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.

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Small Bites: Redwood, Hong Phat, Rift Valley Market, Yaowarat, and More

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The beautiful pastries at JinJu Patisserie. Stop by before February 16, when they go on a short hiatus.

Final weekend at Bee’s. The ice storm caused chaos, as we know, and delayed the final weekend at Bee’s in Roseway. Head over there today through Sunday to enjoy their cake slices, laminated pastries, cookies, and more. The cafe is open from 8am to 3pm each day. 7137 NE Fremont Street, Portland

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Dry January 2024: This Month and Year-Round in Portland

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Happy New Year! It’s now 2024 and while we are still in the middle of the Christmas season on the ecclesiastical calendar, the solar calendar proclaims a brand new year. January is legendary as a time of new resolutions, goal setting, and making changes—and for some, setting aside the consumption of alcohol is one of them.

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Favorites of 2023: Bakeries, Food Trucks, Restaurants, Bars, Cafes

Truly, one of the most beautiful salads I ate this year. It was a seasonal special of sharp greens, strawberries, daikons, onions, radishes, causa, and a chicha morada lavender vinagreta from Reeva.

Welcome back to another end of year list. Instead of publishing our Four Things column today, I’m giving you a list of my favorite spots of 2023, where I enjoyed happy times eating and drinking. There’s a whole variety of places, some established, some new. This list is in no particular order, aside from alphabetically; in other words, no top pick. Please enjoy!

Cheese and Crack

For my birthday this year we had lunch at Paadee and then headed a couple doors down to Cheese & Crack for their titular sundae. I maintain that they make the best soft serve ice cream in Portland. It is smooth, creamy, and luscious. The toppings on this sundae are classic: chocolate ganache, cinnamon butter cracker crumble, and torched housemade marshmallow fluff. The sundaes really are enough for two, and their seasonal sundaes never cease to impress with their magical toppings combinations. 22 SE 28th Avenue, Portland. cheeseandcrack.com

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Four Things I Learned This Week (June 9)

Some openings of note. Tonight, head to Bar Mame for their opening; The Heist will open tomorrow, June 10; and Arrosto re-opened this week with a new ordering system—the outdoor walk-up window is a thing of the past. As a bi fan of Arrosto (especially their salad), here’s some tips from them I found useful: order inside Providore at the self-service Arrosto kiosk; food is served from 4pm to 7pm; they’ll start out with a simple menu of favorites (though more options are coming); and the Arrosto chicken salad and sandwich can be had at the deli case if you want it for lunch. 3279 SE Hawthorne Blvd (Bar Mame), 4727 SE Woodstock Blvd (The Heist), and 2340 NE Sandy Blvd (Arrosto), Portland

Yelp’s top donuts in Portland. Four donut shops in the Portland area made it on to the Yelp Top 100 list of donut shops around the U.S.:

  • 15—Pip’s Original, 4759 NE Fremont Street, Portland (and in July, 12400 SW Broadway Street, Beaverton)
  • 73—Donut Day, 18955 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy, Aloha
  • 78—Doe Donuts, 4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
  • 94—Mikiko Mochi Donuts, 300 NE 28th Avenue, Portland

    2023 James Beard Awards winners. It was great to see Kann (which I recently ate at—the hype is real) and Berlu do well at the 2023 James Beard Awards. Kann won Best New Restaurant, and Vince Nguyen was named Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA). Congrats to both! 548 SE Ash Street (Kann) and 605 SE Belmont Street (Berlu), Portland

    Happy one year anniversary, Fresh Love! Yesterday, Fresh Love celebrated one year in business. This little Roseway spot has become a dependable, lovely place to get delicious food (salad, sandwiches, bowls, smoothies, fresh juices, a few baked goods); pick up some produce and locally made artisan products (edible and not); and see local art. I was in there yesterday and got their seasonal chopped salad, which gets a thumbs up from me. They also stock my favorite Honey Mama’s bar, Tangerine Tahini. I wish them many more years in business! 7434 NE Fremont Street, Portland