Swan Island Burger Joint Tilt Opening Pearl Location

North Portland burger joint Tilt is branching out. The blue-collar-inspired restaurant, which serves "Handcrafted Food, Built For The American Workforce," will soon open a location in the currently vacant space on NW 13th and Everett, kitty-corner from the high-profile Bluehour. Owner Octavian Jurj says to expect 160 seats in the Pearl location — double the size of the Swan Island shop — and a full bar with a focus on local craft beer and spirits. The Tilt menu of burgers, biscuit sandwiches, and scratch-made sides however, will remain the same: "It's all pretty straightforward food," Jurj says of dishes like house-made tater tots and slices of pie, "honest food made with local, high-quality ingredients."

Jurj says that an expansion into a higher-traffic area was always part of the Tilt concept, and "I knew we wanted to be in the Pearl for our flagship store... In the Pearl, it's either fast-food kind of places, or fine dining, so there's definitely a market for counter service in a very design-driven environment." Jurj is teaming with Accelerated Development (the designer behind Schoolhouse Electric and Coava) to build-out the space, which will offer an inviting, "industrial chic" aesthetic. "Our whole brand is built around [the idea of] industrial, blue-collar, American-made; that's what we're trying to promote. So our goal for the space is an environment that's really industrial — a lot of steel and bolts and wood — but also very warm."

Tilt's Pearl location is aiming for an August 2013 opening, with plans to be open from breakfast through dinner (and with a late-night service Thursday through Saturday). The North Portland location, meanwhile, will soon expand its hours to include weekend service. Updates as they become available.
· Tilt [Official site]
· All Previous Tilt Coverage [Eater PDX]