The former Dame chef recently opened Estes. | Estes CRESTON-KENILWORTH — Bbang opened on Wednesday, February 18, next to Holy Ghost Bar on SE Gladstone Street, specializing in Korean-influenced burgers and sandwiches. Owned by the same folks as Korean barbecue cart Doyaji, the menu include s a kimchi smash burger, a fried shrimp burger, a tofu katsu sandwich, Korean fried chicken, and sides like cheese corn and potato salad with smoked pork belly. 4105 SE 28th Avenue, Portland. DOWNTOWN — Mako Matcha Mill opened the week of February 16. Even as Portland’s matcha scene grows, Mako Matcha Mill stands out because owners Edison Zeng and Emily Dewey plan to mill Oregon-grown matcha in-house. The limited opening menu includes matcha, coffee, and tea (including the famous duck shit oolong) for $3 to $4 each; an expanded menu is forthcoming. Snacks include grab-and-go dishes from Masu Sushi and wagashi from Gena Renaud of Yume Confections. 414 SW 13th Avenue, Portland. BUCKMAN — Machetes, named after its signature giant quesadillas resembling a machete blade, got its start as a pop-up and most recently was in residency at Gigantic Brewing on Hawthorne. For those who never made it to a Machetes pop-up, or for fans who are missing Machetes, there’s good news — as of Sunday, February 15, they’re now serving at Hey Love every day. The new menu offers a mix of Mexico City-style dishes, including shrimp ceviche and pulpo al pastor tostadas, signature machetes filled with your choice of guisados from huitlacoche to suadero, and a large-format carne asada plate. 920 E. Burnside Street, Portland. RICHMOND — Ok Chicken Khao Soi, a new Northern Thai spot, opened on Friday, January 23. It’s located on SE Division Street in the space formerly belonging to the legendary Pok Pok, which had remained shuttered ever since the pandemic began. This is the newest restaurant from Earl Ninsom’s hospitality group, which also includes Langbaan, Yaowarat, Paa Dee, Eem, Phuket Cafe, and Hat Yai. Chicken, as one might expect, is a major part of the menu — fried chicken, crispy wings, grilled chicken — as is the coconutty, curry-based khao soi, available with beef or chicken. The menu is rounded out with zippy, bright dishes like papaya salad and chile relishes, plus charcoal-grilled dishes like pork neck salad. 3226 SE Division Street, Portland. RICHMOND — A new food cart pod called ModHaus on SE Division Street has been growing as of early February. It’s developed by the same folks as the Heist pod in Woodstock, which is home to several star carts and features a full bar, coffee shop, and indoor dining area. So far, ModHaus’s lineup includes fried chicken sandwich cart Jojo, Thai street food vendor Chick ‘N Pig, Hainan chicken rice cart Hawker Station, Beaverton’s Fabo’s Tacos, and Filipino-meets-fast-food cart Makulít. Notably, Hawker Station and Makulít are both reopening after the Lil’ America food cart pod shut down last fall. More carts are coming soon, including Desi PDX and Burmese Delight. The indoor seating area is expected to open by April, and will include a coffee shop, bar, and soft-serve ice cream, and outdoors will feature a two-level heated, covered deck with a slide (!) connecting the two levels. 3829 SE Division Street, Portland. BEAUMONT-WILSHIRE — Pop-up Red Hen Bagelry began its residence at Red Sauce Pizza on Saturday, January 24. The pop-up operates on Saturday and Sunday mornings, selling bagels, coffee, and bagel sandwiches. Customers can also pre-order bagels online. Along with some classic varieties, the pop-up will bake off a few unusual bagel flavors, including egg everything, za’atar, rosemary sea salt, black sesame chopped chocolate, and sweet-salty sesame. Pair your bagels with flavored cream cheese, from Calabrian chile with scallion to lemon-dill. 4641 NE Fremont Street, Portland. ST. JOHNS — No Doubts Wine opened on Saturday, January 24, in St. Johns. It’s co-owned by Hannah Doughty, an ICU nurse, and her partner, Jesse Martinez, who’s also the chef and co-owner of Gumba, according to Bridgetown Bites. The wine list will include a mix of old-world, Pacific Northwest, and natural wines, plus cocktails like espresso martinis and paper planes. So far, dishes like Hungarian mushroom soup, endive and salmon risotto have popped up on the bar’s Instagram. 8408 N. Lombard Street, Portland. KERNS — Golden Lotus Thai Kitchen held its opening on Friday, January 23. The restaurant serves classic Thai stir-fries, noodles, soups, and curries, plus a list of extra-fancy dishes including lobster pad Thai, grilled rib-eye curry, tamarind-glazed duck, and softshell crab curry. Along with blue cocktails in fish-shaped glasses, there’s even a private karaoke room available upon request. 120 NE Grand Avenue, Portland. CONCORDIA — Estes Ristorante, a new Italian restaurant from former Dame chef Patrick McKee, opened on Friday, January 16. After a year-long residency serving dinner at the Broder Nord space on North Mississippi Avenue, he’s now just across the street from his old turf at the now-closed Dame, in the short-lived Pleasure Mountain space. The menu offers antipasti like sprouting broccoli and wagyu beef carpaccio, pastas including cacio e pepe and squid ink bucatini, and mains like seared albacore with white beans. 5513 NE 30th Avenue, Portland. PEARL DISTRICT — Cocktail and burger bar Pretty Ugly opened on Friday, January 2. The cocktail menu includes an espresso martini with salted foam, spirits washed with everything from truffles to bone marrow, and a few classic dessert-y cocktails with creme de cacao. There are over a half-dozen burgers on offer, all made with dry-aged Revel Meat, as well as steak frites, salads, and Calabrian chile wings. 1317 NW Hoyt Street, Portland. SUNNYSIDE — Owner Chalunthorn “Yui” Schaeffer and her chef mother “Mama Ta” reopened their Thai restaurant, Yui, on Friday, January 2, after a two-and-a-half year hiatus. It’s now located on SE Belmont Street in the space formerly belonging to Musashi’s. Several beloved dishes from the old menu have returned, including sakoo, chewy tapioca dumplings stuffed with radish and peanuts, and Thai-style shu mai. Other noteworthy offerings include a variety of curries served with roti, wagyu brisket boat noodles, and a list of Northern Thai specials like khao soi and khanom chin nam ngiao, a rice noodle soup with a pork and tomato broth, pork ribs, ground pork, pork blood, pickled cabbage, and herbs. 4246 SE Belmont Suite 2, Portland. ...read more read less