Korean food Archives - Bridgetown Bites

February 11, 2026February 10, 2026

BBANG! Will Open Next to the Holy Ghost in Portland

Three of the sandwiches you can get at BBANG! Shrimp burger is in the middle. — I spy Bbang. Photo credit: BBANG!

Late last year, Chinese restaurant 28 Tigers said farewell to their space next to the Holy Ghost Bar on Southeast 28th Avenue. Around that time (in November), I quoted the 28 Tigers folks with, “A new exciting project will be taking over our space while we find some rest before the next project manifests.” Well, that exciting project is BBANG!, a new Korean restaurant offering sandwiches, burgers, Korean fried chicken and tofu, and tasty sides—and a love of the bread the binds them.

I spoke with one of the owners of BBANG!, Megan Kim, and here is what I learned about the new place.

February 2, 2026February 1, 2026

Corea K-Food Opens in Old Mokdong Gimbap Space in Portland

The front of Corea K-Food on SE Hawthorne.

There’s a new Korean restaurant in the old Mokdong Gimbap space on SE Hawthorne: Corea K-Food. They’ve been open a few weeks now, according to the staff I spoke with, and it appears to be a different owner.

January 23, 2025March 9, 2025

Moon Pocha Will Open on NE 28th Avenue in Portland

A new Korean restaurant/bistro and bar called Moon Pocha is opening NE 28th Avenue’s “restaurant row” later this year. They will make their home in the old Bar Asha space (also formerly The Sudra). As you may remember, Bar Asha closed in late 2024. The new spot will offer Korean food and drink, six days a week.

June 13, 2024June 13, 2024

Janken: Everything Is Better Together (Review)

Food writers Meg Cotner and Judith Rich starting a meal at Janken in Portland, OR. — Toward the start of our meal, food writers at work. Photo credit: Judith Rich

A little while back my friend Judith raved about the food she had at Janken, an upscale restaurant in the Pearl (corner of NW Everett and 13th). It opened in late 2022, with the aim to offer “exquisite Japanese-Korean fusion cuisine.” They also state, “We strive to build a space that encourages connection, conversation, and camaraderie, a place where every meal becomes a cherished memory.” This certainly was my experience the night I was there. The evening was a choice opportunity to connect with my good friend Judith, enjoy some new dishes, hang out in NW Portland, and have a memorable time together.

Disclaimer: This meal was comped but the opinions are my own.

February 6, 2023February 6, 2023

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, January 2023

It’s fun to see what was popular on the blog last month—and there was some variety this time (most often it’s all about Portland restaurant news). A few posts on specific kinds of food (galette des rois, soup, dumplings), some restaurant news, and events (the dumpling fest and soup fest). Big thanks to Reddit, Facebook, and PDX Eater for their linkage—it really drove traffic to the site in January, with over 10,000 page views.

Thanks, as always, for reading!

5. Get Your Galette des Rois in Portland in 2023

galette-des-rois-feves-petite-provence-portland-oregon

Last year around this time I wrote about the Galette des Rois, the traditional French king cake to honor Epiphany aka Three Kings Day (January 6), and where it was available in Portland. In 2022, accessing this delicious cake—sweetened almond cream surrounded by buttery puff pastry—was limited. Happily, there are addition options this year, which I want to highlight.