Vince Nguyen and his daughter Sen outside Berlu. | Thom Hilton The James Beard award-winning chef shares his favorite date night spots, his go-to pizza, and where he dines with his daughter Welcome to Dining Confidential, a monthly column in which local chefs talk about their favorite restaurants, bars, and cafes in Portland, highlighting their own restaurant’s ethos and sharing fun personal takes. Know of a chef you’d like to see featured? Let us know via our tip line. James Beard award-winning chef Vince Nguyen will close the space that has housed multiple iterations of his widely acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant and bakery Berlu on Sunday, October 20. Luckily, for fans of Nguyen’s baking, the upcoming closure is not a forever goodbye. He plans to reopen the bakery in a new location offers more space. Originally opened in 2019, Berlu was known for its elaborate tasting menu that flexed skills Nguyen gathered from his tenure at acclaimed restaurants like Noma and Castagna. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant flipped into a pop-up bakery and market operation, where Nguyen’s gluten- and dairy-free Vietnamese pastries and noodle soups quickly gained a cult-like social media following. Nguyen’s connection to his Vietnamese heritage — and his gluten- and dairy-free diet — contributed to a shift in Berlu’s tasting menu when it reopened in late 2021. Nguyen reinvented Berlu’s high-concept fine dining with a more personal perspective, taking inspiration from the flavors he worked with at the bakery. In 2023, he won Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific at the James Beard Awards. At the end of 2023, Nguyen pivoted again, closing Berlu as a tasting menu restaurant and reviving Berlu Bakery. For Nguyen, the transition from fine dining to a bakery gave him room to loosen up a bit. “I’m a pretty goofy guy,” he says. (The name Berlu comes from the French expression “hurluberlu,” meaning “an eccentric person.”) “The tasting menu is more formal, more serious. The bakery is an outlet I’ve found. There’s lots of fulfillment, being able to express a side of my personality that I don’t really express in the tasting menu.” Berlu’s numerous transitions all feel personal to Nguyen. While redefining what Berlu is, he’s shaping the type of family he wants to build, alongside his wife Mallory and his daughter Sen (named after Nguyen’s grandmother, it means “lotus flower” in Vietnamese). “The most important thing is that I’ve had time and flexibility to be with Sen and my wife,” says Nguyen. “My number one priority is to be a good husband. What I am as a chef — if I win every single accolade and reach every career goal — means nothing to me if I don’t have a happy family.” In the coming months, Nguyen plans to move Berlu to a larger space that would allow him to both expand his menu and develop more of a relationship with the community. As it stands now, Berlu’s tiny workspace is only able to house an oven, a table, a dishwasher, a fridge, and a single rack. Seating for guests is also minimal. “There’s a lot of potential we can’t really hit,” Nguyen says. “It’s very limiting, what we’re able to do here. And we can’t really be a neighborhood spot like a coffee shop, because the space is not as accommodating.” Until October 20, guests can line up in person or pre-order their final orders of pastries like coffee bánh bò nuong, pandan waffles, and clove canelé through Tock. Nguyen hasn’t announced a date for the debut of the next iteration of Berlu yet. We checked in with Nguyen and his daughter Sen as they prepare to bid farewell to the Berlu space, to talk about the restaurants worthy of him and his wife’s precious time as new parents, the local businesses that bring him comfort, and the pizza that’s worth cheating on a diet for. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Eater: A lot of this column is about where people go in their free time. As a new parent and a bakery owner, it doesn’t seem like you’d have a lot of it. Vince Nguyen: We’re so strict with [Sen’s] schedule. Because of that, sometimes it’s kind of limiting. But it’s been fun scheduling around that and going on little coffee dates with her. My favorite coffee in town is from Extracto. My favorite coffee shop is Electrica – I usually go on a Monday or Tuesday and meet friends. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, [Sen] runs errands with me, often on 82nd. One place I really like to go with her is Portland Cà Phê – they’re all really sweet people. I get donuts from HeyDay, so it’s fun to support them. I can’t have gluten or dairy, so that’s a big thing that’s gotta determine a lot of where I eat. I stay true to my diet, but every now and then I have a cheat day. Let’s talk about those cheat days. Recently, I had a cheat day and got No Saint – that was super good salad and pizza. Another good one is Gracie’s Apizza. Pizza is definitely a go-to cheat food. But it’s probably the worst thing for me to eat. And you’re not ordering gluten-free pizza? No, that’s the thing, if I’m gonna get it, I’m gonna get it. You mentioned you like to go shopping with Sen on 82nd. Where do you go shopping for Berlu? The main one we go into is Hong Phat. They kind of have an emphasis on Vietnamese ingredients and I’ve gotten to know a lot of the staff, so that’s a great spot. Hong Phat has pretty much everything. Thom Hilton Nguyen and his daughter, Sen. This might be more of a fantasy at the moment, but where would you and your wife have a date night to yourselves? I had a really lovely meal at Kann. I think my favorite restaurant might be Ox. I’m not the biggest meat guy, they just do such a great job. Even the salad, you know? Everything they make is super tasty and well-executed, and it’s a lot of fun in there. There are so many great restaurants in the city, but that’s one of the ones I really crave. A lot of where we’re going now isn’t always planned. One of my favorite places is Street Disco, I’ve probably been three or four times now. [I’m a] big fan of Kyle [Christy], he’s really sweet. We went a few weeks ago after we were scoping out a daycare over on 82nd, like, “Hey, it’s five o’clock, maybe we can check out Street Disco.” They’re really accommodating in the earlier seat times. We’re big fans of Paa Dee, they do a great job. I order the same thing every time and I love it: pad kee mao with chicken, gluten-free, no egg. It’s great and super filling, and that’s all I need, right there. If I were to have a fancier meal, I think I’d probably do Langbaan. They’re amazing. Super tasty, great energy in the room, and, of course, great people. Earl’s a great friend. Have you been to Yaowarat yet? Yeah, I think maybe the first week. I love the room there. I feel like it’s such a good vibe. It’s gorgeous, it’s super tasty, it’s fun. Where else do you get sweets? Ok Omens is my favorite dessert place. Justin [Woodward] is arguably one of the most talented chefs ever in Portland. It’s fun to see him express himself fully through the desserts there and see what he can really do. I don’t drink, but obviously, they have a great wine program and [sommelier Brent Braun] is a good friend, he used to do the wine program here at Berlu. Where are your comfort places? The Asian markets have become a place of comfort. Beyond all the fun new ingredients and flavors I can stumble upon, every time I see an older man there, I see my dad. A majority of the people that shop there are first-generation Vietnamese. I see my dad through them and witness his experience, how he would be there. It’s very special to be around that.