Cultured Caveman
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. It closed permanently in 2020.
Description
The 60-seat counter service restaurant Cultured Caveman operated in north Portland's Kenton neighborhood. The interior had communal tables and a play area for children with a dinosaur theme.Cultured Caveman's paleolithic diet-focused menu emphasized meats and vegetables, with dairy-, gluten-, and soy-free options. The menu included almond-stuffed and bacon-wrapped dates, Brussels sprouts fried in beef tallow, chicken tenders, and pork carnitas. The restaurant also served meat chili, meatloaf, a bone broth soup made from knuckle bone marrow, a salad with cabbage, carrots, and kale, and another with beets, jicama, and walnuts.
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. The first food cart was installed on Alberta Street in northeast Portland in 2012, following a successful fundraiser for the cart. A second location opened later in 2012. 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.The duo claimed Cultured Caveman was the first "paleo-friendly" food cart on the West Coast 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. As of 2016, Cultured Caveman hosted the musician Mr. Ben weekly.
Cultured Caveman closed permanently in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.