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Bogglingly beautiful soft-serve, colorful salads, and oozing waffle grilled cheeses will hit the Columbia River Gorge in a matter of weeks. Sugarpine Drive-In, owned by Beast alum Emily Cafazzo and Pok Pok vet Ryan Domingo, will open in Troutdale July 12, according to the incoming drive-in’s Instagram. The husband-wife team announced its plans to open a sprawling Sandy-side cafe, complete with a 40-person patio. The restaurant will serve a number of waffle grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as fun boozy drinks like frosé (rosé slushies) and Oregon beer and wine.
Over the last few weeks, Sugarpine’s Instagram has been loaded with cruelly tempting images of dripping sandwiches and green-dusted soft-serve, promoting the spot’s Kickstarter. So far, Sugarpine is about halfway there, raising just over $10,000. Sugarpine will also be home to Larch Provisions, a catering company that seems to go a little more formal than the drive-in.
In that area, food options are somewhat limited: Tad’s Chicken N’ Dumplins has lorded over the entrance to the Columbia River Gorge since the ‘40s, followed by Shirley’s Tippy Canoe and its casual bar food. People have been particularly excited by Sugarpine’s future salads, adding it to the list of spots riding the healthy dining wave (see: La Luna Cafe, Holiday). Take a look at some of the restaurant’s menu items below:
• Sugarpine Drive-In [Official]
• Sugarpine Drive-In [Instagram]
• Sugarpine Drive-In [Facebook]
• Sugarpine Drive-In [Kickstarter]
• Travel Back to the Future with Beast Alum’s New Gorge Drive-In [EPDX]
• Eat and Drink Your Way Through The Columbia River Gorge [EPDX]
• Here’s What Went Down with Roman Candle’s Quiet Transformation Into a Health-Conscious Cafe [EPDX]
• All La Luna Cafe coverage [EPDX]
