Hapa PDX (also known as Hapa PDX Ramen and Whiskey and Hapa Ramen) is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Hapa PDX
The restaurant's exterior, 2021
Map
Restaurant information
Established2013 (2013)
Owner(s)
  • Michael Littman
  • Sarah Littman
Street address3848 Southeast Gladstone Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97202
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°29′36″N 122°37′22″W / 45.4932°N 122.6228°W / 45.4932; -122.6228
Websitehapapdx.us

Description edit

The restaurant serves Hawaiian-Japanese ramen, including tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, and shaka broth varieties. The G-Special is a pork belly-based ramen broth with pork belly, spinach,[1] sprouts, and shiitake. According to Seiji Nanbu of Eater Portland, "Hapa's ramen is meant to be durable for long car rides home, with a thick and squiggly proprietary noodle recipe."[2] Hapa has also served poke, wakame salad,[3] and other snacks.[4] The drink menu has included Japanese whiskey, bourbon, and rye, as well as Japanese and Oregon sakes.[5]

History edit

Owners Michael and Sarah Littman launched Hapa as a food cart in 2013.[5] Hapa operated from the Tidbit Food Farm and Garden pod on Division Street in southeast Portland as of 2017.[6][7] When the pod closed in 2017,[8] the business relocated to Foster Road and 73rd.[9]

In 2019, owners announced plans to open a brick and mortar restaurant on Gladstone Street in southeast Portland's Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, in a space which previously housed Shut Up and Eat.[5][10]

In 2022, the Littmans announced plans to open a second restaurant called Hapa Kauai at the Shops at Kukui‘ula in Kauai, Hawaii. The larger restaurant will have a slightly different menu but will also specialize in ramen. Abigail Cox, general manager of the Portland restaurant, has joined the ownership team.[11][12]

Reception edit

 
Food cart in 2013

Time Out Portland's Jen Woo included Hapa in a 2019 list of "the best food trucks in Portland to get your grub on."[1] Alex Frane of Eater Portland wrote in 2019, " Hapa Ramen might be my new favorite ramen restaurant in town, with a much more limited menu and a smaller space than Afuri, but rich, delicious ramens and an excellent whisky selection."[13] The website's Seiji Nanbu included the business in a 2022 list of "where to find knockout ramen in Portland and beyond".[2] Nathan Williams included Hapa in a 2023 overview of "where to eat and drink" in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood.[14]

In 2021 and 2022, Willamette Week said, "Lots of food carts make the leap to brick-and-mortar, but rarely is the effect quite so sexy as it is at Hapa... [T]his is very much an izakaya, and drinks are as much the attraction as the soup: The ginger ale-sake highball is worth traveling across town for."[15][16]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Woo, Jen (2019-11-05). "17 Best Food Trucks in Portland to Try Right Now". Time Out Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  2. ^ a b Nanbu, Seiji (2016-04-06). "Where to Find Knockout Ramen in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  3. ^ Mesh, Aaron (2020-02-12). "Two New Portland Ramen Shops Take the Noodle Soup Beyond Japan". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  4. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-08-30). "Inside Southeast Portland's New Hawaiian-Japanese Ramen Shop". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  5. ^ a b c Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-05-30). "Inventive Ramen Cart Hapa Is Opening Its Own Restaurant in Southeast". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  6. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (2017-01-03). "Third Portland Food Hall Coming to Downtown". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  7. ^ Dresbeck, Rachel (2017-03-01). Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-2822-1. Archived from the original on 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  8. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (2017-08-15). "Tidbit Food Cart Pod to Shutter on SE Division". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  9. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-03-20). "A Bunch of Pop-Ups and Carts Are Finding New Homes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  10. ^ Groff, Elizabeth Ussher (August 30, 2019). "Japanese-Hawaiian cuisine follows 'Shut Up and Eat' on Gladstone Street". The Bee. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  11. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2022-09-01). "Portland's Hapa Ramen Is Opening a New Restaurant in Kauai, Hawaiʻi". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  12. ^ Russell, Michael (2022-10-05). "Hard-to-find Oaxacan dishes, classic French bistro fare and more Portland restaurant news for October 2022". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  13. ^ "Portland's Restaurant Newcomers of 2019, According to the City's Food Writers and Personalities". Eater Portland. 2019-12-26. Archived from the original on 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  14. ^ Williams, Nathan (2023-05-08). "Where to Eat and Drink in Portland's Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  15. ^ "Where to Eat Noodles in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  16. ^ "Where Get Hot Soup in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-09-02.

External links edit