Pok Pok Closure Leaves Tourists Wondering Where They’re Going To Get Their Next Meal

Portland’s preeminent Thai restaurant, Pok Pok, is shutting its doors for good. Owner Andy Ricker announced on Facebook that all the locations would remain closed indefinitely. Since opening the first restaurant in 2005, Ricker has won a James Beard Award and opened many Pok Poks in Portland, New York City, and Las Vegas. The news of the closure has impacted all of us, but nobody was hit harder than Portland tourists.⁣
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“NOOOOO! Not Pok Pok!” Said Austin, Texas resident Elissa Jun. “That restaurant has meant so much to me ever since my first and only trip to Portland in 2014. The three hour line was an incredible experience. The fish sauce wings were also pretty good, but the Instagram content I took there was priceless.”
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Travel app Tripadvisor called an all-hands meeting on Thursday night in an attempt to deal with the fallout from the closure announcement. Every single Portland article and “best of” list on their site featured Pok Pok as the city’s number one attraction. Employees scrambled to fill the gaping content holes with hastily written blurbs about hidden Portland gems that only locals knew about such as Voodoo Doughnut, Screen Door and Salt & Straw. ⁣
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“I just love the authentic Thai street food and Northern Thai cuisine that Pok Pok has pumped out consistently for years. The hype is strong but, in my opinion, you can’t get food this authentic outside of Thailand and the service is great too,” said Guillermo Pasternack who has never traveled outside the country. “I would venture to say that it is the one restaurant that really put Portland on the map as far as a foodie destination. In addition, it acts as a sort of community watering hole for members of the neighborhood. At least the two times I’ve traveled to Portland for business from my home in Chicago I’ve gotten that sense.”