Small Bites: Gumba Soft Reopens, Sanguiche, Yen Ha, and More

Gumba soft reopens Saturday. Great news! Gumba soft reopens at their new location tomorrow at 5pm. You can make your reservation on their Tock page. 2203 NE Alberta Street, Portland

New spring salad at Fresh Love. And it sounds pretty dang good, especially since I love a good chopped salad. Their Spring Green Chopped Salad is made with a base of organic romaine, radicchio and spinach blend; then there’s pepperoncini, chopped green olives, pickled celery, cheddar, organic avocado, and they finish it off with their house Green Goddess dressing. 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Cheap burritos, Portland haz them. Neil Ferguson at Willamette Week found some $10 burritos. There’s five places, one of which is Smart Donkey. I am grateful for that nudge, as I’ve been meaning to stop in for a while now. Read more about these burritos you can get by dropping a Hamilton (or less), here. Multiple locations

Ames Meat Research is in their new location. They opened Saturday, May 21 at their new spot next to the Little Blue Store. Access to cart is best from 30th Street side. Check out their menu, here. 2936 SE Washington Street, Milwaukie

Baguette Bros are getting closer to opening. Check out their Instagram for some updated images of the space—plus, they are hiring. 7028 SW Nyberg Street, Tualatin

Bun Bandits have adjusted their hours as the team continues to scale and refine their operations. For now, they’ll be open Fridays and Saturdays, and closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sunday hours are expected to start in mid-April—so stay tuned and be sure to support this awesome women-run business! 4419 SW Multnomah Blvd, Portland

Portland-Weird-Good. The NY Times again (gift link) focused on Portland, with Melissa Locker writing, “the city offers a high quality of life with easy access to nature.” She highlighted some places to eat and drink, including Akadi, Pip’s, and Gabbiano’s on the food side; Bar Martina, Multnomah Whiskey Library, and Pink Rabbit on the drinking side.

It’s helpful to have an outlet like the NY Times focus a constructive eye on Portland. But I also wonder, did the writer visit Portland to write this article or did she do it from a distance? I am curious. Multiple locations

Better late than never: Sanguiche. They opened officially at the start of February in Gresham. Located in the old Hap Steam Healthy Cuisine space, they offer east coast style subs and sandwiches, “everything from Classic Italian to Garlic Aoli Turkey.” You can see the breadth of what they offer on their website—including cannoli on Wednesdays. 134 NW 3rd Street, Gresham

Aura Dorada will open later this year. This is a new project from entrepreneurs Natalia Martinez and Jorge Andrade. They have “a deep love for hospitality, culture, and community” and the project is a 100% Latino-owned concept.

This is a good summary of Aura Dorada: “By morning, Aura Dorada welcomes the city with exceptional coffee, warm energy, and a place where conversations begin. As the sun sets, the space evolves into an intimate cocktail bar, offering thoughtfully crafted drinks, curated music, and an atmosphere designed for connection.” They aim to open “in the heart of downtown” in early May. Exact location TBD

Kove Island Comfort Kitchen has soft opened. They are in the space that was formerly Shaka Brah Grill. Kove is from the same people who run Let’s Roll, known for their sushi burritos and poké. There they “serve the dishes we’ve always dreamed of but just needed the space for.” 811 NW Murray Blvd, Portland

Bryan Vance of Stumptown Savings was interviewed in WW. Nice to see this interview by Garrett Andrews of Bryan, where they chat about grocery shopping (“WinCo is the cheapest store in town, week in, week out,” says Bryan) and Stumptown Savings, Bryan’s newsletter dedicated to helping you save money at the supermarket. You can read the full interview over at WW.

Vegan food returns to Irvington with Lilla. A Bridgetown Bites tipster directed me to an Instagram Story on the Lilla account, which clearly shows them in the old Broadway Pizza Shoppe space—which used to be Blossoming Lotus before that. Lilla offers plant-based pizza and pasta, and is very well-regarded. No idea when they will open there, but I’m guessing sometime this spring. 1713 NE 15th Avenue, Portland

Tom’s Restaurant and Bar caught fire. It happened in the kitchen yesterday morning; the fire spread from the grill to the roof. The bar is open but the restaurant is not. Tom’s Restaurant served me one of the best patty melts I’ve ever had. The restaurant’s namesake, Tom Belesiu, passed away last summer at the age of 92. Odd coincidence, too: This 1994 a capella performance of Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega showed up in my feed this week. 3871 SE Division Street, Portland

Local milk has arrived at Oregon City Market. They now sell Garry’s Meadow Fresh All-Jersey Dairy from Lady Lane Farm in their little market in downtown Oregon City. Milk, chocolate milk, cream and the limited seasonal strawberry milk are all available now. 610 Main Street, Suite A, Oregon City

