Skip to main content
A fire broke out at Ox during dinner service last night, and will close the acclaimed Argentine steak house on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. until March 27 or later, the owners say.
“We had a fire at Ox tonight and will be closed until further notice,” the restaurant put out in a statement. “Thankfully, everyone is safe and the building will be fine, and we will reopen as soon as possible. We are so grateful for the prompt and effective response from Portland Fire and Rescue!”
According to Portland Fire & Rescue, firefighters were finishing up extinguishing the fire at Ox at 6:51 pm. The fire started in the flue of the grill in the first level and extended into the roof structure. Crews were able to cut into the roof to gain access to the fire and extinguish it.
Neither Ox nor the fire bureau immediately responded to requests for comment.
Tattoo artist Amy Cole was at Ox having a drink when the smoke in the restaurant started to thicken. Proprietors quickly evacuated all diners and staff, she said. Cole reported on social media that six fire trucks responded. Cole was able to leave the parking lot within 45 minutes.
“Our hearts go out to the staff and the whole restaurant. We will be back as soon as you are,” Cole said on social media.
In 2017, Ox chefs Gabe Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton won a coveted James Beard Award for best chefs in the Pacific Northwest. That same year, WW raved about the balance of big flavors.
“In the spacious, exposed-brick and wood-table dining room on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, almost everyone orders the chowder,” this newspaper wrote. “The soup is a masterpiece: rich from milk, cream and the smoked marrow bone that sits atop a pile of fat clams, and heated gently with slivers of jalapeño.”