XO Bar is a 100% Vegan Pan Asian Bar Building Community Through Food | Portland, Oregon

PDXReviews

Sep 29

Small plates and non-alcoholic cocktail at XO Bar — Small plates and Glow Up non-alocholic cocktail - Photo by Vegan Ventures

XO Bar is the latest from Lightning Bar Collective that is behind some of our most establishments like the beloved Victoria Bar, Century, and The Sweet Hereafter. They have partnered with The Sudra owner, Sanjay Chandrasekaran, and Regi Carter, a Filipina-American to create a space that showcases their cultural backgrounds but with a Portland twist.

A week before their grand opening, I had the opportunity to come in and not only meet Regi Carter but also sample the non-alcoholic cocktail options from the cocktail menu that she put together herself. These cocktails are inspired by the islands of her home country

As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with bright colors and a kind and bubbly Regi who was finishing getting ready to open for another soft-launch weekend.

I sat at the bar across from Regi and I asked her what she wants the space to be. She responded with “I want this to be a community space”. Not long after her response, customers were slowly trickling in and placing their food and drink orders at the bar. Some of these customers were already regulars. Regi was greeting them by name and had remembered their usual orders as the bar had a soft launch the past few weeks. I was overhearing Regi’s conversations with her customers and it made me feel like I was right at home, just like she said.

Eventually, my food order came out where I was treated to some of their small plates: spicy jalapeño-cream cheese wontons, barbecue sambal drumsticks, and jackfruit vindaloo spring rolls. Their menu does include larger plates for those that are looking for a full meal but these small plates were a perfect pairing with their signature drinks.

Each dish was vibrant, delicious, and spicy. It all went well with my refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail. Every dish is inspired by Regi’s roots in the Philippines but also, inspired by the Northwest. There were plenty of small plate options that are perfect for sharing, but there were also large plates for those that come with a big appetite.

These bowls have a complexity of flavor as they all come with Jasmine rice, pickled cucumbers, shredded carrots, curried Thai coconut chickpeas and baby spinach tossed in miso curry dressing. Then topped proteins such as chili garlic fried Misozuke tofu and Beyond scallion meatballs with soy-ginger glaze.

There’s a little something for everyone here and XO bar has a warm and inviting atmosphere that has you wanting to come back.

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