Sebastiano's' is a Sicilian

delicatessen A delicatessen or deli is a grocery that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany (contemporary spelling: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th centur ...

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...

, and market in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

's Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, in the United States. Established in 2020, the business previously operated in the Montavilla neighborhood.

Description

Sebastiano's is a Sicilian

and

southeast Portland Southeast Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon. Boundaries and features Southeast Portland stretches from the warehouses along the Willamette River through historic Ladd's Addition to the Hawthorne and Belmont districts out to ...

's Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood. Previously, the business operated in the southeast Portland part of the Montavilla neighborhood. It has served

arancini Arancini (, , ; ; : ''arancino''), also known as ''arancine'' (: ''arancina''), are Italian rice balls that are stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. They are a staple of Sicilian cuisine. The most common arancini fillings are ''a ...

focaccia Focaccia is a Flatbread, flat leavening agent, leavened oven-baked Italian cuisine, Italian bread. In Rome, it is similar to a type of flatbread called (). Focaccia may be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread and it may be round, rectang ...

muffuletta Muffuletta or ''muffaletta'' is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread, as well as a popular sandwich, created by a Sicilian immigrant to the United States, that was popularized in the city of New Orleans. Etymology, pronunciation, and orthog ...

, pizzas, sandwiches, meats, cheese,

cannoli Cannoli are Sicilian pastries consisting of a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta cheese. Their size ranges from . In mainland Italy, the food is commonly known as (). In culi ...

, cuccidati, and wine, and the Italian market has stocked staples like

farro Farro is a grain of any of three species of wheat, namely einkorn, emmer, or spelt, sold dried and cooked in water until soft. It is used as a side dish and added to salads, soups and stews. Etymology The English word is borrowed direct ...

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

pesto Pesto (), also known as ''pesto alla genovese'' () or ''pesto genovese'', is an Italian paste made with basil leaves, crushed garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and grated hard cheese such as Parmesan or '' pecorino sardo''. It originated ...

, and sauces. Other desserts have included brownies, cookies, and olive oil cake. The deli has also served

granita Granita () or () is a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar, water, and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily, it is available throughout Italy in varying forms. It is related to sorbet and Italian ice; however, throughout Sicily its cons ...

History

Inspired by a trip to Sicily, Daniel and Elise Gold opened Sebastiano's on June 2, 2020, in the space that previously housed Heartbreaker Neighborhood Kitchen. The couple announced plans to launch a

food cart A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit ...

for weekend operation in the deli's parking lot in 2021. The food cart Aperitivo Sebastiano began operating in May. Sebastiano's has been a vendor at the neighborhood's Thursdays on the Plaza market. For

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

in 2021, Sebastiano's collaborated with Dimo's Apizza on a takeout dinner. In 2022, Daniel Gold testified at a hearing, urging Portland City Council to extend the cap on fees third-party delivery apps can charge restaurants. In 2024, the business relocated to Sellwood-Moreland. The business began operating in the new space on March 7.

Reception

In 2022, writers included the Eggplant Muffuletta in ''

Portland Monthly ''Portland Monthly'' (also referred to as ''Portland Monthly Magazine'') is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers food, politics, business, design, events and culture in Portland, Oregon. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 b ...

'' list of the city's eleven best sandwiches. The magazine's

Karen Brooks Karen Brooks may refer to: * Karen Brooks (singer) (born 1954), American country music singer and songwriter * Karen Brooks (author), Australian author, columnist, social commentator and academic * Karen Brooks (food critic) Karen Brooks is an Am ...

and Katherine Chew Hamilton included the business in an "opinionated guide to Portland's best bakeries", in which they said "the cannoli are the best in town". Brooks also included Sebastiano's in ''Portland Monthly'''s 2022 list of "our favorite patios for drinking and soaking up sun".

Brooke Jackson-Glidden Brooke Jackson-Glidden is a food writer and the editor of '' Eater Portland''. In 2023, she received the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award from the James Beard Foundation in part for her essay about Either/Or. Jackson-Glidden has been the editor o ...

included Sebastiano's in ''

Eater Portland ''Eater'' is a food website by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Lockhart Steele and Ben Leventhal in 2005, and originally focused on dining and nightlife in New York City. Eater launched a national site in 2009, and covered nearly 20 cities by 2 ...

'' 2021 lists of "ideal Portland spots to load up on picnic supplies" and fifteen eateries "where you can also buy your groceries". The website's Alex Frane included the business in a 2022 list of fifteen "stellar" Italian restaurants in Portland. He and Nathan Williams included Sebastiano's in a 2022 overview of recommended eateries in Montavilla, and Michelle Lopez and Jackson-Glidden included the business in a 2022 list of "outstanding" bakeries in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...

. Sebastiano's was included in the website's 2025 lists of Portland's best restaurants for Italian food and mid-week lunches. Paolo Bicchieri included the business in ''Eater Portland'' 2025 overview of the city's best restaurants for lunch. Lopez and Janey Wong also included Sebastiano's in a 2025 overview of Portland's best bakeries.

References

External links

* {{Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, Oregon 2020 establishments in Oregon Bakeries of Portland, Oregon Delicatessens in Portland, Oregon Italian restaurants in Portland, Oregon Restaurants established in 2020 Restaurants in Montavilla, Portland, Oregon Restaurants in Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, Oregon Restaurants in Southeast Portland, Oregon Retail markets in the United States

Description

History

Reception

See also

References

External links