Beloved Portland Cocktail Bar Expatriate Closes After 12 Years

The influential bar on NE Killingsworth leaves a lasting legacy on the city's cocktail scene.

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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Expatriate, a beloved cocktail bar in Portland's Killingsworth neighborhood, has unexpectedly closed after 12 and a half years in business. The closure was announced with a cryptic note in the window referencing a Prince lyric and Latin phrase, leaving the community to speculate about the reasons behind the shutdown.

Why it matters

Expatriate was a pioneering cocktail bar that helped establish the Killingsworth area as an epicenter of Portland's vibrant drinking culture over the past decade. Its closure marks the end of an era and raises questions about the sustainability of independent, trend-setting bars in the city's rapidly changing landscape.

The details

The bar's closure was first reported on Reddit last Wednesday, February 11, when a user posted a photo of a handwritten sign in the Expatriate window. The note quoted a lyric from Prince's '1999' and included the Latin phrase 'exsilium non permanet,' which translates to 'exile is not permanent.' The sign also referenced the bar's 12.5-year history, noting it had been open for '4,595 nights.' Expatriate was founded in 2013 by legendary Portland bartender Kyle Linden Webster and his late wife, chef Naomi Pomeroy, who tragically died in a river accident in 2024. It's unclear if Pomeroy's death is related to the bar's closure.

  • Expatriate opened in the summer of 2013.
  • Naomi Pomeroy, Expatriate's co-founder, died in a river accident in 2024.
  • Expatriate unexpectedly closed during dinner service on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

The players

Expatriate

A pioneering cocktail bar in Portland's Killingsworth neighborhood that helped establish the area as a hub for the city's vibrant drinking culture over the past decade.

Kyle Linden Webster

The legendary Portland bartender who co-founded Expatriate with his late wife, Naomi Pomeroy, in 2013.

Naomi Pomeroy

The celebrated chef who co-founded Expatriate with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, in 2013. Pomeroy tragically died in a river accident in 2024.

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What they’re saying

“There isn't a cocktail bar anywhere around, so that's why I'm here.”

— Kyle Linden Webster, Co-founder, Expatriate (Eater Portland)

What’s next

The community is left to speculate about the reasons behind Expatriate's closure and the possibility of a future revival of the bar's concept, either in the original location or elsewhere.

The takeaway

Expatriate's closure marks the end of an era for Portland's cocktail scene, but the bar's legacy as a pioneering, trend-setting establishment that helped shape the city's drinking culture will endure.