One of Portland’s few Cambodian restaurants, Sunshine Noodles has sadly closed. This will understandably be sad news for Portland residents as it was known for its rave reviews. Here, revelers could enjoy Phnom Penh noodles, cocktails, and other delicious Cambodian delicacies.

This may also shock some, as Sunshine Noodles only opened in 2019 and enjoyed success with Portland locals. Originally founded as a food truck, Lam eventually expanded her empire over the past couple of years. The reason behind its closure was due to the owner and head chef, Diane Lam who decided to leave and move to San Francisco to work as a chef elsewhere under an employer.

In an emotional Facebook post, Lam explained, saying “It is with much gratitude and a heavy heart to share that Sunshine Noodles will be closing its doors on 12/18. This was a tough decision to make, as I have learned from and grown so much from this experience. When I started Sunshine Noodles, I was passionate about bringing Cambodian cuisine to the Portland community. After over a year, I feel that we earned a place in your heart and I thank you for being our supporters. Sunshine Noodles was home to many beautiful memories and was ultimately a wonderful place to work because of the close relationships with my staff and customers. I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to build out the Sunshine Noodles team and working with so many special people. I truly believe that this change will yield new opportunities for everyone involved.

As for my future, I am very excited to say that I’ll be relocating to San Francisco and am looking forward to continuing my passions there with hopes of returning in the near future. With a little over a week to say our goodbyes, we welcome you in to enjoy your favorite dishes for the last time and say thanks to the staff. We love you and this was one heck of a run!”

Perhaps one of the main benefits of living in Portland is due to its vibrant cuisine culture which has a mixture of food types from across the globe. With this in mind, Sunshine Noodles was certainly one of the more unusual restaurants around which makes it even more saddening that it closed.

It’s not just us over at PDXFoodLove who will miss Sunshine Noodles either. Looking at its Google reviews, it seems as though it was a hit with the masses too. During its short reign, it amassed a respectable 4.6/5 on Google which speaks volumes.

However, life still goes on. Hopefully, the success of Sunshine Noodles will lead to the rise of another quirky restaurant which will do Portland proud.