Small Bites: Creo Chocolate, Bicho’s, Pintxes Pintxos, and More

Creo Chocolate Cedar Hills has opened. Their grand opening was Thursday, September 10. For the first week they are open, they will be donating 10% of their sales to the Beaverton Education Foundation. BTW, their bars of 100% cacao are delicious, as are their black lava salted caramels. 2855 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton

Fall Harvest Dinner at Bergerac. On Wednesday and Thursday, September 16 and 17, at 6:30pm, Bergerac is hosting their four-course Fall Harvest Dinner. It is an “ode to fall, featuring grapes, pears, quince, chestnuts, and more” and costs $95 per person. There will also be seasonal cocktails and wine pairings available for $45. Here’s the menu:

• Grapes: Pickled grapes, chicken liver mousse, crostini.
• Squash: Spicy Mediterranean labneh, roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, microgreens, herb drizzle.
• Quince & Chestnuts: Roast pork belly, poached quince, smashed potatoes, chestnuts, mushroom jus.
• Hazelnuts & Pears: Praline hazelnut creme patisserie, poached pear tart & salted caramel drizzle.

You can reserve your spot on their OpenTable page. 5520 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland

HK Smash has opened in Montavilla. This is a new halal restaurant from the folks behind the Somali restaurant, Amaye International. At HK Smash you can get smash burgers, wings, fries, and milk cakes. Read more about them in the Montavilla News. 8000 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Celebrate Día de la Independencia (Mexican Independence Day) at the Hoxton next week. This celebration on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, September 15 will be at The Hoxton this year, with Tope’s Chef Adán, Astral PDX, and Machetes colabbing and creating some delicious food (the regular Tope menu is taking a break that day). “Barbacoa, trompo, mariachi, vendors, and more will take over Tope and our lobby area to celebrate the start of Hispanic Heritage Month with our communities, and we hope you’ll join us!”

This is an all-ages, free event. No reservations, 4pm until sold out. 15 NW 4th Avenue, Portland

And then there’s a Fritanga Cookout with Pápa’s Frita for Nicaraguan Independence Day. Also happening on Tuesday, September 15 at Mama Chow’s Kitchen. Music by Momotombo Soundsystem, and there will be a Piña Colada Tres Leches cake from a local Nicaraguan baker, too.

Check out the fritanga menu and send Pápa’s Frita a DM to pre-order. All the fun will be from 5pm to 8pm on 9/15. 3757 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Sunday Parkways is downtown this Sunday. From 11am to 4pm this Sunday, spend time on car-free streets in downtown Portland. There will be live music, family-friendly activities, vendors, and more. Plus you can easily check out the Cart Blocks, Darcelle XV Plaza, Director Park, Main Street Plaza, the new Cultural District Plaza, PSU Park Blocks, Pioneer Courthouse Square—more details are here.

Speaking of Pioneer Courthouse Square, Lavoratti Chocolate will be nearby, which is worth your time. Additionally, The Benson Hotel will have live music from 11am to 7pm inside and outside the hotel (see the lineup here). The Palm Court Bar will also have happy hour specials. SW Broadway and SW Park Avenue between Oak and Harrison Streets, Portland

Watch the U.S. Open finals at Plink. The Men’s Finals (tennis) starts at 11am PDT, and The Plink Room (from Plink Graphics) will be open at 10:30am for a watch party. After that, they are doing a Two Point Slam right across the street at Colonel Summers Park.

Tennis Courterly, which celebrates the Portland tennis community, is involved with this event. They’ll have racquet stringing by Midnight Express, merch, prizes, and free Puff Coffee. Fun times end at 4pm. 1875 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Circle V Portland is back. This will be Veganizer’s third year producing their flagship festival celebrating plant-based cuisine and community. It is a “one-of-a-kind walkaround tasting experience celebrating plant-based culinary creativity.” I have heard many good things about this event—from vegans and omnivores alike.

