles, chile rellenos and more. Having tried all three, I appreciate the less greasy approach at Pan Con Queso).

Pan Con Queso's 9" pepperoni pizza spread wall-to-wall with crispy Molinari pepperoni cups..Mark Graves/The Oregonian

Also like Hapa, Pan Con Queso’s pizzas just taste good. If a chorizo and potato pie doesn’t strike your family, try the Kevin McCallister, named for the cheese-pizza lover left behind in “Home Alone,” or the classic pepperoni, spread wall-to-wall with crispy Molinari pepperoni cups. Even the house ranch is great.

While I’d love to see what Pan Con Queso could do with a larger format pie —the petite Pizzamaster oven won’t allow it — the “pixxas” they’re producing right now are adding something new to the city, and at 9 inches are small enough for personal consumption. Go now and you can say you tried some of Portland’s best new pizza, before the crowds.

Find Pan Con Queso 3 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at Living Häus Beer, 628 S.E. Belmont St., panconquesopdx.com

Read more

Hapa Pizza, inspired by Asian ingredients, fueled by backyard ovens, already makes some of Beaverton’s best pies

Living Häus opens with a belief: 3rd time is the charm for SE Portland building

— Michael Russell; [email protected]

Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscr

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.