Food News

This Week In Portland Food News: A Korean Fried Chicken Cart, A Playful Ramen Shop, and A Vietnamese Cafe and Bakery

February 24, 2023 Edition
February 23, 2023
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The cart Frybaby brings Korean fried chicken to the Lil' America pod this week. (Lil' America)
This week brought not just snowfall but also a flurry of Portland food scene openings, including Korean fried chicken, ramen, bánh mì, beer, and more. Read on to learn about all of those and more, plus events happening this weekend, like Chili Con V: A Song of Spice and Fire. For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide.

NEW OPENINGS AND RETURNS

Frybaby List
First-generation Korean American chef Sunny Hatch opened this cheeky Korean fried chicken cart in the Lil' America List pod last Saturday, February 18, slinging wings tossed in sauces like spicy gochujang, soy garlic, and snow cheese.
Buckman
Pickup

Papi Chulo's List
The Pearl District taqueria launched a second location on NE Alberta Street on February 17, serving the same menu of tacos, birria, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, margaritas, and more.
Alberta Arts District
Pickup, delivery, dine-in

Phil’s Nest Crab Boil Experience List
Earlier this month, Pelican Brewing List opened a new seafood market called Phil’s Nest Crab Boil Experience inside its Lincoln City location. You can enjoy items like shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, and clam chowder on the spacious outdoor deck or opt to take home seafood such as Dungeness crab, steamer clams, and crab boil kits.
Lincoln City
Pickup, dine-in

Pho Le Nguyen List
This new Vietnamese restaurant, which debuted on Valentine's Day, is here to cater to your soup season cravings with steaming bowls of pho, in addition to salad rolls, chicken wings, banh xeo, and other specialties. You have until the end of today to take advantage of their opening special—20% off all orders.
Parkrose 
Pickup, delivery, dine-in

Toyshop Ramen List
Now you can get in touch with your inner child while imbibing grown-up beverages and slurping scratch-made noodles. Chef Isaac Ocejo opened this toy-themed bar in the former Jinx List space on Wednesday, serving ramen alongside cocktails from cocktails from Gabbiano’s List co-owners David Sigal and Blake Foster.
Concordia
Dine-in


Three Fifty Cafe List
This Vietnamese bakery and cafe opens in the former Prescott Cafe List space next Friday, March 3, with a menu of bánh mì, bánh bao, milk tea, and Vietnamese coffee. During their first month of business, you can get your choice of a bánh bao, coffee, milk tea, or dessert free with the purchase of four or more bánh mì.
Cully
Pickup, dine-in

Upright Brewing List
The local brewery opened a satellite location inside a former gas station in Cully on Wednesday. Aptly nicknamed "Beer Station," the new outpost has been in the works since March 2020 but was postponed for three years for obvious reasons. 
Cully
Dine-in

FUTURE OPENINGS

Feel Good List and Stacked Sandwich Shop List
Former Top Chef: Portland contestant Gabriel Pascuzzi's sandwich shop Stacked is poised to make a triumphant return: It's slated to reopen in Slabtown later this spring and will share the space with the upcoming second location of Pascuzzi's grain bowl spot Feel Good.
Slabtown

Futura Coffee Roasters List
The now-closed Arbor Lodge Coffee and Community Space List is set to reopen as a new Futura Coffee Roasters location sometime this winter.
Arbor Lodge

CLOSURES

Either/Or List
Owner Ro Tam announced the closure of this cafe's Sellwood location on Instagram earlier this month, writing that the decision will allow the business to "put more energy" into its beverage brand Tanglewood Beverage Co. and its N. Williams location (which will remain open). 
Sellwood

Fuller's Coffee Shop List
This Pearl District coffeehouse has closed temporarily due to a fire.
Pearl District

POP-UPS AND EVENTS

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

The Portland Mercury's Highball 2023 Past Event List
BEHOLD! It's the triumphant return of the Portland Mercury's HIGHBALL! That's correct: Get ready for an ENTIRE WEEK (February 20-26) of specially crafted, original cocktails mixed by the best bartenders in town… and get this, they're only $8 each! We've teamed up with the finest bars and restaurants in Portland—along with our cocktail-lovin' pals at Jim Beam—to bring you this one-of-a-kind booze-tacular! At each of Highball's locations, you'll find $8 specially crafted cocktails, and even better? They'll be available ALL DAY (not just during happy hour)!
Various locations


Empanadas Festival
Past Event List
Taste a variety of dough-wrapped delights from across Latin America, from spots like Alecocina, La Carreta Pura Vida, Havana Station, Xocotl, Tita's Kitchen, and Tierra Del Sol.
Portland Mercado, 11 am-8 pm

Hillsbrew Fest 2023
Past Event List Savor pilsners, stouts, porters, IPAs, sour beers, ciders, and more, including plenty of new releases and exclusive brews, from a flock of Oregon's top breweries. Plus, nosh on food from Ochoa’s Mexican Food and Flying Barracuda BBQ.
Washington County Fairgrounds

Suttle Lodge's Winter Beer Fest Past Event List
Channel après-ski vibes with this wintry Bavarian-inspired beer festival, which will feature over 25 craft breweries, food, snacks, live music, and a cozy fireplace. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit CASA of Central Oregon, which "recruits, trains and supports volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system."
The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse, 12-5 pm

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Zwickelmania® 2023 Past Event List
Prime your liver for Zwickelmania, the annual event where more than 120 breweries open their doors for your drinking pleasure, with free samples, tastings, meet-the-brewer events, pairings, tours, and beer releases.
Various locations around Oregon

Chili Con V: A Song of Spice and Fire
Past Event List As they do each year, Uptown Beer Co. will celebrate its annual beer and chili competition, with hearty chilis and beer pairings from seven breweries: BinaryBrewing.co, Baerlic Brewing, Level Beer, Little Beast Brewing, Gigantic Brewing, Threshold Brewing, and Steeplejack Brewing. As the lucky ticket holder, you get to channel your inner Padma Lakshmi and act as a culinary judge while voting for your favorites, and three titles will be awarded for Best Chili, Best Beer, and Best Pairing. MidCity SmashBurger will also sling food during the event. A portion of proceeds will go to the Oregon Food Bank.
Uptown Beer Co., 3-6 pm

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26

CSA Share Fair Past Event List
If you've ever aspired to be the type of virtuous person who receives a local CSA share, here's your chance: The Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition will host this free fair where you can learn about community-supported agriculture programs, sign up for one, and watch a series 9f cooking demonstrations by local chefs, including Three Sisters Nixtamal founder Wendy Downing, Umi Organic CEO Lola Mulholland, and more.
The Redd on Salmon, 10 am-2 pm

FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 5

Northwest Black Restaurant Week Past Event List
Black Restaurant Week, a national culinary campaign founded in Houston in 2016 with the goal of shining a light on local Black-owned businesses, is returning for its third annual event in the Northwest region. Several local restaurants, such as Meals 4 Heels, Erica's Soul Food, and Trap Kitchen, are participating with prix-fixe menus, specials, and more.
Various locations

SPECIALS

Lilia Comedor List
The Pacific Northwest-influenced kitchen helmed by former República List chef Juan Gomez is currently serving an enticing coconut carrot tres leches cake topped with a cloud of cream cheese frosting.
South Waterfront
Dine-in

St. Beatrix List
This weekend only, you can get your hands on a special limited-time Oreo burnt Basque cheesecake. Purchases of whole cheesecakes or slices are available via Instagram DM through Sunday.
King
Pickup

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