Skip to main contentThe Sweet Hereafter, a vegan bar that became a fixture in the Belmont neighborhood in the past 13 years, announced over the weekend that it would soon shutter its doors.
“Friends, it’s with a heavy heart that we announce that we are closing down the Sweet Hereafter at the end of February,” the business owners wrote on Instagram. “We had a wonderful 13-year run but the last few years have been extremely difficult. We lost one of our founders, navigated Covid and weathered many other challenges.” (The Portland Mercury first reported the closure.)
Bar staff declined to discuss the closure, and two of the founders didn’t respond to emails from WW.
The brainchild of a loose affiliation of hip publicans called the Lightning Bar Collective—whose other projects include sister bars like the Bye and Bye, Victoria, and Thunderbird—the cozy, wood-paneled space opened in 2011, and quickly became a vegan oasis (enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike).
Its signature Mason jar cocktails—from the namesake Arnold Palmer spiked with bourbon, to the Moscow-mule-ish-but-not-really Sweet Serenade, to the Easy Rider, a simple lavender and gin pairing—have become a Belmont Street staple.
It seems every other Instagram commenter offered a different opinion about the establishment’s signature dish—i.e., which one each will miss the most.
“Can I get the recipe to the jerk bowl?” asked one commenter. “LEAK THE MAC AND CHEESE AND TOFU RECIPE PLEASE,” wrote another. One even offered a potential solution: “Maybe you can bring the Buffalo soy curl sandwich over to the Bye and Bye?”
The closure isn’t the first for the Lightning Bar Collective, whose bars seemed to epitomize Portland nightlife in the 2010s. While the Bye and Bye and Victoria Bar seem to still be going strong, at least three of the collective’s projects have shuttered: Century, Associated and Jackknife. Century, an upscale sports bar, has since been replaced by Jackie’s.
“Come say bye, if you’re so inclined. Our last day will be February 29th, come on in to celebrate the years of love the vegan community has given us,” read the caption. “We have a few weeks to enjoy this space; cheers to our time on Belmont and honor our amazing staff. Please stop in. We love you Portland.”