Cully is more than a neighborhood: it’s a vibrant community of artists, businesses and restaurants that aren’t afraid to take risks — and have fun. This historic pocket — bordered by Concordia, Sumner, Roseway, Rose City Park and Beaumont-Wilshire — is one of the larger neighborhoods in Portland, and perfectly blends historic roots with a playful, true-to-Portland edge.
JAVELINA
Javelina, Portland’s first restaurant offering Indigenous cuisine, started to gain traction as a pop-up back in 2023. Since then it has found acclaim around the country and a permanent home on Northeast 42nd Ave.
“Representation is important to us because being an urban native person can feel incredibly isolating,” said Alexa Numkena-Anderson, Javelina’s owner and chef. “We strive to make this a place where the region’s Indigenous people can come and connect with others.”
Every detail from the menu to the decor pulls inspiration from her own life experience.
Numkena-Anderson grew up teaching herself how to cook for her little sisters. After graduating high school in Spokane, Washington, she moved to Portland to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.
“The blue enamel mugs, the curtains in the space, the huckleberries are all call backs to my grandmother,” she said. “The mirrors behind the back of the bar are an homage to my dance regalia; the murals on the wall are specifically designed to honor elements of my family.”
According to the Javelina website, Numkena-Anderson was born in the city of Yakima, and grew up on the Yakama Reservation. Her grandfather hails from the Hopi, a sovereign nation and tribe in northeastern Arizona, where they are both enrolled.
She says when she and her husband, Nick, were brainstorming names for the space, they kept returning to ‘Javelina,” the term for a pig-like mammal.
“Nick threw out Javelina and I knew that was the one to stick,” she said. “Nick grew up in Arizona, where the Javelina runs free and it was a perfect tie into my Hopi connections and our business began.”
She said one of the biggest inspirations to open Javelina was the opportunity to “highlight first foods from this area in one of the biggest foodie cities in the United States.”
“First foods” refers to indigenous foods that are native to the North American continent and pre-date European contact.
At Javelina, customers get to experience rich, vibrant and historically significant native food through a variety of innovative small- and large-plate options.
Visitors can start with a variety of fry breads, including one topped with apple and onion braised elk shoulder, huckleberry BBQ sauce, arugula, pickled red onion and puffed amaranth or the Hopi blue corn bread, which is a unique blend of three different nixtamalized corn.
For the main course, Numkena-Anderson recommends their signature ‘R + R Relleno,’ which is a fire-roasted poblano pepper stuffed with rattlesnake and rabbit sausage then dredged in duck egg wild rice batter. It comes on a bed of white tepary beans and salsa verde with cilantro and pickled red onion.
Round out your meal with a fry bread dessert flight. Enjoy three pieces of fry bread — one topped with cinnamon, a second with maple sugar and hubbleberry wojapi and a third with powdered sugar and honey.
The restaurant is also open for lunch Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays and weekends for brunch. They also serve
Numkena-Anderson said you can pair any of their dishes with Naabaahii (Na-bah-hee) tea, which is full of medicinal properties.
“For our Indigenous diners that join us, we want them to feel like they have received the medicine we’re cooking up and for our non-Indigenous diners, we hope they catch the spark for first foods and begin to understand how knowing about the foods from the Pacific Northwest can enrich our understanding of place,” she said.
She added they’re loving Cully location, especially having resources like the Mamook Tokatee development and NAYA close by.
“It has been so amazing getting to be surrounded by so many Native people,” she continued. “With Mamook and NAYA next door, it really feels like we’re working to create an Indigenous cultural center in Portland.
“And as far as the neighborhood goes, we truly feel embraced and celebrated by the neighbors here. So many people are excited with us and keep coming.”
Address: 4636 NE 42nd Ave.
Website: javelinapdx.com
Instagram: @javelinapdx
Don’t miss: Inisha is Javelina’s multi-course tasting menu experience. Available Tuesday nights.
TINY MORESO
The owners of this cozy neighborhood cafe believe everyone should indulge in a sweet treat, no matter their dietary preferences.
Tiny Moreso has found a devoted following for its 100% vegan and glutenfree desserts. Their offerings feature everything from cookies and muffins to trifles and creative cakes. Many of the dessert options are made without refined sugar; instead they rely on agave and maple syrup as sweeteners.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about vegan and gluten-free desserts is they are dry, bland, or somehow compromised compared to traditional baked goods,” said owner Sean Carey. “People often assume that without butter, eggs, or wheat flour, desserts must lack richness or satisfying texture.In reality, our vegan and gluten-free desserts are just as indulgent, flavorful and beautifully textured as classic treats.”
Fans can’t get enough of their famous ‘rawdacious’ cashew-based cheesecake, which is available in a variety of flavors like peanut butter chocolate chip, one of their more popular options.
“It's amazing to see how people light up when they sample our cheesecake at events, especially folks who can’t tolerate dairy or gluten and miss having cheesecake,” Carey said.
Looking for something a little more savory? Tiny Moreso also has extensive breakfast and lunch menus that include smoothies, soups, sandwiches and hearty bowls like the Moreso Mac, which comes with a butternut squash cheese sauce, BBQ soy curls and kale.
Says Carey: “Being part of the 42nd Ave community is incredible, especially with the support of Our 42nd Ave. and NAYA (the Native American Youth and Family Center.”.
Carey adds that he lives in the neighborhood himseld, and one of his favorite things about the café is “seeing how many familiar faces come through the door each week — neighbors stopping in after a walk, families grabbing a treat together, and regulars who have made Tiny Moreso part of their routine.”
Address: 4520 N.E. 42nd Ave.
Website: tinymoresopdx.com
Instagram: @tinymoreso
Don’t miss: Find their cheesecake slices in all neighborhood New Seasons stores, the Alberta Co-op, People's Food Co-op and several local restaurants.
THE BACK PATIO
A new eatery wants everyone to come in and “live like a European for just a couple of hours.”
Nicknamed Portland’s Secret Garden Eatery, owner Jennifer Usselman, along with her husband Mike, opened The Back Patio in late 2025 as a place where neighbors could come and enjoy each other’s company.
“We want to be a place where the community can hang out and connect and take a break,” Usselman said. “We deserve it.”
Mike owns the neighboring Appliance City store and had been renting out part of the parking lot for storage when a unique opportunity presented itself.
Says Usselman: “He said, ‘this seems too good to be true but we can turn it into something really cool.’ It was one of those ‘let's give it a shot’ moments.”
Usselman said they currently have two rotating trucks in the lot — serving up pizza and tacos respectively — with the hopes of having five permanent vendors soon. Inside, customers can enjoy a variety of beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks as well as charcuterie boards, live music, foosball, arcade and board games.
“A lot of people have said, ‘Wow, it feels like we’re in a living room,’” Usselman said.” It’s really cozy and intimate and chill. It’s not too fancy and very family-friendly.”
In addition to rotating food trucks, they’ve also had a rotation of local musicians and bands play inside for tips.
“People have been really supportive and they want to help us grow and thrive,” she said. “And we want to do that for them, too.”
Address: 3944 N.E. Cully Blvd.
Website: thebackpatio.info
Instagram: @back.patio
Don’t miss: Check their Instagram for food truck rotations, drink specials and other events.
