The Roseway Neighborhood of northeast Portland is excited to have their own version of Little Italy opening up on the corners of NE 67th and Sandy Boulevard!
Bacchi’s Italian Delicatessen opened in 2013 and quickly became a destination for families and the local Italian community. The deli is a tiny point of Italy on a street long defined by Asian restaurants and businesses.
Customers open the door to the sound of Rosemary Clooney or Frank Sinatra and step up to a case full of Italian deli meats, cheeses, and locally baked breads. The coffee bar features locally roasted coffee. There is also fresh gelato and Italian desserts; Bacchi’s cannoli are considered by many to be the best in Portland.
When the sun comes out, the crowd inside overflows to outside seating, where neighbors greet each other and you are likely to hear Italian conversations. In fact, an Italian language group meets at Bacchi’s on a regular basis.
The deli is a true family affair with owner Mark Caso, his wife Joan, son Corbett, and daughter Audrey working alongside each other. Bacchi is Joan’s family name, originally from northern Italy. Mark’s family emigrated from Naples.
Across the street from Bacchi’s, in a beautifully renovated space, Pizzeria Otto recently opened to long lines of oven-fired-pizza enthusiasts. Opening night was so successful the pizzeria ran out of pizza dough!
The 36-seat restaurant is the dream-come-true of owner Clark Hale. A resident of Roseway and self-proclaimed Italophile, he had long wanted to see a great pizzeria come to the neighborhood. When the space on the corner of 67th became available, he jumped on it, renovating it himself. Then he brought Italian-trained pizzaiolo Justin Clarke on board to run the pizzeria’s tiled wood-burning oven and the stage was set for the grand opening.
Pizzeria Otto focuses on simple Neapolitan-style pizzas using local ingredients and house-made components. Locally crafted beer is on tap as well as a long list of local and Italian wines. Literally humming with conversation and laughter, the pizzeria has a community atmosphere.
“The neighborhood has been coming out in droves to support what we’re doing,” says Clark. “Our vision of serving the highest quality food in a casual, neighborhood atmosphere seems to be a huge hit. Folks are loving our traditional Neapolitan-style pizza as well.”
For more information, visit Bacchi’s at www.bacchis.com and Pizzeria Otto at www.pizzeriaotto.com
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