Bangers, Coffee, Tacos and Frozen Yogurt All Available at New Plaza on Bend's East Side | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Bangers, Coffee, Tacos and Frozen Yogurt All Available at New Plaza on Bend's East Side

The new center on NE Cushing Drive offers a spacious, comfortable place to dine, drink and hang

The latest addition to the burgeoning food scene on Bend's east side is a new plaza at 1462 NE Cushing Drive. That's right in between the On Tap food truck lot, also on Cushing Drive, and Café Yumm! at Neff Place. The plaza features mostly food establishments, although right in the middle of all the deliciousness is Hotworx, a 24-hour infrared fitness studio. Perhaps a workout first would be the best approach, and then you can enjoy everything from a cappuccino to frozen yogurt afterward.

Anchored on the east end by a new Lone Pine Coffee Roasters cafe and on the other end by Cuppa Yo frozen yogurt, the heart of the plaza is a comfortable, covered patio with beautiful picnic tables and plenty of room for everyone to spread out. The high-ceilinged food court patio, reminiscent of food cart lot common spaces, opens on one side to Hablo Tacos and on the other to the new eastside location of Bangers & Brews.

Bangers, Coffee, Tacos and Frozen Yogurt All Available at New Plaza on Bend's East Side
Courtesy Bangers & Brews
A Bangers & Brews sausage with the famous chimichurri sauce.

On a recent Saturday midday, the patio was starting to fill up. According to Bangers & Brews owner Marcelo Garcia, whose new east side location has been open for almost two weeks now, there has been a great response to the new plaza and he's happy to be sharing the patio with Hablo Tacos.

"Our customers have been requesting an east side location and we wanted something fun, easy, and simple. This is a fun atmosphere, and the place has been packed since opening," he says. He loves the idea of someone being able to frequent the premises often, perhaps coming for coffee in the morning, enjoying a taco for lunch one day and one of the Bangers & Brews famous sausages for lunch another day and of course a frozen treat from Cuppa Yo whenever the craving strikes.

The lineup is a slice of iconic Bend: a local coffee roaster (Lone Pine Coffee Roasters), a second location of a unique and very popular Bend establishment (Bangers & Brews), an authentic taqueria (Hablo Tacos), and another local favorite (Cuppa Yo).

Lone Pine has been in Bend since 2009, roasting and serving its coffee as well as being a community gathering hub. Its Boomtown location at 910 NW Harriman downtown is open every day and the new eastside Bend hours are 6am to 5pm daily. Cuppa Yo, also in Bend since 2009, is a locally owned frozen yogurt shop, and they're open from noon to 9pm daily in the new plaza.

Bangers, Coffee, Tacos and Frozen Yogurt All Available at New Plaza on Bend's East Side
Submitted
The spacious new food patio at 1462 NE Cushing Drive.

The family-owned Bangers & Brews has been open at 1288 SW Simpson Ave. in Bend for five years now. Owner Garcia says the new place is essentially an extension of their westside offerings with the same high-quality meats and other ingredients. Gracia describes it as a German restaurant with an Argentinian flair, as the Garcia family is from Argentina. Their famous chimichurri sauce is a handed-down recipe from his grandmother and mother. Everything from the traditional British banger and German bratwurst to exotic and wild game sausages to vegan sausage options along with toppings and sauces and a plethora of sides has made Bangers & Brews a go-to for many Bendites and Central Oregon visitors. The option of getting your sausage atop a salad, fries, mashed potatoes or even mac & cheese make for endless options.

Hablo Tacos could be considered the new kid on the block. New or not, the line is typically already out the door shortly after they open at 11:30am on any given Tuesday through Saturday. Taco selections range from al pastor to carnitas to fried Oregon rockfish and chicken tinga. There are also taco bowls and vampiro-style tacos and margaritas, plenty of margaritas including pineapple serrano and hibiscus flavored ones. Daily agua frescas and sides such as guacamole on the half shell and street corn are making Hablo Tacos a household name around these parts.

Bangers, Coffee, Tacos and Frozen Yogurt All Available at New Plaza on Bend's East Side
Courtesy Hablo Tacos

No matter where you live in Central Oregon, the new plaza on NE Cushing Drive offers a nice variety of food and drink and a very comfortable place to have a quick lunch or leisurely meal, enjoy a beverage or treat, and commune with acquaintances, friends, and family

Food Plaza on Bend's East Side
1462 NE Cushing Drive, Bend
bangersandbrews.com
hablotacos.com
lonepinecoffeeroasters.com
cuppayo.com

Donna Britt

Food writer, food stylist, recipe tester, cookbook editor, podcast producer/host are a few of the creative hats Donna Britt wears. Donna loves to hike, paddle board and spend quality time with family and friends. Oh, and she also collects cookbooks and cast iron cooking vessels.
Comments (0)
Add a Comment
View All Our Picks
For info on print and digital advertising, >> Click Here