The People’s Courts Open in Portland August 2023 With Two Restaurants

Jan 18, 2024

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The large-scale rec center in Northeast Portland will host two restaurants: One from Brian Spangler (Apizza Scholls) and the other from Nate Tilden (Olympia Provisions)

Portlanders will soon be able to eat Olympia Provisions sausages, gochujang steelhead, and parlor-style pizza from Portland culinary big-names at the massive pickleball courts coming to Northeast 82nd Avenue. The People’s Courts, a sprawling 48,000 square-foot rec center and social space, opens August 25 with pickleball courts, bocce ball, indoor disc golf, cornhole, ping pong, and an arcade — as well as two restaurants from Nate Tilden (Olympia Provisions) and Brian Spangler (Apizza Scholls).

Back in March, developers Dave Sacks, Dave Schrott, and Robert Sacks announced plans to open a large-scale recreation center and sports venue in Northeast Portland. While the focus of the space was clearly on games and sports, the People’s Courts would also house two restaurants and bars, which makes sense considering the group’s other properties. The Sacks family and Schrott own the buildings home to Coopers Hall Winery and Taproom, Spirit of 77, and Oven and Shaker, and opened the Ace Hotel in Portland.

At the People’s Courts, Tilden’s restaurant, the Kitchen, specializes in grill standards like sausages and burgers, as well as more culinarily eclectic bowls. Olympia Provisions franks, bratwurst, and kaserkrainer arrive with toppings like kraut and yellow mustard; the restaurant will also offer its take on a Chicago dog. Burgers — either made with beef or a combination of beets, parsnips, and turnips — arrive with house zucchini pickles and caramelized onions; beyond burgers, the restaurant will offer a tangy grilled cheese with pickles and Mama Lil’s Peppers, as well as a steelhead sandwich with lemon-dill aioli. Steelhead also appears in one of the restaurant’s bowls, marinated in gochujang and grilled before landing in a bowl with lime rice, chickpeas, vegetables, and napa cabbage kimchi. All of the restaurant’s bowls use the same foundation of lime rice and chickpeas, though accoutrement range from Lebanese kofta and feta to Thai-style meatballs and peanut sauce.

At the Parlor, Spangler’s spot at the People’s Courts, the lauded pizzaiolo tackles the family-friendly parlor pie, 14-inch pizzas topped with things like house-made fennel sausage, oil-cured olives, and Calabrian chile. The Great Debate is Spangler’s version of a Hawaiian, adding jalapeño to the iconoclastic combination of pineapple and Canadian bacon. Visitors can also build their own pies, choosing from pesto or tomato sauce as a base, with classic add-ons like pepperoni and sausage. For dessert, Spangler stays on theme: Chocolate, vanilla, and swirl soft serve come with toppings like magic shell, hot fudge, Oreo crumbles, candies, and a wide range of fruit.

The bars keep several Oregon beers and two cocktails on tap. The beer selection includes Portland breweries like Level and Migration, as well as ciders from Bauman’s and Double Mountain. The two cocktails on tap include a Vieux Carré and a margarita finished with a blood orange syrup float. The bar also makes cocktails and mocktails to order, leaning into sweet and fun drinks incorporating Oregon distilleries. For example, the Dink Drink uses both Rose City gin and Wild Roots marionberry vodka, paired with kombucha and bubbles. And, as a nod to the five indoor and six outdoor pickleball courts onsite, whiskey shots can come with picklebacks.

The People’s Courts are located at 2700 NE 82nd Avenue. Take a look at the menus below:

Correction Thursday, August 3, at 1:35 p.m.: This story has been corrected to show the People’s Courts will open in Northeast, not Southeast.

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