Jade Rabbit Is Moving to SE Hawthorne in Portland

Earlier this month, Cyrus Ichiza, founder and head chef at Jade Rabbit—Portland’s queer-run, worker-owned vegan Pan-Asian restaurant and teahouse—shared the news that the restaurant is moving from its home on SE Belmont Street to a new, 3,000 square foot space on SE Hawthorne. The location was a little bit of a mystery at first, but I figured out where they are going to be: The old Afterlife space across from Tov Coffee. That was later confirmed in a press release.

I chatted with Cyrus last week to learn more about their move at Jade Rabbit itself, and here is what we talked about.

Note: Jade Rabbit’s final day of service at their Belmont location was Sunday, August 23. They’ll open in the new space on Thursday, August 27 with plant-based dim sum, pan-Asian cuisine, tea cocktails, and traditional gaiwan tea service.

Some Jade Rabbit History

Jade Rabbit started out in 2017 as the vegan bistro Ichiza Kitchen, operating in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. They offered vegan versions of classic dishes like Filipino adobo stew, Lanzhou noodle soup, kimchi gyoza, shu mai, and others.

In 2021, Cyrus changed the name to Jade Rabbit, and they moved a number of times. “I tried to move to Killingsworth when the pandemic hit,” Cyrus said. “And then I kept trying to figure it out every couple of years.” They ran into various challenges along the way—limited space and limited time, among other things. Eventually they popped up at Aimsir Distilling Company, which closed suddenly, yielding a complicated situation.

“After [our time at Aimsir Distilling Company], we decided to be a worker co-op, establish ourselves as our own LLC separate from hanging on as the pop-up kitchen in the distillery after it closed.” That led them to their space on SE Belmont.

Cyrus told me that the SE Belmont space used to be a gas station, and also said that it wasn’t really set up to easily operate a restaurant in there. So the Hawthorne space, which has been a restaurant and a bar, is much more suited to their work. They’re really excited about that.

“it feels like a world difference!” exclaimed Cyrus.

Equitable Wage Initiative at Jade Rabbit

Along with being a worker co-op, the restaurant also implemented its Equitable Wage Initiative, ensuring that every staff member—from dishwasher to head chef—earns the exact same hourly wage.

“Our equitable wage initiative aims to eliminate traditional workplace hierarchies,” said worker-owner Chloe Tatro. She brings a background in nursing and healthcare to the collective. “We strongly believe our new home on Hawthorne will provide the growth needed to make profit sharing and healthcare an achievable reality in the near future, not just a distant goal.”

Jade Rabbit: What’s in a Name?

I was curious to know why Cyrus named the restaurant, “Jade Rabbit.” Perhaps it’s obvious, but my curiosity got the best of me.

“In Tao, and even before Tao, there’s a folklore of the rabbit in the moon that makes the celestial elixirs for the gods and the people, and transmits it down the way,” Cyrus explained. “Also, in folklore, it influenced the first person with medicine to put medicine in dumplings and feed it to the people.”

I’ll add that when I look at the full moon, more often than not I see the rabbit vs. the man.

“Also, I’m a very modified human being, ” he added. “I have large piercings and they’re all usually filled with jade!” he exclaimed. “So it’s evocative of many different sectors of what this really means and what we’re looking at.”

Veganism in Medicine and Dining Philosophies

“I think of veganism as a medicine food in food culture,” said Cyrus. “Because for our planet, for the animals, and for ourselves, a vegan modality of cuisine is the way of the future. Especially with meat is expensive as hell— and it’s only going to get higher.

“Especially in food traditions that are meat-heavy, like Chinese and Filipino, they have a lot of influence on much of our cuisine at the restaurant. We ask, ‘What other options are there for that cuisine?’ And I think that it’s important to carry on food traditions and trigger nostalgia still at the table in a restaurant, because I believe in dining culture, that it should still do something when you’re at the table. 

“I love pizza joints and burger joints and there’s tons of vegan junk food out there, but I really wanted to put my foot in it. I’m from the South, so that’s what you say—you put your foot in it, you know?”

Jade Rabbit: The Move

Since they are worker-owned, they decided as a group to move. “We decided that we needed more security for the future in our lease,” explained Cyrus. “Also, there were so many things to be desired for the Belmont space that were addressed immediately with the Hawthorne space. And especially for the other worker owners, that was something that was a no-brainer.”

At the Belmont location they were dealing with both HVAC issues and problems with the physical space, so a move was both a necessary and wanted thing.

Jade Rabbit: The New Location

As I mentioned above, they’ll be moving into the space that most recently held the bar Afterlife. Afterlife got into a bit of a pickle, and we wrote about it this past June in an edition of Small Bites:

“It seems they owe a lot of back rent: $21,945.12 in total, according to a document on the door of the bar from Spot Properties, the property management company there (as per Reddit). They have terminated the lease and taken possession of the premises. On Afterlife’s Instagram they posted that the bar is temporarily closed and ‘We’ll be back… Stay tuned.’”

Clearly, they did not return.

The Interior at the New Jade Rabbit

At one point, this space was also the location of one of the Harlow restaurants, too. I noticed in a video Cyrus had posted that there was some nice wallpaper by the entrance, but it’s mostly dark in there (Afterlife painted much of the interior black). “I did love that space on when it was Harlow,” said Cyrus. “I ate countless brunches with family and friends there. And I loved some of the areas and some of the vibe that it has.”

He’s looking to adjust out of the dark vibe and add a splash of pastels—maybe some of them even light jade-colored. “It will give it some freshness,” he explained. “I’ll bring in some plants, some bamboo, just to give it some drama—lighten the space up, you know?”

