Forage Grove Opens in Downtown Forest Grove

Forage Grove, a new food hall and tap room in downtown Forest Grove, has arrived. The project starts with a mid-century historic building that is a 96-seat public house, gathering together a taproom, food hall and indoor food program, along with food carts outside. And they’ll be celebrating their official opening this weekend.

The Forage Grove Building

From what I can tell, this building at 1921 21st Avenue started its life out in 1940 as the “Apostolic Church in Christ.” A Forest Grove resident says that this building did not appear on the map in 1939. Over the years, it has served as the home to some other church denominations, as well as a dance studio, garden supply store, and post office.

Hey Willamette Valley wrote about this building, ‘The building itself looks nigh indestructible and is a monument to fantastic engineering of yesteryear.” That kind of talk makes me think of my beloved Hell Gate Bridge.

Ridgewalker Brewing opened there in 2020 and closed in November 2024. Pelagic Brewing, which had been operating elsewhere in Forest Grove, moved in March 2025.

A Bit About Pelagic Brewing

Pelagic Brewing was conceived by brothers Ben and Josh Weber, who started off as homebrewers. They brought on their friend Coreen and Josh’s wife, Christina, and the four of them created Pelagic.

“Pelagic” means “relating to, or living in the open sea,” and apparently was the name of the boat they were on when they came up with the idea of the brewery. There, they base their brewing on traditional European beers, but with a PNW twist. They look to the brewing traditions of England, northern France and Belgium, and produce saisons, ales, and IPAs.

After moving into this building last March, they brought Comida KIN into their kitchen in October 2025, initially with brunch, then lunch and dinner. The timing was on their side—as they pivoted to focusing more of their time on brewing, they felt they could put the bar and inside food program into the good hands of the Comida KIN team. 

Comida KIN

I mostly know Comida KIN as one of the vendors during the west side CSA Share Fair (which took place at the end of February, and went well—look for them at the Portland Share Fair on March 15, too). It was founded in 2020 and is owned and operated by chefs Mary Hatz and Rodrigo Huerta. They have impressive collective experience, having spent time in the kitchens of places like The Heathman, Aviary, Little Bird, Toro Bravo, Taylor Railworks, and Taqueria Nueve.

They consider Comida KIN as a “farm forward restaurant-on-wheels,” and while they are there in the kitchen at Forage Grove, their cart continues to be active at events in the area. But whether it’s in the kitchen or in the truck, they use high quality local ingredients from local farmers, ranchers, and producers.

They write, “We are inspired by our Mexican and American heritages and the Pacific Northwest. We strive to integrate traditional Latin American cuisine with the abundance of local agriculture for which the Pacific Northwest has become famous.”

Forage Grove: What’s in a Name?

I had a chance to chat with Rodrigo Huerta from Comida KIN earlier this week and he told me the story about the Forage Grove name, which came about as a suggestion in a marketing meeting. “[They] just popped it up and we’re all like, ‘Well, this kind of sounds great!'” said Rodrigo. “Foraging is not lost on many people in the area. And there’s the definition of ‘forage’ as you walk into this location and there are many options as a customer.” And that’s for both food and drink in a shared space.

On that point of options, they have 32 taps with beer, cider, and wine from six to eight different breweries and wineries. Their aim is to have, in the end, a dozen or so food options that include what’s there currently: Comida KIN in the kitchen and bar, and the carts offering Italian food (pizza, pasta, etc), hot dogs and sausages.

How Forage Grove Came to Be

Essentially, the Pelagic and Comida KIN teams decided they wanted to go beyond their own work and showcase local makers in the space they had on this property.

Cultivating community is a big part of the mission of Forage Grove, and they wanted to create a space where people could easily gather together while enjoying the great food, beer, cider, and wine they were offering. They wanted to breathe new life into the space—for neighbors and visitors alike.

A Gathering Place

As I mentioned earlier, this location was home to Ridgewalker Brewing, offering a place to gather in their taproom. And Pelagic did, too. So how is it different with Forage Grove?

To be honest, at first glance it doesn’t really seem like much is different. There’s the indoor space, the outdoor space (a deck and patio), taps, food (carts and the kitchen), and seating. But what is different is the level of curation and intentional gathering of myriad food and drink elements.

First, there are beverages from multiple local brewers and winemakers that you can choose from. The food program focuses on local ingredients, and will continue to evolve the longer Comida KIN is there (because that is the natural process). The food cart offering will expand. And speaking of expansion, they are looking to build on the outdoor patio that is already there.

Envisioning Events

“We see the potential of what the space can bring as far as opening up to music outside,” explained Rodrigo. “Basically, we want to build on an outdoor patio that’s here. There’s a deck, but also below the deck on the outside level with the food carts is another patio area.”

