Devil’s Dill Has Opened a Second Sandwich Shop in Portland

Devil’s Dill, a sandwich shop that opened originally in Southeast Portland on SE Hawthorne and 17th, has a second location that recently opened in Northeast Portland. Located in a fantastic food nexus in Portland on NE Killingsworth between 16th and 17th Avenues, they offer their excellent sandwiches, sides, and more. I spoke with Chris Serena about the new location, and here is what I learned.

Who Is Behind Devil’s Dill

Chris Serena, who I spoke with, is the majority owner in the business, and originally hails from Ohio. “When we first started, I had a business partner, who I bought out a couple years ago,” Chris explained. His current business partner is Sirwan Faraj, their longtime chef in the SE location.

Before Devil’s Dill, Chris had worked in food since he was 15. “My first job was as a dishwasher, and I was a server for years.” Later on he went to college and met his former business partner while in grad school at Indiana University Bloomington. He studied composition there with Don Freund; before that he studied with Margaret Brouwer at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he got his bachelor’s degree.

“We were composers,” said Chris. “And we decided that we both like to cook, and that we just didn’t see a future in academia. Thank goodness I made that decision!” And on a personal note: I just love it when I encounter fellow former musicians who are now working in food.

The OG Devil’s Dill

The original Devil’s Dill opened on May 1, 2013 on SE Hawthorne. The space is a bit on the small side, with very little in the way of seating inside (there are some outdoor tables). “It was as bare bones as you could get,” Chris said. “We have seating outside now, but it’s still a smaller place.” They mostly did takeaway there at the beginning, because that’s all they could do at that point.

It became clear in those initial years that the lack of indoor seating really held them back. So they opened their next door bar, No Fun, in February 2015, which provides a place to get a drink and eat their sandwiches.

COVID

And as the years went on, they got busier and busier over there. And because of their natural operation as a takeout place, they were able to stay open throughout the COVID pandemic; they definitely had an advantage over a lot of other places.

“We were already doing to-go and delivery there, so we already had everything down,” said Chris. “You didn’t have to order three hours in advance, either.” People could just walk in, get their sandwich, and be on their way.

The Second Location of Devil’s Dill

The second location of Devil’s Dill is in a new building, built on the property that used to be home to the Killingsworth Market, which was a modest convenience store. That building was demolished, and the new building went up in 2020. Side note: It is also home to the wonderful vegan bakery Orange & Blossom in a storefront next door.

Compared to the original Devil’s Dill, the Killingsworth location has quite a bit of seating: two 4-person booths, two 2-tops, and about four seats at a window bar, making a total of 16. Plus a few tables and chairs outside making the total count a bit over 20.

They started looking for a second location in 2023, saw this place and liked it a lot, in part because of the high quality of the neighbors. That includes Podnah’s and Hat Yai, who’ve been there for a while, as well as Nico’s and No Saint.

They opened on NE Killingsworth on July 2, 2025.

The Origins of the Name “Devil’s Dill”

I asked Chris why he named it Devil’s Dill. He told me it starts with the comedian Mitch Hedberg. “We were looking around, you know, because naming is such a hard thing,” he said. “So we’re like, ‘What do we call it?!?’ Because that’s what you’re going to known as forever, so this is an important decision.”

He continued, “And so we were looking up random quotes online. My ex business partner looked up a Mitch Hedberg quote that said, ‘pickles are cucumbers that sold their soul to the devil, and the devil is dill.'” They loved it, and that became the source of the name, “Devil’s Dill.”

More on the Second Location Space

Because this was a brand new building, this space was really just a big box, so they were able to create the configuration of the space as they’d like from scratch. They did work with an architect and a construction company, but Chris did a lot of the install himself. It took about six months to do the buildout.

Another thing on their side was that the landlord wanted a restaurant there—so it was a great match.

“We’ve got sandwich shop ambiance here. We just wanted it to be a nice place to come and have good sandwiches,” Chris said.

A for the logo, it was designed a long time ago, but the hand-painted sandwich was done by and artist named Matt Schlosky. “It was just a blank wall and we thought, ‘We need something here!'” I think it looks pretty good.

Devil’s Dill Menu Favorites

I asked Chris what is his favorite sandwich on their menu, and mentioned a couple of them in particular: the Number 3 and the Number 5.

The Italian and The Turkey

“My favorite, because I like Italian sandwiches, is the Number 3, which is our Italian.” he said. “I love the cherry pepper relish. And I always judge a sandwich shop by its Italian sandwich.”

