Balong
| Balong | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The restaurant at Fubonn Shopping Center in 2025 | |
 Interactive map of Balong | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Owner | Justin Dauz |
| Chef | Justin Dauz |
| Food type |
|
| Location | Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′06″N 122°34′37″W / 45.50164°N 122.57682°W |
Balong Panaderia, or simply Balong, is a Filipino restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1] Chef and owner Justin Dauz started the business as a pop-up restaurant before moving into a brick and mortar space at Fubonn Shopping Center on 82nd Avenue in southeast Portland's Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood in 2025. Balong serves breakfast sandwiches with pandesal, hash browns, and various baked goods, among other food options.
Description
[edit]The Filipino (or Filipino-American)[2] restaurant Balong operates at Fubonn Shopping Center on 82nd Avenue in southeast Portland's Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood. The menu includes breakfast sandwiches with pandesal and ingredients such as sausage, sun-dried tomato, and garlic aioli. Balong also serves hash browns and baked goods such as biscuits with cheddar and scallion, calamansi-strawberry bars, pandesal stuffed with cheese, and cinnamon rolls inspired by Cinnabon.[3] The restaurant also serves biscuits and gravy.[4]
History
[edit]Chef Justin Dauz started Balong as a pop-up restaurant in 2022[5] or 2023.[3] In April 2025, the business relocated to a brick and mortar space at Fubonn Shopping Center that was previously occupied by Meianna Bakery. Following a soft launch, the business was fully operational and open in May.[2][3] The relocation followed a GoFundMe campaign.[6]
In April 2025, Balong participated in Sobrang Sarap, a Filipino food tour of the Portland metropolitan area.[7] May, Balong joined other local Filipino restaurants Baon Kainan and Magna Kusina to participate in a fundraiser for victims of the 2025 Vancouver car attack.[8][9]
Reception
[edit]The Oregonian included Balong in an overview of Portland's best new bakeries of 2025.[10] The newspaper's Michael Russell included Balong in a 2025 list of Portland's ten best new restaurants.[11] He also included the breakfast sandwich in the newspaper's list of Portland's 25 best dishes of 2025.[12] Eater Portland's Zoe Baillargeon included the business in a 2025 list of the city's best new restaurants and food carts.[13] Alex Frane included the business in Portland Monthly's 2025 list of restaurant opening that defined the city in 2025.[14] The bibingka cornbread was included in Willamette Week's 2026 list of the city's best "cheap eats".[15]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ Russell, Michael (2025-05-21). "Balong makes one of Portland's best breakfast sandwiches. And that's not all (review)". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
- 1 2 Russell, Michael (2025-05-08). "Filipino-American bakery Balong holds grand opening; Berlu delayed". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- 1 2 3 Cheadle, Harry (2025-05-13). "Hyped Filipino Panaderia Balong Is Finally Open". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ↑ "Balong Panaderia". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
- ↑ "Our Favorite Breakfast Sandwich Right Now Lives at Balong, a Filipino American Pop-Up". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ↑ Russell, Michael (2025-02-17). "Portland pop-up Balong to open brick-and-mortar cafe, bakery". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-04-27. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ↑ Russell, Michael (2024-04-01). "Celebrate Filipino Food Month with specials at these Portland-area restaurants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ↑ "Twin Peaks log lands at Forestry Center". Axios. 2025-05-05. Archived from the original on 2025-05-08. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ↑ Cheadle, Harry (2025-05-02). "Portland's Filipino Restaurants Are Fundraising for the Lapu Lapu Car Attack Victims". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2025-07-06. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
- ↑ "Portland's best new bakeries of 2025". The Oregonian. 2025-05-21. Archived from the original on 2025-07-06. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
- ↑ "Portland's 10 best new restaurants of 2025". The Oregonian. 11 December 2025. ISSN 8750-1317. Wikidata Q137368756.
- ↑ "Portland's 25 best dishes of 2025". The Oregonian. 19 December 2025. ISSN 8750-1317. Wikidata Q137484835.
- ↑ Baillargeon, Zoe (2015-04-02). "The Best New Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland, June 2025". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ↑ "The Portland Restaurant Openings That Defined 2025". Portland Monthly. 30 December 2025. ISSN 1546-2765. Wikidata Q137647863.
- ↑ "Portland's Best Cheap Eats". Willamette Week. 2026-06-24. Archived from the original on 2026-06-24. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Balong at Wikimedia Commons
