Portland looks good as an underdog. As roughly the 28th largest city in Americathe idea that the Rose City was not just an over-achieving restaurant townbut the country’s single most exciting place to eatperiodwas always a little bit over the top.
And yetthe same ingredients that brought us reams of national attention last decade are still in place today: The fantastic produce right in the city’s backyard. The talented chefs translating global flavors on our doorstep. A devoted dining public ready to support fresh ideasif the food makes you stop and say“Wow!”
The mass exodus of noted chefs around 2020 — Andy Ricker to ThailandKen Forkish and Vitaly Paley to Hawaiiothers to Central Oregon — combined with Naomi Pomeroy’s tragic 2024 deathshook Portland to the core. But it’s also given the city a chance at a fresh start. Our restaurant scene today is a blank slate — with no fixed identityPortland can be whatever it wants.
Our 2025 restaurant guide tries to balance that new reality with a little historyhonoring what’s left of the generations that came before. Despite limiting entries to places that have been open for at least a year — look for a list of our favorite new restaurants by the end of the year — this ranked guide includes at least 10 new additionsplus some major shakeups in the top 10including a new No. 1.
PRICE KEY
- $ (about $18 or less per main)
- $$ ($19-$26 per main)
- $$$ ($27-$34 per main)
- $$$$ ($35 or more per main)
PORTLAND’S 40 BEST RESTAURANTSREVIEWED AND RANKED
Astral restaurant
No. 40: Astral ($$)
Founded as a pop-uptransformed into a “residency” at Duality BrewingAstral has emerged as one of the most exciting modern Mexican restaurants in Portlandwhile always operating on its own terms. Despite the kitchen’s tight quarters tucked inside a tasting room alcovechefs Lauren Breneman and John Boisse craft colorful crudosseasonal salads and standout dishes — like the lengua pastrami quesadilla with Russian dressing on a rye flour tortilla — that rarely stick around from visit to visit. Named one of Portland’s best new restaurants in 2023Astral has offered everything from snap pea esquites to smash burger tacos over the yearsall while often hosting up-and-coming Oregon chefs (Hayward’s Kari ShaughnessyMariscos con Onda’s Adán Fausto) on its split-level patio.
Details: Most weeksAstral serves dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 715 N.E. Lawrence Ave.astralpdx.com.
Get this: The menu changes frequentlybut we’re always happy to see the esquitesthe lengua pastrami quesadilla and the standout cookie.
Know this: Checking Instagram for current hours is never a bad ideabut that’s extra true at Astralwhich will probably never fully shed its pop-up roots.
Go here next: The future of Portland dining could look a lot like AncestroMachetesMariscos con Onda and the many other Mexican-influenced pop-ups coming up behind (and with) Astral.
No. 39: Akadi ($$$)
With Afrobeat music rising up the music chartsit makes sense that diners are seeking that same energy on the table. And for the past eight yearsPortlanders have satisfied their craving for West African food here at Akadifirst at the unhurried original location on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevardand now on Southeast Division Street. Here in a tall-ceilinged dining room strung with house plantsIvory Coast-born chef Fatou Ouattara and her team serve comforting stewswhole fried fishlamb shanks and fufuthe fermented cassava pounded by hand into a smooth ballperfect for dipping. Pay attention to the appetizersincluding a $38 sampler platter of fried plantainssamosas stuffed with spiced beef or lentils and a trio of excellent chicken wingsone tossed in a hibiscus-ginger blendanother soaked in lemon and parsley and another (our favorite) dry-rubbed with the house Suya spice blend with its own tasty red pepper sauce.
Details: Akadi serves dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 1001 S.E. Division St.971-271-7072akadipdx.com.
Get this: Samosasfried plantainssuya wingswhole fried fish.
Know this: On nights when Akadi hosts live musicyou might catch an R&B act busting out a Stevie Wonder instrumental on the small corner stage.
Go here next: One of the few other West African restaurants in OregonBlack Star Grill has a new home at 110 N.W. 10th Ave.
No. 38: Rangoon Bistro ($$)
David Sai and Alex Saw — two thirds of Rangoon Bistro’s ownership group — met while working at an upscale Italian restaurant in Malaysia. What does that mean for you? Wellif you happen to order noodlesSaw might finish them in a saute pan with their own starchy watera move more commonly found in Southern Italy than Southeast Asia. After teaming up with Nick Sherboa fellow former Bollywood Theater cook (and the only partner not born in Myanmar)Rangoon Bistro went from a farmer’s market stand to a pair of restaurants and a just-opened bar. The dinner menu resembles little else in Portlandwith saucy noodlesthe giant dumplings we wrote about in our newsletter last year and crunchy fried chicken rubbed in spices inspired by Sai and Saw’s time in Malaysia. Myanmar? Malaysia? Italy? Wherever it comes fromRangoon Bistro tastes like home.
Details: Rangoon Bistro serves dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and lunch and dinner from noon to 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 2311 S.E. 50th Ave. and 3747 N. Mississippi Ave.503-953-5385rangoonbistropdx.com.
Get this: Fried chickennoodles or the seasonal khao pyan sanea “very large dumpling” stuffed with pork and veggiesplus a cocktail for sipping on the patio.
