The end of year is filled with celebrations of the best restaurants in town. But there’s also a string of notable closures of Portland restaurants, bakeries, and bars, including:
This year JinJu Patisserie won the prestigious James Beard award for the best bakery in the country, but it’ll be closing — at least for now. Their last day at the current location will be Dec. 28. Owners Kyurim “Q” Lee and Jin Caldwell plan to operate as a pop-up until they find the right new space. [Willamette Week]
The sneaker-culture-themed coffee shop opened in Old Town a decade ago. Their last day at that location will be Dec. 31. The good news: Deadstock’s Beaverton location, which opened in 2024, will stay open. [Oregonian]
The bottle shop and taproom John’s Marketplace is closing its Beaverton location. That closure comes as the craft beer industry is facing challenges, though the Multnomah Village and Powell locations will remain open. [Oregonian]
The Oregonian’s pick for the restaurant with the best inexpensive sushi is also closing. Kashiwagi’s lease was up and chef-owner Takeo Kashiwagi opted to close — on Dec. 31. His previous restaurant Sushi Takahashi 2, in Southwest Portland, won accolades for being the best conveyor belt sushi. [Oregonian]
Year End Picks for Best Restaurants and Meals
Portland Monthly has updated its list of the 50 best restaurants in town. It includes old favorites (like Higgins) as well as new ones (like Javelina + Inisha). [Portland Monthly]
The Oregonian came out with its list of the year’s best restaurants earlier this month, and last week critic Michael Russell released his list of the 25 best meals he ate all year. Knowing the exact meal that impressed a restaurant critic is sometimes more useful than knowing which restaurants can be good. Russell’s picks include a masa dish tlacoyo at Ancestro, bún Berlu at Berlu Bakery, chicken katsu curry at Kau Kau, and hush puppies at Parallel. [Oregonian]
