Four Things I Learned This Week (March 28) in Portland Food

Fremont Garage Update. This is the food cart pod that will go in on NE Fremont Street and 44th Avenue. I walked by the other day and saw a sign on a mostly cleared-out lot, so I reached out to Cameron at DBS Group about it. Here’s his update:

“We will be starting on renovation of the property for the food cart pod and bar this month actually! Our new anticipated opening is early 2026. Our list of interested food cart vendors is growing, and many familiar popular carts/restaurants will be on the list. We are excited to share the line up as we get closer to opening.” 4403 NE Fremont Street, Portland

pFriem in Milwaukie opens April 7. ICYMI, pFriem is opening a tasting room in Milwaukie. It will be located in the former fire station in the historic Milwaukie City Hall building, which is a very exciting development. When I drank alcoholic beer, they were one of my favorites brewers. Here is what you can expect at the new Milwaukie spot (bulleted copy written by pFriem):

  • Three bars with 20+ taps pouring pFriem’s celebrated core beers, seasonal releases, and exclusive small-batch offerings.
  • Five handcrafted pFriem specialty craft cocktails and Son of Man cider on draft.
  • Celebratory collaboration IPA’s with Breakside Brewery and Von Ebert Brewing, and a Belgian Strong Dark collab with our new neighbors – Keeper Coffee Co.

On top of that there will be an outdoor patio with the seating area covered in a pergola, upstairs event space, retail space, original art displayed on the walls, a food menu “to complement pFriem’s beer lineup,” and beer and merch for their pFriem club members. 10501 SE Main Street, Milwaukie

The Scout Wine Bar gets some Oregonian love. Glad to see this article by Julie Evensen at The Oregonian about Gresham’s The Scout Wine Bar. It “offers wines by the glass, rotating local beer and cider on tap, and build-your-own charcuterie boards. Food from nearby restaurants is also welcome – the area has options ranging from pho to Italian to Lebanese to gourmet burgers. Diners can bring their entrée of choice to pair with a drink from the bar.”

I have recently spent more time in downtown Gresham and it is a sweet little part of the Portland Metro area. There’s some great food there, a variety of architectural styles (old and new), and I especially love the tiny Japanese garden on Tsuru Island in Main City Park. (Plus Jazzy Bagels is one of the few places you can get egg bagels in the area—if you know others, let us know in the comments.) 25 NE 3rd Street, Gresham

Warsugai will introduce a new concept. Starting out serving “elevated and creative interpretations of classic nostalgic Asian cuisine,” they have now closed (Sunday, March 23 was their last day of service)—but not for good. Instead, on Thursday, April 10 they will introduce “The Chinese Cowboy”:

“We’ll be offering up a reimagined menu of bbq small plates, weekly live music with some of Portland’s best country and honky tonk musicians, pop up events, and your favorite crafted cocktails.” I am definitely intrigued. 727 SE Washington Street, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Help Support Portland’s Kitchen Table Magazine: “The Future Issue”
Taste of Sichuan Will Re-Open in Beaverton
Sabor del Rio Cafe Will Bring Puerto Rican Food to Marine Drive in Portland
Easter 2025 in Portland

This weekend is the Portland Tacos, Tequilas & Tamales Festival and the Expo Center. We are also in the final days of the Ticket to Dine campaign, which goes through March 31.

Small Bites: Peter’s, Pears, Pizza, and More

Chicken Cobb Salad at Peter's Bar & Grill in Portland, Oregon.
The Chicken Cobb Salad at Peter’s Bar & Grill.

Change in Peter’s Bar & Grill ownership. This past week, the Facebook page for Peter’s Bar & Grill posted a goodbye message: “After a little over 11 years, today was our last day as the owners of Peter’s Bar & Grill. We feel so fortunate to have had this experience. We are so grateful to everyone who welcomed us into this community …. Because of all of you, we’re excited for what Peter’s will be in the future.” It was signed by Tim, Tara, Alex, Piper, & Casey.

