Too Soon is a cocktail bar on NE 28th Avenue in the Kerns neighborhood, opened in late 2023 around a focus on approachable highballs and small bites. The room sits on the 28th Avenue restaurant row and runs as an upscale casual nightcap spot.
Who would love it: drinkers who want a clean highball and a few snacks without a long classic cocktail ritual. Who would skip it: anyone after a big group room or a late afternoon seat, since the bar opens in the evening.
The space is small and warm, built for a two person night or a short bar sit rather than a crowd. American Weekender's cocktail write up framed the bar around its highball program and its tight, focused menu.
The list centers on highballs that read as easy to drink but carefully built, paired with small bites. The format keeps orders quick and the menu short, which suits a first or last stop on a 28th Avenue night. Regulars treat it as a reliable highball room rather than a deep classics bar.
Kerns and Laurelhurst regulars fill the early hours, with a later crowd from the surrounding 28th Avenue restaurants. The bar runs Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm and closes the first half of the week.
Yelp reviewers single out the balanced highballs and the attentive service. The short hours and the four day week are the main points to plan around.
Best time to go: an early weekend evening before the dinner crowd spills over from the 28th Avenue restaurants and the bar fills.
Who it is for: a quick, well made highball, a 28th Avenue first or last stop, or a low key two person night. Skip it if you want a long classics menu.
The 28th Avenue restaurant row in Kerns is one of Portland's denser dining strips, and Too Soon reads as its dedicated cocktail stop. The highball focus sets it apart from the heavier classics rooms across the city.
The highball format keeps the drinks light and the service quick, which suits a first round before dinner or a nightcap after. The short menu turns over enough to reward a return without overwhelming a first visit.
The small bites menu is built to pair with the highballs rather than to anchor a meal, so the bar works best alongside the surrounding restaurants. Regulars treat it as a bookend to dinner rather than the dinner itself.
Walk ins are the norm given the small room, though weekend evenings fill fast once the dinner crowd spills over. An early seat at the bar is the easiest way in.
Too Soon sits within walking distance of the Kerns and Laurelhurst restaurant cluster, which makes it a natural first or last stop on a 28th Avenue night. Start here for a highball, then move on to dinner or carry the night to a later room nearby.
The bar earned early notice from Portland drinks writers for proving that a highball focused menu can carry a room. Regulars return for the clean, quick pours and the easy fit with the surrounding 28th Avenue restaurants, which keep the small room busy on weekend nights.
The highball focus has made the bar a reference point that other Portland rooms now follow. A first or last seat here pairs naturally with dinner along the same block, which is how most regulars use it.
Pair this bar with Pepe Le Moko, Angel Face, or Bible Club to round out a Portland night.
See where it sits among the best cocktail bars in Portland, or browse the full Portland bar guide for more rooms nearby.
Sources: Too Soon official Facebook (2026); EverOut Portland; American Weekender; Yelp reviews.
