Northwest Brunch-Friendly Besaw’s Closing Current Location May 29th

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Byron Beck, GoLocalPDX Features Editor

Besaw's Cafe

Besaw's Cafe will close its current location on May 29

One of Northwest Portland's friendliest—and also oldest—restaurants, Besaw's Cafe will shutter its doors on May 29th, and relocate to a nearby space before the end of summer.

The following was sent out to longtime customers early Tuesday morning:
"As we’ve come to know each other over the last ten years, many of you have become aware of the lease negotiations ever-looming on the horizon at Besaw’s. You are a big part of what makes Besaw’s special, and it is important to us to let you, our family and friends, know the big news directly that Besaw’s, in its current form, will be closing its doors at the end of service on Friday, May 29th. Due to factors beyond our control, the property owners have refused to renew our lease...Whether you’ve braved the rain and sleet for forty-five minutes to get a table at Sunday brunch, or sipped a quiet cocktail at the bar on a Tuesday evening, you are, have always been and always will be the reason for our existence. We love the rich history of Besaw’s as a neighborhood gathering place, and if it were up to us we would stay in this building for another 112 years. We don’t know what the property owner has in mind for this space; at this point we can only control certain things, one of which is our commitment to staying in the neighborhood. Which brings us to the silver lining! We are already in negotiations on a location nearby, and we expect to reopen by the end of summer."

According to the message from Besaw's, Executive Chef Michael Uhnak the rest of the management team will be staying on to open the new location, and are working with other restaurateurs in town to find temporary employment for 50-plus employees.