High-End Portland Sushi Restaurant Nodoguro Will Not Reopen at Its Current Location

Nodoguro, the Portland Japanese restaurant revered for its exceptional omakase tasting menus and serving some of the highest-quality sushi in the country, will be moving out of its space on Southeast Belmont Street after failing to reach a lease agreement with its landlord.

In the near term, owners Ryan and Elena Roadhouse will be returning to their roots as a pop-up, The Oregonian first reported. It’s unclear if they will eventually relaunch the restaurant in another location.

“Sadly, as we pass the 1-year mark of the beginning of the pandemic, we also close out the fifth year of our time on Belmont,” the couple wrote on Instagram. “With much lasting uncertainty, we will be unable to remain in our current home for another five. We are moving Nodo out of its home and into the unknown.”

Nodoguro first launched as a pop-up in 2014. Two years later, the Roadhouses moved into the former Genoa space at 2832 SE Belmont St., where it was one of Portland’s more exclusive fine-dining experiences.

After being forced to close last March due to the pandemic, the Roadhouses pivoted to bento boxes and high-priced chirashi sushi. Though Nodoguro remained popular, Ryan Roadhouse told The Oregonian sales weren’t enough to “pay the bills.”

The Roadhouses will also be shuttering Tonari, the Okinawan-inspired izakaya that opened next door to Nodoguro during the first wave of the pandemic.