The 250-seat steak and seafood restaurant taking over the old Oba! building at is looking to fill its staff before opening later this summer.

The Malarkey, owned by brothers Brian and James Malarkey, is holding hiring "auditions" on Sunday, June 28, and Monday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hunt & Gather event space next door at the corner of NW 12th and Glisan, according to the Northwest Examiner.

The building, which housed the Latin-inspired Oba! for two decades before its abrupt 2017 closure, has sat empty for nearly nine years. It now has a fresh coat of blue paint, with major construction underway inside.

Brian Malarkey, a Portland native who trained at Le Cordon Bleu here before building a restaurant portfolio that generates more than $35 million in annual revenue, is bringing his second Pacific Northwest concept to the city. The brothers' first, Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge in Bend, generates $8 million a year and sources beef from the family's PB Ranch in Tumalo.

Leading the kitchen will be Jose Lalo Camarena, 25, a former executive chef at James Beard Award-nominated República who ran the pop-up Metlapíl with his wife Kautia.

Camarena told Eater Portland in April that the menu will balance steakhouse classics with his own creativity: "Something I love is that I can bring this really delicate touch that I like to a not-so delicate type of restaurant."

The menu will feature rib-eyes, Caesars, and crab cakes alongside dishes like bay shrimp toast, corned beef lengua, and albacore tuna crudo, according to the Eater Portland profile, blending Pacific Northwest ingredients with family ranch tomahawks.

The restaurant will also feature live music, karaoke, murals from local street artists, and interior design that nods to Portland neighborhoods and films.

The opening aligns with a broader Pearl District revitalization push. The Malarkey team was mentioned by name in a Pearl District Neighborhood Association recap of a recent Re-Ignite the Pearl town hall, part of a coordinated effort that includes a 31-event 2026 activation calendar and community ambassador patrols.

At least 29 new businesses have opened in the neighborhood in the past year, according to a tally by developer Al Solheim.

No specific opening date has been announced. The job fair runs Sunday, June 28, and Monday, June 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hunt & Gather, 1203 NW Glisan St.