Regarding the Number 5 sandwich, their turkey sandwich, it’s a major seller. “I mean, we sell at the other location 70 to a 100 of them a day!” he exclaimed. I gave the sandwich a try and had to agree with the Portland public that this is a delicious sandwich. Later, Chris recommended adding the cherry pepper relish to it.

So what’s on this popular sandwich? It starts with a ciabatta roll from Dos Hermanos. He says, “One of the secrets of the flavor of our sandwiches is that we toast the bread over a charcoal fire.” Then they put a little garlic oil on the toasted side and spread on some tomato jam.

After that they add sliced turkey, provolone cheese, and sliced red onion. And instead of sandwich lettuce, they use kale that they massage by hand for a little bit with olive oil, white wine vinegar, and salt. “It’s like a little dressing that we kinda put onto it,” said Chris. And the massaging of the kale helps break down the cell walls, makes it softer, and takes away a bit of the bitterness. Note: I always massage my kale for kale salad (my friend Tamara Reynolds taught me this)

And About That Kale

He had a lot to sale about their use of kale. “Throughout the years, there’s been plenty of people who’ve come through and are like, ‘Can I get no kale?'” However, they are able to convince a good number of persons to give it a try.

“We say, ‘Just try this.’ Because when they try it, they’re like, ‘Oh I want that on my sandwich.’ They love it because it’s delicious. It’s just so good. I think it’s something that really makes our sandwiches unique.”

The Tomato Jam

About that tomato jam, that they make in house, “You know, tomatoes always have a little bit of sweetness to them,” Chris said. “The tomato jam’s got a little bit of brown sugar in it to bring that out. It’s a much more savory, vinegary jam that we put on there instead of fresh tomatoes, because fresh tomatoes are only really good like a month out of the year.” The rest of the time, they’re usually pretty flavorless.

The Number 9

Speaking of unique, I asked what the most unique sandwich is and he replied, “Probably our Number 9, the vegetarian.” It has grilled asparagus, cheddar and blue cheeses, kale and tomato jam. “It’s not the most popular, but we sell a good amount,” remarked Chris.

Overall, the menu has options for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. “We’ve got a vegan option as just a normal option,” said Chris. “And you can also substitute seitan for most of the proteins.” They find it’s pretty easy to translate their sandwiches to a vegetarian version, but a little more challenging to go totally vegan. But it worth asking when you stop by. Also: gluten-free bread is possible.

The Sides

They make the sides there in house: a side salad, German potato salad, sauteed kale, and soup. Chips and pickles are also possible accompaniments.

And while they source their cheeses and deli meats from a supplier, they make the pulled pork and braised beef there at Devil’s Dill. And, they make their own seitan.

Set Apart From the Rest

When I asked Chris what sets Devil’s Dill apart from their peers, he mentioned their unique sandwiches and the convenience factor.

“Whenever I go to a new city, I go to the sandwich shops,” Chris explained. “And I especially like submarines, you know. I’m from the Midwest, so we love submarine shops—hoagies, grinders, whatever you want to call them, I’ve loved them since I was a kid. And I’ve never had sandwiches like ours. Ours are unique.”

He continued, “In all of our sandwiches, I feel like there’s not an element on there that doesn’t need to be there. I like to get every basic element without anything extraneous, so that every one that’s on there serves a purpose for the the sandwich as a whole. And I think we’ve generally done that—it’s really worked for us.”

“I didn’t want to be one of those places has the sandwich that you could get elsewhere. You can get a Reuben at 50 places in Portland at almost any time of day. There’s only one place where you can get the tomato jam, the kale, our aioli, the grilled bread. So I think our sandwiches are different enough that they end up speaking for themselves.”

And when it comes to convenience, “We can get stuff out quickly,” said Chris.

Opening

They opened on NE Killingsworth on July 2, but were only open intermittently. Last week they had their first full day open. Part of that had to do with the time it took to train new staff and getting them situated.

They hope to be open 7 days a week by Monday, August 18. Until then, they’re open Wednesday through Sunday 11am to 10pm, and 11am to 5pm Monday and Tuesday.

I hope you have a chance to stop by and try one of their tasty, interesting, and creative sandwiches in that nice bright and airy space on NE Killingsworth. Congrats on the expansion, Devil’s Dill!

Devil’s Dill Sandwiches NE [soft opened July 2, 2025]
1620 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
Devil’s Dill website | Instagram