Know this: Both Rangoon Bistro locations have pleasant patios for eating outside in summer.
Go here next: Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine closed its brick-and-mortar at the CORE food hall last yearbut Portland is still blessed with plenty of Burmese optionsincluding Rangoon Bistro’s new barBone Sine (3747 N. Mississippi Ave.)as well as local chain Top Burmesewhich has outposts in Northwest PortlandBeaverton and Hillsboro.
No. 37: Bluto’s ($$)
Before it openedBluto’s was billed as a new “Greek-inspired” spot for hearth-grilled souvlaki and mint-flecked ouzo mojitos from Lardo and Grassa chef Rick Gencarelli. Even the name was cribbed from a Greek hero of a different sort: John “Bluto” Blutarskythe fraternity prankster from the Oregon-filmed “Animal House.” Turns outBluto’s is a little less Greekand a lot less gonzothan those early descriptions had us believe. It’s also very goodwith plenty of attention given to what’s on the plateeven if those plates aren’t broken at the end of the night. Start with some flatbreada seasonal hummus for dipping and a couple of skewersespecially the herb-marinated chicken and the spiced ground lamb. And — if you don’t mind braving the line again — save room for honey and halva soft-serve ice cream dipped in a tahini magic shell.
Details: Bluto’s serves lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 2838 S.E. Belmont St.971-383-1619blutospdx.com; a second location in Beaverton is in the works.
Get this: As much souvlakiflatbread and hummus as you can handle.
Know this: Dining solo? The grilled pork chop with charred scallion sauce and fries will fill you up for $19.
Go here next: Though it’s ostensibly GreekBluto’s hummus and flatbread is closer in to modern Middle Eastern restaurants such as Mediterranean Exploration Company (333 N.W. 13th Ave.). We’re also fans of the beloved Lebanese restaurants Nicholas (locations in Portland and Gresham)Hoda’s (3401 S.E. Belmont St.) or Ya Hala (8005 S.E. Stark St.).
No. 36: Xiao Ye ($$$$)
Xiao Ye might mean “midnight snack” in Mandarinbut this isn’t some late-night Taco Bell run. Take the Hollywood restaurant’s signature masa madeleines arranged in whipped butter like little standing stones. Or the Roman- pasta that chef Louis Lin first learned at Washington D.C.’s Rose’s Luxury (where he worked with wife and co-owner Jolyn Chen)a rigatoni all’amatricianaperhapstossed with tomato and guancialealongside a cold ramen slicked with sesame pastecucumber and spice like you might find at a Taipei night marketglobally influenced and refined. Save room for the “Bigger Stuff,” a set course of half a chicken or a whole fishplus greensrice and other trimmings. It’s all served in a room with gingham curtainsmismatched chairs and yellow-blue accentslike a diorama of an English farmhouse.
Details: Xiao Ye is open for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at 3832 N.E. Sandy Blvd.503-764-9478xiaoyepdx.com.
Get this: The madeleines are a mustas are the noodlesand we’re plotting a return trip for the tomato toast sometime this summer.
Know this: Some of our favorite Xiao Ye meals have been one-offsincluding a recent collaboration with famed Felix pasta chef (and Lin’s former boss) Evan Funke.
Go here next: Found in a former kaleidoscope factory next door to a vinyl record shopSweedeedee (5202 N. Albina Ave.) has a similar love for lovely design and surprising pastas — in this casea house orecchiette found on the brunch menu.
No. 35: Ava Gene’s ($$$$)
There are reasons to be skepticalfrom the initial run of hype to the current financial troubles at SoHi Brands (nee Sortis Holdings)the private equity firm that gobbled up Ava Gene’s parent group Submarine Hospitality years ago. But after missing out on our previous restaurant guidesnew talent seems to have righted the ship — some of our favorite-ever meals at this Italian restaurant (and its Mediterranean sister Tusk) came this year. Particularly impressive was Ava Gene’s Monday Night Suppera mutli-course menu with an array of petite starters — spicy radishes; a zippy salad; mozzarella and garlic scape salsa verde with paper-thin carta di musica crackers — plus a woodsy and wonderful pappardelle toasted with rabbitmaitake mushroom and a potent garlic sofritoand a warm zucchini bread and lemon-lavender ice under a milk chocolate lean-toall for $45.
Details: Ava Gene’s serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. daily (slightly later Friday-Saturday) at 3377 S.E. Division St.971-229-0571 avagenes.com.
Get this: Whether you gave up on Ava Gene’s or were never on board in the first placethe Monday Night Supper is the place to start.
Know this: John Bissellwho has run Ava Gene’s for the past two and a half yearsis leaving the restaurant later this summer to open an Italian-Jewish deli one block away.
Go here next: Head to the Mediterranean sister restaurant Tusk (2448 E. Burnside St.) for flatbreaddipsroast veggies and messy-good lamb ribs.
