Bar Loon To Open in the Old Sweet Hereafter Space

Sweet Hereafter is gone, welcome Bar Loon.

Folks were dismayed to learn that about the closing of Sweet Hereafter, a vegan bar on SE Belmont. But good news for those looking for new places, who like bars, and who dislike having storefronts empty for an extended time: Bar Loon is opening in this space.

Sweet Hereafter was a Lightning Bar Collective property and Bar Loon has associations with the Collective via a recently established LLC that involves Collective owners Liam Duffy and John Janulis. And this bar is not to be confused with Loon, a bar that was open on SE Division that closed in 2016. According to Bar Loon’s Instagram, they will offer wine, cocktails, and dinner. They’re not sharing much in the way of content there aside from some illustrations and photos of natural places and flora—and much of it (though not all of it) is from before the pandemic. Here’s hoping we will see more imagery representing the food and drink soon.

And since it’s going from a bar to a bar, I don’t think there is a lot to do as far as structural stuff to get it ready for Bar Loon. I did notice on Portland Maps that there were a couple of noise complaints in 2019 and 2022 but that’s about it as far as movement there. Eater reports that the folks at Bar Loon hope to open in June, along with a few details on the food—a meaty bistro burger and vegan options.

Other folks that have a hand in Bar Loon, aside from the aforementioned Liam Duffy and John Janulis, include Ansel Vickery, previously at Bellwether Bar near Mt Tabor, and who links to Bar Loon in his bio, and who will be behind the food and drink menu; Marisa Howard, a local jeweler, Ian Davis, Carlton Sawyer, and Mark McDermott. This is all according to filed paperwork with the state (see the above linked LLC).

They’ll be open daily: 4pm to 11pm Monday to Friday, and noon to 11pm on the weekends. (Maybe this means weekend brunch?)

Looking forward to checking out Bar Loon when it’s open.

Bar Loon [opening June 2024]
3326 SE Belmont Street, Portland
Instagram

Updated April 11, 2024.