The name Bar Siete isn’t just a nod to the new Laurelhurst neighborhood bar’s $7 small bites. Bar Siete is also longtime Portland restaurateur and champion of Mexican cuisine Oswaldo Bibiano’s seventh restaurant. But that’s not the whole story either. The name also refers to Bibiano’s birthdate, Oct. 7, 1967. And, clearly, he just likes the number seven.
Originally from the Acapulco area, Bibiano opened his first restaurant, Autentica, in 2006. In doing so, he became the first Mexican-born chef to offer the city Mexican specialties that transcended the typical tacos-enchiladas-burritos trinity. But it wasn’t just the menu that set Autentica apart. The moody, full-service room was suitable for date nights and family meals alike, and the open kitchen allowed a full view of Bibiano and his crew at work. Sadly, Autentica closed in 2019. But since then, Bibiano has opened a handful of simpler Mexican spots, most recently the popular Richmond burrito stand Smart Donkey, which is thriving.
Willamette Week was given an exclusive preview of Bar Siete, which took over the former Shaku Bar space on Northeast Sandy Boulevard and is scheduled to open in early August. Bibiano’s menu portends an exciting new Mexican food destination offering both higher-end and budget options pulling inspiration from Bibiano’s home state, Guerrero, as well as regions across Mexico, including Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula.
The “Mordida de a Siete,” or $7 bites, menu seems a fun place to start any meal, whether seated at the small bar, in the cozy dining room, or on the patio that borrows seats from the La Provence bakery next door…