Pok Pok's Andy Ricker returning to Portland for 'greatest hits' event

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Chef Andy Ricker is returning to the Rose City for a two-night restaurant takeover, serving the "greatest hits" from his former restaurant Pok Pok.

The event will run Sept. 8-9 at Jeju, at 626 Southeast Main St. in Portland, as first reported by The Oregonian. Reservations are $125 per person for a five-course meal.

“As a steward and dedicated chef, Ricker was pivotal in broadening the landscape of Thai cuisine in Portland during the early 2000s. His restaurants, notably Pok Pok, was a mainstay for Portland's most craveable dishes and a revolving door for our restaurant community upon which careers were built,” the event description on OpenTable said.

The event comes after Pok Pok permanently closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and Ricker left for Thailand.

Ricker initially shut down Pok Pok NW, Whiskey Soda Lounge, Pok Pok Wing NE, and Pok Pok Wing SW so the original Pok Pok on Division Street would have a chance of reopening.

In a 2017 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Ricker described how he drew inspiration from Thailand for his restaurants.

“The first time I went was in the 80s, the people were very friendly, the food was fantastic,” Ricker said. “It took another trip going back in the early 90s where I had a good friend I grew up with and he and his wife introduced me to the local Northern Thai food, which kind of led me on this journey to start with.”

He added that the food of Northern Thailand “totally blindsided” him as it was unlike any other food he had tried before — calling it a “revelation.”