Small Bites: Screen Door Happy Hour, Vandalism, Palomar, and More

Happy hour offerings at Screen Door in Portland, Oregon. — Screen Door happy hour yums.

New! Screen Door Happy Hour in the Pearl. From Monday to Friday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm and again from 8pm to 9pm, you can enjoy happy hour at the Screen Door. What will you find on this menu? Things like shrimp remoulade, smoked alligator sausage, pulled pork sliders, and Cajun poutine. Plus $2 off drafts, $5 house wine and wells, and a selection of cocktails and low/zero-proof drinks (the NA Violet Beauregarde sounds good: lemon, grapefruit, orange, rosemary simple syrup, and butterfly pea tea). 1131 NW Couch Street, Portland

New pizza in Montavilla. Montavilla News reports that the space formerly held by Pie Spot in the Rocket Empire Machine food hall on NE Glisan (they closed last September) will be home to a new pizzeria, Sleepover Pizza. From the article: “The new school pan pizza maker takes inspiration from Detroit and Sicilian styles, offering eight-by-ten-inch rectangular pies with classic flavors that aim to excite families and pizza lovers alike. The shop will expand into more adventurous menu offerings for its pizza Sunday brunch program.” Head over to Montavilla News for more info. 6935 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Restoration at The Alibi. This popular tiki bar—the second oldest in the country, est. 1947—has on its wall in the Lava Room a historic relief mural. Inknife just completed a major restoration of it—which included removing years of dirt and grime. Here are the before and after pics. So stop on by, have some tasty food and drink and enjoy the “new” mural. 4024 N Interstate Avenue, Portland

Newest flavors and more at Eb & Bean. If you haven’t been by this froyo spot, it’s worth a visit. Newest dairy flavors include Tart (creamy and tangy) and Cardamom Rose Caramel (made with organic cardamom, Bloom coconut milk caramel, and rosewater). Also at their NW 21st location they are extending their hours—Friday to Sunday, 10am to 10pm and Monday to Thursday, noon to 10pm. They’ve also added coffee, tea, and more pastries. 645 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

And speaking of the Rocket Empire Machine food hall. It’s for sale! It’s listed for $2M. Could you be its next buyer? More info at Montavilla News. 6935 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Palomar is moving to NW Portland. Earlier this week, Palomar owner Ricky Gomez (who is also involved with Side Eye bar) announced on Instagram that they were moving this Cuban cocktail bar from SE to NW Portland. The Oregonian followed up and published the address: 1422 NW 23rd Avenue. Friends, this is the old Mermosa space! They closed last September.

This was the location I had guessed, though I kept it to myself because I thought Ricky was going to announce it on Instagram. Personally, I feel good about guessing correctly. Anyway, it will be nice to have their own brand of liveliness on that patch of NE 23rd. 1422 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland

No, El Sombrero is not closing. Seems that rumors have been flying and earlier this week the folks at El Sombrero set the record straight. Also, wishing Mama Elvira better health and congrats to the family for a new child coming soon! 10820 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Escape Bar & Grill suffers vandalism, again. Not too long after midnight this morning some dingbat decided to smash several windows, rob the ATM, and steal money from other secured areas. And this, after Escape went through something similar back in November (and at that point, they had been vandalized three months prior). Escape is one of Sumner’s few local hangouts and serves as a safe space for all sorts of people, especially the LGBTQ community.

They are running another Gofundme, which has raised $3,263 at the writing of this article. 9004 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

But there is some good news on the restaurant vandalism front. Courtney Savannah Carlile (27) and Joshua Patrick Lucero (33) have been caught and indicted. KGW reports, “A grand jury approved indictments for each of them on dozens of charges, including first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief, and second-degree theft.”

More from the KGW article: “‘We think it’s as many as a hundred different business that were hit, and they were hit multiple times,’ Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez told KGW Thursday. ‘My sincere hope is that (the indictment) brings relief to these businesses and to our community that’s been suffering.'” Businesses include Baby Doll, Old Town Brewing, Flattop & Salamander, and Grassa. Personally, I have zero sympathy for these people and I hope they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Various locations

Weiner Week starts Monday. Over 40 spots around the Portland area are participating in Weiner Week, yet another Mercury food week. For a whole week you get to try different hot dogs for $8 each. I’m also impressed that this year they feature someplace deep in East Portland, Von Ebert Brewing. More info. Various locations

James Beard Public Market vendor applications. Are you a food or beverage business based or made in Oregon? Consider applying to be a vendor at the James Beard Public Market! Applications open January 30, 2025. 622 SW Alder, Portland

Free birthday s’mores at Toasted S’Mores Bar. If it’s your birthday, Toasted S’Mores Bar is the place to be. You can get a free s’more on your birthday, or seven days after. Just show your ID for proof of birthdate. 1126 SW Alder Street, Portland

Tōv Bus is for sale. For years, this was the location of Tov, but since they moved to their brick & mortar down the street, it’s time to finally say goodbye to the OG spot: “It will be off of Hawthorne by the end of February so if anyone is interested in purchasing it and keep the location you must act before the end of February. DM for more info.” SE Hawthorne and 32nd Avenue, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Update on Portland’s Caffe and Barba Mingo
Alma PDX, a New Turkish Restaurant, Is Coming to NE Portland
The 2025 James Beard Awards Semifinalists in Portland
Moon Pocha Will Open on NE 28th Avenue in Portland

Also, we continue to update our Lunar New Year celebrations roundup and Valentine’s Day roundup, so keep checking in on those.