A Beloved Portland Sichuan Restaurant is Popping Up Once Again

Lucky Strike, the beloved Sichuan restaurant that closed in late 2015, is making a comeback through a series of pop-up dinners, featuring a slimmed-down version of the restaurant’s original menu: Think dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, and the legendary chicken in hot pepper bath.

The restaurant hosted two pop ups last year at Eat: An Oyster Bar and Fopo Tavern. According to Rita You, Lucky Strike’s chef and co-owner, the events were a huge success, surprising her with the amount of attention the restaurant still garnered years after closing. “It was the holiday season, and I didn’t think that many people would show up,” You says. She says she’ll likely host another pop-up in early March, though she hasn’t decided on a location.

You and her husband Stefan Leopold opened Lucky Strike in 2008, frustrated by the lack of Sichuan restaurants in Portland. “I cooked at home and entertained people all the time, why not do it for the entire city?” she says. Despite the pop ups, the pair isn’t quite ready to reopen full time yet. “I’m still considering reopening, but we don’t have a definite space or time or anything like that,” You says. “But people can expect to see more pop-ups more regularly.” To stay updated on the next dinners, check out the restaurant’s Facebook page.

• Lucky Strike [Facebook]
• Hawthorne’s Lucky Strike Chinese Restaurant to Close Sunday [EPDX]
• All Previous Lucky Strike Coverage [EPDX]