It takes place on Sunday, September 20 at Castaway, and there are two ticketed sessions: noon to 2:30pm and 3pm to 5:30pm. Tickets are $125. More information is here. 1900 NW 18th Avenue, Portland

Mayfly’s final day is tomorrow. On Saturday, September 12 they have a bunch of things planed:

“We’ll be rolling our grill into the plaza for a good old fashioned ‘block party’ potluck!!! Free hotdogs, burgers and more…feel free to bring a side or dessert to share!! All draft pints will be $4, and we’ll be selling a limited edition pint glass for $10 (glass purchase includes $2 pints for the rest of the day). Last but not least, we’ll have our great friend Lyss from Howdy SlowPoke Tattoos with a fun set of stick and poke flash tattoos to help us celebrate our final flight!!”

Top Portland metro food carts of 2026. ICYMI, The Oregonian has published their top picks for the year. They are A Comer, Bun Bandits, Champs Burgers, Fine O’Char, HarBQ, Judah’s Delicatessen, Mumbai Street Food, Nice Time, Picone’s Quality Deli, and Tacos Fita (note: this is an alphabetical list, not a ranked list). Multiple locations

Drawn Hungry’s “Portland Collab Expansion Pack” has launched. Jordan Mishra Johnson, creator of Drawn Hungry, a culinary arts game, has added this expansion pack featuring local products in Portland:

• Barrel-Aged Honey by The Barreled Bee (Ingredient Card).
• Pistachio Cream Spread with Coconut by Chio (Ingredient Card).
• Smoked Steelhead by Flying Fish Co. (Ingredient Card).
• Plant-Based Ice Cream Sandwich by Kate’s Ice Cream (Dish Card).
• Hot Sauce by Marshall’s Haute Sauce (Ingredient Card).

They threw a party for the pack yesterday and you can pre-order the it now for $10, through Thursday, September 17 (MSRP is $15). Order here. Online

Mossback Tavern will open in the old Dullahan Pizza Pub. Back in 2024, the Dullahan Pizza Pub opened up on SE Gladstone; they closed in July 2025. It’s been empty since then but a new place is opening there: Mossback Tavern. Alexander Gessler and Colin Carroll (5 & Dime) are behind the project and will offer cocktails, beer, wine and pizza. 3813 SE Gladstone Street, Portland

El Ombu Cafe has opened. This is a new Argentinian cafe that has opened in the old 715 Inn bar space on NE Broadway, just west of both Frank’s Noodle House and Billy Ray’s Dive Bar. They have coffee (espresso drinks and cold brew made with specialty coffee) and a variety of pastries: Budín Inglés, Pasta Frola with quince jam, Cañoncito, Mil Hojas, Media Luna, empanadas, alfajores, and more. They are open 8am to 3pm, daily. 715 NE Broadway, Portland

Tea Bar has closed. They have decided not to renew their lease for their Pearl District location; their final day was Wednesday, September 9. Why? “Our wholesale community has grown tremendously, and we are focusing our energy on expanding Tea Bar through wholesale, events and franchising, with the hope of bringing Tea Bar to more cities, more homes and more communities.” Their website will remain live in order for you to continue to order products from them. 1055 NW Northrup Street, Portland

Bicho’s has a new bar. This Mexican & Salvadoran restaurant on North Mississippi has a brand new “craft cocktail bar with a heavy focus on tequila.” Tonight at 5pm they’ll be celebrating this expansion. Along with their great food and new cocktail menu, there will be a DJ spinning for your listenting pleasure. 3917 N Mississippi Avenue, Portland

Keep your eye out for the next Pastry 10K. Potter/ceramicist Marguerite Maguire leads what she calls a “Pastry 10K,” which, from what I can tell, involves walking a 10k (6.2 miles) and stopping for pastries along the way at various Portland bakeries. The upcoming one is full, but reach out to her on Instagram if you want to be kept in the know about the next one. Online

Hypnos Nob Hill has soft opened. This is the second location for this cafe; the first is on North Williams. Yesterday was their first day in NW Portland. 807 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

The Taqueria El Paisano restaurant is still not open. I drove the other day and nobody was around at lunchtime. (I ended up going to lunch at The People’s Courts.) Phone calls have also going unanswered. They have a liquor license application in so perhaps they are waiting for that to kick in before opening. Nighttime parking lot food cart action is still likely going on and I hear good things about it.