Cliff’s PDX plans to open next month. Word on the street is that their new spot on NE Alberta is slated to open second week of April. 2934 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Roste Chocolate House is a Good Food Awards finalist. They are finalists in the Good Food Awards for their gianduia. Big congrats! 475 NW 14th Avenue, Portland

Burger Syndicate will open in downtown Portland. They’ll be in Ankeny Alley where Angelina’s Greek Gyros was. They offer smash burgers, waffle fries, and chicken sandwiches. It looks like they will open very soon.. 221 SW Ankeny Street, Portland

Ding & Spice has opened. Looks like March 10 was their first day. I’ve seen some influencers post about them lately, too. The menu looks good, offering Sichuan dishes, including dumplings and hot pot, and craft cocktails. I do love Pork Wontons in Chili Oil (White Bear #6 is my standard, iykyk) and I’ll have to stop in soon to try them. Seemed they took a while, but I’m glad to see their doors open and people enjoying. 3500 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Timothy Wastell is Old Pal’s new chef. Great news from Old Pal about their new partnership with James Beard Award-winning chef, Timothy Wastell. Last year he won the award for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) when he was at Antica Terra in Amity, Oregon. From the announcement by Old Pal:

“He’s our favorite cook on the planet and we can’t wait for him to become yours as well. This partnership has been more than a decade and a half in the making and feels every bit of perfect timing. There are many many exciting plans and special events to come this year and beyond. Stay tuned and come visit soon.” I’m excited to see what’s next. 3350 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Souvlaki Queen has been downtown for a little over a year, now. March 15 was their first anniversary in this tiny space across from Big Pink. Souvlaki Queen chef-owner Alexandra Jones serves up souvlaki, of course, as well as Greek village salad (horiatiki, different from the romaine-based American-style Greek Salad), fakes (lentil soup), fresh pita, baklava, and more.

Alexandra offers big, beautiful flavors that far outpace the size of her space. The Oregonian also wrote up a short piece on Souvlaki Queen. Check it out. 211 SW 6th Avenue, Portland

Eldorado will open in the old Lollipop Shoppe/Dig a Pony space. This is another project from Quinn Matthewstearn (Side Eye, Panther Club, Nevermind, among others) along with Nate “Theo” Theobold (Panther Club). Portland Monthly has some details: The name is a nod to the first car Quinn ever owned, a 1979 Cadillac Eldorado; drinks include craft cocktails and wine; food includes “burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, chicharrones, and fried chicken sandwiches.” Read more here. 736 SE Grand Avenue, Portland

East Coast Eddie’s had their ribbon cutting yesterday. They have moved into the Carts at Xplore pod. With the shuttering of Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks, it’s good to have cheesesteak options. Here’s their menu. 16365 NW Twin Oaks Drive, Beaverton

Franz Bakery celebrates 120 years. While the bakery tours have sold out, you can still stop by their anniversary block party and celebration lunch. It’s on Tuesday, April 14 from 9am to 3pm. Just follow the smell of baking bread. 340 NE 11th Ave⁠nue, Portland

Guay Tiew has soft opened. We first wrote about them back in late 2024, so it’s very satisfying to see them finally open. Their soft opening was Wednesday, March 25. They have their menu up online, which includes Thai snacks, rice dishes, and noodle soups. 330 NW 10th Avenue, Portland

And Kha Moo is getting ready to open. Not to be confused with Khao Moo Dang (also from the folks behind Guay Tiew), Kha Moo is connected to La Moon Khao Man Gai. Kha Moo looks like they want to be a bar with Thai food that goes well with drinking. I hear that it’s a pretty big space, and that they are still working on it. This location was home to Thai Avenue. 6618 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

The Old Yen Ha appears to have new life. I have seen serious work being done at the old Yen Ha recently, there on NE Sandy and 68th. They closed October 21, 2019 (pre-pandemic times); later that fall, a note suggested they might reopen in a new location (related: Chem Gio is run by previous owners of Yen Ha). I actually reached out to Chem Gio and learned that they are not associated with activity in the old Yen Ha space.

There has also been speculation that whatever is going on in there is courtesy of the Mekha folks, who have a restaurant just a few doors to the east (check out the mural on the side of the building). But a tipster told me that he learned that this space is not a project from Mekha, despite the fact that Mekha’s Chau Tran owns both properties. That said, the tipster also learned that the food will be similar (Mekha serves Vietnamese food).

