Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, April 2026

Welcome to April 2026’s review of top 5 posts for the month. It was all about restaurant/eatery openings but spanned a range of places: fine dining, fast food, a food cart pod, a brasserie, and a single dessert cart on Sauvie Island.

As far as traffic goes, it honestly wasn’t as great as some other months, but those are the breaks. It is possible that we got a delayed hit from the March 2026 Google search algorithm update, which historically does not favor smaller pub. As far as unique visitors and page views go, in April 2026 the numbers are a little over 50,000 and a a little over 68,000, respectively.

That said, there was a lot of engagement in other ways—through reader tips, comments on the blog, comments on social media, and offline conversations as well, which is one thing AI can’t do much about.

As always, thanks for reading, commenting, sharing, and for your tips!

5. Hua Hin Will Bring Thai Fine Dining To Southeast Portland

Top posts for April 2026 include this story about Hua Hin, a fine dining Thai restaurant in SE Portland. This is the entrance to the restaurant, though the glass doors.

In early March, a Bridgetown Bites tipster told me that there was going to be a new restaurant in the space that was recently home to Phaya Thai Express—and that it was going to be a “Thai fine dining” concept. Then late last month I learned the new restaurant’s name: Hua Hin. I reached out to the owner, Ize Piyanut (Sampaotong), to learn more, and we spent a little time chatting about what’s to come there.

4. Division Street Dairy Queen Appeal: In Favor of the Applicant

Top posts for April 2026 include this sketch of the front and side view of a planned Dairy Queen. It's definitely more boring than the what it will replace.

Just last week I was wondering about the results of the February 25, 2026 appeal regarding the Division Street Dairy Queen and its drive-thru. On Friday afternoon, a reader sent me the decision made by the Hearings Officer—and it was in favor of the Applicant, Mohan Grewal. In the words of Hearings Officer Marisha Childs, “The Appellant did not prevail in this appeal.”

3. Fremont Garage: Bar and Food Carts Coming To NE Fremont in Portland

After first spying the plans for this food cart pod almost two and a half years ago, Fremont Garage will open Memorial Day weekend. It was great to receive this news earlier this month, and I think this pod will be a really nice addition to the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood. I has the chance to chat with Daniel Silvey and Tyler Caffall last week to get updated on the project, and here is what I learned.

2. Say When Opens Today in Northwest Portland

A new restaurant and bar called Say When opens today, offering “blue collar French food and drink.” It’s from the same folks who brought you Sit Tite in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood, which offers “blue-collar East Coast Italian fare.” I had a chance to chat with co-owner BJ Smith over the weekend to hear more about Say When, and here is what I learned.

1. New Zealand-Style Ice Cream Is Coming To Sauvie Island This Summer

Last month I heard about some plans to bring New Zealand-style ice cream to Columbia Farms U-Pick on Sauvie Island starting this summer. We’ve known there’s an interest in this style of ice cream in Portland through Nico’s and Beaux Berry, and it’s great to see it poised to arrive on Sauvie Island. I spoke to Steven Hallstone—his wife’s family runs the farm where the berries are sourced and the ice cream will be sold—to learn more about this delicious project.