It’s two in the morning on a Wednesday in Southeast Portland. The rain is thick and oppressive, temperatures hover in the mid-40’s, and the only hot meal for miles is dispensed from a glowing drive-thru window.

For those staring blankly into their dimly lit refrigerators, or just getting home from a late night shift, Devil’s Dill on Southeast Hawthorne is a godsend.

From their tiny storefront, these new sandwich players deliver quality ingredients on good bread to your house until 2:30 in the morning—free of charge.

Devil’s Dill was born from the appetites of Chris Serena and Gavin Duffy, two Mid-West composers-turned-restaurant industry workers. They landed in Portland three years ago, and discovered the need for food that wasn’t, simply put, “greasy and quickly shoveled into your mouth.” Now they are smoking their own pork shoulder, braising their own beef, and most importantly, bringing it to the mouths of Portland’s hungry night owls.

From the nine-piece menu of sandwiches built on well-structured Fleur De Lis ciabatta, the five-spice pulled pork with sesame slaw and chili garlic barbecue sauce (No.1) makes for an intensely smoky indulgence, while a house meatloaf covered in seasonal vegetables (No.8) satisfies a near-Freudian urge.

But top marks go to the humble tuna (No.6), slicked with a citrusy lemon aioli, bites of smoked olive, and a dose of their Chow Chow sauce: a sweet, tangy Southern concoction of pickled green tomatoes, peppers and mustard spice. Rotating soups and sides come through, along with local pickles from the brine experts at Pickleopolis. Keep an eye out for the occasional special; sinful creations like banana bread pudding draped in a salted caramel sauce.

A few stipulations: While anyone can drop by until 3 am to pick up a sandwich, seating is Spartan at best. Devil’s Dill limits their delivery radius to roughly 2 miles (as far as I-84 North and 60th Ave East). Sorry West-siders. 

Devil’s Dill
1711 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
503-236-8067
Tues-Sun: 5 pm-3 am