Former Angel Food & Fun Chef Manny Lopez and His Exceptional Burritos Are Back at Ki’ikibáa

The buzz around the food Manuel “Manny” Lopez cooks has always had an IYKYK (if you know, you know) element to it.

Lopez was the force behind Angel Food & Fun in Cully, a small, somewhat depressing space shared with a video lottery and pool hall. But Lopez’s incredible Yucatecan dishes and arguably the city’s best burrito made a visit worth it nonetheless.

Then in 2017, Lopez—and those burritos—were gone. Rumors swirled about his whereabouts until earlier this year, when Lopez and his wife, Suny Parra Castillo, quietly opened Ki’ikibáa on Northeast 82nd Avenue near McDaniel High School. Lopez gave his full story to The Oregonian. I’m thrilled that the tale ends with us having access to a cheery space and an expanded menu of Yucatecan staples and specials.

With a menu full of panuchos, salbutes, relleno negro and menudo, it feels sacrilegious to start with an ode to Lopez’s burritos, but I’m gonna do it. I love these burritos passionately. Go for the asada, which is seasoned and grilled, layered with black beans made with lard and spices, and given the usual sour cream, cheese and guac treatment. But the true God-tier move is the layer of crispy griddled cheese, which adds salt and crunch, resulting in deep satisfaction.

The tamales are also a testament to how tender masa can truly be. Done here in the Southern style wrapped in banana leaves, shredded chicken and pork are simmered with achiote spices, encased in the masa-leaf cocoon, and served with a tomato sauce on top. Corn husk tamales sometimes come out dry; banana leaf tamales can be too soggy. Somehow, this tamale mimics the texture of a well-made French omelet: soft yet substantial.

Go with a friend or two and get a plate of three panuchos and another with salbutes in order to try the full array. The panuchos are corn tortillas lightly filled with black beans and come with asada, pollo or cochinita pibil, the iconic citrus-braised pork served with pickled red onions. Salbutes have the same toppings, but provide a puffy-fried corn tortilla base. I’d say the salbutes edge out the panuchos at Ki’ikibáa, but priced at $4 each or $10 for a plate of three, ¿Porque no los dos?

Finally, the Yucatan has some of the finest soups known to the planet. If you haven’t had relleno negro or blanco, this is the place to try it. I like the black version: a goth scotch egg of ground pork and turkey wrapped around the yolk comes in a smoky broth with beans and shredded turkey as well as tortillas on the side for dipping. A bowl of menudo I brought home to eat later was sinus-clearingly spicy, with impeccably soft tripe and cilantro, onions and lime to brighten the red, oily broth.

On a recent weekday, a few McDaniel students in the know munched on burritos while their classmates thronged the McDonald’s across the street; meanwhile, the tables filled with groups eager to order a little of everything. The name Lopez and Parra Castillo gave their new restaurant, Ki’ikibáa, means “delicious food.” From someone else, that could have been overly hubristic; here, it’s just truth in advertising.

EAT: Ki’ikibáa, 3244 NE 82nd Ave., 971-429-1452. 11 am-9 pm Tuesday-Sunday.