Small Bites: Hot Chocolate Week, Kashiwagi, Nuvrei, and More

Hot Chocolate Week Is Coming, from Ranger Chocolate Co. From Friday, December 26 to Wednesday, December 31, Ranger is doing a different hot chocolate each day. You can see the details on their Instagram. 107 SE Washington Street, Portland

Nuvrei will close its original location. We learned that Nuvrei, known for some of the best croissants in Portland, will be closing their Pearl District location after 20 years in that space; their final day of service is Wednesday, December 31. Owner Marius Pop told us, “Our lease was up and we decided it was time to move on. We are keeping our Harvey Milk location open.” They are considering opening a new Pearl district location in future.

He added, “We hope folks will come see us at our West End location. Additionally, anyone can email us at info@nuvrei.com for news on how to place special orders, or if curious about our future moves.” 404 NW 10th Ave LL1 and 1122 SW Harvey Milk Street, Portland

La Aketeka is in Roseway. I’ve driven past this food truck many times and wondered what they were about. I’ve learned that their name is La Aketeka and they offer “traditional Maya home-made food,” which means they offer some Guatemalan dishes, including cuchitas (Guatemalan tamal). They are open Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 4:30pm. Find them on Facebook, too. 7930 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Flour Market Cafe will close by the end of the year. Owner Lisa Belt posted the news on Instagram that she will shut down the cafe on NE 30th Avenue in the Concordia neighborhood at the end of December. She says she’s tried many things to stay afloat, but “there’s just no getting around it,” meaning that it doesn’t make financial sense to stay in her current space. She is open to hearing about other locations.

I’m a fan of the cafe and will miss it. She also wants to be clear that Flour Market Bakery will continue and she’ll figure out a way to get her baked goods to her customers. Read more on her Instagram post and in the comments (comment 1, comment 2, comment 3). 5507 NE 30th Avenue, Portland

Actress Jennifer Tilly came to Portland. I learned this from the Willamette Week, who devoted an article to her visit. Foodwise, she stopped in at Mucca Osteria and Måurice. I hope she enjoyed her time here. 1022 SW Morrison Street and 921 SW Oak Street, Portland

Votum in Hood River gets some NYT praise. In their article, “The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025,” Brian Gallagher at the NY Times had some good things to say about the Apple Entremet at Votum:

“In June, [Chef Sarah] Doyle brought out a layered dish of apple cake with a topped with late-harvest riesling mousse. But the supporting player that stole the show was rhubarb, which appeared in two forms. Grown at altitude nearby, it had an especially deep red hue and abiding sweetness as an accompanying sorbet and candied shards that looked like crimson-stained glass. Sparing dollops of white chocolate cremeux were a unifying grace note. (Part of a $159 tasting menu).” 210 Second Street, Hood River

Loncheria Los Mayas: The Return. They will reopen on Monday, January 5. The address is the same as the Take It or Leave It consignment shop, but there’s a parking lot to the north of the building. They are taking a break overall from Saturday, December 20 to Sunday January 4, so that means the NE Alberta shop will be closed for that period of time. 5012 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland

Rocket Fizz in Beaverton will close this month. They have had a presence there since 2013, offering “novelty candy, retro toys and gag gifts,” as well as a big selection of unusual soda pop flavors. They will close down by Wednesday, December 24. 12345 SW Horizon Blvd #51, Beaverton

The Portland Steamies are out! Bill Oakley has released his Portland Steamie Awards winners—he posts these on Instagram, but his broader Steamie Awards are being announced on his Substack. This list is full of sandwiches, burgers, fried chicken, pizza, and more. I’m really curious about the Al Pastor Katsu Sandwich from Baka Umai and the Ceremonial Grade Fried Chicken Sandwich at Burger Ritual; I can confirm that the carrot falafel dish from 82 Acres is pretty great. Multiple locations

Mark your calendars for the Citrus Dinner in January. It’s kinda weird to start talking about January like this, but it’s really only a couple of weeks away. Winter is citrus season and Bergerac is doing a four-course citrus dinner on Wednesday, January 14 at 6:30pm. There will be a wine paring and and cocktail (including a mocktail option). Here’s the menu:

Lemon: Egg drop lemon soup (V, GF).
Blood Orange: Burrata, blood orange, preserved lemons, hazelnuts & micro greens, toasted baguette (V).
Cara Cara Orange: Seared duck breast, orange sauce, shaved fennel salad, duck fat potatoes, garlic green beans (GF).
Yuzu: Yuzu & lemon curd tart with toasted meringue.

$95 per guest, $45 optional wine pairing. Optional citrus-focused cocktails, too. Reserve on their Open Table page. 5520 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland

The final Rocky Butte Farmers Market event of the year is Saturday. Head to The People’s Courts tomorrow to check out the RBFM holiday market. Lots of great stuff there! 10am to 2pm. 2700 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland

New Seasons ratified a three-year union contract for workers. This is good news. It avoids a strike and raises workers’ wages (including a COL increase). 850 workers at 10 stores will benefit. They are Arbor Lodge, Cedar Hills, Concordia, Grant Park, Hawthorne, Sellwood, Seven Corners, Slabtown, University Park, and Williams. More on KOIN. Multiple locations

Last chance to get your Polish foodstuffs at Grandpa’s Cafe and Polish Deli before Christmas. They’ll be open this Saturday and Sunday, December 20 and 21 from 10am to 3pm. They’ve got herring, cheese, fresh sausage, shelf-stable pantry items, and more. 3832 N Interstate Avenue, Portland

