Controversial Colonial-Themed Portland Restaurant Loses Its Coffee Purveyor

NORTH WILLIAMS—€”Saffron Colonial opened softly in early March, and it has been embroiled in controversy ever since. The bakery and restaurant opened on N Williams Avenue in an historically African American neighborhood in North Portland where gentrification has been heavily criticized, and when it announced that it would serve globally-inspired food from the height of the British Empire, many Portlanders countered on social media that colonialism shouldn't be glorified. A protest called Stop Romanticizing Colonialism! took place on Saturday, March 19, and now Ristretto Roasters, a Portland coffee roaster with three locations, has severed ties with Saffron Colonial Bakery.

PORTLAND—€”Since last Monday, seven new restaurants and bars have opened in Portland, from The Bible Club with its speakeasy vibe in Sellwood-Moreland, to Boxer Ramen's third location—€”this time in the Alphabet District. To help you keep tabs on the flurry of openings this past week, you'll find them all here.

EAST BURNSIDE—€”After delays, hotly anticipated Americano is aiming to open next week, but you can check it out now in all its artsy glory. The restaurant, from tiki bar master Blair Reynolds (Hale Pele), and coffee and doughnut man, Ian Christopher (Coco Donuts), offers a modern take on the Italian Futurism art movement, with paintings inspired by early Campari ads and the good ol' moka coffee pot.