Good Neighbor Cà Phê Will Open in NW Portland

Drinks at Good Neighbor Cà Phê? Probably.
Iced drinks at Portland Cà Phê, which I expect will resemble sone of the ones at Good Neighbor Cà Phê. Photo credit: Portland Cà Phê.

A new Vietnamese cafe called Good Neighbor Cà Phê (not to be confused with Brave Neighbor Coffeehouse) is officially opening in Northwest Portland on NW 23rd Avenue. It’s a sister cafe to one of Portland’s top Vietnamese coffee shops, Portland Cà Phê, as well as Better Days Cafe. At Good Neighbor, they will continue Kim Dam’s mission of “community, quality, and Vietnamese-inspired coffee culture.” They’ve been in soft opening mode for about a week, and will hold their grand opening tomorrow (Friday).

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Better Days Cafe Is Open in Portland

Pouring steamed milk into a latte.
Photo credit: Better Days Cafe

Today is the first day of the soft opening of Better Days Cafe, located on SE Division and 35th Place. This is a project from Kim Dam of Portland Cà Phê and Mémoire Cà Phê, a new brunch spot on NE Alberta that recently received a 2024 Eater award for Restaurant Team of the Year; and Melody Rin, who has been a roaster and the very first employee at Portland Cà Phê.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (May 27)

Mocktails at Zinc. This week I had dinner at Zinc Bistro & Bar in Multnomah Village and was happy to see that they have three zero-proof cocktails on the menu. I chose the one that was particularly summery sounding, with flavors of cucumber, basil, and mint. Sparkly and very refreshing. 7800 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

Get your birthday ice cream at Nico’s. Similar to the way Pip’s Original does it, you can stop by Nico’s and get a free ice cream on your birthday or seven days after. This is particularly great for us summer birthday kids! 5713 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Best butcher shops in Portland. PoMo has a great roundup of quality butcher shops around town where you can get your favorite meats for your Memorial Day cookout, or really any time of the year. I’m particularly glad to see Gartner’s in Cully on there, but all the selections are great. Definitely check it out. Various locations

Somebody Feed Phil in Portland. Thanks to The O, I learned that one of the episodes in Season 5 of Somebody Feed Phil takes place in Portland! Actually, now that I think about it, I may have heard Bill Oakley talk about it a while back. Anyway, The Oregonian article has good details—places Phil visited include Fried Egg I’m In LoveMatt’s BBQ, DesiPDX (these three he visited with Michael Russell, The Oregonian’s restaurant critic), KachkaHan OakRuthie’s food cart, Tov Coffee, and Doe Donuts. Bill Oakley also took Phil to Portland Caphe. It looks like a great episode.

Lunar New Year 2022 in the Portland Metro

Happy Year of the Tiger!

The Year of the Tiger is almost upon us. Lunar New Year lands on Tuesday, February 1 and ends January 21, 2023. This particular year of the Tiger is a Water Tiger year. I am no expert on the Chinese zodiac, so I can’t speak authoritatively about what “Year of the Tiger” means on a deeper level, so check out what the folks at The Woks of Life have to say. Here in the Portland area there are plenty of ways to celebrate with parades, crafts, dancing—and food.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 17)

Get to know Bun Bo Hue. House District 46 Representative Khanh Pham interviewed Đức Nguyễn, owner of Bun Bo Hue, a Vietnamese restaurant in Lents specializing in Bún Bò Huế, a spicy Vietnamese soup. Comfort food to the max. 7002 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland

Smart Donkey, a Burrito Beer Garden, is coming to SE Portland. Willamette Week reports that Oswaldo Bibiano of Autentica fame, is opening a burrito beer garden. I love the idea of a beer garden focusing on burritos! It should be open by end of the year. 3420 SE 50th Avenue, Portland

Sayler’s celebrates 75 years. East Portland stalwart Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen is going strong and celebrating 75 years in the steakhouse biz this year (they opened in 1946). From their website: “We’ve been through a lot these past 75 years, a couple of fires, a changing Portland landscape. But we’re still a Portland grown, family owned business. And proud of it.” They are seeking your Sayler’s memories, especially those of your celebrations there over the years—and you can submit them on the Sayler’s website. 10519 SE Stark Street, Portland

Portland Cà Phê is a Sprudgie finalist. Congrats to Portland Cà Phê for being a finalist in the Best New Cafe category for the 13th Annual Sprudgie Awards (Sprudge is a coffee news and culture website). The finalist will be determined by a public vote, so if you’d like to support them, head to the Sprudge voting page. 2815 SE Holgate Blvd, Portland