Grind Wit Tryz, a popular Hawaiian food cart that emerged as a pandemic-time sensation this summer, often drawing two-hour lines for its overflowing clamshell containers of sweet fried ono chicken, will take over the former Bunk Sandwiches space next month, owner Tryzen Patricio confirmed.
The news, first posted to Grind Wit Tryz’s Instagram account, comes just more than a month after The Oregonian/OregonLive profiled the cart as part of its annual guide to Portland’s best new food carts. The new restaurant will open on Northeast Alberta Street next to another food business known for its lines — Salt & Straw.
According to Eater PDX, which first noted the news, Grind Wit Tryz’s new restaurant will feature the cart’s signature chicken, kalua pig, and spicy ahi poke alongside surf-and-turf kalbi ribs and other top-selling specials. The restaurant plans to offer beer and cocktails, including mai tais and lava flows, plus Patricio’s own “jungle juice” featuring four different spirits. Grind Wit Tryz will also host live Hawaiian music on its patio.
Patricio first moved to Oregon to play baseball on a scholarship to the since-closed Concordia University. But after a series of arm injuries, Patricio had a change of heart, deciding to rededicate his focus on the food he loved to cook with his family. Dorm room experiments with Spam musubi and plate lunch sold via Instagram led Patricio to open his cart with fianceé Candace Lacuesta last fall. The lines soon followed, particularly after Grind Wit Tryz moved to the Park The Carts pod in December.
Look for Grind Wit Tryz’s new brick-and-mortar restaurant to debut next month at 2017 N.E. Alberta St.