Another tipster wrote, “Looks nearly complete inside.” While they were doing work on the exterior I saw one of the old Yen Ha awning signs highlighting their Bò 7 món—Vietnamese 7 Courses of Beef. The new people haven’t decided on a name yet. 6820 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

A new bar cart is coming to Delta Carts Food Pod. Rain & Rye will set up shop over at the Delta Park pod and they look to open in early April. 1223 N Hayden Meadows Drive, Portland

And just across the way, Sumo Sushi: Update. Looks like they are looking at four more months of work before they can open in that old Shari’s. 9730 N Whitaker Road, Portland

CSA Demystified. If you missed the CSA Share Fair, or need more info on the whole CSA thing before pulling the trigger, the CSA Demystified event from the people at PNWCSA may be exactly what you are looking for! It’s a free event in a welcoming atmosphere to learn how Community Supported Agriculture works and how it can fit into your life.

Things you’ll get to learn about include how to choose the right CSA, meal planning tips for the produce you’ll get, and how to reduce food waste. And really, how to make the most of your share. The event is Wednesday, April 1 from 6pm to 7pm at Kitchen Culture. And they are doing another one on Tuesday, April 21 at the Kennedy School! You can RSVP for the April 1 event here, and the April 21 event here. 6300 SE Foster Road, Suite A and 5736 NE 33rd Avenue, Portland

Berlu Night Market has returned. It launched Thursday, March 12 and happens every Thursday from 5pm to 8pm. They’ll offer their take on Vietnamese street food, there will be Vietnamese-inspired cocktails and some beer. A little bit more about it from Vince:

“We began Night Market during the pandemic, offering a progressive approach to some Vietnamese street foods I enjoyed during trips to Vietnam. We’re going to upgrade from our original Night Market experience, offering dine-in seating, as well as the addition of beer and cocktails. While the food menu will have traditional Vietnamese dishes accented with Western touches, the cocktail menu will be reversed…think chanh muối (preserved/salted meyer lemon) gin & tonic or a cà phê trứng (egg coffee) inspired espresso martini.”

Walk-ups only. 661 SE Belmont Street, Portland

A new downtown Vancouver food cart pod? According to The Columbian, “Provision Group LLC wants to build a 10-cart pod on Daniels Street near Esther Short Park.” Read more here. 910 Daniels Street, Vancouver

This drink sounds delish. Over at Upper Left Roasters they are making—for a limited time—a raspberry danish latte. It’s espresso, housemade raspberry sauce, and topped with cream cheese cold foam. 204 SE Clay Street, Portland

Slow Haste’s newest specialty menu—plus a Masa pop-up—drops Saturday. The guys at Slow Haste have a bunch of great new drinks on their specialty menu that you can access starting tomorrow. There’s the Guava and Fresh Basil latte (sweet guava + herbal basil); Funfetti Latte (vanilla + almond + butter + sugar); Raspberry and Toasted Almond latte (bright fruit + round, almond depth); and Blackberry and Mango Sparkling Matcha (tropical sweetness + blackberry tartness + earthy matcha and sparkling).

And Masa is popping both weekend days with the following: strawberry cruffin, raspberry nest, tomato and basil danish, cremini mushroom danish, almond croissant, pain au chocolat, and canela roll. They note: “Pastries will be available a little after we open, around 7:30, but will not be available right at open, so plan accordingly!” 2341 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Astera’s expansion opened officially last weekend. On Saturday, March 21, Astera launched service in their new dining room next door, which was home to Nectaris wine bar for a while. They closed in December 2025, anticipating this expansion of Astera. Chef Aaron Casañas was thrilled with how well the opening went, too. Glad to see such joy in this change. He also shared these details:

“Along with the new dining room, we’ve done a reorganization of the kitchen along with the building of a beautiful chef’s pass. Service will now run out of the main kitchen as it was meant to, allowing for more à la minute cooking and innovation. The [former] Astera dining room will start being available in May for private dining and special dinners. We’re calling that space ‘Asteroid.’ More to come on that too.” 1403 SE Belmont Street, Portland

And speaking of Nectaris: Tapas & Wine with Verdure and Veganizer. Veganizer PDX has put together a series of evenings of tapas and wine with Verdure (“Nicaraguan flavors and Spanish tapas with PNW seasonal flair”) and Nectaris (wine and NA drinks). Mestizo is hosting them.

This dinner is going to be held on four nights: Sunday and Monday, March 29 and 30 and April 5 and 6. There is one seating, at 5pm each night and it’s $65 per ticket. That includes a five-course seasonal tapas menu (vegan and GF) by Verdure with drink pairing curated by Nectaris that you can purchase a la carte. More information and a ticket link is on the Veganizer website. 2910 SE Division Street, Portland

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Stories you may have missed on Bridgetown Bites this week:

Easter 2026 in Portland: Chocolates, Brunch, and More
Pinolo Gelato Drops “Melody” for Gelato Day in Portland
Angelina’s Will Open in Slabtown in Portland
Passover 2026 in Portland: Eats, Treats, and Celebrations
Vya Brings Tapas, Vegan Paella, and More To Southeast Portland