Smith Teamaker Plans a New Cafe on NW 23rd With Star Chef Karl Holl

Smith Teamaker, the brand launched by the late Steven Smith, will soon have a prominent presence on NW 23rd Avenue: According to a press release, a Smith Teamaker cafe will debut next spring in new construction on NW 23rd and Glisan, featuring a food menu by former Park Avenue Fine Wines chef Karl Holl.

Holl has garnered a following for his wine shop pop-up’s 100-layer lasagna and, as Eater wrote in 2019, “dishes that are just as intricate as they are homey.” In recent months, he’d paired with Smith Teamaker’s Southeast Portland tasting room to whip up rotating, vegan grains-and-greens bowls that heavily feature wild rice, seasonal veggies, and tea-adjacent ingredients like tea furikake.

That menu will likely transfer over to the cafe. A press release promises an entirely plant-based food menu “incorporating tea into the dishes,” in addition to the also-familiar cookies Holl’s already baking at the Southeast Portland tasting room. Portland Monthly first reported on the news.

The new Smith location puts another teahouse within a stone’s throw of Tea Chai Te (which also sells loose-leaf teas by the cup, in addition to boba teas) and Tea Social (which focuses primarily on boba teas and banh mi sandwiches). Until the new cafe debuts, Portlanders can find tea at Smith Teamaker’s standing tea shop and online.

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