The fire-damaged Elephants Delicatessen flagship in Northwest Portland could come back as something bigger: a food hall with a bar, event space and an 18-cart food pod on the surrounding lots.
An early assistance application filed Aug. 11 with Portland Permitting & Development by Koble Creative Architecture proposes transforming the 10,405-square-foot building at 115 NW 22nd Ave. into a ground-floor food hall with seating, commercial kitchens, event space and a bar, with coolers and storage in the basement. It's the first plan for the property since a March 10 fire collapsed the roof and forced the deli to close.
The location had operated for more than two decades.
The adjacent outdoor lots, part of a 0.72-acre, two-lot site, would hold 18 food carts plus additional seating and parking.
CEO Martin McClanan told the Portland Business Journal on Aug. 11 that Elephants is "actively exploring rebuilding in Northwest Portland." In a March 13 statement on the company's website, McClanan pledged to "do everything we can to rebuild." He took over as CEO in June 2025 after consulting for the company and previously chaired the nonprofit board of the James Beard Public Market.
What it means for the neighborhood
If built, the food hall and cart pod would bring a cluster of small food businesses to a stretch of NW 22nd Avenue that lost a neighborhood anchor. Northwest Portland's food cart presence is currently concentrated in pods in Slabtown and Nob Hill, according to OregonLive. An 18-cart pod here would be among the larger installations in the area.
Portland resident Jesse Gantt appeared on KGW around Aug. 13 to discuss the proposal.
Ownership and background
Elephants Delicatessen, founded in 1979, opened the NW 22nd Ave. location in 2004. The company sold the property to Dennis Sackhoff of Arbor Homes in 2021 but continued operating there as a tenant. It is unclear whether Sackhoff or Elephants is the developer behind the food hall proposal; the permit lists only Koble Creative Architecture as the applicant.
In May, Catherine Stough was sentenced to 180 days in jail plus four years of probation after pleading guilty to starting the fire. Stough, who was homeless at the time, said she was using a torch to look through a nearby trash can when the blaze ignited.
Elephants still operates six locations across the Portland metro area. Its website lists the NW 22nd Ave. spot as "closed for the immediate future."
What's next
An early assistance application is a pre-application step in Portland's permitting process. A full land use or building permit application would need to follow before construction could begin. No hearing date or timeline has been announced.
