Black Water, an established local record label, performance venue, and vegan bar, is coming to Rose City Park. They will set up shop in the old Laurelwood Brewing pub space. This feels like a big deal, as locals have lamented the absence of a tenant in that location since the pub closed in 2023.
About Black Water
Black Water started out as a record label in 1999, and in 2008 they opened their record store at 1925 SE Morrison. In 2012 they moved to their location at 223 NE Russell Street. They opened Black Water Bar in 2015 at 835 NE Broadway, where they offer live music, cocktails, and vegan food (sandwiches, burgers, salads, sides, and appetizers)
Black Water Bar is also known as an all-ages live music venue presenting punk and metal acts. I also remember in 2023 they did this “Twin Peaks Mondays” series where they screened of seasons 1 and 2 of Twin Peaks on a weekly basis (I hope they do it again). In November 2024 Black Water celebrated their 25th year in business.
Black Water’s Move
I reached out to Alex Carroccio, one of Black Water Bar’s founders and co-owners, to learn more. She indicated in a brief email that the entire shebang is moving: the restaurant, bar, and record store. That matches the indications in the paperwork filed with the city—both Black Water LLC and Black Water Records LLC are the applicant.
So, look for the opportunity to eat vegan food, drink, listen to live music, and purchase records. Note: Live music is slated to run between the hours of 8pm and 11pm on days there’s a live show. First all ages punk show will be on Friday, April 18.
This aligns with the comment on Reddit, ”The bartender at another punk bar said last night that Black Water is moving to another location.” So to be clear: This is not a second, additional location. Everything will be based on NE Sandy Blvd.
Food and Drink
At Black Water, their menu is “100% vegan.” They offer a number of items that sound like conventional meat products but have alternate spellings. Think “cheeze” and “wingz.” Imitation cheese is made with cashews, and they offer plant-based protein like seitan, tofu, and soy curls to take the place of animal protein. Here is their menu as of April 2025.
Also on that topic of meat replacers—while they do offer Beyond Burger patties (GF), they also make their own out of black beans, wheat gluten, and beets (not GF). Personally, I love black bean burgers. Thrilling Foods brand “bakon” and Chao cheese are also used; some of their weekend brunch dishes use Just Egg. And for their baked goods, they offer Shoofly products.
Black Water is known for their cocktails, too. They offer a martini, michelada, and sazerac, along with a bunch of others. For NA options, they offer alcohol-free drinks but no mocktails. I hope they take this opportunity to put together some great zero-proof cocktails at the new location (there are some great examples in this town).
The Space
I remember spending time in the building when it was Laurelwood Brewing and along with tasty food and drink, and it could be quite loud. I also remember it being pretty family-friendly—no punks or goths were seen. I’ll be interested to see how the vibe adjusts to the new scene there.
And while the pub itself closed down in 2023, Laurelwood continued to brew beer at that location. That is, until June 2024, when the brewing equipment went up for auction. Perhaps that space is where the live music will happen.
As for the exterior, the property has an outdoor patio that will be open 11am to 11pm every day. There is some off-street parking, too.
The difference in square footage between the NE Broadway and NE Sandy Blvd spaces is a little over 1,000 square feet: 3,002 sq ft on NE Broadway to 4,124 sq ft on NE Sandy. It may or may not seem significant to you, depending on your POV, but as they say, it’s not how big it is but how you use it is what makes an impact.
Black Water Bar is hoping to be open on NE Sandy Blvd by April 2025. Update 4/9/25: And, it looks like they made it! April 8 looks like the day they re-opened. Thanks to a reader, I’ve learned that you can get takeout and delivery of their 100% vegan food now; record store should open today, Wednesday 4/9; the bar will likely open Friday 4/11.
All in all I think this is a great addition to the area and it will be really good to have this empty storefront filled.
Black Water Bar [opened April 8, 2025]
5115 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Black Water Bar website | Instagram | Facebook
Updated April 9, 2025.
Meg Cotner
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YES!!!! What a great use for the large space. Love that they’re able to move everything under one roof.
I would like to contact Alex about the new space to open in April.
We will be interested in covering it in positivelyentertainment.com. Please contact me at the info below. Does Alex have an email address or phone #? Thanks, Bonnie Carter, editor