Stacked Sandwich Shop

Stacked Sandwich Shop was an independent sandwich restaurant in Portland, Oregon, founded and operated by chef Gabriel Pascuzzi. The original location opened on February 17, 2017, in the city's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood in southeast Portland. Rather than presenting sandwiches as a narrowly limited lunch format, Stacked combined substantial meat-focused sandwiches with restaurant-style preparation and side dishes, helping it attract attention within Portland's highly competitive dining scene. The menu included an oxtail French dip, a turkey Reuben made with purple sauerkraut, roast beef, a turkey club, and grilled cheese. The oxtail French dip became the restaurant's signature offering and was repeatedly recognized by local and national food publications. Reviewers highlighted the sandwich's prominence in Portland's late-2010s sandwich culture, while other coverage praised the restaurant's wedge and Caesar salads. Stacked also developed a broader daypart and seasonal program. It began serving brunch in October 2017, introduced a new brunch menu in 2019, and offered special holiday meals. The restaurant's first iteration was temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2021, Pascuzzi announced that the original Stacked would close permanently on December 19. He cited supply-chain problems and elevated meat costs, pressures that affected restaurants particularly heavily during and after the pandemic. The closure ended the first location's run after roughly four years of operation. Stacked returned in a different form in 2023. Pascuzzi announced in February that the sandwich shop would reopen alongside a second location of his restaurant Feel Good. The shared venue occupied a space in Portland's Northwest District that had previously housed Sunshine Noodles. Feel Good and the revived Stacked opened there on April 11. The 2023 menu included a roasted pork coppa sandwich with provolone and a green-curry fried chicken sandwich incorporating fish sauce, alongside Caesar and wedge salads. The second iteration was short-lived. Later in 2023, Pascuzzi confirmed that Stacked would close and that the sandwich concept would be replaced by Tip Top Burger Shop. An exact closing date was not announced, although a menu transition was expected on November 7. Stacked is therefore best understood as a defunct Portland restaurant brand with two operating phases: its original southeast Portland restaurant from 2017 to 2021 and a shorter 2023 revival in northwest Portland. The brand received notable critical attention despite its limited geographic footprint. Eater Portland nominated it for Game-Changing Restaurant of the Year in 2017, and Pascuzzi was nominated for Chef of the Year for his work there. The Oregonian's Michael Russell included Stacked among Portland's notable restaurant openings and sandwich standouts of 2017, and Tasting Table selected its oxtail French dip as Oregon's representative in a list of the best sandwiches in each U.S. state. Eater Portland later included Stacked among the city's excellent sandwich shops.

Stacked Sandwich Shop was a Portland, Oregon restaurant founded by chef Gabriel Pascuzzi. Its first location opened on February 17, 2017, in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood of southeast Portland. The restaurant entered a city dining market known for independent concepts and culinary experimentation, but differentiated itself through a focused sandwich format supported by serious kitchen technique and substantial preparations. Its early menu included an oxtail French dip, turkey Reuben with purple sauerkraut, roast beef, turkey club, and grilled cheese. The oxtail French dip became the defining dish associated with the brand. Local coverage described it as one of Portland's standout sandwiches, and later national coverage selected it as Oregon's entry in a ranking of notable sandwiches from every U.S. state. Stacked also served salads, including Caesar and wedge salads, allowing it to operate as more than a single-signature-sandwich counter. The restaurant expanded its service offering in October 2017 by adding brunch and periodically prepared special holiday meals. A further brunch-menu revision followed in 2019. These additions show that the original Stacked was not limited exclusively to a conventional lunch service, although sandwiches remained central to its identity. Its critical profile grew during this period: Eater Portland nominated Stacked for Game-Changing Restaurant of the Year in 2017, while Pascuzzi received a Chef of the Year nomination connected with his work there. The Oregonian also placed the restaurant among Portland's notable 2017 openings and sandwich destinations. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the business. Stacked closed temporarily, and in December 2021 Pascuzzi announced that the original restaurant would close permanently on December 19. The stated reasons included supply-chain difficulties and high meat costs. These pressures were especially significant for a restaurant whose menu relied on beef and other meat-centered preparations. The closure ended the first operating phase, which had lasted from 2017 through 2021. The brand was revived in 2023 through a shared-space model. In February, Pascuzzi confirmed that Stacked would reopen alongside a second location of his Feel Good restaurant. The venue was in Portland's Northwest District, in a space previously occupied by Sunshine Noodles. The two businesses opened on April 11. The revived Stacked menu included a roasted pork coppa sandwich with provolone and a green-curry fried chicken sandwich seasoned with fish sauce, while Caesar and wedge salads remained part of the offering. This second iteration did not continue for long. Later in 2023, Pascuzzi announced that Stacked would close and be replaced by Tip Top Burger Shop. Although an exact closing date was not specified, the menu was expected to transition on November 7. Stacked consequently became a defunct restaurant brand with a notable but geographically concentrated history: an original southeast Portland location, a pandemic-related permanent closure, and a brief northwest Portland revival. Its reputation rests primarily on the oxtail French dip, its role in Portland's sandwich scene, and the critical attention earned during its first period of operation.

