sousòl
Bar · Buckman
227 SE 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Highlights
Caribbean-inspired small plates & cocktails in a swanky, subterranean lounge
Caribbean-inspired small plates & cocktails in a swanky, subterranean lounge
"While nabbing a seat at Kann can be tricky, Gregory Gourdet’s companion cocktail lounge — a sexy, subterranean bar just around the corner — is a much easier get. The food here is more pan-Caribbean, with things like Trinidadian doubles and Jamaican curry chicken; crudos arrive with salsa macha and blood orange, and pork belly gets a trio of tamarind barbecue sauce, cane syrup, and avocado salsa. Cocktails — alcoholic and not — use a swath of ingredients from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well." - Sararosa Davies
"The lively-vibed, sultrily-lit subterranean bar from Top Chef darling and James Beard Award winner Gregory Gourdet is far more than a waiting room for the perpetually booked Kann upstairs; Sousòl is a destination in its own right, serving drinks and snacks leaning heavily on ingredients and flavors from the Caribbean with creative additions. The Heron Vet Milk Punch pairs rum agricole and pear spirit with melon and salted plum. For sustenance, seek out Trinidadian doubles of the sausage corn dog, though the menu may shift with the seasons. And pro tip: It is infinitely easier to get a reservation here." - Rebecca Roland
"The nonalcoholic drinks at this subterranean cocktail bar lean on the ingredients and flavors found throughout the Caribbean, while also incorporating Portland-based brands like Wilderton and Smith Teamaker. Drinks use components like soursop, tamarind and jerk spice, and lime-candied ginger, with foundations of produce like guava or pineapple. Owner Gregory Gourdet, who has talked publicly about his sobriety for years, wanted to make sure the nonalcoholic offerings at the bar were as interesting and nuanced as those with booze, and it shows." - Thom Hilton
"With all the justified adulation Kann receives, Gregory Gourdet’s adjoining subterranean bar Sousòl has managed to slip relatively under the radar, or at least below the ground. Rather than a stripped down work-around for diners unable to nab a table at the extraordinarily popular above-ground flagship, Sousòl is unmistakably kin to Kann but has an identity all its own. The Caribbean-inspired food menu is markedly slimmer and less strictly Haitian than Kann, but just as adventurous, including Trinidadian, Jamaican, and Cuban bar bites. The house cocktails favor rums, and liberally deploy tropical fruits and a bounty of herbs. The décor is somehow both minimal and decadent, as if stepping into a falernum-fueled dream of the late 1980s. As with Kann, it will be exciting to watch the young Sousòl evolve in the years ahead." - Nathan Williams
"Out-of-town visitors hoping to grab a last-minute table at the nationally celebrated Kann are probably out of luck, but this basement bar from chef Gregory Gourdet and the Kann team offers a small but mighty sampling of the sister restaurant’s more expansive Haitian cuisine, alongside some of the city’s best creative cocktails and mocktails in a transporting subterranean tropical setting. Lines on busier nights aren’t uncommon, but trendy bar hoppers tend to churn through fairly regularly." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