No. 34: Güero ($$)
We’ve been fans of the kaleidoscopic food at this plant-filled torta shop dating back all the way to its early food cart days. But though we still find drop by regularly for the esquiteschips and guacamole and a sandwich or bowlwe’ve been blown away by the creativity on display on the back patio of late. Three years agothis former exotic car lot played host to Paradise Mariscosthe seafood pop-up that continues on the waterfront today. Two years agoit was loaded burgers served from a truck. Thena healthful soup menu through the winter. Now it’s Farag’sa mezcal and wine (and sake) bar with beans in tahini sauce and date-glazed pork ribs and other small plates inspired by owner Megan Sanchez’ Mexican and Egyptian heritage that only make sense together when you’re here on a hot summer daysurrounded by plantscooling misters and fashionable Portlanders.
Details: Güero is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundayswhile Farag’s is open for dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at 200 N.E. 28th Ave.503-887-9258guerotortas.com.
Get this: Esquiteschips and guacamoletortas (especially the vegetarian options)the street- hamburguesa and classic Jaliscan ahogada.
Know this: Though known as a torta shopGüero’s most popular dish is almost certainly the bowl.
Go here next: Farag’s at the backwhere you can eat cheese platesbig beans in tahini sauce and date-glazed pork ribs with a pairing of hard-to-find mezcal and rose-colored sake.
Tulip Shop Tavern in North Portland
No. 33: Tulip Shop Tavern ($$)
Ever since Devon and Tyler Treadwell took over the old Duckett’s Public House space in 2019Tulip Shop Tavern has been the rare bar you might consider going just for a salad. It still resembles a dive barwith cocktails and beer served to a dimly lit cavern or chill back patio. But if it is a divethen it’s the Platonic ideal of a divefrom the beer list peppered with coveted Washington State breweries (CloudburstHoly Mountain) to the perfectly executed menu of pub standardsincluding an excellent tavern burger you can get with hand-cut onion rings or double-fried French fries. Tulip Shop is a better beer bar than most craft beer bars while simultaneously being a better restaurant than many restaurants.
Details: Tulip Shop Tavern serves dinner from noon to midnight daily (and until 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday) at 825 N. Killingsworth St.503-206-8483tulipshoptavern.com.
Get this: It’s tempting to plan your visit around Tulip Shop’s daily specialsparticularly the chopped cheese Sundays and patty melt Mondays. But the everyday menu has merits of its own.
Know this: Sorry kidsTulip Shop Tavern is 21 and over
Go here next: For well-made bar food with an upstate New York benttry Tinker Tavern (7980 S.E. Stark St.)especially on $10 “Wing Wednesdays.”
No. 32: Bauman’s on Oak ($$$)
You can eat well at Bauman’s on Oakbut you already knew that. Visit todayand the Southeast Portland cider maker’s little kitchen might be dishing out fresh-baked potato rolls stuffed with creamy bay shrimpthick-cut slabs of pork schnitzel or Catalonian black rice nearly tasty enough to make us forget the version at Ataula. As we wrote in our 2024 reviewdinner at the taproom can be somewhat “wine-bar coded,” with hazelnuts and charcuterie and cheese plates. Then againthose nuts are perfectly roastedsome meats are cured upstairs and cheeses — fine selections from Cowbell — come with olives and jams and crunchy house crackers. Meanwhileall of Bauman’s best aspects come together each Wednesdaywhen chef Daniel Green and his tight-knit team serve up some of Portland’s very best pizza.
Details: Bauman’s on Oak serves dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and 2 to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 930 S.E. Oak St.baumanscider.com/baumansonoak.
Get this: Roasted hazelnutsthe best sourdough breadcrab or bay shrimp rollspork schnitzelblack ricepizza on Wednesdays.
Know this: Sous chef Yakira Batres recently left to become wine director at Tomoa well-regarded fine-dining restaurant in Seattle.
Go here next: When we’re in the neighborhoodwe often find ourselves at Toya (803 S.E. Stark St.)a year-old Japanese restaurant with juice box cocktailsexcellent tonkatsu and what might be the city’s best ramen.
No. 31: Navarre ($$$)
There’s something timeless about Navarrewhich despite having lived on Northeast 28th Avenue for more than two decadesoften feels like it could have opened yesterday. That’s in part because of a recent rush of like-minded restaurantseach with casual Mediterranean menus stocked with seafoodhumble braises and plentiful wines by the glass. It’s also because Navarre remains so good. As has long been the casethe move is the “We Choose” optiona $60 tasting menu with around 10 dishes (add $35 for the wine pairing). Meals might begin with glistening radishessalted butter and a stack of crusty breadbut small plates of olive-oil-poached albacore or braised rabbit hindquarters will soon crowd out the table. If you’ve saved rooma towering slice of red velvet cake waits at the finish.
Details: Navarre serves dinner from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and brunch and dinner from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at 10 N.E. 28th Ave.503-232-3555navarreportland.com.
Get this: When availablecrab cakes are non-negotiable.
Know this: Ordering is similar to a sushi restaurantwith guests using a marker to check off items on a slim paper menu of house standardsplus a separate sheet listing the day’s specials.
Go here next: Sister restaurant Luce (2140 E. Burnside St.) packs its Italian pantry of a dining room each night with customers eager to try the array of house-made pastas available in half or full portions.
♦♦♦
BY THE NUMBERS
- 70+: Number of restaurants visited by Michael Russell to bring you this guide.
