Deaf-owned PAH! serving it up in East Portland

Posted Oct.21, 2022

Staff Reporter

PAH! is the first deaf-owned and operated restaurant in Portland, located inside the indoor food court called The Zed, just a couple of blocks North of 92nd Ave and Foster, at 5718 S.E. 92nd Ave.

The restaurant has an outdoor seating area and an indoor seating area.

Along with being deaf, the owners are also queer and Latino. They showcase this proudly as there are pride flags, the Mexican flag, and a deaf flag inside the restaurant. The restaurant shows excellent examples of deaf culture and is a great representation of the deaf community.

The name PAH! is actually slang for “finally” in ASL, this is because when doing this sign your mouth looks like you are saying “pah” along with the index fingers starting from the mouth to pointing up. The name is also very fitting since surprisingly this is the first time Portland has had a restaurant like this and I think portland really needed a restaurant like PAH!.

Being the first ever deaf-owned and operated restaurant in Portland is very important because PAH! has affected Portland's local community in a positive way by hiring deaf or hard-of-hearing workers and educating many about deaf culture, which as a result helps eliminate discrimination against deaf people in the workplace and destroys the negative stigmas surrounding deaf or hard-of-hearing people as a whole.

The restaurant in general is a great opportunity for people to get a better understanding of deaf culture and bring people together. Pah! has left a personal impact on me because it’s somewhere I can bring my hard-of-hearing family members and family members that know or either are learning ASL. It's a place where they can use ASL in a really welcoming and comfortable environment along with enjoying some food.

Each dish they have has its own ASL name sign, but anyone can come to PAH! Even if you don't know ASL. People who do not know how to sign, talk into a tablet connected to a microphone that's equipped with transcription software that shows the words on the screen.

PAH! Is a pub-style American restaurant, they serve American foods with vegetarian and vegan alternatives so there's almost something for everyone.

DDHS’s ASL Honor Society will be hosting monthly voice-off ASL chat nights at PAH! On the second Wednesday of each month October through May. Other ASL students from nearby high schools, colleges, and universities will also be attending to play games and converse with each other voice off which is a wonderful way to learn more ASL and get more comfortable with using it.