Small Bites: Cowboy's Burgers, Beer, Dawnbringer, and More

A pizza s'more, but not a burger from Cowboy's Burgers. — This pizza s’more blew my mind.

Cowboy’s Burgers has opened in Gresham. Their first day open was Tuesday, October 6, and they have gotten a lot of positive reviews—one person remarked, “Nothing like it in the area.” They have a pretty big menu, too. Burgers, of course, but also sandwiches (e.g., gyro, Philly cheese steak, BLT), salads, appetizers, breakfast, tacos, burritos, and more. You can see their extensive menu on Facebook. 18571 E Burnside Street, Gresham

Marsh & Mallow grand opens today. This s’mores shop has had their own space since the start of October and they’re opening their doors officially on Friday. You’ll find their delicious s’mores—which are also gluten-free—and hot tea, cocoa, and apple cider. They certainly make plenty of sweet s’mores but they have a pizza s’more that I can’t stop thinking about. Marsh & Mallow are run by the nicest folks, Rod and Freddie Trinidad-Estrada, and identify as Queer, Immigrant, and Latino–owned. 855 SW Yamhill Street, Portland

11 Classic American Beer Cities, Ranked Worst To Best. Over on Islands, they’ve ranked beer cities and Portland comes in at … number 2. Who beat them? Asheville, NC, which “has the second-highest number of breweries per capita in the country.” Multiple locations

STEELPORT is praised by Sunset Magazine. They named the STEELPORT Knives factory a winner for Behind-the-Scenes Access in the West in its 2026 Travel Awards. Here’s what they wrote.

”Part factory tour, part culinary destination, the STEELPORT Factory offers a rare opportunity to see heirloom-quality kitchen knives crafted by hand in the heart of Portland. Through demonstrations, workshops, chef events, and a commitment to Oregon materials and American craftsmanship, it celebrates Portland’s maker spirit.” Factory tours are rad, you should do them whenever you can. 3602 NE Sandy Blvd Suite B, Portland

REPEAT: Zenger Farm’s inaugural harvest festival is coming up. On Saturday, October 17 from 1pm to 5pm, head to Zenger Farm for all sorts of fall activities: seed saving, mixing tea blends, taste hot peppers, create a ristra of peppers, enjoy fresh apple cider, farm tours, plus live music and a chance to learn about regenerative farming.

There will also have seasonal snacks, fresh produce, and specialty items for purchase at their market. Entry is $10 per person, kids under 5 get in for free. 11741 SE Foster Road, Portland

Chili and Cornbread competition in Maywood Park this weekend. This “city within a city” is doing their annual neighborhood chili and cornbread cook-off on Saturday, October 17 from 2pm to 3:30pm at The Commons. It’s $1 to taste everything and vote on your favorites. 9840 NE Failing Street, Portland

Coquine will close. But, it’s not necessarily what you think. They posted this on Instagram: “I’m not done with this crazy business yet! We are tearing down a wall (literally!) and combining all three concepts: Coquine Restaurant, Coquine Market, and Katy Jane’s Oyster Bar into one cohesive concept and space, known simply as Katy Jane’s.”

The final day of service for Coquine in its current format will be Saturday, October 24. Coquine Market and Katie Jane’s Oyster Bar will be open during construction. They hope to be open by mid-November. Keep up with what’s next over on their Instagram. 6839 SE Belmont Street, Portland

Mystery Soda Machine is now at The Clyde Hotel. They were at Cargo in Southeast Portland—a great companion to Mr. Chip—but they’ve moved downtown to The Clyde Hotel. The machine is located in the lobby nestled next to a photo booth. 1022 SW Harvey Milk Street, Portland

Migration Brewing will open in Slabtown. And in the far eastern reaches, at that—they’ll be in the ground floor of Field Office. I was unfamiliar with this place, but cursory research tells me it’s two buildings comprising a out 300,000 square feet. They were having a bit of trouble coming out of the pandemic, but have gotten some new tenants since then, Migration being one of them.

