Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, August 2024

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I’m happy to say that August traffic on Bridgetown Bites was pretty good—close to 21,000 unique visitors generated almost 27,000 page views. That’s a record for the site and a far cry from the discouraging numbers back in May of this year. The top posts in August were about restaurants—a fire/closing, a couple of closings/re-openings, and a move.

Thanks for reading and sharing, following us on social media (Threads seems to be a bit of a sleeper hit)—and also to those who have sent me tips. I appreciate you!

5. Another Fire: 42nd Ave Fish & Chips

Fire at 42nd Ave Fish & Chips in Portland's Cully neighborhood.

I can’t remember a year when there were so many fires in Portland relating to food businesses. Sadly, yesterday afternoon there was a fire—an external fire—at the 42nd Ave Fish & Chips restaurant. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but it’s a tragedy just the same.

4. King Harvest Hummus Is Moving on From SE Morrison

King Harvest Hummus location on SE Morrison Street in Portland, Oregon.

It’s the end of an era: King Harvest Hummus is moving out of their space on SE Morrison. They’ve occupied that location since 1986, complete with a drive-thru window that they opened in 2009. Their final day in the Buckman neighborhood is Friday, August 30.

3. Coq Au Vin Is Moving to North Portland

938 N Cook Street, Portland: new home to Coq Au Vin.

Last year I wrote about Coq Au Vin, a farm-to-table restaurant in NW Portland. Their time is up there, due to changes they want to make with the business: doing less butchery, and more cooking.

2. Flour Bloom Has Closed, but Just for a Month

Sweet baked goods at Flour Bloom in Portland, Oregon.

This morning a reader emailed me about the closing of Flour Bloom, a self described “bakeshop & botanicals” is a shop that sells NY-style baked goods like rainbow cookies, butter cookies, and cannoli. Plus plants and pottery. He wondered what’s up, so I went ahead and asked. I learned that they’ve decided to close their doors for the next month, mostly for production reasons, and will reopen on Thursday, August 29.

1. The Wooden Chicken Pub Returns

Wooden Chicken Pub sign in Portland, Oregon.

As we reported in June, Argay favorite the Wooden Chicken Pub closed after over 40 years in business. But recent paperwork filed with the City of Portland gives indication that this popular watering hole could come back from the dead. In answer to that speculation, I heard confirmation on August 1 that this is indeed true—The Wooden Chicken is returning! Note: This article has major updates.