SUN RICE Reopens in Old XLB Space in North Portland

SUN RICE, a Filipino restaurant serving Filipino breakfast dishes and more, has soft opened in the old XLB space in North Portland; their grand opening is later this week. I reached out to co-founder Ken Tran to learn more and here is what he told me.

SUN RICE Origins

First, the name “SUN RICE” is based on their original concept revolving around the classic Filipino breakfast dish, silog (garlic rice + a sunny egg). You may have also heard of Tapsilog and Longsilog, which is the rice/egg combo with tapa (beef) and longganisa (sausage). It is all delicious.

SUN RICE was founded by Chef TJ Cruz and Ken Tran. From fall 2021 to the end of 2022 they were behind Deadshot’s dinner and late night food program. Starting in fall 2023, they operated at a kiosk in the Moxy hotel while continuing doing off-site pop-ups and events. Their Moxy time ended recently—during summer 2025 they prepared their move to the east side of town.

They continue to work with Chef Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina, who has mentored them, and Nan Ketsuda as a consultant for their beverage program.

TJ and Ken

Ken told me a bit about himself and his co-founder. “TJ has cooked in respected Portland kitchens, including Lechon, Deadshot, and Holdfast before co-founding SUN RICE,” he explained. “He built the kitchen repertoire to develop the bold and flavorful cooking that blends Filipino roots with contemporary technique that became the style that SUN RICE is known for.”

As for Ken, “I developed a passion for creating inclusive and culturally-driven spaces by organizing Adapt, an annual dance competition that welcomed all styles and walks of life, launched in 2015,” he explained. “I also have experience in community organizing and event production that shaped SUN RICE’s vision as a gathering place rooted in culture, creativity, and connection.”

He added, “I have also been running our community event space, Kolectivo, hosting collaborative chef dinners, culturally-driven and community-focused events.”

Moving SUN RICE North and East

So why did they decide to leave the Moxy? “We were ready to grow,” said Ken. “The Moxy was a great launchpad, but it had its limits. This new space gives us the infrastructure and room to build something lasting.”

That includes a full kitchen and bar, as well as the chance to expand so they can continue to able to share what the’ve been working on over the years.

He added, “I’ll miss the simplicity of the Moxy and the patrons we got to connect with. I’ll also miss our neighbors.”

More on What the New Space Offers

They especially love that the new space gives them options. “The open kitchen allows us to be connected with our guests in the dining room,” explained Ken. “I am also excited about the connected space—the former Dos Hermanos bakery.”

He continued, “We will be using that space as overflow seating and a private dining room when we roll out, but we will eventually turn it into a modular cafe/vendor pop-up space to host collabs and up-and-coming emerging artists/chefs/bartenders.”

They plan to offer both daytime and dinner offerings in tandem with collaborative community-focused programming.

A Light Refresh

As for changes to the interior, they are doing “a light, intentional refresh,” Ken said. “Think of it as a contemporary reimagination of a classic diner.” He used the term “new-stalgic” to describe it, which I love (I am always up for a good neologism).

The space will offer a vibe that is “Minimal, warm, with pops of color showcasing our new branding from our creative director Ron Comoda,” explained Ken. “It’ll feel like a diner, a bar, and a hangout spot all at once.”

The SUN RICE Menu

He talked a bit about what to expect as far as the menu goes in the new location. “Our daytime menu will still feature our signature silogs (the aforementioned garlic rice + egg bowls), breakfast sandwiches with HeyDay’s milk buns, Kalesa cold brew on tap, and our exclusive partnership with Steven Smith Teamaker.”

He continued, “But dinner is where we get to stretch. We’re bringing back the Deadshot-era offerings, as well as rotating in new elevated dishes from Chef TJ. Dinner is Chef’s favorite service to execute and he is looking forward to pushing his creativity with this platform.

“We’re also kicking off a full beverage program in collaboration with Nan Ketsuda. We’ll have San Miguel, a Filipino classic lager, as well as rotating seasonal specials, highlighting our neighbors CMNSL’s rice lager and hazy IPA.”

I asked him if there was something that is overwhelmingly popular on the SUN RICE menu that they look forward to continuing to offer. “Funny enough, our fries back in the Deadshot days got a lot of love,” he remarked. “We served them in Chinese takeout containers and made a nước mắm aioli to pair. We also get a lot of love for our Lechon crispy pork belly.”

SUN RICE Opening

Their grand opening will be Thursday, September 11 to Sunday, September 14. Look for a couple of special collabs, too:

• September 11: Special collab pastry with Jinju Patisserie, just across the street! Jinju revealed that pastry: a BBQ pork belly x kimchi croissant tart.
• September 14: Sun Rice x Champs Burgers x Thaan Charcoal

SUN RICE’s hours will be:

• Thursday to Saturday: Daytime 10am to 3pm, Dinner 5pm to 9pm.
• Sunday: Daytime 10am to 3pm.

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Some Final Thoughts From Ken

“I want to shout-out our community,” said Ken. “The love and support kept us going and got us to this moment. And to our mentors Chef Carlo Lamagna and Nan Ketsuda for their continued guidance, as well as Adam Robinson for our early opportunity with the residency at Deadshot.” As we reported last week, Deadshot is closing later this fall, so this appreciation no doubt feels bittersweet.

Hoping the soft opening went well this past weekend, and all the best to Ken, TJ, and their team as they prepare to celebrate in grand opening style later this week!

SUN RICE [grand re-opening September 11, 2025]
4090 N Williams Avenue, Portland
SUN RICE website | Instagram