Top 5 Posts On Bridgetown Bites, November 2023

I haven’t done one of these in a while, so let’s go! As always, thanks for reading.

5. Fusion Curry Pizza Opening in Portland

On the edge of the northeast corner of the Hollywood District lived Hot Lips Pizza. It closed back in March 2023 and a number of people expressed sadness about that. But according to city documents, a new pizzeria is opening in there: Fusion Curry Pizza. Update: They are open for business.

4. Tokyo Sando Is Selling Their Food Truck and Leaving Portland

I was dismayed to read the news that the folks behind the Tokyo Sando truck are planning to leave Portland, with the possibility of their return looking dismal at worst and up in the air at best. They are also selling their truck. Update: The truck has sold. Their final day of serving delicious Japanese-style sandwiches is Sunday, December 17.

3. Annam VL Is Coming to the Belmont Neighborhood

You may know that Hà VL and Rose VL are some of the most beloved Vietnamese restaurants in Portland. Hà VL was nominated for a James Beard award in 2020 in the Outstanding Restaurant category (keep track of their soups on the Hà VL Daily Soups page; Rose VL is well-known for its cao lầu. So it’s very exciting to tell you that they are opening a third restaurant in Portland, called Annam VL, in the Belmont neighborhood this fall. Update: They are open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 4:30pm.

2. 99 Ranch Market to Open in Mill Park’s Plaza 205

This may have been in the works for a while, but thanks to a tweet tip from Iain MacKenzie (@maccoinnich), I’ve learned that east Portland will be home to a 99 Ranch Market. It looks like it’s going to open in the old Office Max space (EDIT: not the Hometown Buffet space, as I originally suggested—big box store spaces, they all look so similar). The projected opening is Q2 of 2024, so springtime next year. Update: This is still in process.

1. New Life at the Sandy Jug From Roseway Rambler

Over on Facebook, a neighbor posted, “Anyone know what’s happening with The Sandy Jug? For lease sign is gone and people have been coming and going.” That is certainly an intriguing observation, so I did some research and learned that indeed, new life is coming to this place from something called Roseway Rambler, Inc. Update: the Jug is looking good! There are a lot of changes that give the whole place new life. I look forward to seeing the final paint job, and of course checking out the inside, too.