Bamboo Sushi Launches at Avanti, Plans LoHi Brick and Mortar

With four locations in Portland and one gearing up for opening in Seattle, Bamboo Sushi is now rolling inside Avanti F & B on the top floor, in the space that formerly housed Bixo. As Farmer Girl departed, Bixo moved in its downstairs space, making room for this concept that bills itself the first sustainable sushi restaurant in the world.

Led by owner Kristofor Lofgren, the eatery is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council and each piece of fish it serves comes from a renewable source. From rice to vegetables purveyors, vendors are vetted for compatible sustainability commitments. "I went in this industry to make a change," Lofgren said, "I looked at the restaurant model and found it to lack innovation that we see in other areas of life from cars to cell phone technology. Our model focuses on sustainability because it is where our hearts are and the right thing for us. Plus, it makes our chefs and our guests happy."

The menu at Bamboo is extensive considering its tiny footprint with a wide variety of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. There is sashimi, nigiri and signature and traditional rolls, as well as Japanese inspired small plates and salads. And while there is no stand-alone booze list, the Avanti bar has plenty of choices to complement the food.

This fall, Bamboo will fly out of the Avanti coop to plant roots a couple of blocks over at 2715 17th Street, in between Recess Beer Garden and Postino. A full-fledged 3,000 square foot sushi restaurant will emerge there with an extensive sake and Japanese whiskey list, on top of other booze offerings.

This will be the third major sushi spot in LoHi, all of which emerged this year. Sushi Ronin opened at 2930 Umatilla in January. Mizu, an izakaya and sushi bar, will open this summer just a block away from it in the former Cibo space at 1560 Boulder Street.

As he opens the brick-and-mortar, Lofgren hopes to bring a new fast-casual concept in his current Avanti space. The menu that Bamboo offers at Avanti is below. The eatery is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday thru Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday thru Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.