- ~30: Consecutive days Russell ate asparagus at local restaurants this spring.
- 0: Restaurants from last year’s restaurant guide that closed.
- 8: Restaurants added to the guide this year (AstralXiao YeAva Gene’sGüeroBauman’s on OakPasarL’OrangeOlympia Provisions)
- $15: Least expensive meal we ate for this guide (Nong’s signature khao man gai)
- $250: Most expensive meal we ate for this guide (an elaborate tasting menu at Nodoguro).
No. 30: Stammtisch ($$$)
Yesit’s a beer halland an unapologetic one at that. But don’t let the lagers poured into steins or giant glass boots fool you: the food here is quite serious. The menufrom former St. Jack sous chef Graham Cheneymatches the deep selection of celebrated imports flowing from the tapswith seasonal soupssilky German ravioli dressed in butter or bacon-braised rabbit with wild chanterelles. Even the street food-inspired dishes are better than they need to befrom the pretzels served with ramekins of spiced cheese and translucent schmaltz to the paper boats of juicy currywurst and crisp shoestring fries. If you have an Oktoberfest-sized appetitetry the house sausagesthe great schnitzel or the schweinshaxea hulking roast ham hock shrouded in its own crunchy skin. And don’t forget to pass the boot.
Details: Stammtisch serves food and drinks from 3 to 10 p.m Monday-Thursday11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday at 401 N.E. 28th Ave.503-206-7983stammtischpdx.com.
Get this: Schweinshaxe or schnitzel if you’re hungrya pretzela soup or the maultaschen if you’re nearly full.
Know this: Food-wiseStammtisch is the jewel of a larger German bar group that includes Prost locations in SeattlePortlandBend and Boise.
Go here next: Former festival favorite Urban German has a lively wursthaus at 6635 N. Baltimore Ave. #201just across from Occidental Brewing in St. Johns.
No. 29: Pasar ($$)
You could work your way through Pasar’s menu for weeks without landing on the lontong cap go meh. Yet this electrifying coconut soupwith its array of colors and textures and culture-blending marriage of tofu and tempehis essential for understanding the Northeast Portland restaurant. It’s also a decent place to start for anyone curious about the Chinese-Indonesian food in general. Like sister restaurant WajanPasar serves an excellent selection of fried foods — small rafts of crisp veggiesgolden-fried beef and egg pocketsvarious spring rollsall worth your time. And most meals should include a few luminous kuethe tiny coconut and tapioca cakes in dazzling shades of pandan greenube purpleor princess pink. But for first timersthe lontong cap go meh is a musteach bowl packed with tofutempeh and rice cakes in a distinctly Indonesian broth.
Details: Pasar serves lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 3023 N.E. Alberta St.503-477-8232pasarpdx.com.
Get this: A gorengan combothe lontong cap go meh and a dainty cake or threewhile otherwise focusing on the restaurant’s intriguing Chinese-Indonesian dishes.
Know this: 15 years agomononymous Pasar chef Feny opened one of Portland’s first Indonesian eateries with Wayang Housea modestsince-closed food cart parked where the Ritz-Carlton is now.
Go here next: If you’ve never beenyou might consider starting at Wajan (4611 E. Burnside St.)which has its own slightly more approachable menu of fried snacksrice dishesnoodles and desserts.
No. 28: L’Orange ($$$)
Imbued with the spirit of Bar AvignonL’Orange promises a “good glass of wine and a meal at a reasonable price” from the second floor of an old Victorian on the edge of Ladd’s Addition. In a town where a date-night dinner with wine can reach $300 before tip (and babysitter)L’Orange’s deceptively heartycarefully engineered mains — braised beef cheeks with creamy polentaconfit duck with porcini and cherries — run right around $30. With experience at Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago and Europechef Joel Stocks and his team execute a deceptively casual Mediterranean menu with a dash of food-nerd fun. The soups are fantasticveggie dishes and seafood are worth your time and there might be a cheese course shaved into a frilly rose or a slender orange cake with bruléed cardamom icing waiting at the end.
Details: L’Orange serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 2005 S.E. 11th Ave.503-880-5682lorangepdx.com.
Get this: The cheese “rose,” soupsseafoodthe juicy L’Orange cake with its cardamom icing and bruléed top.
Know this: Before teaming up with VejrStocks and fellow Park Kitchen alum Will Preisch held court at Holdfast Dining on the same street. These daysPreisch can be found at 82 Acres (2032 S.E. Clinton St.)a farm-to-table bistro not far away.
Go here next: The secret’s out about Bellwether Bar (6031 S.E. Stark St.) and its sister restaurantBar Loon (3326 S.E. Belmont St.). Both focus on cocktailsrather than winebut take a similarly neighborhood-friendly approach to food.
No. 27: Nimblefish ($$$$)
Nimble is right. This sushi counter continues to evolve since its early days as an affordable omakase option with great wine. Todaythat chef’s choice option costs $125 and includes snacks13 pieces of nigirimiso soup and dessert. Despite its many quirksthis is still our favorite dedicated sushi restaurant in town. That’s in large part because of the high quality fishmuch of it flown in from Japan and aged in the house Edo before being sliced thin and placed atop well-made rice. At the frontyou can pick and choose which (and how many) nigiri you wantor treat yourself to a chirashi bowl or a hand roll or two. Opt for the omakaseand you can add on additional pieces of gizzard shadHokkaido unior glazed eel at the end.
