Silk Road
Cocktail bar · Pearl
1230 NW Hoyt St B, Portland, OR 97209
Highlights
Craft cocktails & Chinese-influenced plates like wagyu dumplings
Craft cocktails & Chinese-influenced plates like wagyu dumplings
"One of several new hospitality openings in 2024 that helped bring fresh energy to Portland’s beverage scene; alongside other new venues it opened amid a challenging economic environment for bars and restaurants." - Rebecca Roland
"Within this Pearl District bar’s train-inspired space, visitors are transported to faraway destinations in Asia and Europe through ingredients that were once traded along the eponymous route. Lulu owner Vijay Kumar is behind the bar menu here, mixing oolong into Old Fashioneds, shiitake-infused vermouth and MSG mushroom brine into martinis, and five spice syrup into daiquiris. Former Ambassador owner Lexy Foong is responsible for the bar’s sharing plates, having created dishes like handmade wagyu beef dumplings and caramelized chicken wings for diners to graze on." - Rebecca Roland, Janey Wong, Eater Staff
"This Pearl District newcomer, which opened in March 2024, takes inspiration from its namesake Eurasian trade routes known as the Silk Road, and the spices and other ingredients that once traded along those tracks. It’s become known as a spot for late-night Chinese food and umami-packed drinks like a martini made with shiitake-infused vermouth and MSG mushroom brine. While the most ancient iterations of the Silk Road didn’t involve trains, in the 19th century tracks were laid down, and private luxury trains now traverse the route. So it makes sense that the Portland bar transformed its narrow lounge space with gently sloped wooden walls and brass-accented globe sconces that subtly suggest a luxe bar car." - Kara Newman
"This cocktail bar from the team behind Lulu is also the home of chef Lexy Foong, whose father founded the karaoke bar and Chinese American restaurant, the Ambassador, in 1990. Foong’s approach to the menu is a warm celebration of Chinese American cuisine, executed impeccably. House-made dumplings arrive filled with wagyu beef, which renders into juicy oblivion as they steam. The sweetness of mandarin wings is measured, thanks to the counterbalance of garlic; they’re crunchy and sticky and juicy at the center. But the salt and pepper calamari may be the highlight: crisp, heavy on the onion, with impossibly tender squid at its core. Eat them all in a beautiful bar space with cool 1920s design notes." - Eater Staff
"A new cocktail bar in the Pearl District presenting a late-winter addition to the neighborhood’s drinking scene." - Eater Staff
