Small Bites: Taqueria Mexa, Deals, Dediko, Ice Cream, and More

Taqueria Mexa is opening a second location. They’ll be taking over the Poblano Pepper space by PSU. They have a location on NE 82nd Avenue—right next to where Florence of Nana’s Exquisite Confections was (she’s got a new spot further down 82nd, opening soon)—and their food is really good. We took some home one day and absolutely loved it.

This is a great addition to Southwest Portland. They’ll be open every day starting at 10am, and closing at 8pm on Sundays, 9pm Monday through Thursday, and 10pm on Friday and Saturday. 1921 SW 6th Avenue, Portland

Beaux Berry has moved … And they’re inside Tacovore! They’d been outside Tacovore on the east side of the building for a number of years, but have moved inside. Their location is in the southeastern corner of the building, basically right across the walkway from where the cart was. “We’re so excited for this next chapter and can’t wait to welcome you into our new space.” Congrats! 3707 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Yacht Rock Sundays. Every Sunday until the end of September from 6pm to 8pm is time for Yacht Rock at the Metropolitan Tavern. “We’re bringing the beach to the rooftop. Enjoy tunes from DJ Vinny, slushies, and yummy skewers by Chef Joey.” Sounds like a good way to hang for a couple of hours. 1021 NE Grand Avenue, #600, Portland

Why is coffee crema so important? This article tells you why. It’s a look and smell thing that indicates to us that this is a good cup of coffee. BTW, I first read this article on Seabird, which is founded by at least one Portlander. Online

Clark’s Coffee put a ring on it. They signed the lease for the space on SE Belmont and SE 34th Avenue (formerly home to Stumptown Coffee). “Shout out to everyone for the BIG support and continuous belief in what we are trying to do here in the coffee scene. This neighborhood and our neighbors are phenomenal! Ricky and I are beyond proud and excited for what’s to come!” 3356 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Sleepover Pizza will close. Really sorry to hear about this one. The owner expressed brief thoughts about the challenges involved with running the pizzeria. Their last day is today, Friday, from 5pm to 8pm. Best of luck to Aaron on whatever is next. 6935 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Today is the final Affogato Apertivo Hour of summer 2026. Head to the Roseline cafe in Montogomery Park between 2pm and 5pm; Pinolo Gelato will be involved. “We’ll be celebrating the last bits of summer with cool tunes, gelato, affogatos, matchagatos, and more! Swing by for a cup of coffee or gelato and enter to win a raffle prize!” 12701 NW Vaughn Street, Suite 102, Portland

El Mariachi Mexican Grill has opened in Sellwood/Westmoreland. This replaced Stickers Asian Cafe. Neighbors have been wanting a Mexican restaurant nearby for some time, so they seem very happy about the arrival of El Mariachi. 6808 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

Start thinking about mooncakes. If you can believe it, the Mid-Autumn Festival is only about a month away. And that means Mooncakes. Stop by Fubonn for these delicious things, as they are arriving currently. Plus, as we get closer to the festival, there will be some lantern-building events at Fubonn.

Other place you’ll no doubt be able to find mooncakes include the independent Mei Sum Bakery, King’s Bakery, and Li Min Bakery & Bistro. Costco will likely have them, as well as Ranch 99, Hong Phat, Uwajimaya, and SF Supermarket, among others. There will be a big Mid-Autumn celebration at SF Supermarket, too, on Saturday and Sunday September 12 and 13. Multiple locations

And about that $2.50 bánh mì at Fubonn we mentioned last week. Yvette Chau checked it out, and liked it. You can see her review, here. 2850 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

End of summer party = fun at CORE. Head to the CORE food hall on Sunday, August 30 to give summer a quality sendoff. There will be “live music, food and drink specials from select carts and the Publican Beer Room, and activities for the kids including a bubble machine and a coloring station!” I’m an adult and that bubble machine sounds pretty great.

Live music will be by Joanna Lee from noon to 2pm, Johnny the Franco from 5pm to 7pm. 3612 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

End of Summer Dock Sale = deals. It happened yesterday and will happen again on Thursday, September 3 from 3pm to 6pm, so mark your calendar. At the Olympia Provisions HQ, they’ll be joined by Straightaway Cocktails, Ranger Chocolate, Salt & Straw, and Oyatsupan for some good deals.

“Expect end-of-summer discounts, exclusive sale-day deals, pasture-raised pork, sausages, chocolate, cocktails, ice cream, bread, pantry favorites + more. Come hungry. Bring a bag. Don’t miss it.” 123 SE 2nd Avenue, Portland

More deals: G-Love’s anniversary. Today is their 7-year anniversary so they have created a menu of $7 classic dishes, cocktails, and wine for tonight only. “$7 Crusty Avocado, $7 fingerling potatoes, $7 Ensalata Bomba, $7 cocktails!!! And more!!!” 1615 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

Dediko turns 7, too. This is a great Georgian restaurant in Vancouver, making some seriously delicious food. “What started as a small dream has become so much more because of the people who have walked through our doors. To our guests who have shared meals, celebrated milestones, brought friends and family, and continued to come back—thank you for making our little gem so special.”

