What to Know About the New Downtown Restaurant from the Team Behind Ataula

Ataula, a longtime resident on Eater Portland’s map of essential restaurants, is getting a downtown sibling in January. Breakfast paella, churros, and Spanish tortillas are coming to a hotel restaurant opening in that area, when Ataula husband-wife team Jose Chesa and Cristina Baez turn on the burners at Masia.

The Oregonian broke the news Friday that Chesa, Baez, and partner Emily Metivier will open a new restaurant within the Hyatt Centric hotel, eventually located at SW Alder Street and 11th Avenue. The restaurant will take up the entire ground floor, complete with a Spanish-style coffee bar and market. Below, find an assortment of the introductory details surrounding the incoming restaurant.

What is it?

Masia, named for a style of Spanish and French farmhouse, is a 3,000 square-foot Spanish restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Why do we care?

Jose Chesa is one of the city’s most talented chefs. Beyond its significant tenure on the Eater 38, Ataula also holds a top spot on all of the city’s other major publications’ lists and has been a James Beard semifinalist on multiple occasions. Just a few years ago, Chesa and Baez had three restaurants in town, including a churro cafe called 180 and a paella shop called Chesa; however, both closed within the last three years, leaving only Ataula. This massive project allows Chesa to get into the inventive territory he tackled at his closed restaurant with the financial security of a hotel backer.

What will it serve?

Chesa is keeping many of those details close to the chest, but he’s alluded to a bacon-and-eggs paella on the breakfast menu, the churros from 180 on the dessert menu, and an assortment of both contemporary and traditional Spanish classics. The more casual, grab-and-go market will serve things like pastries, ham and cheese bocadillos — sandwiches — and Spanish egg-based tortillas; that space will live in the hotel lobby.

What will it look like?

Incorporating the aesthetics of its namesake, the interior will involve lots of stone, communal tables, and clean, simple lines. The space will have two beautiful murals made by local artists incorporating the shared inspiration between Portland and Spain. Plus, the restaurant will have an open kitchen, with a chef’s table to the side that diners can reserve. “Jose wants to be accessible,” Baez says. “If you want to step up and say hi, you can do that.”

Will there be a bar?

Masia will have a traditional cocktail bar, but the team is particularly excited about the restaurant’s extensive collection of vermouth — in fact, the team plans to offer a vermouth-specific happy hour, designed to educate visitors about the spirit. Metivier, who will serve as general manager, has already begun building the restaurant’s list.

When will it open?

January 2020, alongside the hotel.

Disclosure: Cristina Baez wrote a story for Eater Portland last spring.

• Ataula [Official]
• Ataula chef Jose Chesa will open a new restaurant in downtown Portland early next year [O]
• Ataula Team to Open Masia Inside Downtown’s New Hyatt Centric Hotel [Portland Monthly]
• Previous Ataula coverage [EPDX]