Thunderbird, a bar from the Lighting Bar Collective, will open in the former space of The Uncanny, which closed in May 2026. I first caught wind of all this through their liquor license application, then not long after that I saw the sign above as I was walking around the N Mississippi commercial strip. Here is what we know.
Thunderbird: Some History
The first Thunderbird bar opened in 2017 adjacent to Foster Burger (this was a project from Andy Ricker and Daniel Mondok) in Southeast Portland, and at that point it was the eighth bar from Lightning Bar Collective. They started out offering a plethora of vegan barbecue options, with imitation meats provided by the much beloved Homegrown Smoker (they now operate part time in Arizona).
In July 2019, they took over the Foster Burger space, “absorbing the adjoining space following Foster Burger’s closure,” according to Ned Lannamann at The Mercury at the time. They’ve been there ever since, and have expanded the Thunderbird menu with more vegan options and some animal-based foods like burgers, chicken, and grilled cheese.
Cars and a Motel
You can see the bar’s use of car imagery—the Ford Thunderbird, which was in production from 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001—but “Thunderbird” was also the name of a motor inn/motel in Portland decades ago. The 90-unit Thunderbird Motor Inn, eventually called the Thunderbird/Red Lion Motor Inn, opened in 1960 and was located at 1225 N Crosby Avenue, later changed to 1225 N Thunderbird Way.
It’s location is referenced as “across from Memorial Coliseum.” Today, the location is a parking lot on the south side of the Broadway Bridge…