Berlu Bakery Reopens in Portland

Berlu Bakery reopens and will offer their signature bánh bò nướng.
The pastry that started it all: bánh bò nướng. Photo credit: Carter Hiyama.

That’s right—Berlu Bakery reopens this weekend! As I mentioned in yesterday’s Small Bites, Berlu Bakery is back after a months-long hiatus since last October. Their soft opening is Sunday, June 29. I reached out to Vince Nguyen, the man and James Beard Award-winning chef behind this treasured Vietnamese bakery, and here is what I learned from him via an email exchange.

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Mi Familia Cafe Has Opened in Portland’s Buckman Neighborhood

Tostada at Mi Familia Cafe.
Tostada. Photo credit: Mi Familia Cafe.

A while back I saw that something called “Mi Familia Cafe” was going to open in what I knew to be Que Pasa Cantina. I set it aside because it did not make sense to me at the time. Fast forward to June and I was delighted to hear from the people behind Mi Familia Cafe—who did indeed open in the Que Pasa Cantina space!

So what’s going on? Here is, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”

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Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Update, Summer 2025

Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe update: new signage along SE Powell Blvd.
New signage up by the incoming Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe on SE Powell. Click to enlarge.

We’ve got a Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe update!

For whatever reason, I had the urge to go check out the status of the Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe that’s going to open on SE Powell Blvd just east of 82nd Avenue. So I stopped by Sunday afternoon, and it turned out to be a timely visit—I was able to see the interior, see the uncovered signage, and speak to the owner of the franchise, Dume Tran.

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Small Bites: Pinolo Gelato, Nam Tao Huu, No Sabo, and More

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The superb Pinolo Gelato.

Pinolo Gelato celebrates 10 years. These guys make some of the best gelato in Portland. It was started by Sandro Paolini, who is originally from Pisa in Italy. He moved to the PNW a while back, but his path eventually led him back to Pisa to learn how to make gelato from his friends and mentors there, Ilaria and Omar of @ioegelato.

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