Hyperlocal Goodness: Mill Park Stories

Varieties of tea drinks at Just Tea, a popular business in the Mill Park neighborhood. Photo credit: Just Tea.

I have a soft spot in my heart for hyperlocal reporting—it’s where I started in digital publishing, and before that I participated in BBS communities that focused on very narrow topics and/or locations. I still look for new hyperlocal way stations online, so imagine how happy I was to come across Mill Park Stories on Instagram.

Mill Park Stories focuses on the East Portland neighborhood of Mill Park, a diverse “up-and-coming” area of SE Portland, including many immigrants. Alex Chiu, a community organizer and local artist, is this Instagram’s author. He introduced himself in late summer:

“This account will be my personal exploration of the Mill Park Neighborhood. I hope to collect personal stories and histories of my neighbors, and also highlight organizations and businesses that support this community. This is a project in collaboration with Mayer Reed and Portland Parks & Rec.”

I’ve really enjoyed seeing the neighborhood through his eyes and was so happy to see him highlight Just Tea, a beloved spot serving bubble tea and egg puff/puffle waffles, among other taste treats, located at 1045 SE 122nd Avenue. It’s currently functioning as a drive-through, which is very COVID-era friendly. Here’s Alex’s post about them:

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Mill Park is home to two other eateries worth highlighting: La Osita PDX (1515-A SE 122nd Avenue), a wonderful Mexican breakfast cart serving brunch tacos, burritos, and a tasty Mexican Mocha; and Sisters Ethiopian Restaurant (1720 SE 122nd Avenue)—their tangy injera is perfect with their misir wat (my all time favorite Ethiopian dish) and tibs, and their kitfo (a raw beef dish) also gets high marks. Both really are treasures, serving delicious food at good prices.

I hope you will follow along with Alex Chiu’s Mill Park Stories for a view on this interesting East Portland neighborhood. This part of Portland is home to many gems, and I’m grateful to Alex for highlighting them.