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Four Things I Learned Last Week in Portland Food (January 3)

Javelina has found a place to call home. Indigenous pop-up-turning-restaurant Javelina announced late last year that they have found a place to land in Portland—the Lil’ Dame space in Northeast Portland. On Instagram, they said, “We have secured a hosting space to open the FIRST indigenous dining restaurant in Portland, Oregon.”

They will run two services at the new location—the original Javelina concept offering “classic powwow comfort food,” and a new dinner concept, which they will say more about this year. A soft opening will be on Monday and Tuesday, January 13 and 14, and full service starts Thursday, January 23, operating Wednesdays to Saturdays. Very exciting! Reserve on OpenTable. 5425 NE 30th Avenue, Portland

Pip’s Original closes Beaverton location. Unfortunate news for one of our western suburbs—Pip’s closed up shop in Beaverton. Sounds like it has to do with rent increases and the stance of the landlord and property management company. They were “ultimately unable to reach an accommodation,” and that meant shutting down in Beaverton. They are still operating at their NE Fremont location. 12400 SW Broadway Street, Beaverton

And Blue Star closes its Lake Oswego and Mississippi locations. The Mississippi location was my first encounter with Blue Star, and I’m sorry to see them leave that space. On their Instagram they posted, “These spaces have been home to countless sweet memories, joyful celebrations, and deep connections. While this decision was incredibly difficult, it’s one we had to make to ensure the long-term stability of Blue Star as we head into our 13th year.” You can still find them at South Waterfront, Goose Hollow, Division Street, and PDX Concourse D. 3753 N Mississippi Avenue, Portland and 350 1st Street, Unit C-4, Lake Oswego

Giveaway! Support the local small business community. Former bartender Matt Kesteloot is organizing a giveaway of $5 gift cards to support local small businesses. How to participate? Enter from Friday, January 17 to Friday, January 31 by posting a picture of yourself at your favorite, bar, restaurant, coffee shop, vintage store, etc. Tag the business and use the hashtag #BeThereForPDX. On Saturday, February 1, winners will be chosen randomly to split the pot. Read more on Matt’s Instagram, including updates on what businesses are participating. Multiple locations

Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Summary: Portland Restaurant Openings and Closings, 2024
Landing Paper Planes Will Bring a Pay-What-You-Can Cafe To Portland
Zero Proof Portland: Dry January 2025

Updated January 5, 2025.

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Zero Proof Portland: Dry January 2025

No Regerts zero proof cocktail from The Pocket Pub.
No Regerts zero proof cocktail from The Pocket Pub.

Welcome to Dry January 2025. It’s no secret that I’m a big non-alcoholic cocktail fan—AKA mocktails, dry cocktails, zero-proof, no proof. I gave up alcohol in 2018 during breast cancer treatment and I never looked back. So the growth of a robust zero-proof cocktail scene in Portland makes me pretty happy—as well as better access to NA beer. And know many readers here are also fans of this development.

Here’s our 2025 roundup of places that serve non-alcoholic cocktails, beer, and more in Portland, suitable for Dry January (or really any time). Our criteria is that a bar or restaurant has at least four developed mocktails. And if not, they offer other interesting NA options aside from mocktails and beer—they could be juices, teas, etc. We’ve also done the math and found that on the average, a non-alcoholic mixed drink runs about $8 each.

Continue reading “Zero Proof Portland: Dry January 2025”
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Landing Paper Planes Will Bring a Pay-What-You-Can Cafe To Portland

Landing Paper Planes logo.

Over the weekend, I learned about a new project called Landing Paper Planes. It is a nonprofit organization that was conceived to support a pay-what-you-can cafe supported by a fine dining restaurant. The organizers hope to open in the first quarter of 2025. I had a chance to chat over email with Jade Fenton, one of the founders, and here is what she told me.

Continue reading “Landing Paper Planes Will Bring a Pay-What-You-Can Cafe To Portland”
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Summary: Portland Restaurant Openings and Closings, 2024

The dining room at Zula in Portland, Oregon. Portland restaurant openings and closings.
The dining room at Zula, which closed in October 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”
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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.