St. Johns Italian Restaurant Gabagool Closes July 17 | Eater Portland

"I watched it grow from a North Mississippi food cart specializing in Italian sandwiches and pastas into a St. Johns restaurant over nine years, becoming a cult favorite fueled by Reddit fervor. When it opened it stood out as one of the few neighborhood spots serving handmade pasta and the only place selling piadina filled with capicola — its namesake gabagool. For five and a half years locals sat on the patio twirling pappardelle and spearing potato gnocchi; the kitchen cured its own pancetta, made its own sausage, and hung house-made pasta, producing dishes like tagliatelle with braised spring rabbit and spaghetti al’ Amatriciana with house-cured guanciale. At the bar I found cocktails built on infused simple syrups and house-made limoncello alongside standards like Campari. After a brief pandemic closure it reopened for takeout in May 2020, added a large outdoor patio, and returned to indoor dining in summer 2021, but on July 17 the owners announced on Instagram that the restaurant would close because “We’ve been unable to reach an agreement on a lease for our space,” and asked patrons to stop by in its final weeks to share good times and positive memories." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden