Restaurant openings and updates: Side Hustle Bar, Cottage Bakery & Cafe

In Restaurant Roundup, Em Chan shares some local restaurants' latest updates. Have a question you'd like Chan to look into? You can send her your inquiries at echan@gannett.com.

Side Hustle Bar

Side Hustle Bar is the latest downtown business to add a parklet. The parklet design was inspired by the outside seating spaces of places in San Diego, which owner James Mullins and partner Becky Sanchez frequent.

The deck, as Mullins refers to it, will not have a permanent roof. The walls are foliage and plexiglass, to give the illusion of not being in the city, Mullins said. The lack of a roof will be supplemented by umbrellas but having the open air above is what makes the deck parklet unique to Side Hustle. It will be able to seat 25.

To kickoff the warm weather season and the parklet, the bar will be offering seasonal specials of ceviche, fish tacos and new margarita flavors.

The parklet hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m., depending on the day of the week.

The parklet was previously four parking spots. Side Hustle now joins Archive Coffee & Bar, Bo & Vine, Wild Pear, Palominos and Venti's Cafe & Beer Vault in having additional outdoor seating via parklet.

Hours: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sunday to Wednesday; 10 a.m. - midnight, Thursday; 10 a.m. - 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday

Address: 145 Liberty St. NE Suite #101

Cottage Bakery & Cafe

Cottage Bakery and Cafe is now open in Sublimity.

The bakery, cafe and drive-thru is owned by Debbie Hagglund. She said her lifelong dream had always been to open a bakery.

The cafe offers standard espresso and brewed coffee options, plus tea, infused energy drinks and other cold drinks. The baked goods available are housemade, and include cinnamon rolls, scones, brownies, cupcakes and more, on a rotating basis. There are some gluten-free pastry options as well. Savory options are limited for now, but include biscuits and gravy, hummus with vegetables, chicken noodle soup and sandwiches. Hagglund said she's rotating through various options to see what the community likes and will add more over time.

The cafe is wide and spacious inside. There is a chandelier above the entrance and a fireplace with comfy chairs around it. The rest of the seating is a mix of high top and standard two and four-person tables.

Hagglund said she had looked at various locations throughout the Mid-Valley. She saw the building while it was undergoing renovations last year and thought it was the perfect spot for her bakery and cafe. Hagglund liked there was a drive-thru window, as she previously had operated a drive-thru coffee stand.

Hagglund has been baking since she was 15, when she worked at her aunt's bakery. Since then, she's primarily done cakes for birthdays, special events and other catering orders for friends.

The bakery has a limited parking lot, but there is parking along South Center Street that is available.

For more info on the cafe and bakery, check out the website, cottagebakerysublimity.com.

Hours: 6 a.m. - 3 p.m., Tuesday to Friday; 7 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday

Address: 519 S Center St., Sublimity

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem-area restaurant updates: Side Hustle Bar, Cottage Bakery & Cafe