Totchos

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Quick Bite

Totchos are nachos made with crispy tater tots instead of tortilla chips, then loaded with cheese, sour cream, salsa, jalapeños, onions, and whatever else the bar kitchen is feeling. They are crunchy, cheesy, ridiculous, and proudly born from Oregon’s love of tots.

History

Totchos are strongly tied to Portland, Oregon, where Oaks Bottom Public House helped put the dish on the map. Jim Parker, connected with Oaks Bottom and Portland pub culture, is often credited with creating or popularizing the mashup in the 2000s.

The dish makes extra Oregon sense because tater tots themselves have Oregon roots. The Grigg brothers of Ore-Ida developed tater tots in eastern Oregon as a clever way to use potato scraps from frozen french fry production. Totchos take that Oregon potato invention and give it the full pub-food treatment.

At its most basic, the idea is nachos with tots: crispy tots as the base, then cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños, olives, tomatoes, onions, scallions, and often meat or avocado. The trick is making sure the tots are crisp before topping them, because a soggy totcho is just a casserole having an identity crisis.

Today, totchos show up far beyond Portland, but the Oregon connection remains strong. They are the perfect bar snack: shareable, customizable, salty, and just chaotic enough to make everyone at the table reach in at once.

Fun Facts

• Totchos are nachos made with tater tots instead of tortilla chips.
• Portland’s Oaks Bottom Public House is closely tied to the dish’s rise.
• Tater tots themselves were invented in Oregon by Ore-Ida.

Where to Try

Oaks Bottom Public House Portland, Oregon
The essential Portland stop tied to the rise of totchos, serving a classic nacho-style version with cheese, jalapeños, olives, onions, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and optional add-ons.

McMenamins locations Oregon
A widespread Oregon pub group where loaded tots and pub snacks fit naturally into the local beer-and-comfort-food universe.

The Rambler Portland, Oregon
A casual Portland bar setting where loaded tots and totcho-style plates feel right at home with drinks and a group of hungry friends.

About the Game

This recipe is part of Van Life Challenge, a travel-themed board game from Gray Dog Games where players explore the United States, discover regional foods, and collect memorable experiences along the way.

Each featured food celebrates a real place, a local flavor, and the kind of delicious roadside discovery that makes every trip feel like an adventure.

Recipe

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Home-Cook-Friendly Totchos Serves: 4–6 Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Style: Oregon / Portland Pub Food

Ingredients

• 1 bag frozen tater tots, about 32 ounces
• 2 cups shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper Jack cheese
• ½ cup black beans or pinto beans, optional
• ½ cup pickled jalapeños
• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup sliced black olives
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ cup sliced scallions
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup salsa
• ½ cup guacamole or diced avocado, optional
• 1 cup cooked pulled pork, chicken, taco meat, or bacon, optional

Instructions

1. Crisp the tots: Bake the tater tots according to package directions, but cook them until extra crisp.
2. Raise the heat: Raise the oven temperature to 425°F if needed.
3. Arrange: Spread the crispy tots on an oven-safe platter or baking sheet.
4. Add cheese: Sprinkle cheese evenly over the tots.
5. Add beans and meat: Add beans and meat if using.
6. Melt: Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until the cheese melts.
7. Remove from oven: Remove from the oven.
8. Top: Top with jalapeños, tomatoes, olives, red onion, scallions, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole or avocado if using.
9. Serve: Serve immediately while the tots are still crisp.

Traditional note: To make it more traditional, start with very crispy tater tots and treat them like nachos. Use cheese, salsa, sour cream, jalapeños, olives, onions, tomatoes, and optional meat, but do not bury the tots so deeply that they lose their crunch.

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