Details: Nimblefish serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily at 1524 S.E. 20th Ave.503-719-4064nimblefishpdx.com.
Get this: Until recentlyyour only real option was the omakase. But last yearNimblefish added a small counter up front where you can order a la carte.
Know this: Called Nimble-Chanthe a la carte experience is only available Tuesday-Saturday.
Go here next: There are new Portland sushi counters sourcing fish from Hawaii and Japanespecially in downtown Portland and Beaverton. Sellwood-Moreland’s Kaede (8268 S.E. 13th Ave.) has more personality than most (if you can get in).
No. 26: Scotch Lodge ($$$$)
My last visit to Scotch Lodge held a surprise: The soft shell crab and white kimchi sandwicha mainstay since this subterranean cocktail bar opened in the old Biwa back in 2019had vanished. But despite 86-ing its most memorable dishthis a place where dinner is treated with as much respect as the drinkswhich is saying somethingsince this is a world class cocktail bar. Chef Tim Artale’s slyly modernist takes on tavern fare include pickle-spiced friesraw oysters dabbed with granita and roe and a seaweed butter pappardelle with supplemental (and recommended) candied duck. Owner Tommy Kluswho helped build the spirits portfolio at Multnomah Whiskey Libraryknows a thing or three about scotchfrom the deep book of rare bottles to the way smoky expressions of the romantic spirit find their way into some of Scotch Lodge’s best cocktails.
Details: Scotch Lodge serves dinner from 4 p.m. to midnight daily at 215 S.E. Ninth Ave. #102503-208-2039scotchlodge.com.
Get this: Oysterswagyu tartarepappardelle and a cocktail or twoespecially the Islay daiquiria smoky modern classic.
Know this: Scotch Lodge’s decor was loosely inspired by Captain Nemo’s submarine library from “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.”
Go here next: For the intersection of good food and cocktailsour next thought will always be Expatriate (5424 N.E. 30th Ave.).
No. 25: Ken’s Artisan Pizza ($$)
In the years since baker Ken Forkish sold Ken’s Artisan Pizza and moved to Hawaiieveryone from random travel websites to fancy Italian pizza ranking organizations have named his old Southeast Portland restaurant one of the best pizzerias not just in Americabut the whole world. Now run by Peter Kost with chef Jesse SkilesKen’s Artisan Pizza often bakes 300 pizzas in its roaring oven each night for crowds that line up well before opening — that’s roughly one wood-fired pizza for every minute the restaurant is open. The pizzathin and deeply charredremains as good as ever. Ditto for the fresh salads and roasted veggies. But the annual notices sure have made it harder for neighbors to drop by for a bite and a glass of wine. A second location in Bend opened earlier this yearbut has yet to make a dent in the Portland lines.
Details: Ken’s Artisan Pizza serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. (or later) Tuesday-Saturdayand 4:30 to 9 p.m. on Sundays at 304 S.E. 28th Ave.503-517-9951kensartisan.com.
Get this: Meatballsa pizza or two and a bottle of good Oregon pinot noir to split.
Know this: Once a secret known only to local parentsthe influencer set seems to have figured out that Ken’s opens a half hour early on Sundays.
Go here next: First opened in 2001Ken’s Artisan Bakery (338 N.W. 21st. Ave.) — and its annexwhich has a pizza night of its own — remains one of Portland’s top bakeries.
No. 24: Nong’s Khao Man Gai ($)
Nong Poonsukwattana has stood her ground. After launching her eponymous food cart in 2009the chef built a mini empire centered on a single dishkhao man gaia Thai street food specialty of poached chickenaromatic rice and a heavenly ginger-garlic sauce. Awards and national magazine spreads followedas did a pair of brick-and-mortar restaurants. If you’re dining instart by unwrapping the white butcher paperthen douse the chicken and rice inside with that wonderful sauce. If you’re bringing Nong’s homeadd a quart of nourishing winter melon soup (a local cure-all)plus the sweet braised pork over rice or some firm Ota tofu in creamy peanut sauceunderrated dishes overshadowed by the namesake dish. Note: When availablethe pandan-coconut soft serve is best ordered to stay.
Details: Nong’s Khao Man Gai serves dinner from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 609 S.E. Ankeny St.503-740-2907khaomangai.com.
Get this: A side of fried chicken skins to go with your khao man gaiwhile supplies last.
Know this: After closing her signature cartNong’s smartly added a second location on the west side (417 S.W. 13th Ave.) in 2018. But if you only try onemake it the original.
Go here next: Though the flavors are differentLove Belizean (1503 S.W. Broadway) is another female-owned restaurant built around a single delicious chicken dishand also worth your time.
