Roma Cafe, Bramhall to Close November 21
The Congress Street venues, part of Portland's dining scene for more than 100 years, will shut their doors on November 21, 2026.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Dining Out
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Roma Cafe and Bramhall on Congress Street in Portland will close on November 21, 2026, according to an announcement made Wednesday. The venues have been part of the city's food and drink scene for more than 100 years.
Why it matters
The closure removes two long-running Portland establishments from Congress Street, a longtime fixture of the city's dining landscape. For residents and visitors who have frequented the spots over generations, it marks the end of a historic local institution.
The announcement was made on Roma's Instagram page, with a scheduled closing date of November 21, 2026. The reasons behind the decision remain unexplained, as the Congress Street property owner could not be reached for details.
The players
Michael Fraser
Michael Fraser is a Portland restaurateur who owns the Congress Street properties and has operated multiple venues in the city's dining scene.
The details
Roma Cafe, which opened in 1924 at 489 Congress St. and later moved to 769 Congress St. in 1935, is closing along with Bramhall, a speakeasy that operated in the basement during the 1920s. Restaurateur Michael Fraser, who owns the Congress Street properties, reopened Bramhall in 2014 and reopened Roma in 2017 with partners Guy Streitburger and Anders Tallberg.
Timeline
1920s: Bramhall operates as a speakeasy in the basement beneath Roma Cafe.
1924: Roma Cafe opens at 489 Congress St.
1935: Roma Cafe moves to 769 Congress St.
2009: Bramhall Pub and Roma Cafe close.
November 21, 2026: Roma Cafe and Bramhall close.
Legacy Venues
The closure of Roma Cafe and Bramhall extends a pattern in which Michael Fraser closed Bramhall in 2009 and reopened it in 2014 before shutting the Congress Street spaces again. This second closure ends a cycle that has tied the Congress Street spaces to Portland's dining history for more than a century.
Diners who regularly visit Roma Cafe or Bramhall on Congress Street will need to find alternatives after November 21, 2026. The closure removes two established dining options from the Congress Street corridor in Portland.
The takeaway
Long-standing neighborhood restaurants can disappear quickly, so regulars who value them may want to visit before the scheduled closing date. The announcement's limited detail means the reasons for the decision may only become clear in later reporting.
What happens next
Roma Cafe and Bramhall are scheduled to close on November 21, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the city's restaurant scene, browse Dining Out coverage in Portland.
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