Great news! Grits N’ Gravy reopens today in their previous space in downtown Portland; currently, they are in soft opening mode as of this morning. And, they are under new management—Jesús Alejandro Chipres is now the owner; he was employed at Grits N’ Gravy under the previous management.
Here’s what we know.
The Earlier Closure
Back in June we covered the Grits N’ Gravy closure. Here’s what we wrote then:
“At first they thought they could do one more breakfast but they ‘have been given no leeway.’ In their words, ‘Times have gotten hard and business has been declining since last August. We held on for as long as we could but we can’t keep going.’ The owner will go back to their Mumbo Gumbo PDX food cart in the Cartside Food Pod on SE Foster and SE Rhone.”
About the New Owner, Jesús Alejandro Chipres
Jesús is originally from Guadalajara in Mexico, and has been in the U.S. for 34 years. He arrived originally in Los Angeles but made his way to Portland after that. [Note: His quotes below have been translated from Spanish.]
“I’m a little nervous and happy,” he said. “I’m feeling a bit of both. Like so many Latinos, I’m fulfilling my dreams—this is one of my own dreams. I was given the opportunity to open this restaurant, work hard, and fulfill my dreams. I got my opportunity here at Grits N’ Gravy.”
He has been with the restaurant since its early days, starting out as a dishwasher. “I’m someone who’s willing to do any kind of work,” he said. He later moved up into more advanced roles in the kitchen—first at prep, then sauté, and further through the ranks.
Then he was able to work in front of house, including the Expo role, which is a “bridge between the kitchen and dining room.” He became a busser and then a waiter. “They encouraged me to keep working hard and become a waiter,” he explained. “And now I’ve been given this opportunity to pursue the American Dream of running a restaurant.”
Grits N’ Gravy Reopens: What To Expect Now
As Grits N’ Gravy reopens, know that the restaurant will continue to specialize in Southern American food. That includes shrimp & grits in uptown (red n’ spicy) and downtown (smooth n’ creamy) versions. There’s also chicken-fried steak, fried catfish, trout, and fried chicken & waffles. All of these have been very popular with their guests at the previous version of the restaurant.
Their gravies come in four versions: sausage, country, onion, and red-eye.
Beignets are on the menu, too, and will go well with their coffee, which is Café du Monde.
Jesús wants this new iteration of Grits N’ Gravy to maintain the same warm, family-friendly vibe it had before—“like Grits N’ Gravy never went away.”
“I ask how everything is going so we can avoid any problems,” he said. “We are going to give it our all as we reopen and improve.”
He continued, “While the restaurant was closed, we looked at what wasn’t working and what was, so people are happy and want to come back. Honestly, I’m excited because this is my dream.” He is grateful to everyone who helped him along this journey.
Details are light on their hours, which are in flux, since they are in soft opening mode. Previously, the hours were 7am to 3pm daily, and I imagine they would like to meet those if they can.
Big congrats to Jesús and his team on the reopening of Grits N’ Gravy!
Grits N’ Gravy [reopened October 5, 2026]
215 SW 6th Ave, Portland
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Meg Cotner
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