• 2023

  Brand returns in Northwest Portland

  [1]Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org

  A second iteration opened on April 11 in a shared space with Feel Good.

• 2023

  Replacement by Tip Top Burger Shop announced

  [1]Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org

  Pascuzzi confirmed that Stacked would close and the concept would be replaced by Tip Top Burger Shop.

• 2021

  First location closes permanently

  [1]Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org

  Following a temporary pandemic closure, the original Stacked location closed permanently on December 19.

• 2019

  New brunch menu launched

  [1]Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant introduced a revised brunch menu.

• 2017

  Original restaurant opens

  [1]Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org

  Gabriel Pascuzzi opened Stacked Sandwich Shop in Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood on February 17.

• 2017

  Brunch service begins

  [1]Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org

  Stacked expanded beyond its regular sandwich service by beginning brunch in October.

An independent, chef-led Portland sandwich shop combining substantial meat sandwiches, inventive flavor combinations, and restaurant-style sides with a casual neighborhood format.

• Signature sandwich · 2017

  Oxtail French dip

  Stacked's best-known sandwich was an oxtail French dip. It became the restaurant's signature item and the focus of repeated critical praise. Food writers cited it as one of Portland's strongest sandwiches and as a standout example of the city's late-2010s sandwich culture. Its prominence helped define Stacked's identity beyond its neighborhood location.

• Deli-style sandwich · 2017

  Turkey Reuben

  The turkey Reuben was one of the original menu's substantial deli-inspired sandwiches. Stacked distinguished the preparation with purple sauerkraut, giving a familiar Reuben format a visually distinctive and tangy component. It represented the restaurant's broader approach of treating recognizable sandwich styles as chef-driven restaurant dishes.

• Roast meat sandwich · 2017

  Roast beef sandwich

  Roast beef was part of Stacked's original sandwich selection. It fit the brand's emphasis on hearty meat-centered offerings and complemented the better-known French dip, turkey Reuben, and turkey club. No further preparation details are specified in the available reference material.

• Pork sandwich · 2023

  Roasted pork coppa with provolone

  The 2023 revival featured a roasted pork coppa sandwich paired with provolone. It illustrated the second iteration's continued focus on rich, carefully composed meat sandwiches while introducing a different protein and cheese combination from the original location's best-known offerings.

• Fried chicken sandwich · 2023

  Green-curry fried chicken sandwich

  The revived Stacked served a green-curry fried chicken sandwich incorporating fish sauce. The combination brought Southeast Asian-inspired flavor elements to the restaurant's sandwich format and demonstrated the more globally inflected direction visible in the 2023 menu.

• Salad · 2017

  Wedge salad

  The wedge salad was a notable side and standalone menu item. Portland Monthly's Benjamin Tepler specifically praised the dish and suggested that Pascuzzi might make the city's best version. Its inclusion gave the sandwich-focused restaurant a composed salad offering with enough recognition to become part of the brand's critical profile.

• 2023

  Reopening through a shared venueStrategy

  Background

  Pascuzzi sought to bring the sandwich concept back after the original closure and pair it with a second Feel Good restaurant.

  Action taken

  Stacked reopened on April 11 in a former Sunshine Noodles space in Portland's Northwest District, operating alongside Feel Good.

  Aftermath

  The revived location operated for only part of 2023 before a replacement concept was announced.

  Source

• 2023

  Conversion to Tip Top Burger ShopStrategy

  Background

  Later in 2023, Pascuzzi decided to discontinue the short-lived second iteration of Stacked.

  Action taken

  The sandwich shop was slated to close and be replaced by Tip Top Burger Shop, with a menu transition expected on November 7.

  Aftermath

  Stacked's second operating phase ended, and the brand became defunct. The reference material does not provide an exact closing date.

  Source

• 2021

  Permanent closure of the original locationStrategy

  Background

  Stacked had temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. By December, the business faced supply-chain problems and high meat costs, both of which were identified as reasons for ending the original operation.

  Action taken

  Gabriel Pascuzzi announced that the southeast Portland restaurant would close permanently on December 19.

  Aftermath

  The original Stacked location ceased operations, ending the brand's first phase after approximately four years.

  Source

1. 1Stacked Sandwich Shopen.wikipedia.org