Small Bites: Phở, Electrica, Ma Cher, Bagel-ish, and More

Eats History focuses on Phở. As Eats History founder Donnie Dodson writes, phở is “often described as Vietnam’s national dish, but it was not born in peace. It was shaped by colonialism, hunger, war, and a country slowly stitched back together, one bowl at a time.” Phở may very well be a signature dish of Portland, too, thanks to our Vietnamese immigrant community. Read the article on the history of phở on Facebook.

Speaking of phở, Yvette Chau launched a series about a week ago on her Instagram where she will try every single phở in Portland. Here’s episode 1.

Juliano’s Pizzeria has reopened in Vancouver. Back in March 2025 they had a fire in their kitchen hood and had to close. They recently reopened and Vancouverites seemingly can’t get enough of their pizza. It’s been a happy return. A quote from one person: “We ordered our usual—Hefty Ho with fresh garlic—and was as good as we remember. The service was great and didn’t feel rushed when we were there. We’re glad they’re back open.” 15606 Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver

Electrica is closing. Last year they posted on their Instagram Stories, “Cats out of the bag … Our building is being sold + we are closing.” So I knew it was coming; but I’ve been in denial. Electrica is a personal favorite—I love their space, and the interesting tea and coffee drinks they make. Seiji Nanbu, the owner, went on Instagram to tell us their final day of service will be Sunday, January 25. They will be missed. 2181 NW Nicolai Street, Portland

808 Grinds is selling their food truck. It’s a 1987 Chevrolet P30 Step Van Food Truck with 500 miles on the rebuilt engine (167K on the body). It’s 25 feet long and has four concession windows. Lots more details in this Facebook post. “This truck has been professionally built, maintained, and used by 808 Grinds—Perfect for someone looking to start strong or expand fast without cutting corners. Serious inquiries only. You can email them for pricing & details at 808grinds@gmail.com.

New winter salad at Fresh Love. Their Rosy Radicchio Caesar is here! The Rosalba Radicchio comes from The Urban Acre Homestead, a micro farm in the city of Portland. “We dressed it with our creamy, vegan Caesar dressing (contains cashew), and topped it with tender, roasted beets, parmesan, avocado, brioche croutons, and local micro greens.” 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland

SheBrew Beer Fest tickets are live. SheBrew, which celebrates and promotes women in the craft beer, and cider industry, produces a public tasting event each year, and this year it’s on Saturday, March 7. All proceeds go to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). At the brewfest, which will be at the Portland Art Museum this year, you’ll have a chance to sample various brews, meet homebrewers, and check out the vendors; food trucks will be on site, too. More info is here. 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland

Reader recommendation: NA cocktail at Pacific Standard. A reader messaged me this week after going on an NA bar crawl one evening: “Hands down, the Wandering Path from Pacific Standard was the best drink of the evening. Amazing flavor and texture. I would absolutely order it again, and want my partner to try it.” The drink contains Pathfinder
non-alcoholic hemp spirit, grapefruit, lemon, and egg whites. Related: our Dry January roundup. 100 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland

Urban Fondue and Bartini will close. It’s been big news this week about the closing of 20-year old Urban Fondue and Bartini, which are part of the Urban Restaurant Group. They’ve been through a lot over the years, and made this statement:

“Closing our beloved restaurant is not a decision we take lightly,” said owner, Mark Byrum. “We are deeply grateful to our loyal customers, dedicated employees, and the many friends we’ve made along the way. Unfortunately, ongoing neighborhood decline combined with untenable landlord demands have made continued operation no longer viable.”

Their final day of service will be Sunday, February 22, 2026. 2114 NW Glisan Street and 2108 NW Glisan Street, Portland

Soup Week starts next week. From Monday, January 19 to Sunday, January 25, Brooklyn Carreta is hosting Soup Week 2026. And that’s about six months prior to Salad Week here on the blog! Anyway, they will have soup specials from the various carts—plus, soup-inspired cocktails like the Tom Kha-Ktail. Nice. 4534 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Portland

Constituent Coffee with Jamie Dunphy today. From time to time, District 1 Councilperson Jamie Dunphy stops by Parkrose Coffee for a couple of hours to hear what his D1 constituents are thinking and concerned about. He was just elected Council President, so his reach is a little broader, at least for the next year. Stop by Parkrose Coffee today from 1pm to 3pm, enjoy one of their seasonal drinks, write a valentine, and stay for a while. 4826 NE 105th Avenue, Portland

Crab Feed is back. Do you like crab? Do you like the chance for AYCE (all you can eat) crab? Head to Ascension Catholic Church on Saturday, January 24 (doors open at 6:30pm) for their Crab Feed. Along with all that crab and drinks, there will be a 50/50 raffle and more. Tickets are $45 per person—buy them here. En español:

¡Nuestra Cena de Cangrejos de Ascension regresa en 2026! Invita a tus amigos, familiares o vecinos a una noche de comer cangrejo, rifas y mucho más. ¡Sigue el enlace y compra tus boletos hoy mismo! Evento: Sábado 24 de enero de 2026 | Apertura de puertas a las 6:30pm.

