Four Things I Learned This Week (April 4) in Portland Food

Reeva turned 3 this week. When I saw the post from Reeva, one of Portland’s great food trucks, that started out as “Dear Reeva Family,” I thought, “Nooooooooooo, don’t close!” Thankfully, I had it all wrong—they were there to tell us that yesterday was their three-year anniversary!

At the end of the post they said, “As we celebrate this milestone, we’re filled with gratitude and excitement for what’s ahead. Here’s to more good food, great company, and unforgettable moments. Thank you for being part of our story!” Here, hear! Love having them in the Roseway neighborhood. 7727 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

There are still tickets for Sabor de Primavera. At the writing of this article, you can get tickets for the 7pm to 8:30pm of this event on Sunday, April 6. From the good folks at Veganizer, this is a fundraiser they call, “Spring Fiesta to Benefit Growing Gardens.” Growing Gardens cultivates “healthy and equitable communities through the experience of growing food in schools, backyards, and correctional facilities.”

There will be six Mexican restaurants participating: Chelo, Chilango, Machetes, Mis Tacones, Ice Queen, and Libre. You can see what they are planning to serve, plus buy tickets, which are $88 + fees. 920 NE Glisan Street, Portland

En Vida has closed. Over on Bluesky, I was told that En Vida has closed their location on NE Fremont Street. “Unfortunately this has been confirmed by the owner,” said the public tipster. On the En Vida Instagram they also state, “we are permanently closed.” The silver lining is that you can get their food at TPK Brewing—En Vida’s plate of arepitas de queso was one of my favorite bites from 2024. 1303 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Food & Wine ranks Portland as the fourth best place in the US for coffee. Food & Wine has an annual award called the “Global Tastemakers Award”—this is its third year, so it’s fairly new. It celebrates “very best in culinary travel around the world” and the number of cities included is at 165. There’s a lot of content on their landing page, so normally you’ll be clicking a lot, but KOIN extracted what Portlanders want to know: how the city fits into these rankings.

It’s only about the coffee in this case; Portland was not included in lists of top U.S. food, drink, and restaurant cities. Nine cafes/roasters were mentioned in the list: Stumptown, Heart, Cathedral, Hypnos, Good Coffee, Capitola, Prince, Never, and Upper Left. Feel free to leave your favorite in the comments. Multiple locations


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Taste of Szechuan Has Opened in the Old Eastern Cathay Space in Portland
Food Waste Prevention Week in Portland
The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Finalists in Portland
Passover 2025 in Portland

We’ve also updated our Easter roundup. Fat Milo’s and Sabor Del Rio Cafe are both now open. And remember: Food Waste Prevention Week starts Monday.

The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Finalists in Portland

The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Finalists medal.
Photo credit: Cullen328  on Wikimedia Commons.

We learned back in January who the James Beard Awards Semifinalists were, and now that list has been reduced to the finalists. Portland—and Oregon—have six individuals and restaurants (includes a bakery and a bar) that are on track to possibly winning a James Beard Award later this summer.

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Taste of Szechuan Has Opened in the Old Eastern Cathay Space in Portland

The exterior of Taste of Szechuan in Portland, Oregon.
Photo credit: Taste of Szechuan.

Eastern Cathay, a Chinese restaurant that operated for around 15 years on NE 82nd Avenue across from the MAX station, is no more. This is now the location for Taste of Szechuan (not to be confused with Taste of Sichuan), and offers a new menu with things like pork wontons with chili oil, smacked cucumber salad, Westlake beef soup, cumin lamb, some offal dishes, and more.

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Easter 2025 in Portland

A vintage Easter scene with a rabbit and what looks like a gnome with the words, Sincere Easter Wishes for Easter 2025.

This year, both Easter and Orthodox Easter fall on Sunday, April 20, with Holy Week starting Sunday, April 13. It is very uncommon for the two to land on the same day. But regardless of your level of religiosity, Easter can be a sweet time: Brunch, holiday candy, wine, and feeling grateful for spring are All Good Things. After all, Easter’s spring placement has origins in Oestre/Eostre, who is goddess of spring and fertility. 

Here is where you can enjoy Easter’s tasty charms in Portland

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Sabor del Rio Cafe Will Bring Puerto Rican Food to Marine Drive in Portland

The view from Sabor del Rio toward the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon.
The view from Sabor del Rio. Photo credit: Sabor del Rio.

A new restaurant called Sabor del Rio Cafe will open in the Sunderland neighborhood out in one of the floating buildings on the Columbia River just west of NE 33rd. I often go up there in the summer to hang out at The Deck, so having yet another option there (Salty’s on the Columbia and The Sextant are also nearby) is also pretty exciting. I am sure the folks who live in the area are also happy to see this new development.

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