No. 23: Abyssinian Kitchen ($$)
Though we sometimes miss the intimate nooks and earth-toned walls at the original Southeast Portland homewe’re so glad to have Elsa Wolday’s carefully seasoned dishes and husband Kuflom Abbay’s patient manner back at this Northeast Alberta Street location. After living up to their promise to return from a lengthy pandemic closurethe couple rolled out the same great menuonly served here in a more conventional dining room with a bar that expands beyond honey wine into Marcona almond-washed martinis and clarified margaritas with mango and mitmitathe Ethiopian spice blend. As alwaysWolday works magic with vegetarian dishes — the atakilti alichaa mellow cabbagepotato and carrot stewis a must ordereither sol or part of the beyaynetu sampler plate — while also delivering delicious berbere-stewed chicken and sizzling beef or lamb.
Details: Abyssinian Kitchen serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday at 2940 N.E. Alberta St.503-206-7635abyssiniankitchen.com.
Get this: Lamb or beefwhen availableand a beyaynetu samplerwhich includes four vegetarian stews — including the atakilti alicha — on spongy injera for you to tear free with spice-stained fingers.
Know this: The thoroughly modern cocktails are nearly as impressive as the food.
Go here next: The original upscale Ethiopian restaurant was Bete-Lukas (2504 S.E. 50th St.). MeanwhileEnat Kitchen (300 N.E. Killingsworth St.) is the place to go for similarly tasty food on a tighter budget.
No. 22: Magna Kusina ($$$)
Over the past two yearsCarlo Lamagna opened (and closed) a spin-off project in Beavertonthen expanded with a second location in Denver. But when he’s in townyou’ll find him posted up at Portland’s 2021 Restaurant of the Yearchecking out each dish before it heads to the cozy corner dining room. You’re definitely getting lumpia Shanghaiand you won’t be disappointedbut the menu roams from veggies submerged in coconut milk to chicken heart skewers to sizzling skillets of sisig with hand-chopped fatty pork bits marinated in soy and calamansimixed with tiny chiles and egg then simmered until the edges form a crust worthy of Detroit- pizza. At its bestthat sisig is a textural nirvanaall crunch and succulent fatand a showcase for the richfunkysour flavors that define Filipino fooda cuisine now squarely in the spotlightin part thanks to Magna.
Details: Magna Kusina serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 2525 S.E. Clinton St.503-395-8542magnapdx.com.
Get this: Lumpiasisig and lechon (if it’s on special)a fruit-forward cocktail or cold beer and the biko dessert.
Know this: Lamagna’s latest restaurantMagna Kainanopened in Denver last November.
Go here next: Lamagna is the best-known face behind Portland’s booming Filipino food scenewhich includes cafes like Kalesa Coffeea great bakery in Balong (2850 S.E. 82nd Ave. #27at Fubonn Shopping Center)our 2021 Cart of the Year Baon Kainan (launching a residency in September at the Hoxton Hotel15 N.W. Fourth Ave.) and former pop-up Sun Rice (taking over the original XLB4090 N. Williams Ave.).
No. 21: Campana ($$$)
In hindsightthe menu at Woodlawn’s quietly ambitious Grand Army Tavern — split evenly as it was between plant-based snacks and house-butchered pork platters — was unlikely to make carnivores or vegetarians happy. But it was doubly confusing once you learned that chef George Kaden had come to Portland after a long run at Hearthan Italian restaurant often ranked among New York City’s best. Campana started as a pop-up inside Grand Army Tavernbut quickly devoured the hostreplacing the bar full time three months into the pandemic. Now it’s the best place to get pasta in the cityespecially during the surprisingly affordable happy hourplus a comforting cannellini bean dipan excellent Caesar salad and throwback Italian mains including chicken-sausage scarpariello. Actuallythis might be Portland’s best Italian restaurantperiod.
Details: Campana serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at 901 N.E. Oneonta St.503-841-6195campanapdx.com.
Get this: Arrive before 6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday or before 5 p.m. Saturday-Sundaywhen Kaden’s pastas go for $18.
Know this: Those happy hour discounts are offered all night at the bar.
Go here next: The dining room is gorgeousthe people-watching is unparalleledand the foodwhile priceycan still be tasty when the kitchen is firing at the 20-year-old Nostrana (1401 S.E. Morrison St. #101).
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PORTLAND CLASSICS
- Huber’s (opened 1879): A flaming Spanish coffee — if not a full turkey dinner — remains a holiday season must at Portland’s oldest restaurant. 411 S.W. Third Ave.
- Jake’s Famous Crawfish (1892): The menu holds few fireworksbut ambiance and hospitality remain strongespecially in Jake’s historic bar. 401 S.W. 12th Ave.
- Dan & Louis Oyster Bar (1907): Grab a drink and a dozen oysters from the same spot they’ve been shucked for more than 115 years. 208 S.W. Ankeny St.
- Otto’s Sausage Kitchen (1921): The Woodstock neighborhood’s great German deli chars its house-made franks over coals out frontrain or shine. 4138 S.E. Woodstock Blvd.
- Fuller’s Coffee Shop (1947): Under relatively new ownership and recently reopened after a fireFuller’s still makes a great cheeseburger. 136 N.W. Ninth Ave.
