Return of the Stack: The Closed Stacked Sandwich Shop, Home of the Oxtail French Dip, Will Reopen in Slabtown

Top Chef: Portland and Noma alum Gabriel Pascuzzi is expanding his Slabtown footprint. Stacked Sandwich Shop, which shuttered in December 2021, will reopen in a shared space with the second location of his grain bowl spot Feel Good this spring. Both will sit just across a promenade from Pascuzzi’s grilled chicken restaurant Mama Bird, the Oregonian’s Michael Russell first reported.

The restaurant, once named one of the best sandwich shops in America by Thrillist, opened in 2017 in Central Eastside. The Eater Award-winning chef’s shop developed acclaim thanks to sandwiches like its house-smoked turkey hero and oxtail French dip. The revamped version of Stacked will offer both, though with a few minor adjustments. The oxtail, sourced from Carman Ranch, comes in short supply, so Stacked will either offer the French dips until sold out or do a limited number per day. Also, Pascuzzi plans to streamline the menu by sourcing meats like roast turkey and bacon instead of making them in-house, which Stacked undertook previously.

“I think one of the problems with Stacked in the first place is we were super labor intensive,” Pascuzzi says. “Smoking the turkeys, we used to brine them for five days, air dry them for a night, smoke them, cool them, cut them off the bone, slice and portion them, and then they made it to the sandwich. It was important to me to find a good comparable product — I knew I wasn’t going to find apples to apples, but maybe apples to oranges.” A lot of sandwich ingredients will still be made in-house, however; Pascuzzi says it’s a matter of picking and choosing when to do the heavy lifts. For example, when the BLT runs during tomato season, the restaurant will make its own bacon. Other popular options like braised elk cheesesteaks and bay shrimp rolls will make appearances as seasonal specials, as well.

Stacked’s salad menu might return or migrate over to the Feel Good menu, which will offer the same customizable bowls as its original location. The new fast casual spot will have kiosk service for efficiency and QR codes on tables for diners who want to add to their orders. In the warmer months, the restaurant’s patio will double its dining capacity.

Taking over the former Sunshine Noodles space, Pascuzzi plans to rip out the restaurant’s bar and repurpose the area for a commissary kitchen that will also supply the eastside location of Feel Good. As such, Stacked will do away with its cocktail program of yore, instead offering beer, wine, and canned cocktails. “I’m trying to get everybody hooked on these [red wine citrus sodas] called tinto de veranos,” Pascuzzi says. “I had it on my honeymoon in Spain and it’s so refreshing and different.” He’s even working with Jeff Vejr of Golden Cluster to create a canned version.

While his existing Slabtown spot Mama Bird is open for brunch and dinner, Pascuzzi is excited to bring a stronger lunch presence to the neighborhood. “I think [Stacked and Feel Good] go together so well,” Pascuzzi says. “It’s like something healthy or something hearty? Okay, let’s go there and we can get both of those. Or people can split a bowl and a sandwich... It’s the best of both worlds type situation.”

Stacked Sandwich Shop and Feel Good will open at 2175 NW Raleigh Street #105 in March.