Formerly: The Bureau Saloon
Portland, Oregon · Founded 1879 · Building: 1910
A 1879 Portland saloon turned turkey restaurant, where the Louie family's flaming Spanish Coffee became a city ritual.
Huber's Cafe began as Portland's Bureau Saloon in 1879 and became Huber's after Frank Huber took over in the late 1880s. The restaurant moved into the newly built Railway Exchange Building—later called the Oregon Pioneer Building—in 1910. It remains run by fourth-generation Louie-family co-owners James and David Louie.
The Bureau Saloon is established in Portland, beginning the business lineage later known as Huber's. Sources conflict on its original founder and exact first address.
Source: Oregon Encyclopedia, "Huber's Café," July 17, 2025; National Register of Historic Places nomination for Railway Exchange Building and Huber's Restaurant
Frank Huber becomes a partner in the Bureau Saloon.
Source: Kerry Eggers, "Huber's is more than just a restaurant — it's a Portland institution," July 17, 2023
Frank Huber becomes sole owner of the Bureau Saloon.
Source: Kerry Eggers, "Huber's is more than just a restaurant — it's a Portland institution," July 17, 2023
The National Register nomination says Huber hires Chinese immigrant Jim Louie; later accounts describe Louie's management role developing in the early twentieth century.
Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination for Railway Exchange Building and Huber's Restaurant; Kerry Eggers, July 17, 2023
The Bureau Saloon is renamed Huber's.
Source: Kerry Eggers, "Huber's is more than just a restaurant — it's a Portland institution," July 17, 2023
Jim Louie is reported to become manager of Huber's.
Source: Kerry Eggers, "Huber's is more than just a restaurant — it's a Portland institution," July 17, 2023; National Register of Historic Places nomination
Huber's moves into the newly constructed Railway Exchange Building at Third and Stark, later renamed the Oregon Pioneer Building.
Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination for Railway Exchange Building and Huber's Restaurant; Kerry Eggers, July 17, 2023
Frank Huber dies; accounts describe Jim Louie taking over management and later ownership responsibilities for the Louie family.
Source: Kerry Eggers, "Huber's is more than just a restaurant — it's a Portland institution," July 17, 2023
During the 1970s, James Louie adds a theatrical flaming Spanish Coffee service that helps make the drink a Huber's signature.
Source: PUNCH, "The Best Hot Cocktail Is Huber's Spanish Coffee," February 2, 2024
Oregon Public Broadcasting identifies James and David Louie as co-owners and describes Huber's as a fourth-generation Louie-family restaurant.
Source: OPB, "Legacy of Portland's most theatrical cocktail carries on after James Louie," July 20, 2025
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The Oregon Encyclopedia, OPB and the National Register nomination identify 1879 Bureau Saloon origins for Huber's. The precise original proprietor and first address conflict among sources, so those details are not asserted here.
The National Register nomination, OPB and the restaurant itself call Huber's Portland's oldest restaurant, while the Oregon Encyclopedia more cautiously says it may be the oldest. This review did not inspect a citywide comparative restaurant or licensing inventory sufficient to make the superlative documentary fact.
The Oregon Encyclopedia describes Huber's history as inseparable from the Louie family, which has owned and managed it for more than a century. OPB identifies James and David Louie as fourth-generation co-owners in 2025.
The National Register nomination and local historical reporting place Huber's move to the newly constructed Railway Exchange Building in 1910. The building was later renamed the Oregon Pioneer Building.
PUNCH reports that Huber's did not invent Spanish Coffee. It credits current co-owner James Louie with adding it to the menu in the 1970s and turning its preparation into a signature theatrical ritual.
The claim is frequently repeated in restaurant promotion, but this review did not locate Kahlúa manufacturer data, distributor statistics, OLCC data, or independently published national sales figures verifying it.
Huber's active official site lists current hours, menus, reservations information, address and phone number at 411 Southwest Third Avenue.
Frank Huber founded The Bureau Saloon in 1879.
The Bureau Saloon began in 1879, but source accounts conflict about the original proprietor. The Oregon Encyclopedia names W. L. Lightner, while another local history names Louis Eppinger; Frank Huber became a partner in 1887 and sole owner in 1888.
Source: Oregon Encyclopedia, "Huber's Café," July 17, 2025; Kerry Eggers, "Huber's is more than just a restaurant — it's a Portland institution," July 17, 2023
Huber's has always operated in the Oregon Pioneer Building.
Huber's had earlier downtown locations before moving into the newly built Railway Exchange Building in 1910. The Railway Exchange Building was later renamed the Oregon Pioneer Building.
Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination for Railway Exchange Building and Huber's Restaurant; Kerry Eggers, July 17, 2023
The Louie family has owned Huber's only since 1952.
Jim Louie was associated with Huber's by the 1890s, became manager by the early twentieth century, and assumed leadership after Frank Huber's 1912 death. The Oregon Encyclopedia says the Louie family has owned and managed the restaurant for more than a century.
Source: Oregon Encyclopedia, "Huber's Café," July 17, 2025; National Register of Historic Places nomination; OPB, July 20, 2025
Huber's invented Spanish Coffee.
Huber's did not invent Spanish Coffee. James Louie added it to the menu in the 1970s and made its flaming service a Huber's signature.
Source: PUNCH, "The Best Hot Cocktail Is Huber's Spanish Coffee," February 2, 2024
Huber's is the top independent-restaurant seller of Kahlúa in the United States.
No manufacturer, distributor, OLCC, or independent national sales data was located in this review to verify the claim.
Source: No primary or strong independent source located in this review
Huber's has lasted because it evolved from a late-nineteenth-century saloon into a turkey-centered restaurant while preserving a theatrical bar tradition. The Louie family's century-plus relationship with the business, its 1910 downtown setting, and James Louie's influential Spanish Coffee service gave the restaurant an identity that outlived the original saloon era.
Huber's traces its business lineage to The Bureau Saloon, established in Portland in 1879. Sources disagree on the original founder and first address, but agree that Frank Huber became a partner in 1887, sole owner in 1888, and renamed the business Huber's in 1895.
Huber's is widely called Portland's oldest restaurant by the National Register nomination, OPB and the restaurant itself. The Oregon Encyclopedia uses more cautious language—"may be" the oldest—so the citywide superlative is credible but not independently established through a complete licensing comparison in this review.
James and David Louie are identified by Oregon Public Broadcasting as Huber's co-owners. They represent the fourth generation of the Louie family associated with the restaurant; this concerns the restaurant business, not necessarily ownership of the Oregon Pioneer Building.
Huber's moved into the newly constructed Railway Exchange Building at Third and Stark in 1910. The building was later renamed the Oregon Pioneer Building, and Huber's still operates there at 411 Southwest Third Avenue.
No. Huber's did not invent Spanish Coffee, according to PUNCH. James Louie added the drink to the menu in the 1970s and made its flaming tableside presentation a defining Huber's ritual.
Yes. Huber's Cafe is operating at 411 Southwest Third Avenue in Portland. Its official site lists current dining hours, menus, reservations information and contact details.
411 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
(503) 228-5686
Huber's is in the Oregon Pioneer Building; check current hours and reservation policies directly, especially for Spanish Coffee service.