Small Bites: Cider Bite, Salmon Homecoming, Bergerac, and More

Cider Bite will close. After a decade in business, Portland’s oldest cider house will close; their final day of service will be Sunday, October 19. Founder Jeff Hanneson posted about the closure on their website:

“The decision to close did not come lightly. Like many small businesses, we have faced unprecedented challenges over the past few years-from COVID restrictions, multiple break-ins, and incidents of vandalism, to dramatically rising operating costs and a significant decline in tourism and downtown foot traffic that has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Our beloved city has struggled to regain its vibrancy and to overcome the barrage of negative national media coverage and public perceptions of safety. With our lease set to expire at the end of October and the landlord requiring higher rent and expenses under a long- term agreement, we were unable to secure an acceptable and sustainable extension that would allow us to continue.”

Prior to the closing they will host some special events and will be selling some of the business’s ephemera. Sorry to see them go. 1230 NW Hoyt Street, Portland

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Stomping Grounds Will Open in Downtown Gresham

Pouring espresso in a Stomping Grounds cup.
Photo credit: Stomping Grounds

A little while back I was in downtown Gresham and saw a sign displayed for a new cafe opening up on Main Street: Stomping Grounds. They currently have a cafe in Fairview and a drive thru stand by Gresham High School, so this will be their third location. I reached out to one of the owners, Chris Cutshall, to talk about the new location and here is what I learned.

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Small Bites: Balong, Brunch, Ice Cream, and More

Breakfast sandwich from Balong.
Photo credit: Balong.

Balong is officially open. After a short time in soft opening phase, they had their grand opening this week. This Filipino-American breakfast sandwich spot (they also make fresh bread like pan de sal) from Justin Dauz opened their brick & mortar after being a pop-up since 2022. They are now located in the former Meianna Bakery in the Fubonn Shopping Center (considered the largest Asian mall in Oregon).  2850 SE 82nd Avenue #27, Portland

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Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, March 2025

Data Analytics Chart

It was a very interesting group of articles that Bridgetown Bites readers enjoyed the most in March 2025. A holiday roundup, news of restaurant openings, and the first look at the Flock Food Hall from this past January all caught your collective eyes.

However, Google launched a core update in mid-March, and Bridgetown Bites unfortunately was affected (I can see the downward line on a graph of engagement in my analytics). I looked back at March 2024’s top 5 review and interestingly enough, the site got hit then, too. So, fool me twice, shame on me—I’ll be making yet another set of adjustments.

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Paqui Modern Mexican Will Open on NE Sandy Blvd in Portland

The former Arrowood space on NE Sandy Blvd that will become Paqui Modern Mexican.
Out with the old, in with the news. This former Arrowood space will become Paqui Modern Mexican. Photo credit: Google Maps.

A new Mexican restaurant called Paqui Modern Mexican will open in the old Arrowood location. It’s still a mystery as to why they closed, but the bottom line is that this storefront is going to have a new tenant in its good-sized property, which extends all the way to the corner of NE Sandy and 59th.

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