Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen in downtown Portland.

After 15 years in downtown Portland, Kenny & Zuke’s is closing its flagship deli beneath the Ace Hotel and heading across the river to open a new bagel shop in North Portland.

Thought of for many years as the quintessential Jewish deli of the Northwest, Kenny & Zuke’s once boasted several Portland locations, an airport kiosk and a robust wholesale business. It survived both a 2019 bankruptcy and the 2020 pandemic by streamlining its menu toward bagels and bagel sandwiches.

That trend will continue with a more “bagel-centric” menu at Kenny & Zuke’s new home on North Williams Avenue, according to owner Ken Gordon. The “more intimate” location, found in the former Kimura Toast Bar space, will have espresso drinks, bagels, local smoked lox, pastrami lox and sablefish from downtown’s upcoming Jacob & Sons, as well as Kenny & Zuke’s own whitefish spread.