Better Half has reopened in the former Food Front Cooperative Grocery space at Northwest 23rd Avenue and Thurman Street, less than a year after its lease ended at its previous location. The shop, which opened on Northeast Fremont Street in 2020, serves breakfast sandwiches from 9 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, along with meat and meat-free lunch sandwiches, housemade sides and vegan and gluten-free options.

Grits N’ Gravy reopened downtown Oct. 10 under the management of Jesús Alejandro Chipres, a longtime employee who started at the restaurant as a dishwasher. The Southern-inspired menu is expected to remain largely intact, with dishes including shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and chicken-fried steak. The restaurant had closed with little warning in June.

Patufet opened Oct. 8 in a renovated house at Southeast 25th Avenue and Belmont Street. Owners Madeline Kenney and Chris Perry, who moved to Portland from the Bay Area, designed the cafe and bar around Spanish wines, vermouth and a relaxed, Barcelona-inspired atmosphere. The menu pairs drinks with pastries and small plates, including Galician almond tart and meat and cheese. The business also serves espresso, though its owners are currently focusing on evening service.

Bar Sprezzatura is scheduled to open Oct. 16 inside the Heathman Hotel. The Portland restaurant from chef Michael Mina will serve Venetian bar snacks known as cicchetti, handmade pasta, pizzette, local meat and seafood, spritzes and wine. Justin Ramirez, formerly of Coquine, is its executive chef.

Karam Restaurant and Bar announced its permanent closure on Oct. 2, ending its downtown run that began in 2018. The restaurant served Lebanese and other Middle Eastern dishes, including mezza platters and kabobs, alongside tavern food. Its family-run business began in Portland in 1987; the family’s deli and catering operation in Beaverton remains open.

Chonghi Pizza, a farmers market pop-up known for pizzas drawing on Hawaiian and East and Southeast Asian flavors, will finish its current run as co-owners Dillon Ikeda and his wife move back to Hawaii. The final market dates are Oct. 31 at Portland State University and Nov. 1 in Montavilla. Chonghi’s namesake pizza combines gochujang cream sauce, sausage or crumbled tofu, provolone and soy vinaigrette.

More changes are ahead. Katy Millard is combining the Coquine restaurant and adjacent Katy Jane’s Oyster Bar into a more casual dining operation called Katy Jane’s. The businesses are expected to close in late October and early November for renovations, including removing the wall between the spaces, and reopen in November. The menu is expected to include roast chicken, pastas, soups and a seafood tower.

Gabby’s Next Door, the lunch-focused companion to Italian American restaurant Gabbiano’s, plans to begin dinner service Oct. 23, operating Thursdays through Sundays. Its rotating menu is expected to include shrimp fra diavolo, baked manicotti, grilled brassicas with romesco and Italian sausages, along with cocktails, wine and nonalcoholic drinks. The adjacent restaurant will continue its monthly five-course Supper Club.