Small Bites: Hearth & Vine Opened, Nyamazo, Spotlight Brewing, and More

Hearth & Vine opened yesterday and you can get this burger and fries there.
Burger and fries at Hearth & Vine. Photo credit: Aubrie LeGault

Hearth & Vine opened yesterday. We covered this restaurant last year when it was shrouded in mystery. I can’t deny that doing the research at the time was a lot of fun, uncovering details incrementally. There are a couple of publications that got the first bite of info right before Hearth & Vine opened, but here’s a condensed version of the press release we received yesterday, with tidbits we think you’d like to know.

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Year of the Horse: Lunar New Year 2026 in Portland

Lunar New Year 2026, Year of the Horse.

Lunar New Year 2026 is almost here! While last year was the Year of the Snake, this year brings the Year of the Horse—and specifically, the Fire Horse. Lunar New Year 2026 starts on Tuesday, February 17 (which also happens to be Mardi Gras) and Year of the Horse ends February 5, 2027. It’s considered to be an optimistic year with plenty of opportunities, associated with success and good fortune.

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Circle V Portland 2025 Returns In September

A tasting spread of all things vegan.
A tasting spread at last year’s Circle V Portland. Photo credit: Josh Chang.

Tickets are on sale now for Circle V Portland 2025, Portland’s premier vegan tasting event. It will take place at Castaway, where you an enjoy all kinds of vegan food, beverages, and products. If you eat a fully vegan diet, eat vegan part time, or are vegan curious, this is a great opportunity to get to know the Portland vegan scene—Portland is considered by many as one of the best cities to access the breadth of vegan food and drink.

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Four Things I Learned This Week (April 4) in Portland Food

Reeva turned 3 this week. When I saw the post from Reeva, one of Portland’s great food trucks, that started out as “Dear Reeva Family,” I thought, “Nooooooooooo, don’t close!” Thankfully, I had it all wrong—they were there to tell us that yesterday was their three-year anniversary!

At the end of the post they said, “As we celebrate this milestone, we’re filled with gratitude and excitement for what’s ahead. Here’s to more good food, great company, and unforgettable moments. Thank you for being part of our story!” Here, hear! Love having them in the Roseway neighborhood. 7727 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

There are still tickets for Sabor de Primavera. At the writing of this article, you can get tickets for the 7pm to 8:30pm of this event on Sunday, April 6. From the good folks at Veganizer, this is a fundraiser they call, “Spring Fiesta to Benefit Growing Gardens.” Growing Gardens cultivates “healthy and equitable communities through the experience of growing food in schools, backyards, and correctional facilities.”

There will be six Mexican restaurants participating: Chelo, Chilango, Machetes, Mis Tacones, Ice Queen, and Libre. You can see what they are planning to serve, plus buy tickets, which are $88 + fees. 920 NE Glisan Street, Portland

En Vida has closed. Over on Bluesky, I was told that En Vida has closed their location on NE Fremont Street. “Unfortunately this has been confirmed by the owner,” said the public tipster. On the En Vida Instagram they also state, “we are permanently closed.” The silver lining is that you can get their food at TPK Brewing—En Vida’s plate of arepitas de queso was one of my favorite bites from 2024. 1303 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Food & Wine ranks Portland as the fourth best place in the US for coffee. Food & Wine has an annual award called the “Global Tastemakers Award”—this is its third year, so it’s fairly new. It celebrates “very best in culinary travel around the world” and the number of cities included is at 165. There’s a lot of content on their landing page, so normally you’ll be clicking a lot, but KOIN extracted what Portlanders want to know: how the city fits into these rankings.

It’s only about the coffee in this case; Portland was not included in lists of top U.S. food, drink, and restaurant cities. Nine cafes/roasters were mentioned in the list: Stumptown, Heart, Cathedral, Hypnos, Good Coffee, Capitola, Prince, Never, and Upper Left. Feel free to leave your favorite in the comments. Multiple locations


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Taste of Szechuan Has Opened in the Old Eastern Cathay Space in Portland
Food Waste Prevention Week in Portland
The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Finalists in Portland
Passover 2025 in Portland

We’ve also updated our Easter roundup. Fat Milo’s and Sabor Del Rio Cafe are both now open. And remember: Food Waste Prevention Week starts Monday.