The Pocket Pub Throws Open Its Doors in NE Portland

Check it, Portland. You just got your first pizza spot of 2016. The Pocket Pub, opens today in the short-lived Slice Pizzeria space at 2719 NE 7the Ave. It comes from bartending vets Kara Lammerman and Jennifer Cale, who've hired chef Tim Alves (Higgins, Circa 33) to run the kitchen. When Eater spoke by phone with the team, they said neighborhood residents can expect starters like meatballs, Hot Pocket-like Pocket bars, and bread knotts (that extra T is a nod to the pizzeria's cross street, NE Knott); salads; and approximately eight 12-inch pizzas. Along with traditional toppings, Alves says he's put together a blackened fennel pie and a broccoli pie made with capers, lemon zest, and mornay sauce (a take on bechamel).

On the drink menu, you'll find a few wines, four taps for local brews, bottles of imported beers, and a signature cocktail list that Lammerman calls "nothing super crazy—just simple, delicious and not expensive." Lammerman adds, "We mainly want it to be the neighborhood pub where people can come to once or twice a week."

Starting today, The Pocket Bar opens nightly beginning at 4 p.m. and offers nightly happy hours from 4 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to close.