Small Bites: Elephants Deli Burns, Mikado, Brunch, and More

Elephant deli burns.
Photo credit: Portland Fire & Rescue.

Painful and tragic: The flagship Elephants Deli burns. There’s plenty of news outlets reporting on this, but I’ll share the news releases (first, second) produced by Portland Fire & Rescue. Essentially:

“At 1am on the morning of March 10, 2026, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a commercial fire at the Elephant’s Deli at 115 NW 22nd Avenue in NW Portland. This was a fire that was human caused on the exterior of the structure that extended to the interior of the building and into the elevated roof structure resulting in significant fire damage.”

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Christmas, Solstice, and More Light in Portland 2025

This year’s Christmas Tree downtown.

“Christmastime is here, happiness and cheer, fun for all that children call their favorite time of year,” so the song goes. This year we thought we’d do a roundup of things to do and eat around the time the light starts to return—the Winter Solstice, of course, but also Christmas, and Hanukkah (here is this year’s roundup specific to the Festival of Lights). Here’s our hodgepodge roundup for this time of year. 

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Shop Halo Halo Has Closed and Is Ready for What’s Next, in Portland

The ube crinkle cookie, the most popular item on the menu. Photo credit: Shop Halo Halo.

Shop Halo Halo, a Filipino bakery, closed down their storefront in the Woodstock neighborhood this past August. Currently doing pop-ups and fundraisers (including their own), they are in search of a new location. I spoke with Shop Halo Halo’s owner, Geleen Abenoja, to learn more.

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Small Bites: Next Level Veggie Grill, Soulful Sips, Cliff’s, and More

The spread at Next Level Veggie Grill. Photo credit: Next Level Veggie Grill.

Next Level Burger relaunches as Next Level Veggie Grill. I saw this pass through an influencer email list I’m on, but saw that Rachel Saslow at Willamette Week covered the change. Basically, last year Next Level Burger acquired Veggie Grill, a fast-casual vegan competitor of theirs, and had a business baby. Now there’s burgers and bowls, and much, more. It kind of reminds me of Laughing Planet.

The first location to transform will be on SE Hawthorne and 42nd Avenue, with a grand opening party this Saturday, October 25 from 11am to 1pm. Read more on WW. 4121 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

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Thanksgiving 2025 in Portland

Happy Thanksgiving 2025 in Portland - with lady liberty in the background.

Thanksgiving 2025—it’ll be here before you know it (November 27). We hope this resource will be of help for those making their dinner and ingredient pre-orders, as well as for those trying to snag a reservation at one of our local restaurants. 

This roundup will be updated as new options and information becomes available. Happy Thanksgiving (to come)!

Poultry and Meat | Pies and Dessert
Meal Kits & Takeout | Restaurant Meals | Misc

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