In case you've been confined to a houseboat or chained to a radiator in a basement for the past ten years, SE Division Street has changed a bit. Where once scrappy vintage shops, unflashy sushi joints, hardware shops, barbers, casual family brunch spots, and co-ops shared plenty of elbow room with adult theaters, small warehouses, lesbian bars, and single-family homes, visitors to Southeast Portland's radically transformed neighborhood now find posh boutiques, yoga studios galore, many of the city's best restaurants, and block after block of towering three-story apartment buildings.

Sure, the Oregon Theater is still standing proud, but many businesses along the strip have been forced to move, change, or die. Nearing it's fourth year on Division, Bula Kava house has chosen to stay and grow, answering the influx of a huge number of transplants, foot and vehicle traffic, yogis, and energetic apartment dwellers with a host of new offerings in addition to the shop's unique line-up of relaxing root beverages from Vanuatu, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

The all-new menu features fresh juices, superfood smoothies, and acai bowls crafted with the same passion and attention to ingredients the Bula team has devoted to sourcing quality kava for years:

• Four Acai bowls, like the Nut Bowl—A blended base of acai, almond milk, banana, mixed berries, and peanut or almond butter topped with Hammer & Tuffy's granola, slivered almonds, banana, and cinnamon
• Four smoothies like the Drink Your Greens (coconut water, spinach, kale, banana, lemon, honey, and green superfood) or the Kick Start (Stumptown Cold Brew, almond milk, banana, cacao, chocolate vegan protein powder, Bob's Red Mill Oats, and peanut or almond butter)
• Seven fresh juices like the East Side Elixir (green apples, spinach, kale, pineapple, mint), the Spicy Hipster (orange, pear, kale, cilantro, lime, jalapeño) and the Bridge City Muse (celery, apple, spinach, beet, lemon, pineapple)
• Snacks like Sweet Maui chips or mixed nuts with dried mango

Wait times are a little slow for fresh juices and smoothies, as it seems the staff isn't quite used to the new offerings that require a lot more hands-on time than the typical kava order, but it's hard to blame them. Aren't we all still adjusting to the new Division Street order? Who knows if it will ever feel natural, but with a kava-spiked green smoothie in hand, we're feeling a little more chill about the whole thing. (But if waiting just ain't your thang, you can call in your acai bowl, smoothie, or juice order ahead of time.)

Bula Kava House
3115 SE Division Street
503-477-7823
Sun-Thurs 11 am-11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am-12 am