Small Bites: Wonderlove Is Open, Portland Taco Ride, Top Portland Pizzas, and More

The space that is Wonderlove.
Behold, Wonderlove. Photo credit: Wonderlove

Wonderlove is open (partially). This is good news—the SE Portland food cart/bar/entertainment venue Wonderlove is open! A post on Instagram about a week ago goes like this:

“So excited to partially open! 11am-7pm. The first stage of our amazing journey starts now with opening (a few )of our fantastic food carts! And that’s not all—we’re also serving adult beverages out of the Wondercat Pizza Cart! Stay tuned because the Wonderlove Bar is the second act, and it’s coming soon!” 262 SE Main Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (April 5)

Maybe there is life for Water Avenue Coffee Hollywood after all. Over the past couple of months, I’ve seen some trucks visiting the site of a potential Water Avenue Coffee in the Hollywood District, located in the old Joule/Wholesome Blends space. And their permit situation woke up this year—the most recent one was set up in February 2023 and was “Approved to Issue” in January 2024. What’s on it? “New Tenant — Converting a restaurant to a coffee shop.” Among other more mundane things (drains, grease interceptor, grab bars in the WC). I’ll continue to keep an eye on it. 4615 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

PDX Sliders to open on N Williams. Looks like they’ll be taking over the Shine Distillery space in North Portland. Look for them to be open every day, 11am to 11pm, except Sundays when they close at 10pm. I know their website indicates a new NW Portland location but I think they will be a good fit in that hip section of North Portland. I tried to get more info this week but their email and contact form both pooped out on me. So it goes. 4232 N Williams Avenue, Portland

April is Filipino Food Month. All month long, you are encouraged to try some Filipino food, which you can find in Portland, Gresham, and Beaverton. In the words of the organizers, “To celebrate, we’re hosting Portland’s first-ever Filipino food tour called ‘Sobrang Sarap,’ which means ‘very delicious’ in Tagalog. Also: “April was designated Filipino Food Month to appreciate and preserve Filipino culinary heritage, as well as the farmers and fishermen who make it all possible.” For more information and to check out the participants, head to the Sobran Sarap website. Various

Chaat Wallah reopens today. Lately, every time I stop in at Junior’s Roasted Coffee, I look over at the Chaat Wallah cart and wonder when they will return. Well, I no longer have to wonder: they’re back open today! Starting at 4:30pm you can get some of their delicious food from an updated menu—one item that looks really tempting is the Butter Chicken Sandwich, made with Mary’s Chicken thighs (covered in a GF dredge), chilli oil-tossed arugula, Makhani sauce, and pickled onions. You can get it on a Dos Hermanos potato bun or a New Cascadia GF bun. A cold beer from Upright Brewing would go nicely with that sandwich. 7157 NE Prescott Street, Portland

Four Things I Learned This Week (March 31)

Vegan arepa pop-up weekly at Ben & Esther’s. One of the most successful vegan joints in town, Ben & Esther’s hosts a weekly pop-up of El Salto. This Latina-owned company offers “traditional Venezuelan food–made vegan,” including arepas. They are split and stuffed with what looks like vegan meat substitutes. Find them at Ben & Esther’s Alberta location on Wednesday nights from 5pm-9pm. 1800 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Kann accolades + Sousòl reservations. I saw this week that Kann, the celebrated Hatian restaurant from Gregory Gourdet is a finalist for Best New Restaurant for the James Beard Awards. “Thankful we get to share the story of Haiti and its rich history through food,” they say. Also, Sousòl, the bar below Kann, will take reservations via Resy starting Wednesday, April 5. But for those that don’t plan ahead, “Don’t worry we still have plenty of room for walk ins!” 548 SE Ash Street, Portland

Beaverton’s The Sudra to close. Their final day of service at their Beaverton location will be Sunday, April 2, so head on over before then if you want a taste of their delicious, flavorful plant-based Indian food in the suburbs (the Portland locations will remain open). They add, though, “Although closing is sad, it’s not all bad news. We are talking to some old friends about an exciting collaboration that will take over the space. More on that to come.” Looking forward to hearing more about it.  4589 SW Watson Avenue, Beaverton

NEW: Rice platters at Three Fifty Cafe. The good folks at Cully’s Three Fifty Cafe have a “secret menu item” that, if there’s enough interest, may go on the permanent menu. “Each platter comes with your choice of grilled pork, sirloin steak, or lemongrass chicken served with rice, fresh veggies, and sweet fish sauce. Pro tip: add an egg for the ultimate flavor experience!” So head on over and let them know what you think. 6205 NE Prescott Street, Portland