Small Bites: FIKA Pastry PopUp, BLTs, Melon Ball, Ikoi No Kai, and More

An example of FIKA Pastry’s delicious sweet things.

It’s another Small Bites Friday—let’s go!

Fire at Caffe and BARba Mingo forces them to close. Terrible news this week: these popular Italian restaurants “sustained major damage” in a fire on early Monday morning. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but the restaurants will be closed indefinitely. “The Mingo family is eternally grateful for your love and support in this most difficult time. Finché c’è vita c’è speranza – As long as there is life there is hope. Grazie mille.” A Gofundme has been set up to raise money for the staff; as of this writing over $32K has been raised. 807 NW 21st Avenue, Portland

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Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, July 2024

Data Analytics Chart

Another month, another list of top 5 posts on Bridgetown Bites. It was another good month as far as traffic goes, with over 16,000 unique visitors generating close to 21,000 page views. Attention was on an interesting mix of things in July—openings, closings; new and old-ish posts; plus supermarkets.

As always, thanks so much for visiting, reading, and sharing articles and content from the site—appreciation for our tipsters, too!

5. Sweet & Salty PDX Opening in SE Portland

Sweet and Salty PDX logo

A new snack shop is coming to Portland’s Central Eastside district of the Buckman neighborhood in SE Portland: Sweet & Salty PDX. Their soft opening in pop-up form will take place tomorrow, Friday July 26. As their name indicates, they will be offering sweet and salty things to snack on, as well as a few more substantial items. Note: New hours are Tuesday to Thursday 10am to 6pm and Friday to Saturday 10am to 8pm. Their Instagram has more photos of the treats.

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Harder Day Coffee Is Opening a New Cafe in the Hollywood District

The entrance to what is going to be Harder Day Coffee on NE Sandy and 46th Avenue

Well friends, this time it’s real—a coffee shop is indeed opening up in the building at NE Sandy Blvd and 46th Avenue. This time around it’s Harder Day Coffee—they’ll bring coffee, beer, and dessert in comfy digs, to the Hollywood District. I met up with Brody Day (and bonus: Allie Heckman, Director of Operations), one of the co-owners of Harder Day (and Steeplejack Brewing) to chat with him about what they have planned for the cafe, and see where they are in the process of opening.

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Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies Opens June 7 on SE Belmont

The original oatmeal pecan raisin cookie that started it all. Photo credit: Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies

A new bakery, focusing on the world of oatmeal cookies, will open tomorrow, June 7 on SE Belmont and 33rd. Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies will offer a number of variations on this American staple of a baked good—and is a kind of “pandemic success story,” if you will.

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Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe Has Coffee and More

Photo credit: Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe

A few weeks ago, I stopped in at the new Battle Grounds Gaming Cafe on NE Sandy in the Hollywood District. My husband is a big D&D fan and plays with multiple groups throughout the month, so this place was on his radar early on. It’s pretty great inside—there are games and related items to buy, games to rent, games to borrow, separate rooms in which to play, a chill vibe. And a very nice cafe!

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