Portland food news and views
Restaurant, bar, cafe, and food truck openings is the subject some of the most read Portland food news on Bridgetown Bites.
Thunderbird, a bar from the Lighting Bar Collective, will open in the former space of The Uncanny, which closed in May 2026. I first caught wind of all this through their liquor license application, then not long after that I saw the sign above as I was walking around the N Mississippi commercial strip. Here is what we know.
Continue reading “Thunderbird Will Open on N Mississippi Ave in Portland”
Portland’s James Beard Awards winners in 2026—not one, but two! No … three! On Monday night we learned who won the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. Portland was represented by two of these awards—one for Scotch Lodge for Outstanding Bar and one for Ryan Roadhouse at Nodoguro for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA).
Continue reading “Small Bites: James Beard Awards Winners, Coffee, and More”
The other day Instagram’s algorithm served me this video from Simply Coffee, a relatively new cafe in Gresham. I was really charmed by the narrator, who I learned later is owner Andra Stanescu (her husband Jonathan, is the other owner). Plus she uttered the magic word, “cornetti.” I wanted to learn more.
So, we chatted on the phone, talked about Simply Coffee and her work in the coffee/cafe sphere, and I’m happy to pass on some of what we talked about.
Continue reading “Simply Coffee: An Italian Cafe Has Opened in Gresham”
The Eastburn has closed. A Bridgetown Bites tipster told me this week that they learned from an employee that the Eastburn shut down on Tuesday; new has spread since then. Their Google business listing confirms it as “Permanently Closed.”
Continue reading “Small Bites: The Eastburn, Hunnymilk, Wajan, Sorbu, and More”
I first became aware of Salami Mammi kind of by accident; but when I realized what it was and who was involved, I knew I had to reach out to them to learn more. This is a new Italian deli from the folks behind Don’s Favorite Foods and Burger Stevens: Kate Laurents and Don Salamone, plus their business partner Adam Galbraith. And it will take over the current Don’s space, with Don’s moving elsewhere in Beaverton (location TBD).
I had a chance to speak with them about the new place, and here is what we talked about.
Continue reading “Salami Mammi, an Italian Deli, Will Open in Beaverton”