22-05-2025
Where the Couple Behind Pastificio d'Oro Dines in Portland
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On Sunday, July 20th, Chase Dopson and Maggie Irwin's Pastificio d'Oro will serve its final Mattarello-rolled pastas in St. John's. On Saturday, May 17, the couple announced the restaurant's upcoming closure via Instagram, with gratitude for their community and a call to action: 'Come put us all in the weeds for the next 8 weeks!'
Starting as a meal kit service in 2020, Pastificio grew into a pop-up at nearby Gracie's Apizza in 2021 before opening its full-service restaurant space in November 2022. Due to restrictions in the space's new leasing agreement, the couple has decided not to renew. One of Portland's most passionate and intuitive restaurants, Dopson rolls 60 to 65 portions of pasta per evening. When they sell out, they sell out. No reservations. Irwin, a painter, manages everything else, from decor to social media.
'We're a really unique restaurant,' says Irwin. 'People don't understand the reasons why we sell out. It's because we make everything every single day. All we want to do is put our love into food.'
Last summer, Dopson and Irwin were featured in the 'Oregon: Wine Country' episode of Getting Lost with Erin French (of Maine's legendary The Lost Kitchen) on HBO MAX. During our interview, Irwin mentioned that her favorite French quote from their episode was inspired by the seasonality of Oregon's ingredients and the value that lies in the temporality of our natural world. 'What makes this so special is that it is finite, and this is what we offer you,' said French. 'This is what we can give you with our full hearts, and our full attention, and that's everything that we've got.' With an end in sight, the same can (at least for now) also be said of Dopson and Irwin's cooking.
We caught up with the couple at Sweedeedee, where the couple has their own table, are known (and know everyone) by name, and can be found having breakfast almost every Monday.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Eater: There's so much care going into the food at Pastificio. Talk to me about where you're shopping and sourcing your ingredients.
Chase Dopson: We get almost all our produce from local farms. Flying Coyote Farm, Gathering Together Farm. We use Revel Meat Co. for meat. We love Cowbell for all our cheese needs.
Maggie Irwin: Pablo Munoz. We get eggs from a really small farm called Foglight, they're incredible. Cafe Olli for bread.
CD: I work with a company out of New York called Gustiamo, a direct importer of small producers from Italy. I get tomato sauce directly from Naples, most of our olive oil, anchovies, capers, dried porcini mushrooms, and all our flours. I try to get as much as I can locally, but those products are unmatched. Italians are so passionate about food.
Why do you love Sweedeedee?
CD: We like the cozy intimacy. We feel welcomed here.
MI: I have a pastry problem. I quit drinking and smoking and — every day — I deserve a little treat.
Maggie, let's talk about your sweet tooth.
MI: I'm a pastry slut. In the article, you should put in 'Irwin self-describes as a pastry slut.' Sweedeedee has a lot of tarts and cakes and — I know these are fighting words — the best cookie in the city. Cafe Olli has my favorite pastry in Portland, the monkey bread: croissant dough they roll into tiny balls and you pull apart. It has an espresso-orange glaze. Tabor Bread, I like their pastries because they're sourdough, not too sweet, so you can have two.
Their chocolate croissant…
MI: It's unmatched. The sourdough with the bitter chocolate?
CD: The chocolate banana muffin.
MI: The breakfast sandwich is so good. The quality's insane. The service — everyone is so nice to you.
Chase, if sweets are Maggie's thing, what is your vice?
CD: I love Nong's.
Nong's isn't a vice! Nong's is health food.
CD: I do love a really good taco or burrito. I've been going to Taquería Los Puñales obsessively, the buche tacos are really good.
MI: I got my first bi flag there.
You've mentioned Cafe Olli a couple of times, which is also owned by a couple, Siobhan Speirits and Taylor Manning. Do you have any other favorite restaurant power couples in Portland?
MI: Xiao Ye is date night for us. Jolyn [Chen] and Louis [Lin] are lovely.
CD: I really like their pasta. The guy who taught me how to roll pasta used to work with Louis at Felix Trattoria in LA. I'm such a fan of what they do there.
MI: I think they're secretly one of the best pastas in Portland.
CD: I'm really envious of that space, it's so fucking cute in there
Besides Sweedeedee, what are your core, regular places?
CD: We're very much creatures of habit, so our spots are in regular rotation, and if we're feeling a little adventurous, we'll throw something in.
MI: Rangoon Bistro is one of our favorite places in Portland. The OG location, that's like our home base.
CD: We love Yaowarat so much.
MI: We're spice heads. I love spicy food. We love Mis Tacones and Norah. My best friend's vegan — she worked with us for a while and lives in the same apartment complex as us. I know it's, like, the least 'Thai' thing on Norah's menu, but the coconut mushroom fettuccine is so good. The sauce… I'm just, like, obsessed with it. Shoutout to Tan Tan Deli Café and Delicatessen in Beaverton, they slap, I love them.
Is there anything else we've missed talking about?
MI: Affogato in St. John's. And, of course, Gracie's Apizza.
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