After a long hiatus, the flamboyant and quirky

restaurant and bar is back.

Once a local institution, the Portland franchise of

-- known for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friendliness -- closed about a decade ago. Its former footprint is buried under the Fox Tower.

But a trio of thirtysomething entrepreneurs felt the city wasn't right without one and reopened a Portland branch in Old Town, redecorating the former Pasha's Mediterranean Food on

Southwest

Northwest Fifth Avenue with kitsch and crooked posters of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and The Wizard of Oz.

"Something was missing in Portland," said Ian Cooke, who opened the restaurant along with brother-and-sister duo Jason Boussard and Emily Quick. "We didn't want a nightclub. We wanted a community hub."

Although Cooke said Hamburger Mary's creates something of a "new Gay Triangle" with nightclubs Embers and C.C. Slaughters, he insists the owners' intend to reach a broader clientele and create a comfortable atmosphere for everybody.

"I think Hamburger Mary's pioneered the ability to be a gay-owned-and-operated restaurant that doesn't just have a gay following," he said. "Our intention is not to cater to the gays. It's to feed people -- all of Portland if we can."

The restaurant is a franchise of parent company Hamburger Mary's International, which came under new ownership in 2007 and has nine other Hamburger Mary's in the United States.

Portland's has themes each night of the week, such as karaoke (called "Maryoke") on Mondays and the Dining with the Divas drag show on Fridays. On a recent Wednesday evening -- trivia night -- an announcer called out questions, first about the BCS National Championship football game, then about "famous divas." The spacious, well-lighted dining room with seating for nearly 100 was peppered with same-sex and mixed-sex couples.

Toward the back, a large group of more than two dozen patrons mingled as Quick, wearing a name tag reading "Mistress Emily," took orders. One customer, who identified herself only as Gemeni, said the group was made up of members of an online bondage community who meet for a weekly social gathering. The group had recently changed the venue of its meetings after feeling unwelcome at their regular spot and discovering Hamburger Mary's.

"The attitude here is friendliness and openness," Gemeni said. "It's a very safe place, and I don't have to worry about which group I can talk to."

Mary's is back

Hamburger Mary's, 19 N.W. Fifth Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Call 503-688-1200 or go online at

Cooke, a University of Oregon graduate, said he hopes the atmosphere feels something like a cross between the liveliness of a college bar and the relaxed comfort of a small-town tavern. He is also counting on the nostalgia of those who remember Portland's original Hamburger Mary's, which in 1996 moved from its longtime downtown location to a nearby site but never regained its popularity and eventually closed.

"A lot of people have fond memories. I went on a date last year-and-a-half ago, and he told me that his first date was at Hamburger Mary's," Cooke said. "People found us because they were going by on the MAX and flipped out. Even some old employees have come by."

A customer who asked to be identified only as Pam said she recalled outings to Hamburger Mary's decades ago.

"I remember coming here in the 1970s, when I was in college; I remember good burgers and a lot of plants," she said, laughing. "It was a cool place to go and hang out. It had a reputation for not being just another burger place."

Cooke said the business also has a social mission, and the owners are looking to help raise money for local causes, in particular arts and music programs in Portland-area high schools and middle schools.

"We're looking for responses from nonprofits," he said. "Any organizations looking to host a night and work with us to help raise money -- we're here to help."

--Leland Baxter-Neal, special to The Oregonian