No. 20: Ki’ikibáa ($)
Despite Portland’s surprisingly deep roster of Yucatecan spotsKi’ikibáathe Northeast 82nd Avenue restaurant from former Angel Food & Fun chef Manny Lopez and Suny Parra Castillostands out from the crowd. The panuchos are the best in towneach gently crisp tortilla stuffed with smooth black bean and topped with a choice of meat (go for the superlative cochinita pibil). Same goes for the frijol con puercothe Christmas-toned pozoles (red and green) and the relleno negroa pork loaf moldedScotch-egg-around a hard-boiled eggthen presented with shredded turkey in a savory black broth made from charred chilies. Many of these dishes are not available — let alone made this well — anywhere else in town. And that’s all without mentioning Portland’s best carne asada burrito.
Details: Ki’ikibáa is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 3244 N.E. 82nd Ave.971-429-1452.
Get this: Salbutespanuchos with cochinita pibilpozole rojo or verderelleno negro or blancocarne asada burritostropical aguas frescasspecials.
Know this: Ki’ikibáa was our 2023 Restaurant of the Yearand wait times at this true mom-and-pop restaurant can sometimes (though not always) be long. Bring patience and a book to read.
Go here next: Our second favorite Yucatecan place in town is La Mestiza (8525 N.E. Fremont St.)which sits just a stone’s throw away from Ki’ikibáa and happens to be owned by a family from the same central Yucatecan town as Lopez and Parra Castillo.
No. 19: Higgins ($$$$)
After three decades on Southwest BroadwayHiggins’ recent cry for help was a wake-up call. As the last remnant of Portland’s farm-to-table revolutionHiggins is impossible to replacean essential civic treasure even if the kitchen weren’t still capable of operating at a high level. Whether you’re sidling up to the beloved bar for a burger and a beer or meeting family for a quiet meal in the three-tiered dining roomthe kitchen can still produce good charcuterieplus seafoodmeat and local vegetables served at their seasonal peak. I’ve never thought to order steak herethough there is one on the menumostly because I can’t get past the razor clamsthe robust seafood stew or the occasional choucroute-garnie-esque pig plate. Few restaurants have done more to put Oregon produce and beverages — especially craft beer — on the map.
Details: Higgins serves lunch starting at 11:30 a.m.. Wednesday-Friday and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 1239 S.W. Broadway503-222-9070higginsportland.com.
Get this: At the barmussels or a burger; in the restaurantthe pig plate or a seafood stew.
Know this: After holding out for decadesHiggins did away with tablecloths during the pandemic.
Go here next: It’s fallen off the foodie radarNuestra Cocina (2135 S.E. Division St.) continues to deliver one of the more enjoyable Mexican dinners in Portland (and a great margarita)while the similarly aged sushi counter Murata (200 S.W. Market St.) remains all but impossible to get into on weekends.
No. 18: Gado Gado ($$$)
We’ve gone back and forth on which of the two restaurants from New England transplants Thomas and Mariah Pisha-Duffly is our favorite. But despite a lively meal of shrimp with salted egg yolkspiced popcorn chicken and tasty noodles with pork at Oma’s Hideaway this springwe love shining a spotlight on the Hollywood neighborhood original. The move at Gado Gado is the $89 rittafel — literally “rice table” — a Dutch-Indonesian dining format where lots of little dishesmany involving ricebombard the table with diverse flavorstextures and spice. Here you might find a solitary siu maian airy panipuri puff or a single satay skewer sharing table space with shallot-topped coconut rice and a trio of sambalseach hotter than the lastfollowed by curries — a bagna cauda-esque coconut-clamperhapsor a red with blistered cherry tomatoes — making strong cases for another round of the wonderfully flaky roti for dipping.
Details: Gado Gado serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. daily at 1801 N.E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.503-206-8778gadogadopdx.com.
Get this: The rittafel ($89) remains the best way to take Gado Gado’s measure.
Know this: At Indonesian restaurants in The Netherlandsthe rice table is a single coursewith perhaps 20 small bowls landing on the table at once. Gado Gado’s version is more like a tasting menuwith dishes arriving in several roundssometimes one bite at a time.
Go here next: The Pisha-Dufflys closed their psychedelic bar The Houston Blacklight last yearbut that brand of stoner bar food and candy-bright cocktails lives on at Oma’s Hideaway (3131 S.E. Division St.).
Le Pigeon is home to Portland's most talented chef
No. 17: Le Pigeon ($$$$)
One of the most important American restaurants of the past two decades and a key factor in Portland’s rise from dining desert to foodie destinationLe Pigeon serves an elevated menu that’s about as French as the correct pronunciation of its name (i.e.: not very). Five years agoyou could still snag a coveted seat at the chef’s counter and order a burger and a Coors. These dayschef Gabriel Rucker’s flagship restaurant has gone tasting menu-only. Now under the watch of chef Dana FranciscoLe Pigeon has had its highs and lows over the past two years — a standout 2024 meal featured gently smoked troutcarrots and habanada; perfectly cooked scallops contrasted with earthy blood sausage; and a savory pie stuffed with braised lamb neck was excellent; a return visit last fall was a dud — but the nearly 20-year-old restaurant remains an essential part of Portland’s dining firmament.
