PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland’s popular Hawaiian restaurant Grindwittryz announced recently that it is leaving its quaint Northeast Alberta spot to take over the old Nico Cantina location in Northeast Cully.
Owners Tryzen Patricio and Candace Lacuesta said on Instagram that Sunday will be their last day on Alberta Street serving their iconic ono chicken before their grand opening on Feb. 24 at 4318 Northeast Cully Boulevard.
“If y’all thought we were closing, you thought wrong! Absolutely no one can stop us from spreading aloha in PDX! We are taking over Nico’s Catina! This space is giving us so much opportunity to grow and expand!” Grindwittryz shared on Instagram.
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The new location will be able to fit more than 80 people inside, compared to the restaurant’s current 20-person capacity, and over 200 customers outside, Grindwittryz said. It will also allow them to expand their menu to serve alcohol and feature more specials and family style plates. They'll also be able to host events on the weekends, which Grindwittryz said could include a Filipino barbecue night where customers will be able to grill different types of skewers outside on barbecues.
The famed-Hawaiian restaurant started out as a food cart pod on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It was a near-instant sensation, drawing long lines of people wanting to try Grind's Hawaiian flavors and massive plate lunches, where customers could opt to get ono chicken, spicy ahi poke and kalua pig — or get "Hawaiian Nachos."
In December 2020, Patricio and Lacuesta expanded the cart to their brick-and-mortar spot in Alberta, where they have been a staple in the community, serving not just Hawaiian flavors but also pulling from Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese and Filipino influences.
Grindwittryz said they are "stoked" for the move to the Cully neighborhood and to be in a much bigger space.
