Portland Pizzeria Makes Bold Political Statement with Anti-ICE Message to Patrons

In Portland, a local pizza restaurant has drawn attention for requiring customers to confront a politically charged message before placing an order on their website. The establishment, known as Tastebud, initially greeted patrons with a stark statement criticizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Those attempting to order from the Oregon-based eatery were first met with a pop-up message that took a strong stance against ICE. The message, which has since been altered, originally included provocative statements such as “Food is Political, No one is illegal on stolen land, F*** ICE, Abolish ICE, Release the Trump/Epstein files,” as reported by Fox News. An option to subscribe to the restaurant’s newsletter accompanied this message.

Beyond its critique of ICE, the message expressed support for various social causes, stating, “Black Lives Matter, Trans women are women, Trans men are men, Love your LGBTQ+ neighbors, Free Palestine, The holocaust was real, Healthcare is a human right, Masks save lives, Get your damn vaccines, Wash your hands, Germ theory is science, Cook chicken to 165, Stay hydrated.”

In response to the reaction it generated, Tastebud has since replaced the original message. Visitors to the restaurant’s website are now greeted with a softer, more palatable message titled “Common Sense.”

However, now upon entering the restaurant’s page, customers are offered a much lighter message labeled ‘Common Sense’.

‘Around our hearth and table. Food is political because care has become political. 

‘Tastebud stands for human rights, equality, science, and collective care. From justice and inclusion to public health, truth, and looking out for one another,’ wrote the pop-up.

‘Waiting is not caution. Silence is not neutrality. Both are permissions. Our country does not survive because it is written down. It survives only if people refuse to endure its unraveling,’ the message continued.

Tastebud in Portland, Oregon faced a slew of bad reviews following a mandatory message to customer who ordered online deeming food as ‘political’ (Mark Doxtader, the owner of Tastebud) 

The anti-ICE message originally shared was altered to a much softer sentiment but previously read as: ‘Food is Political, No one is illegal on stolen land, F*** ICE, Abolish ICE, Release the Trump/Epstein files,’ with an option to sign up for the restaurant’s newsletter according to Fox News (Latest message to customers on Tastebud website at the time of this report) 

It appears the message may have been altered after a slew of negative reviews due to the political messaging. 

Tastebud posted a review defending themselves after the backlash. 

‘This place is getting review bombed for standing up for their neighbors being terrorized by the federal government,’ they wrote. 

‘Pay no mind to low reviews from February 15, 2026.’

Outraged reviewers’ comments, which almost entirely appeared on Yelp and not Google, viciously tore apart the restaurant.

One user wrote: ‘Terrible food combined with being forced to listen to their politics. I don’t care about your personal politics. Why would you limit your buying audience?’

Another added: ‘This establishment went off on a rant against ICE, so we will no longer be patronizing it with our family and friends. Bad move, keep food out of politics.’

A third wrote: ‘Yikes! What is going on with this place? Here they mix food with B*******!… Seems crazy to me. Kind of like suicidal empathy. Patronize this place if you dare.’

Mark Doxtader opened the Tastebud in 1999, offering customers pizza, salad, bagels, and now political opinions.

The pizza parlor has gone political before explaining in a post that they were staying open during a strike but would be donating ‘a percentage of sales to organizations that are on the ground fighting, helping those who are directly affected by DHS/ICE/CBP 

Doxtader opened the Tastebud in 1999, offering customers pizza, salad, bagels, and now political opinions 

In a post on January 30 about a general political strike, it explained that they were staying open but would be donating ‘a percentage of sales to organizations that are on the ground fighting, helping those who are directly affected by DHS/ICE/CBP and their lawless and terroristic actions.’

The rant continued to highlight how society is unraveling and how they must stand up.

‘Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were murdered in plain sight. Keith Porter and many others were killed and tortured by DHS, not in plain sight. No one is illegal on stolen land,’ the restaurant owners wrote. 

‘F*** Ice. Abolish ICE. Release the Trump/Epstein files. Free Palestine. Black Lives Matter. Trans women are women. Love your LGBTQ+ neighbors. The holocaust was real. Healthcare should be free.’

The post went on to highlight a slew of other cliche activist slogans. 

ICE has faced intense scrutiny entering into the New Year after Renee Good, a mother of three who was fatally gunned down by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, and Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a federal agent.

New polling from the Daily Mail, conducted January 26 by JL Partners, shows that 53 percent of registered voters believe ICE and Customs and Border Protection’s raids and their presence in US cities should now end.