Cultured Caveman
Defunct restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cultured Caveman was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business started as a group of food carts, before opening a brick and mortar establishment in 2014. The restaurant was considered the first paleo food cart on the West Coast.[1] It closed permanently in 2020.
| Cultured Caveman | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Cultured Caveman | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2012 |
| Closed | 2020 |
| Location | 8233 North Denver Avenue, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, 97217, United States |
| Coordinates | 45.5829°N 122.6872°W |
Description
The 60-seat counter service restaurant Cultured Caveman operated in north Portland's Kenton neighborhood.[2] The interior had communal tables and a play area for children with a dinosaur theme.[3]
Cultured Caveman's paleolithic diet-focused menu emphasized meats and vegetables, with dairy-, gluten-, and soy-free options.[4] The menu included almond-stuffed and bacon-wrapped dates, Brussels sprouts fried in beef tallow, chicken tenders, and pork carnitas.[2][5][6] The restaurant also served meat chili, meatloaf,[7][8] a bone broth soup made from knuckle bone marrow, a salad with cabbage, carrots, and kale, and another with beets, jicama, and walnuts.[9][10]
History
Joe Ban and Heather Hunter were the owners of Cultured Caveman, which began as a group of food carts before operating solely as a brick and mortar establishment in 2014.[4] The first food cart was installed on Alberta Street in northeast Portland in 2012, following a successful fundraiser for the cart.[5][11][12][13] A second location opened later in 2012.[14] The business grew to operates three food carts: the Alberta Street location at 14th Avenue, another on Hawthorne Boulevard at 41st Avenue, and a third in downtown Portland at Southwest 3rd Avenue and Stark Street.[15][16]
The duo claimed Cultured Caveman was the first "paleo-friendly" food cart on the West Coast[4] and raised $30,000 via Kickstarter to fund the brick and mortar restaurant, which opened in a space that previously housed an E-san Thai Cuisine location.[2] As of 2016, Cultured Caveman hosted the musician Mr. Ben weekly.[17]
Cultured Caveman closed permanently in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
Reception
In 2012, Michael Russell of The Oregonian said Cultured Caveman was among Portland's best new food carts.[15][18] The business ws also included in the newspaper's list of the top 50 food carts.[19] Cultured Caveman received honorable mention in the Best Gluten-Free Restaurant category of Willamette Week's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2015.[20] It was a runner-up in the same poll's Best Paleo Options category in 2016 and 2017.[21][22] It ranked third and was also a runner-up in the Best Paleo Options category in 2018 and 2020, respectively.[23][24]
