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.

Continue reading “Harder Day Coffee Is Opening a New Cafe in the Hollywood District”

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, June 2024

Data Analytics Chart

This month I have better news than last month’s: we almost doubled our traffic in June. Over 17,000 unique visitors made it over to Bridgetown Bites, and they generated over 21,000 page views (vs 8,800 and 11,000, respectively). The strategies I put into place made a difference.

Top posts in June are mostly about restaurants (and a future food cart pod), but strawberry shortcake certainly grabbed attention. And why not? It’s delicious and wholesome.

A always, thanks to all who visited, read, and shared stories on Bridgetown Bites!

5. Ole Frijole Has Closed

Ole Frijole's exterior in the Concordia neighborhood in Portland, OR. It closed as of May 4, 2024.

Earlier this week a Bridgetown Bites tipster emailed me news that Ole Frijole, located on the northwest corner of Killingsworth and NE 42nd Ave, has closed. They wrote, “My neighbor mentioned that she just read a sweet message to customers posted on their door saying that they closed and the property has been sold.” Looks like the closure was one month ago on May 4.

Continue reading “Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, June 2024”

Small Bites: Wonderlove Is Open, Portland Taco Ride, Top Portland Pizzas, and More

The space that is Wonderlove.
Behold, Wonderlove. Photo credit: Wonderlove

Wonderlove is open (partially). This is good news—the SE Portland food cart/bar/entertainment venue Wonderlove is open! A post on Instagram about a week ago goes like this:

“So excited to partially open! 11am-7pm. The first stage of our amazing journey starts now with opening (a few )of our fantastic food carts! And that’s not all—we’re also serving adult beverages out of the Wondercat Pizza Cart! Stay tuned because the Wonderlove Bar is the second act, and it’s coming soon!” 262 SE Main Street, Portland

Continue reading “Small Bites: Wonderlove Is Open, Portland Taco Ride, Top Portland Pizzas, and More”

Food Cart Pod Opening on NE Fremont Street: Update

The lot that will be home to the food cart pod on NE Fremont Street, as of June 24, 2024

Formerly the location of Barrett Automotive, and soon to be a food cart pod, this property on NE Fremont Street in Beaumont-Wilshire is now a mostly empty lot. I often drive or walk by the property and always gawk at it. The first major phase of demolition has happened already, and I wanted to know what’s next. I chatted with Daniel Silvey of DBS Group, the firm that is developing the pod, to get some updates, and I’m sharing them here.

Continue reading “Food Cart Pod Opening on NE Fremont Street: Update”

Four Things I Learned This Week (June 21)

Happy summer! We have crossed the summer solstice and are now officially into summer by the solar calendar (midsummer by the Celtic one). The Oregonian has a listicle of rooftop bars and patios on which to enjoy a meal al fresco.

TANAKA is open in Gresham. This katsu sandwich shop (“Inspired by Osaka. Created in Tokyo. Baked in Portland.”) opened June 14 in the Alta Civic Station building but they have a special through the month of June: “20% off all menu items at TANAKA Gresham from June 14th-30th 2024, Dine-in only, Excludes Retail & Cold Case, Some Exclusions May Apply.” 1493 NW Civic Drive, Gresham

Fundraiser for the Recovery Café Roseway tomorrow. Part of the Recovery Café Network, the Roseway café is hosting a fundraiser for their important work. A Recovery Café is “committed to serving people who have experienced trauma and the results of trauma like homelessness, substance use disorder, addiction, and other mental health challenges.” This fundraiser is Roseway’s first. There, you can enjoy food and drink, live music, and brief program with remarks from Recovery Cafe Network Co-Founder Killian Noe. You can also tour the cafe space: meditation, exercise, and art rooms. Saturday, June 22, 10am to noon . Buy $25 tickets here. 3516 NE 71st Avenue, Portland

Slow Food Portland’s June convivium is next week. I’ve been to a couple of these events and always had a good time. On Wednesday, June 26 the topic will be “Portland’s Farm to Table, the Past and the Future: An Evening with Cory Schreiber.” A James Beard award-winning chef, writer, and teacher, Cory will “share his experiences and insights on the early years of the farm-to-table movement, current trends, and his vision for the future.” Happening at Cookshop. Doors open at 6pm, presentation from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, snacks and beverages available for purchase. More info and (free) ticket link are here. 2625 SE 26th Avenue, Portland

1919 to open in old Sessionable space. A new lounge called 1919 is opening up on Division Street. The idea is that it will be “a public room in which to sit and relax.” Sounds like they want to be a neighborhood local. Work is being done on the interior and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with the place. 1919’s website, at the writing of this piece, is not accessible, but the domain exists. Sessionable closed in July 2023. Keep up with 1919 on their Instagram. 3588 SE Division Street, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Lone Wolf Watering Hole Is Coming to South Waterfront
All Your Heart Coffee To Open in South Waterfront
Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, May 2024