Portland food news and views
It’s almost time for king cakes! King cake season usually starts on January 6—Epiphany—and continues in some cases until Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday. There are three main kinds of king cakes you can find in Portland: the northern French galette des rois, NOLA-style king cakes, and rosca de reyes, which is popular in Mexican and other Latin American countries.
Here’s our roundup on where access these delicious king cakes in Portland in 2025.
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Over the weekend I had the pleasure to speak with Nico Vergara about his newest project, Toasted S’mores Bar. It will open in the same location as the abruptly shuttered 1927 S’mores Company in downtown Portland.
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This year I ate at a variety of places—some fancy, some more modest. But they all served me excellent, tasty, wonderful food. Here are my favorite bites in Portland in 2024.
Located in Cully on Cully Blvd, this is one of two Native-owned cafes in Portland (the other being All Your Heart Coffee in South Portland). I was there for a meeting with a neighbor and ordered a latte. One of the things I was offered by the barista was a choice of espresso roasts, and I chose a medium roast—this meant the Shoshone Blend, a coffee bean from Honduras medium-roasted by Native Coffee Traders. It was lovely, with notes of chocolate and nuts; plus expertly streamed milk. This is one of the best lattes I’ve had all year. 3941 NE Cully Blvd, Portland. Bison Coffeehouse website
Continue reading “Favorite Bites in Portland in 2024”Belle Époque Pies is leaving the 23rd and Alberta Pod. Home to excellent square pies (Sicilian-Detroit), Belle Époque Pies is moving on from their location on NE Alberta and 23rd Avenue, to a currently undisclosed location in the new year. Their final day of service at the pod is Wednesday, December 25. As they said on Instagram, “Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to bring Belle Époque Pies to a brand-new home. Thank you, Alberta, for all the love and support—you’ve been incredible. 💛” Looking forward to seeing where they land in 2025. 2231 NE Alberta Street, Portland
And in other pizza news … this time in Milwaukie. Pietro’s Pizza is moving from their current location (10300 SE Main Street), setting up shop at 11050 SE Oak Street, which was home to McGrath’s Fish House. So why is this happening? A “developer of a 178-unit multifamily project in downtown Milwaukie is the new owner” of this property, according to the Portland Business Journal.
Pietro’s Pizza (opened in 1957) is part of an informal crowd of regional, old-school pizzerias that would include Stark Street Pizza (opened in 1965) and Pizza Baron (opened in 1983). I’ve heard from a number of old-time Portlanders who have happy memories of these places from their youth—maybe it was a birthday party or a little league season celebration at these pizzerias. Over on Reddit, a user calls this “Oregon-Style pizza.” 10300 SE Main Street/11050 SE Oak Street, Milwaukie
Jim & Patty’s is writing a cookbook, but you can see it digitally now. Over on Facebook the Jim & Patty’s folks wrote that although putting together the published cookbook (“Jim and Patty’s Family Recipes”) will take some time, you can access a “proto PDF version” of it now. It’s available for download for $10. It is “filled with our Roberts family recipes, pictures & back stories.” Instructions to access this PDF are in the Facebook post.
HeyDay has closed their shop. Over on Instagram, I learned that Lisa has closed down their brick & mortar space in the CORE food hall. The last day open was this past Sunday, and she said this about the decision to close without advanced notice: “I’m sorry that we didn’t announce it but I wanted to make sure that the team had the most normal last Sunday. I wanted to protect them from answering any questions about our decision to close.” I respect this decision.
She also tells us that this is not the end of HeyDay! “We have some really cool and exciting things for you to look forward to,” she says. Their donuts have been available at Better Days Cafe this year and I imagine they will be in 2025, too. Best of luck to Lisa and HeyDay, and I look forward to what they have planned for next year. 3612 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland
BONUS: Portland vs. Seattle. Redfin reached out to me for input on their article about Portland vs. Seattle, including when it comes to real estate, cost of living, and culture. I am Portland all the way (no surprise). Redfin observes this about our fair city: “Portland is known for its creative energy, green spaces, and more affordable cost of living.” You can read the article at the link, including a variety of quotes from Portland locals on food and other topics: Portland vs Seattle: Which City is Right for You? Comparing Real Estate, Cost of Living, Culture, and More.
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
Tréla Greek Kitchen and Taverna in Portland: First Look
A Dairy Queen Grows in Portland: An Opening Update
Hanukkah 2024 in Portland
Sincerely Bagel Is Setting Up Shop in Portland
Portland’s 3 Doors Down: A Chat With Matthew Stiles
Last month, as you may know, longstanding east-side restaurant 3 Doors Down closed. I wrote about it here and shortly after that I received an offer from Matthew Stiles to hear his POV about the end of 3 Doors Down. This is his accounting of the restaurant and its end.
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