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Opened in 1963 by Portland's first celebrity chef, Horst Mager, Der Rheinlander on NE Sandy may be closing its doors, according to the rumors flooding Facebook. The restaurant is beloved for its German food and drink, often accompanied by a yodeling accordion player in bundhosen, so when Keep Portland Weird, a Facebook page maintained by the Music Millennium record store, posted the below message, thousands responded (4,050 likes and counting):
[Der Rheinlander will] soon to be a dead memory.
Our sources informed us end of this year. High rise condos most likely.
Der Rheinlander has been a beloved Portland tradition since 1963, when it was founded by Portland's original celebrity chef, Horst Mager. Horst was a third-generation chef, growing up in Wiesbaden, Germany, where both his father and grandfather were chefs
But Der Rheinlander has not officially confirmed the closure. When Eater reached out, Der Rheinlander's manger said the restaurant is still open until further notice. She said no papers have been signed and until they are, it's business as usual.
Stay tuned for more as it develops. And if Der Rheinlander does close, don't forget the Mager family also owns Gustav's, the German taverns with four locations in Great Portland.
