Skip to main contentPortland restaurant institution Besaw's will be back this fall—just two blocks from the old Besaw's.
After 112 years in business, Besaw's was forced to close this May after negotiations between restaurant owner Cana Flug and landlord C.E. John broke down last April.
After the annoncement, both Flug and C.E. John announced they believed they had the rights to the name. And both said they would open a new Besaw's restaurant. Each also filed lawsuits against the other.
The lawsuits were settled this June, and Flug was allowed to re-open under the name of the restaurant she'd been running for over a decade. C.E. John retained rights to the Besaw name for the new construction planned at Besaw's old location.
The new Besaw's will be at Northwest 21st Ave. and Raleigh St., in a new building going up in the Conway district next to the Slabtown New Seasons. The anticipated opening date is this fall.
Chef Michael Uhnak will return—as will 90% of the service staff. "We just had a big staff barbecue this Sunday," says Flug.
Flug also says the new spot will clear up some limitations of the old Besaw's building. "Fâinally:â Hollandaise every day!" she writes. "Happy hour! Family supper! Weâve missed you!â The new spot will have a patio and custom-built brick oven, and they plan to serve three meals a day, seven days a week.
Flug says she's also working on opening another restaurant in tandem with the new Besaw's. According to liquor license applications it will be called The Solo Club—the name of Besaw's during Prohibition——and will be located next door to Besaw's.
"It's really bittersweet," Flug told WW when she first learned she'd have to close Besaw's on Northwest 23rd Avenue. "I'm so fond of that corner, and everything about this really beautiful old building, but it's going to be even better. We're going be able to write the next chapter."
WWeek 2015