Small Bites: Pie Spot, Prince Coffee, Publican Beer Room, and More

Enchiladas with green sauce at El Sombrero Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
Delicious Mexican food in Portland.

Pie Spot in Montavilla is closing. The second location of Pie Spot in the Rocket Empire Machine food hall has decided to “throw in the towel” after four years there. Their “lil pie window” will close after Saturday (tomorrow). 6935 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Continue reading “Small Bites: Pie Spot, Prince Coffee, Publican Beer Room, and More”

Four Things I Learned This Week (September 20)

DB Dessert Company’s grand re-opening is coming. Cupcake and cake wonderland DB Dessert Company is re-opening their cafe on NE Alberta Street on Saturday, September 28. “We’ll have a brand new menu featuring not just our famous desserts, but also savory bites, a few surprises, classic favorites, and yes, our wine bar is OPEN! That means mimosas!” Noon to 5pm on the 28th. Here’s the Facebook event page. 2624 NE Alberta Street, Portland

Burned up Pacific Market deconstruction and removal has started. Last spring Pacific Market burned down due to an electrical fire. Over on Nextdoor a neighbor remarked, “Right after the fire the family was finding salvage and loading it into trucks. I asked them then and they said they owned the whole block and would rebuild. They had no intention of selling to developers. I haven’t seen any for sale signs since it burned.” A disturbing detail is that the fire and burnout generated an increase in bugs and flying creatures. Very happy they are cleaning things up. 6750 NE Broadway, Portland

NFL Sunday breakfast is back at Peter’s. Head to Peter’s Bar & Grill on Sunday mornings to enjoy their football season breakfast. It’s a very tasty small but well-curated menu: biscuits & gravy, a fried egg sandwich, pancakes, and a two-egg breakfast with meat & toast. Plus specials! 5701 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Hello Pho, Banh Mi & Boba is open in The Zipper. Andrew Jankowski at Willamette Week wrote about Hello Pho, Banh Mi & Boba, a new Vietnamese place that has opened up in the space that used to be home to Sari Ramyun. Here are some details:

“Hello Pho, Banh Mi & Boba opened in July, serving what its sign says and more. The expansive menu includes Vietnamese standards like vermicelli noodle bowls, rice plates, milkshakes and an array of appetizers like calamari ($10), salad rolls ($8) and crab puffs ($6). Hello currently comps your drink if you spend $25 or more, which can be done if you’re strategic or ravenously hungry—it’s possible to slurp down eye of round steak and brisket pho ($16.50) after chomping on a bulgogi bánh mì ($9) if your first meal is coming way too late in the day. A more responsible combo for bargain hunters might be pho with calamari, or a bánh mì with a couple of appetizers.” 2713 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

1927 S’mores Company Abruptly Closes
PDX Food Pod To Open in Outer Northeast Portland
Mermosa PDX’s Location in NW Portland Has Closed

Events this weekend include Oktoberfests and a celebration of Turkish culture:

Portland Oktoberfest, Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, 2024, Saturday 5:30pm to 9pm, Sunday 11am to 9pm, Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Avenue, Portland. Portland Oktoberfest website.

Oaks Park Oktoberfest, Friday to Sunday, September 20 to 22, 2024, Friday 4pm to 10pm, Saturday 11am to 10pm, Sunday 11am to 7pm, Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland. Oaks Park Octoberfest website.

Oktoberfest, Sunday, September 22, 2024, 11am to 5pm, McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey Street, Troutdale. McMenamins Oktoberfest website.

Türkiye Day, Sunday, September 22, 1pm to 5pm, PBOT, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, Suite 1100, Portland. Türkiye Day website.

Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, August 2024

Data Analytics Chart

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I’m happy to say that August traffic on Bridgetown Bites was pretty good—close to 21,000 unique visitors generated almost 27,000 page views. That’s a record for the site and a far cry from the discouraging numbers back in May of this year. The top posts in August were about restaurants—a fire/closing, a couple of closings/re-openings, and a move.

Thanks for reading and sharing, following us on social media (Threads seems to be a bit of a sleeper hit)—and also to those who have sent me tips. I appreciate you!

5. Another Fire: 42nd Ave Fish & Chips

Fire at 42nd Ave Fish & Chips in Portland's Cully neighborhood.

I can’t remember a year when there were so many fires in Portland relating to food businesses. Sadly, yesterday afternoon there was a fire—an external fire—at the 42nd Ave Fish & Chips restaurant. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but it’s a tragedy just the same.

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

Four Things I Learned This Week (August 16)

How Convenient is coming to North Tabor. As we wait for Tréla to open there on the southeast corner of NE Glisan and 60th Avenue, we also prepare for the opening of How Convenient, an aptly-named convenience store opening in the building to the east. They are calling themselves a “bodega-style,” as in a, “soon-to-be bodega-style convenience store where you will find treats & treasures to make your day better & easier.” I send good wishes to Nathan and his mascot cat Riley all the best as they prepare the space to open. 6016 NE Glisan Street, Portland

National Knife Day is August 24. Thanks to a post by Travel Oregon, I learned that there exists a National Knife Day in amongst the other “national days” floating around out there. And you can celebrate (or at least recognize) this day at an event on August 24 at Steelport Knife Co’s factory here in Portland. Also, did you know that “five of the world’s leading knife brands make their home here”? This includes including Benchmade Knife CompanyC.R.K.T.Gerber GearLeatherman, and, of course Steelport Knife Co.

At the event at Steelport, there will be knife forging demonstrations, and local food and drink available. You’ll also can enter the ultimate Portland Knifemaker Giveaway, where you have a chance to win over $5,000 worth of knives from the above-mentioned knife-makers. It runs through 11:59pm on August 24. 3602 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

Prince Coffee is selling its stroopwafel sign. Since they retired their fresh stroopwafels a while back, they are feeling like they don’t need that neon sign. Katie, owner of Prince Coffee, explains why they don’t make them anymore at the cafes—it’s a mix of health issues and price of ingredients. If you want it, send them a DM or email katie@princecoffeepdx.com. 4523 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Shorba Arabic Food has set up in Montavilla. Thanks to a Montavilla resident who reported this: “New middle eastern cart opened up the weekend of the Montavilla street fair.” It’s called Shorba Arabic Food, run by a man named Omer. Their Google listing says “We provide verify of arabic home foods, such as plates, saj, gyro. We have a selections of foods that fit different diets.” They serve halal food. There are lots of positive reviews in various places online. 307 SE 80th Avenue, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Steam Rice Roll King Is Open in the Hazelwood Neighborhood
Coq Au Vin Is Moving to North Portland
Heretic Coffee Co., SE Portland’s Nonprofit Cafe
The Paladins League Will Open on NE Fremont
Look at This Awesome Portland Trailblazers Schedule Release Video

Also, the Beaverton Night Market is happening tomorrow, Saturday, August 17, 5pm to 10pm, at The Round, 12600 SW Crescent Street
https://www.beavertonoregon.gov/390/Beaverton-Night-Market
More on August festivals in the area.