The long-dark Jones Club space in Portland’s Old Town may finally be getting its lights back on. A Beaverton businessman is proposing to turn the shuttered spot into Azul Kitchen & Bar, a full-service restaurant and music venue that would fill nearly 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail with daytime dining and late-night action. City records show a liquor license application has been filed and is now in the public comment period.
Plans aim to bring food and music back to the block
As reported by the Portland Business Journal, the proposal would flip the long-vacant ground floor into Azul Kitchen & Bar, a roughly 7,000-square-foot restaurant and bar. The Beaverton owner behind the plan is pitching the project as a way to boost the block’s energy and breathe life into a space that has sat closed for years.
The concept is described as a two-shift operation: a daytime restaurant that can catch lunch and early dinner crowds, and a late-night destination meant to keep Old Town’s nightlife going after dark.
City liquor filing lists hours, live music
City liquor documents filed under Obsession Concert, LLC, list the premises at 115 NW 1st Ave and show the application was accepted on May 18, 2026, according to the City of Portland’s Liquor Program public notice. Proposed hours run from 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The filing also notes plans for live music on Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., plus outdoor seating with alcohol service during daytime and evening hours. Members of the public can submit comments on the application through June 17, 2026, per the city notice.
Where this fits in Old Town’s comeback
If Azul moves forward, it would be another sign that Old Town is edging back into the spotlight after a rough stretch of closures and blank storefronts. Local coverage has tracked a steady trickle of new restaurants, bars and cafes returning to the central city this spring, suggesting that investors are warming back up to the neighborhood…