They do plan to be open every day until 2am, which is great for you night owls. Live music is in the plans, and well as dancing and karaoke. We will continue to keep an eye out. 2530 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland

The Leaky Roof Tavern will open where the Leaky Roof Gastropub was. The Gastropub shut down this past July, after almost 80 years in business. Now, the Leaky Roof Tavern will open in its place. ORSOS records indicate different persons behind the two businesses: Andrew Keith Fink was at the Gastropub and Agron and Roni Pervizi are at the Tavern. Wishing them all the best in bringing back good times at this old place. 1538 SW Jefferson Street, Portland

Viking Pancake Breakfast is Sunday. You know we love mentioning this modest yet tasty event—it’s this Sunday, September 13 from 8:30am to noon. “Enjoy our delicious all-you-can-eat Viking pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, fresh fruit, strawberry compote, lingonberries, orange juice and coffee or tea—served in our charming Bergen Dining Room.” Entry fee is $12 adults, $6 for children ages 3 to 10; kids under 3 get in for free. 111 NE 11th Avenue, Portland

Lincoln’s Fine Meats will open in the old Pasture PDX space. Pasture closed down earlier this summer, but more meat is coming to this location. Lincoln’s Fine Meats will be, “a whole animal butcher shop working with the amazing farmers, ranchers, and producers of Oregon.” So, a similar vibe. Lincoln Clevenson is the titular dude of fine meats, and cursory research indicated he cooked at Claro in Brooklyn, NY, which once held a Michelin star. 1413 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Dana Frank says goodbye to The Wild Bunch. This annual celebration of natural wine had a healthy lifespan of five years, and founder Dana Frank has said farewell to it. She plans to reclaim her time a bit. Read her message, here. Online

New Basque pop-up this weekend. They call themselves Pintxes Pintxos and are popping up today and tomorrow at NASO, a wine bar on SE Hawthorne and 17th. “Pintxes Pintxos is a husband and wife culinary duo with a tapas-style project. Our snacks are inspired by the lovely little morsels and sips from our belated honeymoon in Basque Country, Spain, and Portugal—uniquely infused with familiar West Coast flavors that make us feel at home.”

Head to NASO to experience their food from 5pm to 9pm tonight and 4pm to 9pm tomorrow (Saturday). 1744 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Champagne Poetry NW 23 has reopened. And they have added a new concept, Chinese Tapas, along with brunch and dessert. See their menu here. 1620 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland

Grand opening party at Norte Taproom & Food Hall tonight. This is a new food space in Wilsonville featuring Niños Birrieria; Pono Lei’s is also there. Head to Wilsonville tonight from 6pm to 10pm to celebrate their grand opening. 9749 SW Barber Street, Wilsonville

Eastside Pizza is now open. This is the former Bridge City Pizza space, brought back to life as Eastside Pizza. They’ve got Chicago-style thin-crust pizza and sub sandwiches waiting for you. 5412 Woodstock Blvd, Portland

Dumont Ice Cream has opened. I caught wind of them back in April but they slid off my radar. Thanks to @micbanh on Instagram, I learned that they have opened! Their soft opening was Wednesday, September 9. They serve ice cream (some Indian flavors like Kheer, and plenty of western flavors like Biscoff and strawberry), falooda, boba, cakes, coffee, and more. Nice to see them bring this franchise to Portland. 230 NW Lost Springs Terrace 14, Portland

A bunch of tasty cultural events are this weekend. You can find them on our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals list—multiple Oktoberfests, Serbian Fest, Panda Fest, Fil-Am Fest, Mid-Autumn Fest. It’s a true smorgasbord!

---

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Alberta Donut Cafe Will Open on NE Alberta Street in Portland
Cosmopolis Coffee Will Open in Portland’s Irvington Neighborhood
The 6th Annual Tomato Fest is Saturday in Portland