This week, loads of restaurants and bars are emerging from their winter cocoons or opening for the first time. After much anticipation, West African restaurant Akadi will reopen at its new Division Street location on May 8 to guests with reservations, with daily dinner service to follow. Sunshine Noodles, which we’ve been fans of for chef Diane Lam’s contemporary take on Cambodian cooking, will launch brunch service this weekend, and Portland bartending legend Jeffrey Morgenthaler has announced plans to open two bars next month. Read on for more!

Star Bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler Will Open Two Bars at KEX Hotel in June

Though the legendary Clyde Common is no more as of January, award-winning bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler is making new moves along with business partner Benjamin Amberg, opening not one but two bars inside KEX Hotel (100 NE MLK Blvd). The hotel lobby that once housed Dottír will be home to a new bar called Pacific Standard, opening on June 1 with a menu inspired by classic cocktails from hotel bars all over the world. Beer and wine will be sourced from local producers, most served on draft; there’ll also be a menu of West Coast-inspired  classic bar snacks with ingredients like oysters, artichokes, and Dungeness crab. Hours will be 3 p.m. to midnight daily. Later in June, the duo will also open a bar on the rooftop of KEX Hotel called The Sunset Room with a more whimsical menu that’ll include slushies. 

Fast Feathers, Nacheaux’s Sister Restaurant, Is Now Open

Anthony and Stephanie Brown of Southern-Cajun-Mexican fusion eatery Nacheaux—currently on hiatus between locations—opened a new restaurant, Fast Feathers, on May 4. The wing-focused restaurant, located at 585 SW 10th Ave, offers creative wing flavors including honey pecan, mole BBQ, and Dorito-dusted Doriteaux, plus sides of tots, fries, and fried pickles. 

Lolo Pass Rooftop Bar Has Launched for the Summer 

Hotel-hostel hybrid Lolo Pass (1616 E Burnside St) opened its rooftop bar on May 4, complete with a new Spain-inspired food menu including boquerones, sourdough with tomato, garlicky shrimp, and paella-style rice. Lolo Pass will also host a couple events this weekend, including a monthly maker’s market on May 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a LGBTQIA+ Mother's Day dance party, MOTHA!, on May 8 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. (tickets available here). 

Sunshine Noodles Debuts Brunch 

Chef Diane Lam’s modern Cambodian hotspot (2175 NW Raleigh St Suite 105) will launch brunch service this weekend, with service on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu includes a two-egg breakfast with char siu bacon, strawberry creme brulee French toast, steak and eggs with rice, a 1000-layer breakfast wrap (similar to a roti paratha) filled with egg, black garlic, spinach, and more. Plus, look out for drinks like hot Khmer coffee made with a Deadstock Coffee chicory dark roast with palm sugar caramel and whiskey, a Bloody Negroni (Bloody Mary meets a Negroni), and passionfruit-orange-guava iced tea. 

Rockwood Market Hall Celebrates its Grand Opening May 6-7

The Rockwood Market Hall in Gresham (18535 SE Stark St Suite 102) will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on both days. The new market is home to vendors including Hank’s Southern Cuisine, Momma G’s Soup, Kuya’s Islander Cuisine, Yucatecan eatery Cox Hanal, and more, plus familiar Portland vendors Alleamin and DB Desserts. The celebration will include live music, face painting, and balloon creations. 

Akadi Reopens May 8 on Division Street

After going on hiatus since December 2020, beloved West African restaurant Akadi will reopen for dinner on May 8 at its new location on 1001 SE Division St, with seatings available by reservation only. Takeout, delivery, and walk-in seating will begin May 9. The restaurant will be open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (does that count as a late-night destination in the Portland market?) Akadi fans can also check out owner Fatou Outtara’s new grocery, House of Flavor Market, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 3901 N Williams Ave with African spices, beers, tropical fruit including soursop, and more.

Portland Ca Phe Hosts AAPI Heritage Month Coffee Social Hour

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Vietnamese coffee roaster and cafe Portland Ca Phe is hosting three social hours on May 11, 18, and 25 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Along with buy one, get one free drinks, the shop will also host a Q&A with Ca Phe co-founders Kim Dam and Alex Tam and Sam Khaute from Jubilee Hall on how to break into the specialty coffee industry. 

Sebastiano’s Kicks Off Aperitivo Season with Top Chef Contestant Sara Hauman’s Tiny Fish Co. May 15

Sicilian deli Sebastiano’s (411 SE 81st Ave) will relaunch its warm-weather aperitivo service later this month, kicking off the season with four courses utilizing Top Chef contestant Sara Hauman’s newly launched sustainable, Pacific Northwest-sourced tinned fish line, Tiny Fish Co. Courses include smoked mussels with English pea hummus, a farinata waffle with charred chicories and smoked geoduck vinaigrette, octopus with new potatoes, and Sebastiano’s cookies for dessert. Tickets are now on sale for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. seatings for $100 on Tock.