Mossback Tavern has filed for a full on-premises liquor license at 3813 SE Gladstone St in Portland’s Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, according to a public notice from the City of Portland dated August 24. The applicant is Ball Don’t Lie LLC, and co-owner Alexander Gessler confirmed to What Now Portland that the bar is moving forward, though he declined to share further details, it seems the concept is still in the works.
Gessler will manage the tavern along with Colin Carroll The two veteran bartenders previously teamed up to open 5 & Dime, a bodega-inspired cocktail bar in the Foster-Powell neighborhood that opened in 2019 with backing from investors John Ricci and Eli Johnson, owners of Dots Cafe and Atlas Pizza. Carroll had spent four years behind the bar at Trifecta Tavern before striking out on his own, while Gessler has described their shared approach as chasing new flavors and hidden gems rather than sticking to convention.
The space carries a long neighborhood history as a pizza and bar spot, most recently operating as The Dullahan Pizza Pub, and before that under names including Saint Pizza Lounge and Gladstone Street Pizza, a run stretching back to 2004 when the building first opened as a coffee shop before adding pizza to the menu.
City filings show Mossback Tavern is planning restaurant seating for 46 people plus 36 outdoor seats, with both indoor and outdoor food and alcohol service running 4 p.m. to midnight daily. The application lists no specific entertainment offerings like live music, DJs or karaoke, though that could still change as plans develop.
