Portland food news and views
Food carts are part of the culture of Portland and an important element of the eating and drinking that goes on in the city. They are found throughout the city both as individual carts and grouped together in pods.
My-O-My, which opened up in the Sumner neighborhood back in January 2023, has a new food cart on the back patio: Kona Kitchen. They offer Hawaiian food—from an ahi tuna poke bowl to kalua pork, teriyaki chicken to mac salad, and much more.
Continue reading “New Food Cart at Portland’s My-O-My: Kona Kitchen”
Update on Arrowood. After I was asked if I had heard any updates from Arrowood (my emails remain unanswered), a neighbor indicated that they had seen a listing online for the Arrowood space. I checked it out, and found a listing on Crexi entitled, “For Lease: Turnkey Restaurant & Bar for Lease.” So, looks like we have the answer: They are done. Truly unfortunate for the neighborhood. 5846 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Continue reading “Small Bites: Update on Arrowood, Flock Food Hall, Cassoulet, and More”
Welcome to our end-of-the-year roundup of top posts on Bridgetown Bites in 2024. Aside from our Thanksgiving article, the top posts were about openings and closings—restaurant, cafe, bar, and food cart news. And topping the list this year is a double-header: East Portland’s Wooden Chicken Pub! It if hadn’t been for this duo, the closing of 3 Doors Down would have taken spot number 10.
From an analytics POV, traffic had a healthy increase from 2023 to 2024. With 205,100 unique visitors up from 106,000 last year, that’s an increase of 93.3%. Page views were 142,000 last year and 265,000 this year, which is an 86.6% increase. I’m proud of the hard work that has gone into nurturing this site, and serving as a quality resource for those interested in Portland food news—all as an independent shop.
And while Bridgetown Bites is run by one person, our tipsters and readers who pass on news are invaluable to my work here, so thank you very much, friends! Additional thanks to all who read the site, comment, share articles, and send feedback. I look forward to continuing to bring you Portland food news and views in 2025.
So without further ado, here are the top 10 posts on Bridgetown Bites in 2024.
Continue reading “Top Posts on Bridgetown Bites in 2024”
Over the years, Bridgetown Bites has published numerous stories about Portland restaurant openings and closings. But what’s different about this year, is that I kept a simple list of those we covered, in reverse-chronological order. I thought it would be fun to look back on that list, and make a few observations.
Continue reading “Summary: Portland Restaurant Openings and Closings, 2024”Belle Époque Pies is leaving the 23rd and Alberta Pod. Home to excellent square pies (Sicilian-Detroit), Belle Époque Pies is moving on from their location on NE Alberta and 23rd Avenue, to a currently undisclosed location in the new year. Their final day of service at the pod is Wednesday, December 25. As they said on Instagram, “Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to bring Belle Époque Pies to a brand-new home. Thank you, Alberta, for all the love and support—you’ve been incredible. 💛” Looking forward to seeing where they land in 2025. 2231 NE Alberta Street, Portland
And in other pizza news … this time in Milwaukie. Pietro’s Pizza is moving from their current location (10300 SE Main Street), setting up shop at 11050 SE Oak Street, which was home to McGrath’s Fish House. So why is this happening? A “developer of a 178-unit multifamily project in downtown Milwaukie is the new owner” of this property, according to the Portland Business Journal.
Pietro’s Pizza (opened in 1957) is part of an informal crowd of regional, old-school pizzerias that would include Stark Street Pizza (opened in 1965) and Pizza Baron (opened in 1983). I’ve heard from a number of old-time Portlanders who have happy memories of these places from their youth—maybe it was a birthday party or a little league season celebration at these pizzerias. Over on Reddit, a user calls this “Oregon-Style pizza.” 10300 SE Main Street/11050 SE Oak Street, Milwaukie
Jim & Patty’s is writing a cookbook, but you can see it digitally now. Over on Facebook the Jim & Patty’s folks wrote that although putting together the published cookbook (“Jim and Patty’s Family Recipes”) will take some time, you can access a “proto PDF version” of it now. It’s available for download for $10. It is “filled with our Roberts family recipes, pictures & back stories.” Instructions to access this PDF are in the Facebook post.
HeyDay has closed their shop. Over on Instagram, I learned that Lisa has closed down their brick & mortar space in the CORE food hall. The last day open was this past Sunday, and she said this about the decision to close without advanced notice: “I’m sorry that we didn’t announce it but I wanted to make sure that the team had the most normal last Sunday. I wanted to protect them from answering any questions about our decision to close.” I respect this decision.
She also tells us that this is not the end of HeyDay! “We have some really cool and exciting things for you to look forward to,” she says. Their donuts have been available at Better Days Cafe this year and I imagine they will be in 2025, too. Best of luck to Lisa and HeyDay, and I look forward to what they have planned for next year. 3612 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland
BONUS: Portland vs. Seattle. Redfin reached out to me for input on their article about Portland vs. Seattle, including when it comes to real estate, cost of living, and culture. I am Portland all the way (no surprise). Redfin observes this about our fair city: “Portland is known for its creative energy, green spaces, and more affordable cost of living.” You can read the article at the link, including a variety of quotes from Portland locals on food and other topics: Portland vs Seattle: Which City is Right for You? Comparing Real Estate, Cost of Living, Culture, and More.
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
Tréla Greek Kitchen and Taverna in Portland: First Look
A Dairy Queen Grows in Portland: An Opening Update
Hanukkah 2024 in Portland
Sincerely Bagel Is Setting Up Shop in Portland
Portland’s 3 Doors Down: A Chat With Matthew Stiles
