Acclaimed Portland Vietnamese Bakeshop Berlu Bakery Is Popping Up for One Day Only at Best Friend

Fans of Berlu Bakery and James Beard Award-winning chef Vince Nguyen have a chance to snag desserts and treats this weekend. The acclaimed gluten- and dairy-free Vietnamese bakery closed its location in the former Berlu restaurant space in October of 2024, but now the bakery is gearing up for its anticipated reopening this spring. For the Lunar New Year, however, Nguyen will host a Berlu Bakery pop-up at Best Friend’s cafe this Sunday, February 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Nguyen will prepare a mix of Berlu’s bakery favorites, along with some holiday-appropriate items. The popular bánh bò nướng, or honeycomb cake, will come in two flavors: cardamom with salted banana cream and fan-favorite pandan with salted coconut cream.

Nguyen will also bring back Berlu’s bánh khoai mì nướng, a mung bean and cassava cake with caramelized pineapple in a crunchy tart shell, as well as an egg custard tart, a flan tart topped with coconut cream and salted egg yolk. In a nod to the holiday, Nguyen is preparing bánh hạnh nhân, an almond and cassava cookie, and there will also be a pandan waffle to round out the menu.

Berlu Bakery

Along with those sweet treats, Nguyen says they will have their fun bánh bò nướng scratch and sniff t-shirts for sale, as well as gift cards for the bakery, which will give the team a little monetary boost as they ready the new shop.

Along with the fun Lunar New Year pop-up, Nguyen says Sunday is a chance to reconnect with the community. “I’m most excited to reunite with staff and see friends that have supported us over the years,” Nguyen says. “The Lunar New Year has always been a fun time at the bakery, as we often see many new faces, so it’s fun to be part of their introduction to Southeast Asian not-too-sweets and traditional Tết dishes.”

Berlu Bakery at Best Friend (2832 SE Gladstone Street) is on Sunday, February 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Best Friend is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Berlu Bakery