Holiday party tonight at Makin’ Groceries. Starting at 6pm, head over to the Roseway neighborhood to celebrate with the Makin’ Groceries folks. There’s going to be a buffet dinner, cocktails and mocktails, an art station, karaoke. It’s $20 (you get a drink and a meal), but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. 7137 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Loyal Legion’s coming to Vancouver. I first saw the news on the New School Beer Blog, and received a press release Tuesday: “Loyal Legion, currently operating thriving locations in SE Portland, Beaverton, and PDX Airport, is excited to announce the opening of its newest beer hall in Downtown Vancouver, Washington. The new location, set to open Spring 2026 at 1109 Washington St, Vancouver, WA 98660 (formerly Feral Public House), marks the brand’s fourth home in the Pacific Northwest.” 1109 Washington Street, Vancouver

Powell’s Seafood Restaurant gets some Korean Mama love. She and her son stopped in this South Tabor gem for some excellent Cantonese food. Check it out. 6633 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

Legacy Coffee in Gresham is up for sale. Owners Brad and Michelle Graves announced their intention to sell the coffee shop, which is really a great spot in downtown Gresham. They need to turn their attention to the needs of their family. Here’s what they wrote on Instagram:

“Five years ago, we didn’t know that we were disabled and so were our children. We didn’t know of the chronic illnesses that’d develop nor the health scares we would face. Over the last five years we have built a loving, safe, incredibly loyal and supportive community at Legacy and it has been built brick-by-brick with each and every one of you. We love you.

“With that being said, our dreams have changed and so have our needs to sustain our family’s health, we are placing Legacy, lovingly and carefully, up for sale. This hasn’t been a decision we made lightly nor is it something we foresaw coming but it is the next right step for our family.”

If you are interested in buying the business, DM them or email them. 112 N Main Avenue, Gresham

OK Chicken & Khao Soi gets Bon Appétit love. In their article, The Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings This Winter (non-paywalled version), Bon Appétit’s Kate Kassin writes, “Of course, there will be khao soi, a coconut curry egg noodle soup, and chicken, with both fried and grilled options, and wings. Diners can also expect Larb Mueng, a Northern-style ground meat salad with warm spices and dry fried pork, and Sia Oua herbal sausage made in-house and grilled.”

We appreciate being linked to in this article, too. OK Chicken & Khao Soi is one of our most anticipated restaurants of 2026, too. 3226 SE Division Street, Portland

Wolf’s Head Burger has a new location by PSU. They opened there November 29. It was previously the location of Fantastea, and looking back on Street View it was a Quiznos at one point. Closed on Sundays. 1968 SW Broadway, Portland

Nectaris will close and Astera is expanding. Vegan wine bar Nectaris announced on their social media that they will be closing at this location, with a final day of service as Sunday, December 28. This is because their neighbor, vegan fine-dining restaurant Astera, is expanding into their space. “Our neighbor and friend, Chef Aaron Adams, has seen remarkable success with Astera. We couldn’t be happier for him—and with that success comes the need for Astera to expand. Nectaris will be making way.”

They are currently looking for new digs. Reach out if you know of anything. 1403 and 1407 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Kashiwagi will close. This longtime Japanese restaurant is closing at the end of the year; they will close their doors on December 31, 2025. They published a goodbye message:

“With our lease coming to an end, my wife and I spent much time talking and deciding whether we should renew it or not. After thoughtful consideration, we concluded that this is the right moment to take a step back from the restaurant and begin our semi-retirement.” This is after 20 year—14 at Sushi Takahashi 2 and 5 at Kashiwagi. They will be missed. 2425 SE 26th Avenue, Portland

Keeper Coffee gets some love. Over on Islands, Mina Elwell features Keeper Coffee in Southeast Portland. Have you been by? They have two locations—one in Woodstock and one in Milwaukie, I was at the one in Milwaulkie most recently and loved the space and the location. The coffee was delicious, too. 4515 SE 41st Avenue, Portland and 10722 SE Main Street, Milwaukie

The Fates Bread & Bottle Co is remodeling. They are currently closed, doing a few things to the interior to change it up in there. Their grand re-opening will be Wednesday, December 31. That night they’ll ring in the new year with bubbles and bites. Official birthday celebration details to come. 6664 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

Jinju will leave their current space on N Williams Avenue. This is a late addition, as they announced the closure on their Instagram this morning and it feels like a huge deal. They won a James Beard Award this past year for Outstanding Bakery, even though we already knew how outstanding their pastries and chocolates are. They talk about the closure here. The last day of service in their current location is Sunday, December 28.

They are looking for a new location; some interesting suggestions have already been made in the comments. They want to stay in Portland and while I like their interest in “East Portland,” I suspect they mean the “east side of Portland,” though I would love to see them set up shop east of 82nd Avenue. Wishing Jin and Q all the best during this transition time. 4063 N Williams Avenue, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

New Year’s Eve 2025 in Portland
Sure Shot Burger Will Open a Restaurant in 2026 in Portland
YUI, a Returning Thai Restaurant, Opens in 2026 in Portland
Division Street Dairy Queen in Portland: An Update

Additionally, there are still relevant details in our Hanukkah and Christmas/Solstice roundups.

Updated December 19, 2025 to add the major Jinju news.