Bunk-Mex Spot Trigger to Shutter, Become Bunk Bar

Photos of Trigger, Bunk Bar courtesy Avila/EPDX

After much initial fanfare and ultimately less than a year of serving up "Bunk-Mex" fare, NE's Trigger will close up shop later this week, with Tommy Habetz and crew planning to turn the Wonder Ballroom space into another iteration of its popular Bunk Bar. Portland Monthly brings first word of the switcheroo: Trigger will serve its last meal on September 29, and the space will transform into Bunk Bar NE, featuring "pinball machines, Blazer night TV screens, and a family-friendly vibe."

The menu will be classic Bunk, though a few holdouts from its Trigger days will remain, including Habetz's brisket-topped queso and the much-photographed Side Pipe (aka a mini bottle of Corona served upside-down in a frozen margarita). Since its debut in October 2012 (as a collaboration between Team Bunk, ChefStable, and Stumptown's Duane Sorenson), Trigger had earned mixed reviews. Earlier this year, it experimented with lunch service and different menu formats.

Per PoMo, Bunk Bar NE is slated to open in "early October."
· Trigger to Close; NE Bunk Bar Will Rise [Eat Beat]
· All Previous Trigger Coverage [Eater PDX]