Mossback Tavern: Pizza, Cocktails, and More Coming To Southeast Portland

Over the summer I learned about a new spot called Mossback Tavern that will open in what was most recently The Dullahan Pizza Pub on SE Gladstone just west of SE César E. Chávez Blvd (soon to become Campesinos Blvd). Industry veterans Alex Gesler and Shaw Flick are behind the project, and will bring pizza and cocktails to the neighborhood at this location.

We had a chance to chat with them about this project. Here’s what we learned.

Previously: The Dullahan Pizza Pub

The Dullahan Pizza Pub took over the space in September 2024 that had been home to Gladstone Street Pizza & Saint Pizza; we reported on this back in August 2024. Gladstone Street Pizza had been there for 20 years, shuttering in April 2024. The Dullahan Pizza Pub was run by the same people that behind The Dullahan Irish Restaurant & Pub in Lake Oswego.

The Dullahan Pizza Pub closed in July 2025. They posted this on July 15, 2025:

“So it’s with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of The Dullahan Pizza Pub. Its been a fun year, we’ve been through a lot of hardships together and we’ve overcome a lot of challenges. There’s a multitude of reasons why this decision was made, and it was not made lightly. We appreciate the hard work of all of us who kept it going as long as we did, through the long days, the long hours, the summer heat and the many many special pies and cocktails.”

Their website is still live as of the writing of this article, interestingly enough.

Mossback Tavern: What’s in a Name?

You know I’m always interested in the story behind the name of a business, so I asked about Mossback Tavern’s name origin story. “It was something my dad used to say when I was growing up,” explained Alex. “His family goes back here a few generations in Washington—his grandfather was a logger and my great-grandfather was a logger.”

He continued, “My grandmother was his first child who was born here, and so they always called her ‘mossback’ because during that era it was a term for people from the Northwest. So it’s something my dad used to say when I was a kid and I always loved it. Then when he explained to me what it meant, I liked it even more. I love the way it sounds, and I love its meaning.”

“When Alex first told me about the name and definition of it—having [metaphoric] moss grow on your back is the result of going into something intentionally and with purpose,” said Shaw. “The more I thought about it, the more it felt really apropos to what we are working on.”

I will say, moss has quite a bit of staying power, and it is very resilient. These traits could only benefit Mossback Tavern.

Alex and Shaw’s Previous Work in Food

Alex and Shaw both bring a lot of experience to Mossback Tavern.

Alex

Alex started out at Doug Fir in 2007, working security there. He was with them for a few years, then went and worked at Sweet Hereafter [where Bar Loon is today]. “That’s where I started bartending,” said Alex. Sweet Hereafter, a Lightning Bar Collective property, closed in February 2024.

He added, “And I spent time in the industry in this town for a while.”

Later, he moved moved to San Francisco and helped open a place down there and managed it for a while. Then he found his way to New York City, where he worked at cocktail bars (Huckleberry, Reclamation, both in Brooklyn), was a manager at one of them. He moved back to Portland in 2017 to work with his old business partner and good friend, Colin Carroll. They worked together at Trifecta Tavern, which closed at the end of 2019.

It was then when they decided to open Five and Dime. “So Five and Dime was myself, Colin, and the guys from Atlas Pizza,” he explained. He helped with the concept, the build, and operated it for a while. Then the pandemic came and he departed from that place.

Shaw

Around 2008, Shaw started working in wine retail, including Cork on Alberta. “I worked there for a couple of years,” he explained. “And then moved over to do cocktails at Pix Patisserie when it was on North Williams. I was there for a while, and then a customer of mine sort of poached me—I started working at the Side Street Tavern at SE 34th and Belmont. I worked there for years.”

And that’s how he met Alex. “Side Street Tavern was right around the corner from Sweet Hereafter, and we became good friends,” Said said. This was around 2011.

He added, “The more we talked, the more I was like, ‘Oh, this person’s not just my friend—he’s basically like family!'”

Why This Location for Mossback Tavern?

Shaw lives around the corner from Mossback Tavern and seeing it every day, all vacant, was kind of depressing. “When I brought it up to Alex, it naturally came together as an extension of our friendship and all the things that we are passionate about and interested in,” said Shaw.

They realized that the neighborhood could use a pizza joint and Shaw had an interest in opening a bar. They wondered if they could make it happen.

Also, there was the simple fact that this location was empty and available; bonus: it has had a history of pizzerias in it. Alex is friends with Curtis, who runs the barbershop next door, and so they all started having conversations about the space and its possibilities. 

Part of the reason for doing this project stems from the time when Alex left Five and Dime. “It was kind of bittersweet,” Alex said, about that point in time. “You know, it wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to happen, but it was necessary at the time. I left the industry and went back to school, and did a lot of other stuff in the social work and nonprofit area.”

He continued, “And then I had some family stuff come up and I moved back to LA for a little while. When I returned to Portland, I got back with some old friends in the industry and was working with the folks who run Portland Night Market. I was helping to run a bar for them, ran the bars at Pickathon for a couple years and got back into the flow of doing this kind of work that I hadn’t done for a while. It really sort of reinvigorated some want or desire to be in this industry again.”

While one project he was involved with fell through, the development of the Mossback Tavern project confirmed Alex and Shaw’s earlier inclination about the need for a pizzeria in the neighborhood. “I’ve talked to so many folks from around here who are like just so bummed out that the last two pizza shops have closed and it’s been empty for a year,” said Alex. “So the need was here and we had the opportunity—and I’d wanted to work on something for a while.”

They are looking forward to helping the community with their Mossback Tavern presence, which joins the barbershop, dog groomer, ramen shop, and Pipsqueak Bagels. “If we can become a good member of this community, that feels successful to me,” said Alex.

