Portland Cocktail Lounge Bar Cala Opens on Northeast Alberta - Eater Portland
"On the corner of 27th and Alberta, a tall concrete and stucco building has stood for more than 90 years, once home to an electrical substation; throughout the pandemic, it has sat vacant, a quiet landmark on a busy street. Today, it looks far different than it did even a few months ago: Its walls now sport a lovely shade of bubblegum pink, its tall wooden doors a Florida lagoon teal. Palm trees — a rarity in Portland — flank the sides of its concrete steps. Above the door, in neon cursive, a sign reads “Bar Cala.” Bar Cala, which opened in late June, comes from Victor Daniel Cerda Zamorano, an Alberta neighborhood resident and Mi Mero Mole alum. For years, Zamorano has walked past the building, back when it was still the Station bar, and felt a twinge to do something with it. Burned out on the restaurant industry during the pandemic, he told himself that he wouldn’t return to food service unless he owned his own place. So when his college friend Fernando Damas — of Damas Painting and Construction — offered to go in on a place with him, they jumped on the Alberta building. And when they tried to figure out a concept for the bar, Zamorano wanted to do something that honored his Chilean heritage and offered something somewhat distinct to the area. The bar serves a variety of Latin American dishes and cocktails with a design inspired by Palm Springs." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
