Portland food news and views
Sunday is for cannoli at Cartopia. Over at the Cartopia food pod Holy Shannoli is doing a cannoli pop-up on Sunday from noon to 8pm. You can see their menu here—much more elaborate than the traditional cannoli decorated with chocolate chips, nuts, or candied citrus peel. 1207 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Continue reading “Small Bites: Cannoli, The Richmond Bar, The Deck, and More”
I thought I’d take a little time to share some of the restaurants opening in Portland in 2025 that I am particularly looking forward to. As we move further away from the pandemic—though COVID is not gone, by any means—I have hopes that its volatility that affected the city’s restaurants for too long is truly in the rearview mirror. And that other issues (like break-ins) can be addressed by our new city council. This year’s list includes a public market, a new coffee shop, Indigenous fine dining, and more.
Continue reading “Restaurants Opening in Portland in 2025: What We’re Looking Forward To”Memento Mori opens their new cafe tomorrow. On Saturday, October 12, Correna Hernandez, will open Memento Mori in NW Portland. This is a plant-based/vegan cafe that operated originally as a food cart. Some of the things you can look forward to: their “Gothachino,” lemonades, waffles, panini, and pastries. All made with no animal products, of course. They will open their doors at 8am Saturday morning. 1533 NW 24th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland
Bristol Bay Sandwich is back at Grand Central Bakery. This sandwich is close to my heart because Grand Central uses Iliamna Fish Co. salmon. As you may know, I am a long time member of Iliamna’s CSF (Community Supported Fishery). More about the sandwich: “We lightly smoked the salmon, and then pair it with scallion-caper cream cheese and a fresh fennel slaw on our toasted Seeded Baguette.” This sandwich is tasty and supports the work of this fourth-generation family of fisherpersons and the good work they do in sustainable fishing. Check it out! Various locations.
Up to $750K for the Portland Mercado. Earlier this week the Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to grant as much as $750,000 to Hacienda CDC to reconstruct the parts of the Mercado that was damaged by fire at the start of 2024. The reconstruction will involve the bar space, an addition to the structure, more covered outdoor space, and rooftop seating. Montavilla News has more details. 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland
Brooklyn Cooperative Grocery moved their operation by bike. Formerly known as Know Thy Food, this SE Portland food coop lost their lease at the end of September. They did find a new location but what stood in the middle of that was moving everything from one location to the next. In pure Portland style, they did it all by bike. Watch the video, and attend their soft launch party on October 25. 1420 SE Powell Blvd, Portland
Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:
Halloween 2024: Food and Drink in Portland
The Fates Bread & Bottle Co Will Open in Sellwood
Visiting the Brooklyn Carreta Construction Site (Photos)
Cereus PDX Is Closing
Fire at the Mercado. Heartbreaking news this week—it happened around 5:30am on January 3. Thankfully there were no injuries or deaths, but it’s still a very sad state of affairs. The Oregonian describes is like this: “Firefighters arrived to find a fire blazing in one of the building’s restaurant stalls and the large building filled with smoke, fire officials said. A second alarm was called but additional crews soon turned back as firefighters on the scene quickly got the blaze under control, including after spotting fires burning in ‘odd void spaces within the ceiling.’”
A fire relief fund has been started and you can give to that, here. 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland
Bee’s Cakes is closing. This sweet cafe at the corner of NE Fremont and 72nd Avenue is closing; January 14 will be their final day for the cafe, and in May the rest of the operation. From Rebecca: “This year has been difficult for us—as well as many other small business. We have had the pleasure of greeting and serving our customers pastries & coffee for the last couple of years, but it is time we switch directions. We will continue to take custom cake & catering orders until May 1st, 2024 and will be opening our calendar to take on more orders until then! We will be closing fully end of that month.”
This is a real loss for Roseway and nearby Cully and Sumner. Best of luck to Rebecca and her expanding family (she became a mom about a month ago), and here’s hoping something great opens up in that space. 7137 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Roam PDX + Bhuna. Roam, known for their handmade roti and “hyper seasonal ingredients” with a presence at the PSU and Montavilla Farmers Markets, will be doing a winter residency at Bhuna Restaurant in NW Portland. They’ll be there Monday and Tuesday evenings from 5pm to 9pm. Here’s the menu, and it sounds pretty good. “Come in and enjoy a cocktail while we put food on plates for ya! We are keeping the word on the street mellow while we get comfortable in the space.” 704 NW 21st Avenue, Portland
Masala Lab offers dinner service. Deepak Saxena of Masala Lab (and who runs the Chaat Wallah food cart in Cully) has launched dinner service at the Lab and went on KGW’s “Hello Rose City” to talk about it. It starts today, January 5. They offer a mix of small, medium, and large plates, which aim to be untraditional, very “fusiony,” and take inspiration from Deepak’s travels and his childhood. A few thing you can expect:
The menu is 100% gluten free, and they plan to rotate it every two to thre months. They also hope to eventually do events and farmers markets and are working on a product line—e.g., chai concentrate, snacky things. Happy Hour is in the works, and will go from 5pm to 6pm, and likely 4pm to 6pm in the summer. After a while, they’d like to expand evening hours on Friday and Saturday until midnight. No reservations yet. 5327 NE MLK Blvd, Portland
Zuckercreme is approaching its next chapter. Brittany over at Zuckercreme in Montavilla posted an update on the business and announced “we’re open through the end of the year as zuck ~currently~ exists.” She continues, “i love everything she has been and will be, and this is not a goodbye! however, a lot is going to happen in these next few months that will determine what the next chapter of zuckercreme is, and that’s where i’m writing to you.” However, she leaves the most important detail toward the end: she’s having a baby in March! Read more about her thoughts on Zuckercreme on Instagram. 414 SE 81st Avenue, Portland
Kaah Market is looking for a new space. Currently located—and there since the beginning—at the Portland Mercado, Kaah Market announced this week that they “have been given a no reason termination of their lease.” The market will close there Wednesday, November 1. They are looking for a new space, so if you have any leads, let them know. Maybe the Republica folks could fold them into their world? I love this little market and wish the Kaah people on the best as they navigate their next steps. 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland
Fig Fest is this weekend! One Green World Nursery, one of the most interesting places to buy plants in Portland, is holding their Fig Fest again. Head there on Saturday and/or Sunday to check out the range of fig trees they sell, taste figs—weather permitting—and enjoy fig-inspired drinks and treats. Maybe even buy some plants. It’s really a great nursery, and worth it for any plant lover to experience the place. 6469 SE 134th Avenue, Portland
The Deck’s closing party is Sunday. You may have seen me talk about The Deck on Instagram—a restaurant serving American food essentially out on the Columbia River. They are seasonal, and are closing up shop after this weekend. Sunday’s the party: “Join us for our season’s grand finale on September 24th! 🌟 Swing by and celebrate with us, and enjoy all-day happy hour specials! 🥂” 2901 NE Marine Drive, Portland