The Mossback Tavern Space

So, was the space turnkey? Sort of. “In some ways, we could have just fired the ovens up and started pumping pies out,” said Shaw. But they did not want to do that because it was a fairly neglected space and wanted to clean it up. This reminds me of the status of the spaces housing Dick’s Pizza and Original Dream Pizza—both had a noticeable amount of grime and a tired look that needed vanquishing prior to opening.

Another reason for cleaning it up was to make it feel like it’s their space, all clean and new. Also, they have to wait for their liquor license (full on-premises) to come through.

Look and Feel

As far as the look and feel at Mossback Tavern, Alex said they’d really like to bring forth the vibe of an old neighborhood pizza shop—a comfortable neighborhood tavern feeling. They’ll be painting and putting up some wood paneling to help bring that about.

“The vibe is really just like very casual, cozy, and warm,” said Alex.

They are also having to work with a kind of “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” space: Two great tastes that taste great together. Gladstone Street Pizza (pizzeria) and Saint Pizza (cocktail bar) were combined into one larger space. “It’s a funny kind of space,” said Shaw. “It’s because it’s a double storefront—there’s a side where the pizza ovens are and there’s a side where the bar is. And we want there to be a cohesive experience between the two.”

One way they decided to do that is to find a color scheme that is complementary to both sides. The bar side will be a little bit darker and the pizza side will be lighter.

“When we took the space over, the walls on the pizza side were dark red and this kind of golden color—sort of a McDonald’s color combination,” explained Shaw. “And we are undoing that.” They are looking at linen white and emerald green colors throughout.

Mossback Tavern Food and Drink

At the Tavern you can expect to find pizza, cocktails, salads, sandwiches, NA drinks, and more.

Eating: Pizza

Alex explained that they plan to have six or seven pies that are always on the menu, and a couple slots that are rotating. They’ll be using a deck oven to cook the pizza and other applicable items.

They are pretty excited about working with the dough and creating great pizza. They’ll be doing a yeasted dough rather than a naturally leavened dough. “Getting a really special crust experience goes a long way,” Shaw remarked.

They don’t plan to do any pan pizza (e.g., Detroit-style, Chicago deep dish) at this point in time, but are interested in venturing into Midwestern tavern pies. “I love a Chicago-style tavern-style pizza,” said Alex. “Super thin, like a cracker crust style. We used to do a version of it at Trifecta.”

As far as what style of pizza they are primarily focusing on, they described as “New York style pizza, but a more modern version of that using local Pacific Northwest ingredients.”

Shaw continued, “It will be a classic pizza that does the job that pizza is supposed to do. That’s to be satisfying, well-prepared, not have too much cheese on it, and just be delicious. It’s something that you think about and want.”

They say they are inspired by old school East Coast pizza. And they’ll have both slices and whole pies.

Eating: All the Other Stuff

They plan to have a couple of standard salads and a seasonal salad. A hearty, chicory Caesar and a classic Greek salad are what they’d like to make. “I love a classic Greek salad, with the feta and olives and stuff!” exclaimed Alex.

My pals out here with east coast sensibilities will no doubt be happy to hear they are planning on offering garlic knots. There will also be some sandwiches—a meatball sub (you can get it with a side of meatballs, too) and a sausage and peppers sandwich, and perhaps an Italian cold cut/grinder option. No regular chicken parm is in the plans, except perhaps as a special.

Alex is a big fan of the stromboli, so I expect that will show up on the menu, too. Might we see a kickass pepperoni roll? A girl can dream.

Drinking

“The way that I envision things—and I think Shaw agrees— is that I really want to have a nice, hearty selection of non-alcoholic beverages, because we have two display cold cases for the shop side,” said Alex. “I always think of like old pizza shops that have a case full of Dr. Brown’s soda.”

They also are looking at stocking kombucha and soda pop, and also offering a few NA cocktails. They’d also like to have coffee, and are looking to create a relationship with a local coffee company for that.

On the alcohol side, look for great beer, wine, cider, and cocktails.

Opening Mossback Tavern

Initially, they are focusing on cleaning up the place, doing any necessary construction/buildout work, and putting on a fresh coat of paint.

“If we can accomplish that by the end of September, then I think we can spend the majority of the beginning part of October getting our procedures in place, hiring, and getting our inventory together,” explained Alex.

Their goal to open is late October/early November. When they do open they are aiming to be open seven days a week, from 3pm to 11pm or midnight. Being open late is important to them—with the exception of a few places, they feel that getting great pizza after 9pm is a challenge, and that is a crying shame.

“So if we can, the idea right now is to be able to offer full pies until around 10pm, and then still be open for slices and in-house stuff until close. This is so we can offer something for the neighborhood as a late night dinner option,” explained Alex.

Final Thoughts on Opening Mossback Tavern in the Neighborhood

They are very much on Team “Community Not Competition,” like the folks at Pip’s are. “I don’t want to try to compete against anybody else,” said Alex. “I love all my other friends in the industry who do cool stuff and make good things.”

“I’d much rather think how can we accent each other, collaborate, grow, and be together in same space, offering awesome things in different parts of town,” said Shaw. “We both believe really strongly in the idea of rising tides raising us all up.”

He added, “The industry itself survives because of all the different places there are.”

“I am so excited for when we get things up and running,” said Shaw. “I’m just so excited to put pizza in people’s hands and see their reactions, because I know how I feel when I have a slice of pizza that just is really good. I’m excited to see the look on people’s faces where they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s the ticket!’

All the best to Alex and Shaw as they get Mossback Tavern up and running later this fall!

Mossback Tavern [projected opening late October/early November 2026]
3813 SE Gladstone Street, Portland
Mossback Tavern website | Instagram