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The journey of Papi Sal’s started when John Hatch and his partner Jess Mummery opened their food cart in 2021 at the fledgling pod on Southeast 82nd Avenue known as CORE. Portlanders quickly got hooked on his “jawns,” lovingly named after the Philadelphia vernacular for “anything,” but in this case used to classify Hatch’s distinctive hoagies. Though the jawns—which answer the question of what happens when Philly and Puerto Rico come together in the form of a sandwich in Portland—caught on to the point where the cart saw steady business, a stable location was elusive.
Issues ranging from landlords and business partners not working out to ingredient shortages to ever-changing food costs led Papi Sal’s to bounce around town from CORE to Hawthorne to the Great Notion Brewing pop-up on Southeast Division Street before landing at White Owl Social Club in what is technically its first brick-and-mortar space. Since this past winter, Papi Sal’s has been pumping out some of Portland’s best bar food from inside the Southeast Portland lounge. But come the end of August, Hatch and Mummery will depart that space and move to a yet-to-be-named location, where they will continue to develop their concept and find their footing.
“[White Owl] was always going to be a trial run based on a nine-month lease,” Hatch says. “It went well, but it wasn’t the best fit for either party. At this point, Papi Sal’s is an ever-evolving, multifaceted food business that will hop on the opportunity that we think is best at the time.”
The start date at the new location is slated for October.
“We are doing a different menu with new and old stuff. More bar snacks. Less on-menu sandwiches and more sandwich specials. Happy hour! A cheesesteak window out of the kitchen directly to the street,” Hatch says, offering a glimpse at what we can expect.
This is exciting news for the jawn-loving masses, who will get to partake in staples like The Jawn (tender and flavorful pernil-style pork with broccoli rabe, $15), the standout Tender Jawn (spicy “long hots,” golden chicken tenders, sofrito and provolone; $15), and the Vegan Cheese Chopped Jawn ($16), a riff on the beefy bodega classic.
Luckily, its tenure at White Owl has not been in vain as Papi Sal’s has grown in recognition while also evolving to a new culinary level. The tropical-leaning cocktail menu that showcases frozen tequila and rum drinks has been a complementary quencher. The Puerto Rican-influenced menu regularly sees Hatch putting his just-spicy-enough, salsalike sofrito or salsa criolla (sometimes both!) on pretty much every dish.
“Our concept is a conglomerate of food diasporas together, but it’s cool knowing we opened people’s eyes to Puerto Rican and Philly food culture,” Hatch says.
He has also been able to refine his menu with dishes like tostone nachos—a true trip to the island with the proper level of starchy goodness and zip from the peppers—a sofrito Caesar, stuffed avocado, pizza empanadillas, and the new mallorca sandwiches (camarones and carne guisada with sweet fried plantains). Not to mention rice and meat platters for those who are thinking outside the bun.
“We are really excited about some of the new things we have gotten to do at White Owl,” Hatch says. “We are excited to take some of those with us to the [new location]. We are definitely Rocky Balboa-ing this jawn—improvising and rolling with the punches.”
Papi Sal’s sandwiches and creative specials definitely punch above their weight, and the warm reception they’ve received at each location has only motivated Hatch to get better.
“I can say that we’re stoked about where the food has gone in terms of quality and other little nuances,” he adds. “It’s difficult to combine cultures. Heck, it’s difficult being a person of different backgrounds and cultures and influences and upbringing. Sorting it out has been a journey of identity for myself. We’re excited to bring our new menu to wherever we go.”
EAT: Papi Sal’s at White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th Ave., 720-708-9152, papisalspdx.com. 4-10 pm Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 4 pm-1 am Friday-Saturday, through the end of the month.