Small Bites: Tamalada, Crispy Cones, ZabPinto Thai, and More

Tamalada in Portland is back! I attended a tamalada—a group tamale-making party around the holidays—organized by Hot Mama Salsa and Three Sisters Nixtamal pre-pandemic (2019) and loved it. We learned how to prepare the masa, fill the corn husks, and steam the tamales—and we got to take some tamales home. It was fantastic!

So you can imagine how happy I was to see that these same two women-owned and led businesses have brought it back this year. This time it will take place at Hot Mama Salsa’s headquarters in Southeast Portland. There are two sessions on Sunday, December 14: 2pm to 3:30pm and 4pm to 5:30pm. It’s $65; you can reserve your spot and pay them on Venmo. DM them with questions. 333 SE 2nd Avenue, Portland

Domaine Divio will have a downtown presence for the holidays. This Willamette Valley winery focusing on the Burgundian style of winemaking, is coming to downtown Portland in pop-up form. They posted on their Instagram:

“Exciting news! Domaine Divio will be open for the holiday season in downtown Portland. Located on the corner of SW 4th and SW Morrison, we’ll be open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00am to 6:00pm, with Fridays and Saturdays being until 8:00pm.” They had their grand opening last Friday, so they are ready for you to stop by. 401 SW Morrison Street, Portland

Rocky Butte Farmers Market seeks vendors. The regular season is over but they are doing a couple of holiday pop-ups. “Do you or someone you know grow winter veggies or use a canner like nobody’s business? We’re looking for a few more vendors for our upcoming Holiday Markets—specifically produce, poultry, artisan foods, and preserved goods!”

Interested parties can apply to participate at their Vendor page. The pop-up markets will be Saturdays, November 22 and December 20 from 10am to 2pm at The People’s Courts. 2700 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Spend your weekend hanging at How Convenient. This lovely little convenience store on NE Glisan is having three events this weekend. On Friday from 5pm to 8pm check out a pop-up of sourdough breads and treats (The Sourdough Dealer), vegan gelato (Gatto Gelato), and candles and stickers (FeverdreamVisions). On Saturday from 3pm to 6pm stop in for psychic readings, magic potions, ceramics, and snacks. And on Sunday from 7pm to 10pm there’s going to be live music (lineup here), drinks, and snacks. 6016 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Specials at Lil’ Barbecue. Apparently the lines follow this pitmaster: “Weekends have started to get a little crazy, with lines forming before we open the doors.” So they are doing some early week specials: Burger Monday, $10 for the burger of the week and a side of your choice; Taco Tuesday where you get three tacos and a side of house-roasted salsa for $10; and Wing Wednesday, which gets you ten wings for ten bucks. 1771 NE Dekum Street, Portland

Onigiri Kome will deliver onigiri directly to you. Learning about Onigiri Kome was by accident—I was looking for Onigiri Gaijin on Instagram (see below) and clicked on the other page in error. Last month they started up and are delivering through Doordash; the pickup location is Afuri Slabtown. It looks like they are (were) on Toast, too, and it lists the onigiri as Unavailable now, at least at the writing of this roundup.

Regardless, you can order savory and sweet snacks and some drinks from them. Keep an eye on this as the onigiri will likely return. Ordering times are Monday to Thursday, 11:30am to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm; Friday and Saturday, 11:30am to 9pm; Sunday, 11:30am to 8pm. 1620 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

Now, onto Onigiri Gaijin. They will have their grand opening on Saturday, November 15 from noon to 8pm (soft opening is still today). They identify as “Portland’s first sit-down onigiri shop.” Be sure to check out their Onigiri Kaiju mural, too. 621 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Paul Mallory of Higgins, has passed away. Very sad news posted on the Higgins social media, written by Greg Higgins:

“Paul was the quiet force behind so much of what made Higgins what it is. From day one, he poured his soul into this restaurant. His humor, smarts, loyalty, and unwavering belief in our mission made Higgins possible. He cared for our staff like family, and offered a warm welcome to everyone who crossed our threshold. He stood beside me through every high and low—and there were many. I truly could not have asked for a better partner in this life’s work.

They will let us all know how they plan to honor Paul in the near future. We send our condolences to Paul’s family and the Higgins family, too.

The return of Kẹo Mè Xửng Huế at Berlu. This “is a traditional Vietnamese chewy peanut candy that we have interpreted as an iced latte, using house made peanut milk, double espresso, + toasted sesame foam. (Available cafeinatted or decaf).:”Sounds really good. Be sure to check out their roll cakes, too. 661 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Momiji celebrates 5 years on Fremont. Head over there on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 18 and 19 for a BOGO on classic rolls. 4425 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Jawfish opens today. After many months of preparation, Jawfish on NE Airport Way opens today! They have listed out their November hours:

• November 14 to 26, Dinners only 3pm to 11pm.
• Closed for Thanksgiving.
• Starting Friday November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving) daily: Lunch, 11am to 4pm; Happy hour 3pm to 5pm; Dinner 4pm to 11pm.

Really curious to see what they bring to the area. 11707 NE Airport Way, Portland

WIRED and Portland. At the start of the month, WIRED magazine released “The WIRED Guide to Portland for Business Travelers.” He highlighted coffee (Roseline, Barista, Behind the Museum Cafe, Electrica), restaurants (Toya, EEM, Kachka, OX), drinks (Teardrip Lounge, Multnomah Whiskey Library, Hale Pele, Interurban) and a few other things. Check it out. Multiple locations

Condé Nast Traveller and Portland. Portland made it onto their list, “The Best Places to Go in North America and the Caribbean in 2026,” too. They refer to Portland in the category of “former industrial cities,” which was interesting, but suggest people will come here to experience “exciting art and culinary projects that tell a fresh story.”