And special, it is. I think I need to stop by soon. 210 W Evergreen Blvd, Suite 700, Vancouver

Screaming Sammies is taking a break. Gary is taking a little time away from the ice cream sandwich biz to help a friend in need who has MS. His late wife was tragically killed by a driver while she was on her bike, so friends are stepping up to help him during this difficult time.

MS is a terrible disease. Coincidentally, our friend Daniel Rios—who worked in the kitchen at Sebastiano’s for a number of years—is participating in the upcoming Bike MS fundraiser. I encourage you to support him with your donations. Online

Bing Mi moves their cart fully to Pioneer Square. They’l be leaving Midtown Beer Garden; their final day of service there is Saturday, September 19. “It’s been the plan to only keep one cart and one brick and mortar for Bing Mi so this is a positive move for us.” 701 SW 6th Avenue, Portland

Fomo Chicken and friends are also moving, but temporarily. Pod 28 is ramping up their renovations, this means the carts have to move elsewhere for a bit. I think it’s going to be nice after the improvements go in—a covered seating area, fire pits, ADA bathrooms, and more. So Fomo Chicken, Kontao Thai, and Tobiko Bowl are all going to go to the 28th Parallel Food Carts on NE 28th and Glisan.

The last day of service for Pod 28 is Sunday, September 13. They expect the renovations to take at least three months. 2810 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Rose City Social Club opens officially on Saturday. They had a VIP event last weekend, soft opened this week with food and craft cocktails, and their Grand Opening Event is tomorrow—DM them on Instagram for more info (details are being kept close to the vest). This is the former location of Doc Marie’s. 203 SE Grand Avenue, Portland

Oak Union Brewing will open in Milwaukie in October. They’ll be in the old Rexall building that’s been under renovation for months. They’ll be joining Babcia Bread, a new pizzeria, and the Bridge City Improv, among others. Good news that the historic soda fountain will remain intact, taken over by Fizz and Sip, home to dirty sodas. 10909 SE Main Street, Portland

MILKVUE pints have arrived at Uwajimaya in Beaverton. Ice cream flavors include Black Sesame, Hojicha, Li-Hing Pineapple, Thai Tea, Ube Cookies & Cream, and White Rabbit. Yum. 10500 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, Beaverton

Speaking of ice cream. I was at Roseway Safeway the other night and saw that they have those Icenova fruit-shaped ice cream novelties: mango, strawberry, and peach. I have been wanting to try them for a while.

I got the mango. And wow, so good! It lives up to the hype. I look forward to trying the peach and strawberry. 6901 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Verdure is staying at Malpractice. The cocktail bar Malpractice has had a rotating kitchen residency for a little while, but now they’ve found a solid match. Verdure, which has been there most recently, will officially continue on in the kitchen every Sunday from 4pm to 8pm.

“Throughout the residency, Adolfo’s contemporary vegan cooking quickly became a favorite at Malpractice, with a constantly evolving menu built around seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Seeing how much you all embraced Verdure made us realize we weren’t ready to say goodbye either.” 77 SE Yamhill Street, Portland

Toasted S’mores Bar opens in Vancouver this weekend. This is the sister restaurant to the Portland location. Saturday, August 29 is opening day and you can enjoy half off s’mores from 3pm to 4pm, plus “on-site screen printing and limited-edition merch all day long!” Starting hours will be Thursday through Sunday. 1813 Main Street, Vancouver

Warriors of Wyrd + Great American Video & Espresso. The good folks over at Wyrd Leather and Mead, who relocated to Milwaukie this year, want to help out a fellow Milwaukie small business: Great American Video & Espresso. The “massive meetup” is happening this Sunday, August 30 at noon:

“They have been hit incredibly hard by the ongoing road construction, with city closures blocking their entrances and cutting off their livelihood. The city has offered them no aid to our knowledge, so we are raising the banners of Wyrd and showing up in force!”

They plan is to dress up in “our finest garb, armor, or medieval attire” and “buy their amazing coffee, delicious ice cream, and treats,” with the aim to have them attain the status of “sold out” for the day. Great American also has swag: custom t-shirts, coffee cups, gift cards, and more.

There’s more info on Wyrd’s Facebook event page. I hope you can join them! 6130 SE King Road, Milwaukie

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Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Jade Rabbit Is Moving to SE Hawthorne in Portland
Labor Day Weekend 2026: Eats, Drinks, and Happenings in Portland
Bossa, a Brazilian Cafe and Bar, Will Open in NW Portland
Touring the Mindaro Campus, Plus Jawfish Noms in Portland (Photos)

We lost a number of people this week: Tim Curry, Yayoi Kusama, and Dolly Parton. It hurts, and RIP to all of these greats. We are lucky to have had them in our lives.