Migration wrote, “This location will focus on comfortable lunch vibes, relaxing happy hour, along with filling a void this neighborhood has long had.” They hope to open Monday, March 1, 2027. More details can be found on New School Beer. 1895-2035 NW Front Avenue, Portland

A cheap version of the Gift Public House menu. They recently changed the pricing at Gift Public House: “We decided to update our prices … and make stuff cheaper.” They also have a ten dollar dinner that is going to be sticking around. You can see the new menu prices on Instagram; their online menu is still catching up as of the writing of this piece. 1935 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

Carmack’s Doughnuts will become a presence in Peninsula Park. Have you ever been to Peninsula Park? Their rose garden—the first in the city—is epic. The gazebo is sweet. It has a nice community center. It’s a great park. And the Carmack’s folks are chuffed to be able to be there selling their delicious doughnuts. The owner considers it an honor to do so and “a dream come true.”

When he is able to—meaning, when the truck is ready—he’ll be parked across from the community center by the flagpole. Meanwhile, you can get their doughnuts at the regular spot: from their home. 700 N Rosa Parks Way, Portland

Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe has found their Vancouver home. They operated in the Hollywood District for about two and a half years, and closed this past August. They’ll be in downtown Vancouver on the corner of Evergreen and Broadway, in a 4,000+square foot space. There will be a cafe, a retail element, and places for open and private play (three private rooms).

Look for food from Saint Honore Bakery and coffee from Water Avenue, and an expanded menu from their Hollywood days. They hope to open by late December/early January. 1005 Broadway, Vancouver

Friends Share Community Space and Cà Phê celebrated 2 years this week. Monday, October 12 was their second anniversary and they have done amazing things in this little corner of East Portland. Save the date: On Saturday, October 24 starting at 6pm they’ll party with a special house phở, drinks, and karaoke all night. 14814 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

Scopri pop-up on Monday. Scopri offers “seasonal Pacific Northwest ingredients through Italian cuisine” in pop-up format, and their meal on Monday sounds interesting. Here is what to expect for this $85 prix fixe vegan dinner taking place at Norah (Alberta):

Topinambo e Zucca Fritta: Fried sunchokes. delicata and kuri squash over a Jimmy Nardello purée.
Ciambotta D’Autunno: Slow cooked stew made of cucuzza, potatoes, carrots, Astiana tomatoes, and a variety of seasonal squashes (pumpkin, honeyboat, honeynut, and butternut squashes).
Tortellini in Brodo: Soy ricotta stuffed tortellini served in a light slow cooked vegetable broth.
Chanterelles di Oreganata: Chanterelles tossed in oregano, bread crumbs, citrus zest and cooked until golden. Served with a cauliflower purée.
“For dessert we have a special surprise for you. You’ll just have to see.”

Reserve your spot here on their Partiful page. The menu was created by Adolfo Tigerino, Coleman Kaestner, and Nikki Arce. There are two seatings, 5pm or 8pm. 10% of proceeds will go a local animal sanctuary. 1451 NE Alberta Street, Suite A, Portland

Dawnbringer hath returneth. Their blue friend is no more: “The old 1970’s prowler has been a faithful member of the dawnbringer family but it’s time for her to retire from service.” And now they have a new space to work in! Same location in the pod on N Fremont and N Vancouver, next to the Fwi Bus. Portland loves their breakfast sandwiches. 3441 N Vancouver Avenue, Cart D, Portland

Recently at Maddoggs. I don’t know if you’ve been to this cart behind My-O-My, but I was there this past Monday night and had a great meal. I tried the special dog (Pumpkin spice, yes! With bacon and hot honey, pretty good); their excellent fall salad with kale, apples, and blue cheese; very tasty chili and really good hush puppies. They’ve got some sweet merch, too. I hope you can check them out.

I also noticed they moved some things around in the bar, allowing for more seating in the main area by the pool table. Pinball machines are in the back. 8627 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Quince Fest is Sunday. This is a sold out event, but I will be there and will bring you coverage of this epic afternoon of quince goodness. Hope to see some of you there who have tickets. 930 SE Oak Street, Portland

And Bread Fest is Sunday, too. Their VIP spots are sold out but General admission is still live. There will be lots of bread and the bakers behind the loaves etc, cheese, spreads, specialty foods, coffee, matcha, and chances to buy delicious things. Sunday, October 18, from 10am to 2pm. $5 to get in, kids under 12 enter free, cash preferred. 631 NE Grand Avenue, Portland

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Halloween 2026 in Portland: Food, Drink, and Fun
Lincoln’s Fine Meats Will Open on NE Alberta in Portland
The Stinkfest Cometh! Get Ready for the 2026 Portland Fermentation Festival
October 2026 Story Updates: Salami Mammi, Doug Fir, and More