Things that made it into the blurb? PDX, our walkable downtown, Portland Art Museum (“the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest”), Kann, the James Beard Public Market later next year, The Sports Bra, Powell’s, Forest Park, Darcelle XV, and the incoming WNBA team, the Portland Fire. Multiple locations

And CN Traveler also put together a list of best restaurants in Portland. Their’s is the 23 best, in their opinion. It’s paywalled, but if you have access, check it out. Multiple locations

Guay Tiew has a website. We reported on this place a while back, and now they have a website. And it has some information on it about what’s coming. They’ll offer Thai noodle dishes and soup, and their goal is to be “a familiar place for a comforting bowl of Thai noodle soup.” It’s going to be counter service, with an aim to be affordable.

They will likely offer Naam Sai (clear broth soup), Ruer (boat noodle soup), Tom Yum (a hot and sour soup), Haang (dry noodle bowl), and Yen Ta Foe (pink noodle soup)—and more. Note: Their website implements audio auto play with no evident way to turn off/down the sound. 330 NW 10th Avenue, Portland

Crispy Cones is coming to the Vancouver area. This chain is new to me but what it looks like they serve are small Chimney Cakes with soft serve in them. There was a cart in Roseway earlier this year that did something similar. It will open in the Skyview Station in Salmon Creek next to Chipotle and the nearby nail salon. No exact date as to when they are opening, but some signage is up. 13909 NE 10th Avenue, Vancouver

More ZabPinto Thai Express downtown. They are now open inside the Wells Fargo Center, bringing a new smoothie and sandwich bar on the second side of its cafeteria space. Some background from our contact there:

“This expansion is led by Fonji Jiraporn Inuthen, who recently moved to Portland from Bangkok to join ZabPinto owner, Malvin Panyapa, on his latest project. Fonji brings her experience from Bangkok’s café scene, where fruit smoothies have become a part of everyday city life. The menu includes fruit-forward smoothies like Thai Mango, Triple Berry, and Choco Banana, along with Asian-style Banh Mi and panini sandwiches made to order with fresh ingredients. Guests can now stop in for a grab-and-go smoothie or sandwich, or enjoy ZabPinto’s signature hot Thai dishes on the other side of the space.”

Looks like they will have additional menu items next spring, too. They are open now. 1300 SW 5th Avenue, Portland

Sugarpine Drive-in welcomes you to less intense season in their little corner of the PNW. This is an insanely popular spot in the summer, but the owners want to remind you that you can enjoy that great Sugarpine Drive-in goodness now with less in the way of lines and crowding. They posted on Instagram, “If you’ve been meaning to come by, now’s a beautiful time. The waits are short, the menu’s warm and cozy, and there’s more room to slow down, to breathe, to be close to nature.” Note: They close at 5pm.

They also point out that these slow months can be deadly to restaurants. “Over 20% of restaurants close every year, many during the slow months. A little extra love now makes a big difference later.” Also think about that for your fave spot in town that you want to help keep around (I chose to go to Fresh Love this week, which has been vocal about the slowdowns in the colder seasons). 1208 E Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale

Cascadia Timberview will close. They announced their closure on social media yesterday. While it was a hard decision for them to make, they understand that it’s best for them to focus on Cascadia Taphouse and Cascadia Heights, as well as the needs of their families. They opened at The Array in late August, so it’s really only been a few a months that they’ve been in there. I hope The Array will be able to find a new bar tenant soon. 9911 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Yumee Katsu has opened in Beaverton. Thanks to an Instagram post by Judiaann Woo, I learned about Yumee Katsu, “South Korea’s most popular katsu spot, now open in Beaverton, Oregon (owned an operated by the nicest Korean couple).” I’ve mostly just seen chicken and pork katsu over the years, but this place offers more: cheese, for one, which sounds amazing. And Tteokbokki Katsu!!! Plus the classic curry katsu. And more. I hope to go soon. 11350 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton

And Bingsu Dang has also opened in Beaverton. This is the first Oregon location of this Korean brand. They have bingsu, of course, that Korean-style shave ice you can top with all sorts of sweet things, but also croffles and drinks. They opened in early October. 11745 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, Beaverton

A very interesting pizza. Pizzeria Otto has this seasonal special that is a mix of things I hadn’t considered putting together before: (Fuyu) persimmon, crispy prosciutto, Lost Peacock chevre, Provolone, Parmesan, shallot cream, and basil. If you like persimmons in particular, this one’s for you. Note: The Lake Oswego Otto location looks to open Saturday, December 6. 7122 SE Foster Road and 6708 NE Sandy Blvd

Chisme has arrived at Duality Brewing. “Chisme” is Spanish for “gossip,” and this new spot from Chef Francisco Leyva is now in residence at Duality Brewing. He says, “After 15 years grinding I’m going solo. Vente a chismear [come and gossip] over great food and beer.” He started up on Thursday, November 6.

You can see the current menu here. There’s a salad, tacos de queso, a tuna tostada, a sope with Chanterelles, and a quesadilla. All look wonderful. Chisme operates Thursday and Friday 4pm to 9pm, and Saturday 2pm to 9pm. 715 NE Lawrence Avenue, Portland

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Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Pomalo Bar Will Open in the Old Sundown Pub Space in Portland
Gingerbread Masterpiece 2025: Coming Soon To The Benson Hotel in Portland
Mako Matcha Mill Will Indeed Mill Matcha in Portland
Mayger Coffee Will Open in the Madison South Neighborhood in Portland