The Pearl District is Getting an Artsy New Bar with Pink Rabbit

Clubby cocktail bar Two Wrongs quietly closed the other week, but Pearl residents won’t have to wait long for the space to be filled: Pink Rabbit will be opening in the fall, owned and run by veteran bartender Tyler Stevens — previously bar manager at the venerable Teardrop Lounge and opening bar manager of Tusk — and coffee mogul Billy (Wilson) Hasson, owner of Barista. The project is inspired by their love of music, art, and the Pearl district, and will focus on fun cocktails, shareable plates, and daily happy hours.

Named for the song Pink Rabbits by The National, Stevens says the bar will be an homage to the music and art that they love, as well as a testament to the Pearl district that supported them for years. The space, which was first home to the prosciutto and sherry bar Hamlet, is currently being entirely gutted to make way for their new design, which will be bright and colorful, full of greenery and quirky artwork, and with a subtle nod to the psychedelic style of the late ‘70s.

Even the cocktail program will fit the vibe: the team is developing cocktail names first, drawing heavily from music. Then, local creative group Jolby and Friends will design the physical menus based on those names, and the pair will craft drinks that fit the art and themes of the finished product. “Our identity is in music, literature, and art, and we want the cocktails to be inspired by those things,” Stevens says. Anyone worried about the unconventional approach should be comforted by Stevens’ years of experience behind the bar; he promises that the drinks will be made with an emphasis on craft, quality ingredients, and seasonality. “Everyone should expect that level of quality and nothing less than that these days,” he says.

While the bar already has a chef, their identity is currently under wraps. However, the kitchen will reportedly focus on affordable, shareable plates, and the bar will sport happy hours, both early and later. The goal is to create a more accessible destination in the often pricey Pearl District. “There’s a lot of nice places to go in the Pearl for food and drink, but we want a personal place that is an extension of someone’s living room,” says Stevens.”We want food to be affordable, and happy hour to be fun, exciting, and not an afterthought. It’s all about what the community needs.”

Pink Rabbit is expected to open soon at 232 NW 12th Avenue, with a goal of mid-September.

Update, July 26, 2018, 1:15 p.m.
This story was updated to include more information on creative group Jolby and Friends

• Pink Rabbit [Instagram]
• Teardrop Lounge [Official]
• Barista [Official]
• Tusk [Official]
• Cathy Whim’s Hamlet Closes This Saturday [EPDX]