I’ve reached out to learn more. My hope is that they do not end up closing. 5701 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Continue reading “Small Bites: Peter’s, Pears, Pizza, and More”

Small Bites: Update on Arrowood, Flock Food Hall, Cassoulet, and More

It’s a Bon Bánh Mì mystery.

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”

Four Things I Learned This Week (December 27)

Frank’s Noodle House is expanding. Thanks to a Bridgetown Bites tipster, I’ve learned that the former Little Big Burger location in the Pearl has a new tenant: Frank’s Noodle House. This is great news for folks on the inner west side, who will now be closer to their tasty Chinese American food and their wonderful hand-pulled noodles. 122 NW 10th Avenue, Portland

The Parkrose Coffee Shop will open next year and they need your help. Good news for coffee lovers in East Portland—there a new coffee shop coming your way. The Parkrose Coffee Shop, which will be run by Lily and Peter, will open on NE 105th just south of Sandy Blvd (and not too far from Sandy-Os). They hope to be able to open their doors next spring (ideally, March 1).

They will serve coffee and espresso drinks, freshly baked pastries (in both cases, vendors are TBD at the moment), and she says, “We are designing the coffee shop with families in mind.” On that last detail, look for a play corner, a changing table, story hour with local educators, and a kids’ menu. They also plant to have a large enclosed courtyard in the back.

They have a GoFundMe campaign running right now, and would love to have you as a partner to help invest in the community. 4826 NE 105th Avenue, Portland

Iced Matcha Club is this Saturday. Over at Yoonique Tea on SE Foster Road, they are holding an “iced matcha club” event. From 11am to 4pm on Saturday, look for a special menu of matcha drinks: matcha latte, banana pudding matcha, banana matcha latte, and hojicha latte. Whole milk, oat milk, and creamy Thai milk will be available. Also, their winter menu has a bunch of interesting things on it: rambutan milk tea, matcha creme brûlée, brown sugar avocado cream, and more. “Let’s make the last Saturday of 2024 a vibrant, green-filled day together.” 5348 SE Foster Road, Portland

New Year’s Eve celebrations. We were unable to put together a separate NYE roundup in time. However, here’s a short list of some places that are still accessible and perhaps a little bit different than some of the other options around town.

  • Masala Lab is doing a multi-course meal for $150 each. 5237 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
  • That morning, Nikki Arcé will run her final vegan patisserie pop-up of 2024 at Obon Shokudo, where she is the pastry chef. Stop from 10am to 1pm on 12/31 in for a pastry and free chai bergamot latte before she heads to Le Cordon Bleu to participate in their Vegan Patisserie program launch. 720 SE Grand Avenue
  • T.C. O’Leary’s will be doing two countdowns on New Year’s Eve: “the first at 4pm in honor of Ireland and one at midnight in honor of Oregon. Come to one or both!” 2926 NE Alberta Street
  • Taylor Street Tavern is doing a $65/pp prix-fixe menu. 808 SW Taylor Street
  • Dharma Rain, starting at 9pm, is doing their annual traditional New Year’s Eve in Soto Zen format: meditation, bowing, bell ringing, formal tea, sutra fanning, and poetry. Registration is not required and there is no fee. 8500 NE Siskiyou Street
  • Quarterworld‘s NYE Extravaganza involves a midnight balloon drop, food and drink specials througout the night, plu “30+ pinball machines, 60+ arcade games, and live music from DJ Prez playing EDM from 9pm-close.” Tickets are $10 for general admission/ $50 VIP and your ticket lets you play for free all night. 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd
  • Bing In the New Year is happening in Milwaukie from 6pm to 9pm on NYE. They’ll drop a giant steel cherry sculpture at 9pm (midnight on the east coast). There will be live music, food, and more! Plus, I can’t resist a good pun. Main & Harrison Streets, Milwaukie

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Favorite Bites in Portland in 2024
Toasted S’mores Bar Will Open in Downtown Portland
King Cakes in Portland in 2025

And remember: If you are coming home from celebrating NYE and don’t want to drive, consider a car service of transit: there are discounts with Lyft and Uber, and Trimet is free. I’ve also put together some ideas as to how to set yourself up for a healthy 2025 in Portland.