Master Kong has opened in Clackamas. A reader emailed me the other day with the news. “Apparently they’ve been open for close to a month now, but was pleasantly surprised to see a grand opening banner waving proudly next to the giant Clackamas Target entrance.” This is now their third location. Here’s the Yelp page. 8982 SE Sunnyside Road, Clackamas

Fuji’s Dough & Ramen has opened in Vancouver. They offer sushi, ramen, donburi, and poke bowls “with a focus on fresh ingredients and simple comfort food.” Their opening day was Friday, January 9, and right now their entire food menu is 20% off. This special pricing goes until Wednesday, January 28 and is applicable to dine-in or takeout. NB: drinks are not part of the special pricing. 305 SE Chkalov Drive #105, Vancouver

Handel’s has also opened in Mill Plain. No, it’s not that guy who wrote “The Messiah” (this is the best recording of that piece, NGL), it’s an ice cream chain with origins in Youngstown, Ohio. I believe this is their first location in Washington but there are multiple locations in Oregon. They have soft opened, and will have their grand opening tomorrow, January 17. 530 SE 192nd Avenue, Vancouver

Bonne Chance is closing. Their final day of service will be Saturday, February 14, and they have a pretty positive attitude about it all (it’s “a celebration, not a memorial”). They plan to party down until they close, and urge you to stop by with friends to enjoy their food, drinks, space, and company. “We have some fun parties & tastings set up and will bring back some menu classics on our way out.” 2209 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Bagel-ish is popping up soon. They are pushing the boundaries of bagels far and beyond, “flipping the bagel game on its head.” Apparently, “Bagel-ish lives in the space between a roll and a bagel—softer, more flavorful, still chewy, still toastable, and built for real life.”

They’ll be at the Mayfly Bottle Shop on Saturday, January 24 from noon to 3pm-ish. According to them, you’ll find:

• Intentionally non-traditional bagels.
• Wild, unexpected schmears.
• House-made roasted peanut butter.
• Warm bagels to eat on site and to take home for later (including schmears!).
• Bagel flavors they’ve teased are Birthday Cake, Cajun Street Corn, and Pistachio Salted Caramel.

In their words, “If you’re into trying things you’ve never seen before… this one’s for you.” It sounds like a David Lynch film in a bagel. 8350 N Fenwick Avenue, Portland

The G.O.A.T Bar has closed. Looks like they shuttered at the end of 2025. “What a ride it’s been at 5201 NE Sandy Blvd. From Who’s On First with Rockin’ Ron & Sharon, to Sheridan’s 52nd Avenue Sports Pub with Chris & Kirsten, to The GOAT Bar with Mark & Paula, it’s been a cherished neighborhood bar for decades … Thank you for all the business and great memories in this location.” One of their other bars is The Mule Bar. 5201 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Ma Cher has a new home. They’ll operating out of Cafe Olli every Sunday and Monday from 5:30pm to 9pm. First day of service is Sunday, January 25. “We are switching over to an a la carte menu format, and a walk-in only model. Think the vibe and format of Pastificio but with humble, traditional Cajun fare.” Big congrats to Chase and Maggie on this next phase of their delicious work! 3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland

Kita Steak & Ribs (AKA Pho Kita) soft reopens tomorrow. They moved from Hillsboro to Beaverton for their next chapter and are pretty excited to open their doors again. They are a very well-regarded steakhouse run by a local Vietnamese family. Ben Coleman wrote a great article about them last spring. Happy to see them thrive! 4105 SW Orbit Street, Unit 110, Beaverton

Breakside Brewery Dekum welcomes Farmer and the Beast. Starting this weekend, Farmer and the Beast will operate out of the Breakside kitchen. Their smash burgers are much lauded by places like Eater and The Oregonian. Also look for sandwiches, salads, rotating specials, and a kid’s menu. You can read more over on Instagram. 820 NE Dekum Street, Portland

This evening’s Chisme menu looks so good! It’s split into Flautas and Not Flautas sections of the menu.

Flautas:

• Sweet Potato and Parmaggiano with salsa de cacahuate.
• Shrimp and Pork Belly with salsa macha aioli.
• Duck Confit Enchilado with salsa de escabeche.

Not Flautas:

• Pork Belly Chicharron and Guac.
• Cabbage Curtido.
• Frijoles Divorciados.
• And 70% Valhrona chocolate chip cookies.

The menu is for today only, over at Duality Brewing, 4pm to 9pm. 715 NE Lawrence Avenue, Portland

Brave Neighbor turns one. Yep, it’s been a year since they opened their cafe in the space adjacent to Spin Laundromat. I have one of their lattes most weekends when I’m there doing laundry. On Saturday, January 17, they are having an all day celebration to mark their first year in business.

And that means prizes to every 25th customer, from local Mississippi Ave businesses: a $50 gift card to Rose City Comics, a $50 gift card to rock.paper.scissors, and a $75 gift card to Sloan Boutique. Brave Neighbor will have new BN swag, too. 750 N Fremont Street, Portland

Upper Left Roasters has a new space. True Tea is coming along, too, and this location will be their shared HQ. It’s the old Stumptown cold brew facility space in SE Portland. They also have access to the roof. Founder of both Upper Left and True Tea, Katherine Harris, did a video tour of the new place on Instagram. Central Eastside, Portland

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Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Celebrate Robert Burns This Year in Portland
A New Location for Estes in Portland’s Concordia Neighborhood
Rhinestone Brunch Launches This Month in Portland
Original Dream Pizza Has Reopened in Portland