Four Things I Learned This Week (July 5)

I hope you had a nice Independence Day holiday yesterday! It was lazing around, a LOST marathon (“Don’t tell me what I can’t do!”), and eating hot dogs at Bridgetown Bites headquarters. 🌭 By the way, have you tried that Heinz pickle ketchup?

The Lents Hong Phat getting closer to opening. This new Hong Phat location there in Lents in the old Walmart space recently returned to my radar because their liquor license application popped-up. I’ve reached out to them to get a better idea of an opening date, and will share that will you when/if I ever get it. 4200 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Carnelian Coffee moved up the street. Looks like they moved Saturday, June 15, “just up the road 9 blocks at 79th & Foster.” I hear the space is lovely and look forward to more interesting things happening there aside from coffee (more on that next week). I hear the rocks displayed at the old spot are on display at the new space. 7950 SE Foster Road, Portland

APEX Bar lost their lease, is closing. Over on Brewpublic they wrote about 14-year-old craft beer bar APEX is closing at the end of August after losing their lease. “The end of August will be the end of our service at SE 12th & Division. We’re looking forward to seeing you over the next 2 months and hopefully beyond. It’s been an honor over 14+ years pouring 3,319 unique beers on tap and counting.” They are looking for some place new, preferably in their neighborhood (SE 12th and Division). Do you know something for them? I bet east Portland would welcome them. 216 SE Division Street, Portland

Portland Nacho Week starts Monday. From July 8 to 14, enjoy plates of nachos around town for $8. I saw that Steeplejack (NE Broadway) is participating, and last time I had them, I quite liked their nachos. More about the event plus a map, is here. Various


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Thang Long Cuisine: Comforting, Tasty Vietnamese Food in Montavilla (Review)
Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, June 2024
Happy Birthday, Bridgetown Bites! You’re 7 Years Old!
Come To Summer Nights 2024 in Parkrose

A Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Looks To Open in Portland

Artful coffee drinks from Trung Nguyên Legend.
Trung Nguyên Legend shows off in artful way. Photo credit: Trung Nguyên Legend

According to paperwork filed with ORSOS, along with Portland city permits filed, it appears that a Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe is planning to open on SE Powell Blvd and SE 84th Avenue. Trung Nguyên is a major name in Vietnamese coffee, and along with their manufacturing and retail efforts, their cafes are some of the most popular in Vietnam. “Trung Nguyen Legend” is the company’s “premium brand in coffee.”

Continue reading “A Trung Nguyên Legend Cafe Looks To Open in Portland”

Four Things I Learned This Week (June 7)

It’s National Donut Day today! Here’s a map of donut shops in Portland.

OX is closed until July. A Bridgetown Bites tipster sent me this note earlier this week: “OX is closed until Jul 1st. They cancelled all reservations. We drove past it last night and it is fenced off.” The website says, “Ox Restaurant is currently closed for repairs.” Back in March, OX had a fire that “started in the flue of the grill in the first level and extended into the roof structure.” There are a bunch of permits filed with the city for repairs, including work on the roof, ductwork, exhaust, piping, and a new kitchen fire suppression system. We wish them only the best as they work on fixes in order to reopen in a few weeks. 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland

Ranch Pizza and LoRo Coffee are open in Montavilla. They opened their doors yesterday, Thursday, June 6. Taking residence in the former Hungry Heart location, Ranch and LoRo are splitting the space, with coffee in the mornings and pizza later in the day. I stopped in this morning and had a really nice iced latte with almond milk and a piece of their bacon-cheese-potato focaccia. This is a nice addition to the neighborhood. Bonus: I noticed that a beacon light crosswalk is in process of being installed there at Stark and SE 80th Avenue! 7940 SE Stark Street, Portland

Check out the pre-Father’s Day artisan market at STEELPORT Knives this weekend. This is the fourth year they’ve done this event and the place will be full of knives for sale, vendors, music, free custom engravings, a raffle, and more. On the edible side of things look for Flying Fish Co, Jacobsen Salt Co, Kachka, Olympia Provisions, Puff Coffee, Smith Teamaker, The Flavor Society, Vorfruede Dairy Beef, Westward Whiskey, and Wilderton. 1pm to 4pm at their space on NE Sandy Blvd. More details on their Facebook event page. 3602 NE Sandy Blvd, Suite B, Portland

The final countdown is on for JaCiva’s Bakery. Their final day will be Saturday, June 29. About nine months ago the word came out that they were going to close. They continued going, but time is up. They posted on Instagram, “Our building is still for sale but we can no longer realistically operate in a way that is beneficial to both our staff and our customers.”

They added: “Thank you so much for nearly 40 beautiful years. Thank you for allowing us to be apart of your most cherished memories as you celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and all of life’s milestones. We have loved making your lives a little sweeter. We are not taking any preorders at this time. All items are first come first served. Please stay tuned on our social media accounts and our website for any updates as we navigate these final weeks. We love you!” 4733 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Ole Frijole Has Closed
Strawberry Shortcake Week Is Coming
Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies Opens June 7 on SE Belmont

Four Things I Learned This Week (May 31)

Water Avenue Coffee is served at The People’s Courts. I was very happy to learn this news and it makes me want to check out The People’s Courts even more. They posted a video of their cafe space, and it looks nice. Also, know that you can go to The People’s Courts and just enjoy their food and drink without playing sports there. In their FAQ they say, “You are welcome to come eat, drink, watch a game, hang out, etc. without paying any fees.” I wonder if they will show the 2024 Paris Olympics there? 2700 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland

A Fling, a Party, and a Market. There are a bunch of things going on this Saturday, June 1, including the Spring Fling Block Party in Montavilla from noon to 5pm (live music, art, vendors, food at the Rocket Empire Machine food hall, Gigantic Brewing’s tap room); the Parking Lot Party at the pizza cart Reeva starting at 4pm (food, drink, music, vendors); and Rocky Butte Farmers Market‘s first market day of the 2024 season (9am to 1pm) at their new location next to Glenhaven Park. 6935 NE Glisan Street, 7727 NE Sandy Blvd, NE 82nd Avenue and Siskiyou, Portland

Demarco’s Sandwiches is closing. Big bummer for those who love east coast-style sandos: Demarco’s is closing their Division Street location; Saturday, June 30 is the last day you can access their food at that cart at that location. However, they will still do events and catering. So there’s that. And in their words: “COME DOWN AND SAY HELLO SO WE HOPE YOU COME DOWN AND CRUSH US FOR THE NEXT MONTH.” 4606 SE Division Street, Portland

40 LBS Coffee is moving to SW 6th and Washington this summer. It looks like this new location is the Aspect on Sixth building, where FORTE has been (their website says they closed April 30, so just a little over a month ago). According to the 40 LBS Instagram, “Currently we are doing pop-up Tuesday through Thursday from 8-noon, if you are in the area come say hi.” They also talk about construction that will be starting up in a couple of weeks. They will be hiring for this location. 400 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland