Erica's Soul Food
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Erica's Soul Food | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | January 2020 (2020-01) |
| Owner | Erica Montgomery |
| Chef | Erica Montgomery |
| Food type | |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°31′30.49″N 122°38′42.95″W / 45.5251361°N 122.6452639°W / 45.5251361; -122.6452639 |
Erica's Soul Food is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[1]
Erica's Soul Food is a Black-owned restaurant serving Southern cuisine and soul food.[2][3] The menu includes catfish,[4] Atlanta-style chicken wings, meatloaf, and salmon croquettes with sweet onion. Wings have various sauces such as jerk, maple barbecue, and peach sriracha, and are served with blue cheese or ranch dressing.[5] Sides include black-eyed peas, cabbage, collard greens, cornbread, French fries, macaroni and cheese, boiled peanuts,[6] sautéed squash, and tater tots.[4] The restaurant also serves pound cake with White Lily flour.[5] Erica's served pumpkin spice wings in 2021.[7][8]
History
Erica's Soul Food was founded by chef Erica Montgomery, who began operating the business from a food cart in southeast Portland in January 2020. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she made vaccine appointments for patrons who were interested in receiving one.[9][10][5] The cart closed for the August 2021 heat wave.[11]
Reception
In 2021, Jordan Michelman of Portland Monthly said Erica's had the city's best chicken wings, writing, "As carts rise again as hubs of culinary innovation with cultish fanbases, Erica's has emerged as one of the most exciting new kitchens to open in Portland in the past year and a half—not just for its food, but for its community impact. Call your wing-loving friends. Make yours a double order. Wings this good are a gift. Enjoy and be thankful."[5] The magazine's Katherine Chew Hamilton and Karen Brooks included Erica's in a list of the city's best new food carts.[6] Similarly, Michael Russell of The Oregonian included Erica's in a list of the city's best new food carts of 2021, saying the restaurant "makes some of the best soul food in the city, period". He said the menu "rewards exploration" and recommended the meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, greens, and red velvet cake.[12]
The Portland Mercury's Suzette Smith said Erica's offers "damn fine" Southern food and "might make the best tater tot in Portland" in 2021.[4] Erica's ranked in the top ten on Yelp for restaurants with the best macaroni and cheese, as of mid 2021.[13] Nick Woo and Brooke Jackson-Glidden included Erica's in Eater Portland's 2021 "guide to Portland's most outstanding food carts".[14] The website's Ron Scott and Nathan Williams included the restaurant in a 2022 list of "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".[15] Erica's was also included in the website's 2025 overview of Portland's best food carts.[16]
See also
References
- ↑ Russell, Michael (December 24, 2021). "Erica Montgomery brought Atlanta wings to Portland, and found a home". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Ham, Robert (June 3, 2020). "Help Support Portland's Black-Owned Restaurants". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Cohen, Jason (January 8, 2022). "How Could One Storefront Contain the Power of Lottie & Zula's, Erica's Soul Food and New Record Store In-A-Gadda-Da-Vinyl?". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- 1 2 3 Smith, Suzette (June 28, 2021). "Takeout Club: Erica's Soul Food Might Make the Best Tater Tot in Portland". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Michelman, Jordan (June 10, 2021). "Erica's Soul Food Makes the Best Wings in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- 1 2 Hamilton, Katherine Chew; Brooks, Karen (September 17, 2021). "Portland's 9 Greatest New Food Carts of 2021". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Hamilton, Katherine Chew (October 8, 2021). "I Ate Pumpkin Spice Wings from Erica's Soul Food and Lived to Tell the Tale". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (October 20, 2021). "Afuri Will Open a Restaurant and 'Ramen Lab' in Slabtown". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ "Portland soul food cart offers customers help with vaccine appointments". KATU. May 13, 2021. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Monahan, Rachel (August 11, 2021). "In a Blue State and County, Black and Latinx Residents Have Lower Vaccination Rates as COVID Cases Mount". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (August 11, 2021). "Restaurants, Bars, and Food Trucks Closing for the August 2021 Heat Wave". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Russell, Michael (September 22, 2021). "Portland's best new food carts of 2021". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Anderson, Zuri (July 14, 2021). "This Restaurant Has The Best Mac & Cheese In Portland". iHeart. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Woo, Nick (June 10, 2015). "A Guide to Portland's Most Outstanding Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ↑ Scott, Ron (October 5, 2021). "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ↑ Coleman, Ben (June 10, 2015). "The Best Food Carts in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved May 28, 2025.