Portland bakery Berlu is reviving its Night Market pop-up, launching a weekly evening service that brings charcoal-grilled Vietnamese street food back to the city. The return—set to begin Thursday, March 12—adds sit-down seating and a selection of cocktails and beers to the format first introduced during the pandemic.
Chef Vince Nguyen created the market as an outdoor alternative when indoor dining was limited; this new run expands the concept into a casual dine-in experience while keeping its focus on grilled, shareable plates inspired by travels in Vietnam. A closed test service for the bakery’s mailing list took place recently; the official weekly schedule will run every Thursday from 5–8 p.m.
What’s on the menu
The kitchen will rely on a charcoal grill as the centerpiece. Expect familiar street-food preparations handled with Berlu’s bakery sensibility and attention to ingredient-driven flavors.
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Signature items returning include the crunchy, topping-forward bánh tráng nướng—often described as a Vietnamese “pizza”—which uses grilled rice paper as a base for eggs, scallions, dried shrimp, pork and chili sauces. The lineup also features chạo tôm, shrimp paste seasoned and molded onto sugarcane, plus skewered plant-forward options like grilled maitake mushrooms and fried tofu.
Desserts will draw on tropical staples—coconut, sticky rice and banana—while the bar experiments with drinks that bridge Vietnamese and Western traditions. Look for riffs such as an egg coffee–inspired espresso martini and a gin and tonic incorporating chanh muối (preserved salted Meyer lemon).
- When: Weekly, beginning Thursday, March 12 — 5–8 p.m.
- Where: Berlu (Portland)
- Cooking style: Charcoal-grilled street-food plates
- Dietary note: The bakery says offerings will be gluten-free and dairy-free
- Drinks: Beer and cocktails with Vietnamese-inspired twists
Returning the Night Market to a weekly schedule restores a menu that blends nostalgic street flavors with the precision of a small, well-regarded kitchen. For Portland diners, it means another option for relaxed evening dining that highlights regional ingredients and grilling techniques not often found on mainstream restaurant menus.
Berlu’s Night Market revival is both a nod to the improvisational pop-ups of the pandemic years and a sign of sustained interest in experiential, late-afternoon and evening food programming in the city. Those interested should follow the bakery’s updates—last night’s soft opening was limited to its mailing list—since offerings and availability may evolve as the series settles into its rhythm.
