Welcome to the final monthly top 5 posts roundup of 2024. Popular posts were all about restaurant openings and closings, with the SE Division Dairy Queen garnering the most interest, by far. Tréla was also something people wanted to read about; it had been in process for years! Following it from an idea presented to the world to its opening was gratifying.
December was a busy month, and undoubtably the best month to date on Bridgetown Bites from a traffic standpoint: Over 28,300 unique visitors generated close to 39,000 page views. Compare that to November’s numbers of 22,600 and 30,000, respectively—25% and 30% increases. It was even more drastic an increase to compare the January to December numbers—140% and 144% increases in uniques and PV.
As always, thanks to you for reading, sharing, and commenting—and for your tips!
5. Restaurants Opening and Closing in Portland: Tréla and Quaintrelle
Over the weekend, we learned about an exciting opening and a notable closing in Portland’s restaurant scene. First, the long-awaited opening of Greek restaurant Tréla in mid-December; and the startling news of PNW New American restaurant Quaintrelle closing at the end of the year.
4. Another Restaurant Closure in Portland: Bang Bang
While I was out of the office yesterday (a cancer survivor’s work is never done), the news dropped that Bang Bang, a sweet little spot that serves “Thai-inspired” food on NE Fremont—in what is technically Cully but feels more like Beaumont-Wilshire—is closing this month. The food and drink there, in my experience, is quite tasty, and I’m sorry to see them go.
3. Side Eye, a New Bar, Will Open in NW Portland
A new bar called Side Eye will open in the Nob Hill section of NW Portland, right next to Cinema 21 on 21st Avenue. While it was most recently home to Round Here, it’s probably best known as the location of Muu-Muu’s. I spoke with Quinn Matthewstearn to learn more.
2. Tréla Greek Kitchen and Taverna in Portland: First Look
On Friday afternoon I stopped by Tréla Greek Kitchen and Taverna at the invitation of Napoleon Tzakis, to have a look-see at the dining room and learn additional details about the restaurant.
1. A Dairy Queen Grows in Portland: An Opening Update
A Bridgetown Bites reader emailed me the following observation about the Dairy Queen (DQ) on SE Division and 55th: “It’s been years since hearing any word on the empty corner lot … yesterday I noticed that preliminary work had been done to level the plot and some new (uninformative) warning tape/signs had gone up.” I’ve got an update.
Meg Cotner
Latest posts by Meg Cotner (see all)
- LaVerne’s Will Open in Portland’s Woodlawn Neighborhood - September 16, 2025
- Rosh Hashanah 2025—New Year 5786—in Portland - September 15, 2025
- Small Bites: Artisserie Lake Oswego, Gnarlys, Lombard House and More - September 12, 2025
Hi, thanks! I recently started following you on Bluesky and have been enjoying your posts. I’ll mention your website and socials to my other family members who live here. I’ve only just returned to Instagram, but I’m keeping my following and engagement there fairly limited.
Now, a soft sell: if you ever need Portland ‘stock’ photos, feel free to check out my Flickr account (below). Over the past 14 years, I’ve explored the Portland metro area on foot, building a substantial collection of photos. You’re welcome to use anything you find—just a simple credit would be appreciated.
All my photos are tagged for easy searching. While I don’t geotag for privacy reasons, all my Portland photos include a ‘metro eastside’ or ‘metro westside’ tag to denote which side of the Willamette River I was on. I also use other tags that you might find helpful (‘food cart’, etc).