He plans to keep the booths over on the side, which will, for one, make it easier to wheel over dim sum carts. “It feels like the space already has a good flow and we’re just putting our own signature onto it,” he said. “I didn’t want to get rid of the beautiful wood, emblematic of the bar. I loved it when it was all white and hanging plants.”

Additionally, one of their staff is a tatto artist and is planning a mural on the back wall.

As far as seating, they will start with 70 seats, but there are combinations and plans.  “I’m going to start with one round table with Lazy Susan, but I might have a few more.” Time in the space will help them come to some of the other decisions they are working out, too.

What To Expect at Jade Rabbit’s New Home

I remember in the video they posted that they were really excited about being able to offer a more robust dim sum experience. Cyrus phrased it as a way to “fully embrace its teahouse identity.” And, unlike conventional dim sum, this will all be vegan, meaning everyone can partake—omnivores, vegans, and vegetarians alike.

Fun fact: Over half of Jade Rabbit’s customers are omnivores and local foodies who want something delicious and love the vegan food at Jade Rabbit.

“A lot of people, especially Chinese families that come in—maybe they have a granddaughter that’s vegan or the parents want to take mom out and she’s been vegetarian forever. And oh my god, they just discovered us. They’re confused because it’s a little bit more curated, a little bit more relaxed.”

He added, “But on Saturday and Sunday mornings, hopefully maybe some of that energy comes in and everyone can experience Auntie’s fighting over who’s going to pay the bill, you know?”

Yum Cha

The full dim sum experience is “yum cha,” where you drink tea alongside dim sum with your family and friends, usually on the weekends. Cyrus models his dim sum on Taiwan’s high level, exquisite vegan dim sum. You’ll be able to look forward to an expanded gluten-free menu, as well as Pan-Asian street snacks. Also, their signature sauces, including the popular chili oil and green vinegar, will be available for purchase.

They are also planning a happy hour featuring Gongfu cha tea tastings with premium teas sourced from China and Taiwan. 

Staying on the menu are the chili oil wontons stuffed with vegan beef, the namesake garlic chive-infused Jade Rabbit dumplings, siu mai topped with tapioca roe, and fiery wind noodle soup with 13-herb medicinal broth. The dim sum classics like pineapple custard buns and creative desserts like five-spice carrot cake with pandan cream cheese frosting will also remain.

Veggie Meats

When I lived in Queens, I used to go to a place called Wave Thai, and one of their protein options was what we called “veggie duck,” made from gluten. It was amazing. So, the idea of mock meats is something I welcome. At Jade Rabbit, they use Taiwanese mock meats from Layonna’s Vegetarian. They are well-known for replicating the appearances, flavors, and textures of traditional animal-based proteins. This tradition is rooted in Buddhist and Taoist culinary traditions.

“I remember back in the day, it was only tofu, TVP, and we couldn’t find that mock meat [in conventional places],” said Cyrus. “But Thai places, some Chinese places would have that vegan duck. Vegan duck was the only thing when I first moved to San Francisco.”

At Layonna’s they use non-GMO heirloom soy that has been fermented for a minimum of three years.

“These top-of-the-line vegan proteins create a seamless experience for omnivores eating vegan food,” wrote Curtis. “It also gives longtime vegans the nostalgia of connecting to their heritage through food,” he adds, recalling moments when vegan customers have moved to tears eating adobo for the first time in 15 years. By evoking these rich flavor memories, Jade Rabbit has established itself as a dining destination, bridging tradition with modern vegan cuisine. 

Eating at the New Location

Jade Rabbit’s Chinese American customers in particular have been asking for earlier hours. “You know, dim sum restaurants open at 5am in China,” he remarked. To start, they’ll continue their current hours—noon to 9pm on weekdays, 11am to 9pm on weekends.

After some time has passed and they get settled into this new space, they will consider possibly opening earlier in the day. This would allow them to learn further into the brunch timing of dim sum. Stay tuned for that time tweak.

Drinking at the New Location

To start they’ll focus on tea and mocktails, with alcohol-based cocktails to come.

Tea

Cyrus is looking forward to focusing on tea service, especially at the table. “We have always offered gaiwan-style service at the table,” he explained. “I’ll probably take over doing tea service at the tables for folks, but presenting it and talking about it. But people do their own tea service at the table, too. You know, there’s histories behind a lot of these teas,” he said.

He continued, “Some of our teas have been cloned from 1,200 year old trees. A lot of this is like UNESCO Heritage Site Farms. They are very special.”

“A lot of folks say that my tea is underrated; I think that the tea speaks for itself,” he said. “There are so many tea-heads that come in and they’re blown away by how beautiful the teas are, how beautiful the tea presentation is, and that they’ve never tasted tea so good.”

NA Drinks

I was happy to hear they will continue their mocktail program. Their liquor license is still in process, so at the start they will be working more with their NA side of the drinks menu.

Their current slate of mocktails will continue, but as the seasons change they will make some adjustments. “The season hasn’t changed yet, so we’re not changing items yet,” Cyrus remarked.  And since he notes that vegans are not big on booze—though craft beer and sake are embraced—they enjoy focusing of mocktails, and elixirs, and the like. Cyrus, himself, does not drink, so he loves to see a variety of NA beverages on the menu.

“I feel good still to the day,” said Cyrus. “I’m still wowing people, whether it’s after the club and I’m cooking something fantastic for all the drag queens after a performance, or I’m at the vegan restaurant.”

“Now I’m on the busiest street in Portland!” he exclaimed. “I can’t believe it, it’s so incredible in my mind. Like, what‽ We’re about to be on Hawthorne‽‽” It was really fun to hear the joy in his voice.

All the best to Cyrus and the other owners as they get ready to open up Jade Rabbit on Hawthorne!

Jade Rabbit [reopening August 17, 2026]
3632 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
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