Longstanding Portland Date Spot, Radar, Will Close This Month

For a decade, a tiny sliver of a restaurant on North Mississippi has been a neighborhood stalwart, consistently punching above its weight. Radar, with its brick wall and lengthy chef’s counter, has served as one of the city’s best brunch spots, plating scotch eggs and smoked bluefish paté in a sea of bacon and sunny-side ups. It’s emblematic of a specific era of Portland restaurant, before seasonal and local became the norm.

On Friday, the team at Radar announced the restaurant’s impending closure on Instagram, closing for good on April 15.

“After ten years in business, we have decided to let Radar sail peacefully into the sunset,” a post reads. “We leave Radar right where we want it to be. Busy, bustling, and strong as ever.” The announcement does not name a specific rationale behind the decision to close, and the team at Radar has yet to respond to a request for comment.

In 2012, Lily Tollefsen opened Radar with her husband, Jonathan Berube; they named the restaurant for Tollefsen’s father, Skip Radar Tollefsen, who owned a Long Island seafood restaurant. The bar made its own tonic water for gin and tonics, while Berube paired baby octupus with hummus and pork with cotija grits. The latter became one of the restaurant’s classic dishes, landing on the restaurant’s brunch menu.

“When we set out to open Radar all those years ago, we wanted to create a place where people felt comfortable and at home,” the post reads. “We are so glad Radar was your place and restaurant home in this big wide world.”

The restaurant is still taking reservations up until the 15th.