The Most Anticipated New Portland Restaurants - Fall 2015

Location: 2200 NE Broadway

Major Players: Jose Chesa and Cristina Baez

The Situation: Ataula brought creative Spanish small plates and paellas to Northwest, and now, the owners intend to bring two new restaurants to NE Broadway. Larger Chesa will focus on paellas cooked in a charcoal oven, with a smattering of tapas, as well. 180 is all about churros served with hot chocolate for dipping (a childhood favorite of Chesa's).

Projected Opening: Late November to early December

All Former Ataula Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Ataula/Facebook

Location: 930 SE Sandy Blvd

Major Players: John Janulis, Liam Duffy, Ben Hufford, Ian David, Clyde Wooten, Jacob Carey

The Situation: Imagine a sports bar that looks like a high school basketball court. You sit on bleachers circling the room and eat hand-held foods like meat or vegan tacos (or, if it's an early-morning football game, breakfast tacos). Large flat-screen TVs descend from the ceiling, and bars take the place of hoops. Brought to you by the men behind Jackknife, the Sweet Hereafter, and the Bye and Bye, Century offers all this along with a tequila-heavy bar program overseen by Nathan VanDeventer (Casa del Matador) and a kitchen run by chef Russell Van der Genugten (Jackknife, Victoria). A large rooftop patio and the ability to transform into a venue for DJs, weddings, and culinary seminars pushes this ambitious "sports bar" even further.

Projected Opening: Late November

All Former Century Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Century

Location: 404 Northeast 28th Ave

Major Players: Nicolle Dirks, Jose Arancibia (nicknamed Pepe)

The Situation: The relatively unheard-of Epif dropped enough intriguing hints to be included in this list, if only for its menu of vegetarian food from the Andes region of South American, such as a ceviche of mushroom, artichoke heart, and mango served with homemade beet, carrot, and yuca chips. Arancibia will share the kitchen with longtime musical collaborator Daniel Vargas, who holds a culinary degree from a Chilean school. Additionally, the restaurant will pit Chilean against Peruvian piscos. Oh yeah, and it will also be built around a preexisting tree in Dirks and Arancibia's front yard and incorporate old church pews, skateboards, gym bleachers, and a mural titled Ivanna and the Cosmic Llama (aka Llamasus).

Projected Opening: September 26

All Former Epif Restaurant & Pisco Lounge Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Epif Restaurant & Pisco Lounge/Facebook

Location: 2500 SE Clinton St

Major Players: Aaron Barnett, Tommy Klus, Cameron Addy

The Situation: St. Jack's sister restaurant will be a late-night mussels bar with a 1970s New York vibe—think copper-topped bar and Lou Reed soundtrack—in the space formerly occupied by Savoy Tavern. Globally inspired mussel creations will share the menu with stuffed tomatoes, bone marrow and steak tartare, the St. Jack burger, and Belgian waffles. Trappist and abbey beers, bowls of punch, and cocktails will be served to wash it all down.

Projected Opening: Shortly after Labor Day

All Former La Moule Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: La Moule/Facebook

Location: 4121 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Major Players: Matthew de Gruyter

The Situation: A Bend-based restaurant is bringing healthy and environmentally friendly vegan burgers to the former location of Pita Pit on Hawthorne. Owner de Gruyter will offer soy-based burgers as well as veggie-comprised burgers without soy or wheat components, plus vegan hot dogs, salads, sandwiches, fries, and handcrafted drinks, from local beers to soy milk shakes.

Projected Opening: Late September

All Former Next Level Burger Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Next Level Burger/Facebook

Location: 133 SW Pine St at SW Second Avenue

Major Players: Mike Thelin, Jean-Pierre Veillet, Rob Brewster, David Davies

The Situation: Nine restaurants will comprise this Downtown-defining food hall featuring Feast co-founder Mike Thelin as culinary curator. Classic, with 1886 architecture, it will have a communal dining court in the center, and confirmed restaurants include Hopworks, Olympia Provisions, Barista, Ken's Artisan Pizza, and the Japanese ramen chain Marukin. Think you've heard it all before? Think again. Each restaurant brings something new: Olympia Provisions will focus on hot dogs; Hopworks will serve pretzels and beer; and Ken's Artisan Pizza will offer a toast bar with an oven for baking Roman-style pizzas.

Projected Opening: Late November-early December

All Former Pine Street Market Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Bamman/EPDX

Location: 2340 NE Sandy Blvd

Major Players: Kevin de Garmo, Kaie Wellman, Bruce Silverman, Lyf Gildersleeve

The Situation: Providore Fine Foods will be a Pastaworks-envisioned marketplace, home to several purveyors and at least two restaurants. The Flying Fish Company has already announced that it will open a six-seat oyster bar. The big news just coming in this moment is that Pastaworks will open Arrosto, a wood-fired, Italian-style rotisserie with a focus on chicken and pork. Pastaworks will also serve pizza-style focaccia, Mediterranean-style sandwiches, cheese plates, and wines by the glass.

Projected Opening: Late November or early December

All Former Pastaworks Coverage [EPDX]

All Former Flying Fish Co. Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Liza K/Yelp

Location: 7783 SW Capitol Highway (Multnomah Village)

Major Players: Mark Doxtader

The Situation: With construction "well underway," according to Tastebud, this brick and mortar will soon be serving artisan pizzas, bagels, and other wood-fired baked and roasted items. Having closed the Milwaukie location of Tastebud in 2013, this will be Doxtader's only stationary restaurant, though he'll continue offering pizzas via food truck. 

Projected Opening: October

All Former Tastebud Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Tastebud/Facebook

Location: 117 SE Taylor St

Major Players: Erik Van Kley, Gabriella Ramos, Daniel Neely

The Situation: At this railroad-accented restaurant, former Little Bird chef Erik Van Kley will serve a four-part menu: five raw plates, five small plates, five large plates, and five desserts. Prepare for a refined, 49-seat dining room with an industrial backdrop. It will have an open kitchen, a granite-topped cocktail bar with ten seats, and a wall-length banquette.

Projected Opening: September 9

All Former Taylor Railworks Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Taylor Railworks

Location: 4641 NE Fremont St

Major Players: Erika Reagor

The Situation: Taking over the former space of Alameda Cafe, Reagor will serve the hyper-seasonal, gluten-free bowls that her food cart, Thrive, is known for, plus new creations. Small bites include Crispy Tempeh Canapes, and bigger bites include Japanese rice noodles with greens, mango, and pickled veggies.The casual-dining spot will have a patio and seating for 55 inside, and the cocktail menu will also focus on seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Projected Opening: Soft opening late September; main opening October

All Former Thrive Sauce And Bowls Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Thrive Sauce and Bowls

Location: TBD

Major Players: Doug Weiler, John Pickett

The Situation: Chefs Weiler (Glyph) and Pickett (Biwa, Ración) are turning their "Cascadian cuisine" pop-up into a brick and mortar. Dishes focus on whole-vegetable cooking using local ingredients, so think beets served three ways and beef carpaccio with seasonal fruit and vegetables. Willow is excited about a potential location, but hard details are still scarce.

Projected Opening: December

All Former Willow Coverage [EPDX]

Image credit: Willow