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Portland already gets all worked up anytime a rooftop patio opens in town—and rightfully so, given that we once had so few. Now, another skyline perch is set to arrive during our summer of social distancing, when new outdoor dining is in demand.
On Friday, Aug. 7, Kex Portland—the first U.S. location of the upscale Iceland-based hostel—launches Lady of the Mountain, a rooftop bar named after the Nordic country's traditional personification of itself as a woman. Transform that concept into an Oregon drinking terrace and apparently you get something called "Northwest tropical," a description that indicates it will look unlike any other watering hole around.
The menu itself is a nod to Iceland, with pickled and brined delights as well as lower-ABV cocktails made for warm summer nights on a rooftop. Seating is very limited—five tables total—so securing reservations on Tock are highly recommended.
If you can't squeeze into Lady of the Mountain, Kex's other dining option, Dóttir, is set to reopen on Friday following a nearly five-month closure due to COVID-19.
The spacious hall on the ground floor of the hotel had only been operating a few months before the pandemic hit. You can return to the restaurant's roomy interior for a three-course meal that's $35 per person or opt for a table in the courtyard. To provide customers with even more al fresco options, the property will install street seats on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at the end of the week.
Related: At Kex, You Can Drink Specially-Made Beers and a Flight of Scandinavian Aquavits.
Anyone feeling a little nervous about eating indoors may find comfort in Kex's energy recovery ventilator, which continually pulls in filtered fresh air from outside while pulling interior air out.
As for Kex's overnight accommodations, the company has decided the hotel will remain closed until early spring 2021 due to ongoing concerns about health and safety during the pandemic.