Need more noodles in your life? The Portland area is now home to four Afuri Ramen locations, with the newest one in Slabtown open this week, complete with a noodle lab and massive broth tanks. And despite the hard-knock food service industry, two much-loved businesses are coming back with pop-ups this week. Look for Holy Trinity’s Texas-style barbecue at Culmination Brewing, and keep an eye out for the next batch of tickets to Ryan and Elena Roadhouse’s new dinner series, which kicks off this weekend and has already sold out of its first round of tickets. Read on for more of our picks. 

A New Afuri Ramen & Dumpling Location and Noodle Lab Has Opened in Slabtown

With the opening of a new Afuri Ramen & Dumpling location in Slabtown (1650 NW 21st Ave) on May 18, there are now four places—three Ramen & Dumpling locations, and one Izakaya location—to get your Afuri ramen fix in the Portland metro area. The menu features the same fixtures as the other two Afuri Ramen & Dumpling locations downtown and in Beaverton, including the restaurant’s signature yuzu shio ramen, lacy crisp gyoza stuffed with pork or miso-cashew filling, rice dishes, and small plates like kara-age chicken and steamed buns. What makes this location stand out is its noodle lab, where through a glass wall customers can watch Afuri’s delightfully chewy noodles being made for all Portland-area locations. This location is also the home base for the broth served at all Portland Afuri restaurants, with two massive 110-gallon pots each housing chicken broth and tonkotsu broth. Depending on your timing, you might also witness pork bellies being trimmed and rolled up to make the restaurants’ melt-in-your-mouth chashu slices. The Slabtown location is open daily for lunch and dinner.

Holy Trinity Barbecue Pops Up at Culmination Brewing May 20 and 21

Beloved Texas-style barbecue cart Holy Trinity was our favorite barbecue in town with its tender brisket, juicy ribs, snappy sausages, and cheesy grits. But the cart, which opened in spring 2019, suddenly closed in October 2021 after a couple weeks of slow business left the business unable to recover. Luckily, owner and pitmaster Kyle Rensmeyer is still doing pop-ups around town. Catch Holy Trinity at Culmination Brewing (2117 NE Oregon St) on May 20 and 21 from noon until sold out. Friday’s menu includes brisket, pork and beef ribs, pork belly burnt ends, beef cheeks, pork hash and rice, cheesy grits, and banana pudding. On Saturday, customers can grab brisket burgers, brisket chopped cheese, turkey salad sandwiches, and more. 

Grab Hawaiian Shave Ice from Rasia’s Ono Ice at Kate’s Ice Cream May 22 

On May 22 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Rasia’s Ono Ice, a local Hawaiian shave ice pop-up, will make an appearance at the newly opened vegan and gluten-free Kate’s Ice Cream (3713 N Mississippi Ave) with ice-cream stuffed shave ice. 

Nodoguro Owners Ryan and Elena Roadhouse Start a Pop-Up Series in Northeast Portland

After opening in 2014, Nodoguro was named Portland Monthly’s Restaurant of the Year in 2015 for its eccentric tasting menu dinners, with themes ranging from Twin Peaks to Harajuku, and omakase sushi nights. Its fast-casual sibling restaurant, Tonari, opened in the pandemic to critical acclaim from our own Karen Brooks. But neither Tonari nor Nodoguro survived the pandemic. Gary Okazaki broke the news on his Instagram page that the Roadhouses are returning with a series of pop-ups in Northeast Portland at 5513 NE 30th Ave. Their dinner series, Izakaya in the Canaries, kicks off this weekend, with brunch soon to follow. Reservations are sold out for the initial run, but more June reservations will drop soon; check Nodoguro’s website for tickets. 

Café Zamora Secures a Second Location Downtown

Café Zamora, which opened its original location in Creston-Kenilworth (3713 SE Gladstone St) in 2019, serves coffee beans grown on owner Hector Zamora’s family farm in Guatemala and roasted in Portland. Along with the café, the business has grown to include plenty of wholesale accounts—you can now find Zamora's beans at New Seasons, Market of Choice, People’s Food Co-Op, and Kaah Market at the Portland Mercado. Now, Café Zamora is taking the next step and opening another café, this time downtown within the Portland Food Hall at 827 SW Second Ave. Keep an eye on Café Zamora’s Instagram page for updates on the café’s soft opening, tentatively scheduled for June 6.