He continued, “We want to have events and specials to draw people in. But even without that there are multiple options that really give a taste of the local products.” This includes, of course, the beer, cider and wine, possibly locally-made soda like root beer, other drinks like kombucha, and produce and meat from local farms.

I asked Rodrigo what he likes to brag about when it comes to Forage Grove. “We have customers that visit us multiple times a week who are able to just switch it up—what they’re eating and drinking—at the same place. It’s a great space, a warm space, with something new every day as far as the experience goes.”

He also feels Forage Grove’s indoor space is more intimate than another nearby food cart pod. “They have an indoor building, but it’s got a big, open door.” This photo illustrates how big and open that building is. Variety is the spice of life.

Bringing on Local Businesses

Here are some additional specifics on the drinks and eats at Forage Grove.

Beverages

Along with Pelagic and Comida KIN, there are 6 rotational cider taps that feature ciders from both Bull Run Cider and Seven Seeds Seidr. Bull Run makes their cider in Forest Grove. On their website they say, “All of the fruit used in our hard ciders are grown within 100 miles of our cidery, much of which we harvest ourselves.”

Additional beverages include local red and white wines on tap—and they have the potential to have two whites and two reds on tap. Kombucha, as well, from Golden Age Kombucha and Happy Mountain Kombucha. NA beverages aside from kombucha—so, NA beers and cold brew coffee—will be in cans in the fridge.

On the topic of coffee, during brunch they serve coffee from Forest Grove’s own Vík Roasters. “Vík—it’s an Icelandic word. It’s really good coffee,” said Rodrigo. Their beans are ethically sourced and Rodrigo says they take good care of their employees.

Food

Along with Comida KIN’s work in the kitchen, the FG Amore cart is there. They make Italian food including wood-fired pizza, sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads, sides like arancini, and desserts like cannoli. And then there is Franko’s Hot Dogs. They start with dogs and sausages from Thumann’s and Zenner’s, with the option to add cheese, chili, and sauerkraut, among other toppings.

“Each of our partners brings something unique to the table,” said Josh (the owner of Pelagic). And they want to add to that uniqueness with more food carts in the future.

Future Carts

They are actively looking for established carts to join them there at Forage Grove. They boast “a built-in venue with steady foot traffic, shared amenities, and a collaborative environment designed to help small food businesses thrive.”

Carts would get their own parking space, but also access to a commissary kitchen and storage.

More Future Hopes

Rodrigo mentioned some of the hopes, dreams, and intentions surrounding the work of growing the space out for additional uses. One of those uses would be a market/produce stand with retail produce, grown locally. And on that topic of locally-grown veg and fruit, they are able to host a CSA as their distribution site. As a former CSA organizer, the possibility of a covered indoor space is music to my ears.  

A CSA could provide locally-grown produce, and a freezer of local proteins—ground beef, chicken, steaks, etc. Frozen dough could also be possible.

Other local products they have their eyes on are local hot sauces. Franco’s, one of the carts, has a line of mustards that they sell there at Forage Grove. Being able to sell flowers is also appealing.

“So just really keeping the local food, local beverage abundance we have here,” said Rodrigo.

They’d also love to host an open mic night to feature local musicians, and develop Forage Grove’s reputation as a place folks can come and play or listen to weekly.

The Forage Grove Grand Opening

Forage Grove’s grand opening is Saturday, March 7, from noon to 9pm, with a whole day of activities. It’s free to attend, and suitable for all ages.

The ribbon cutting is at 2:30pm and the Forest Grove Chamber of Commerce will be there for that. Additional things of note for the day:

• Raw bar from Oregon Fish Company.
• Wine tasting from Scotch Church Wines.
• Beer and cider tastings from Bull Run Cider and Pelagic Brewing.
• Ale-Paca IPA pours as part of Tap Season.
• Food specials from FG Amore, Franko’s Hot Dogs, and Comida KIN.
• Live music throughout the day, starting at 1pm.

And yes, you read that right: This celebration is also a part of Tap Season from Explore Tualatin Valley, which ends Sunday, March 15. And good news: the Ale Trail Alpacas will also be part of the Forage Grove grand opening celebration—you’ll see them there from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

“We’re eager to welcome the Forest Grove community to Forage Grove,” said Rodrigo, in a press release. “This project is about more than food and drink—it’s about creating a space where people can gather, discover local flavors, and feel at home. We’re proud to breathe new life into this space.”

Rodrigo added, “You should spend some time here! It’s been a pleasure being working with other local businesses and there’s a great camaraderie here. Everybody’s really working together for the same goal and looking out for each other.”

This sounds like a great way to spend some time in Forest Grove and see how the reimagining of the space. I hope Forage Grove is a wild success!

Forage Grove [opening March 7, 2026]
1921 21st Avenue, Forest Grove
Forage Grove website | Instagram