Details: Le Pigeon serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 738 E. Burnside St.503-546-8796lepigeon.com.
Get this: Le Pigeon has experimented with reviving a la carte nights in the pastbut for now the only option is the tasting menueither omnivore or vegetarianeach $140 (the vegetarian was the surprise favorite during our most recent visit).
Know this: Rucker has earned two James Beard awards for his work at Le Pigeonthe national Rising Star Chef of the Year honor in 2011and the regional Best Chef: Northwest award in 2013.
Go here next: Neighboring Canard (734 E. Burnside St.)home to a signature steam burgerbuttermilk ranch chicken wings and the bistro staple ouefs en mayo (though my recent meals at the Oregon City location have had a higher hit rate).
No. 16: Cafe Olli ($$$)
These daysPortland has plenty of “all-day cafes.” Yet few have realized the goal articulated by that buzzy catchphrase like Cafe Olliwhich opens at 9 a.m. six days a week and stays open until 9 p.m. for five of them. Arrive early for great coffee and a pastryperhaps the Portuguese egg custard tart known as a pastel de nataor drop by at dinnertime for some brisket or good pork still sizzling from its bath in the brick oven previously belonging to Ned Ludd. Cafe Olli isn’t strictly a pizzeriabut its pizza is among Portland’s bestwith super-thinsuper-crisp pies and crust that’s better than many bakeries’ bread. Some are topped with Italian sausagepotatoor seasonal veggiesbut the pizza every table (correctly) orders is the pomodorowith bright tomato sauce and razor-thin garlic to which you are practically required to add the house-made stracciatella.
Details: Cafe Olli serves breakfastlunch and dinner from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at 3925 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.503-206-8604cafeolli.com.
Get this: A pastel de nata by morning and a pomodoro pie (with stracciatella) at night.
Know this: If the cafe is crowdedpop into sister bakery Ollini (3907 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.,)which offers wholesome saladssandwiches and breads alongside its own pastry lineup.
Go here next: Fans of pizza and good tiramisu should put No Saint (1603 N.E. Killingsworth St.) at the top of their to-visit list.
No. 15: St. Jack ($$$$)
If you only think of St. Jack as a crafty Portland take on Lyonnaise excessall fried tripe and pig’s trotters and greens snipped from your waiter’s gardenthen you’ve missed several major evolutions. Since moving to Slabtown in 2014the restaurant has begun incorporating a lighter take on French cooking found at the hip new Paris bistros chef Aaron Barnett loves. A meal last summer was a little rockyperhaps a sign that St. Jack had yet to settle on a new identity after losing talented chef John Denison. But a more recent visitwith Barnett in the kitchen and a streamlined menu of classicswas more reminiscent of the restaurant’s usual qualitywith an impeccable shrimp cocktailone of Portland’s most consistent steak frites and a great Manhattan served with a little extra cocktail chilling on ice.
Details: St. Jack serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily at 1610 N.W. 23rd Ave.503-360-1281stjackpdx.com.
Get this: Chilled prawns with vadouvan curry and hand-chopped steak tartare with cured egg yolkor keep things simple with the ever-popular steak frites.
Know this: Don’t have a reservation? St. Jack’s bar is a lively place to be on a Friday or Saturday night.
Go here next: Barnett helped craft several of the standout dishes at Heavenly Creatures (2218 N.E. Broadway)the fantastic wine bar across the river.
No. 14: Lovely’s Fifty Fifty ($$)
The formula here is simple yet brilliant: Adorn gorgeously baked pizzas with market-fresh produce and surprising cheesesthen deliver those pies to an intimate dining room with a freezer case up front home to some of Portland’s best ice cream. What more do you need? Dropping by Lovely’s Fifty Fifty at its summer peakyou might find chanterelle mushrooms mingling with gremolata and smoked Basque cheese on one of chef Sarah Minnick’s piesor peach and guanciale sharing space with shishito peppers and sweet corn on another. You won’t regret starting with marinated olivessoupa fresh salador the occasional pastaif you see it. Portland is blessed with several pizzerias you can credibly call your favoritebut none are as uniquely Portland — or as deeply loved — as Lovely’s.
Details: Lovely’s Fifty Fifty serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily at 4039 N. Mississippi Ave.503-281-4060lovelys5050.com.
Get this: A pie or two with leafy greens and pungent cheeses whose names you have to Googlesome shimmering olivesa seasonal soup and a chilled red wine.
Know this: The “fifty fifty” in the restaurant’s name refers to the concept: half pizzahalf ice creamall delicious.
Go here next: Lovely’s has a kindred spirit in Tastebud (7783 S.W. Capitol Hwy.)a Multnomah Village restaurant that recently reopened its dining room.
No. 13: Lilia ($$$$)
Chef Juan Gomez doesn’t like to sit still. Whether it’s citrus-cured Columbia River chinook scattered with borage flowerstender fava beans in strawberry sofritoor a show-stopping tlacoyo — a pre-Hispanic oval of blue corn stuffed with pommes aligot — chances are what you see one week will be gone the next. But three years after debuting as one of Portland’s best new restaurants of 2022Lilia’s menu of “Pacific Northwest cuisine through the lens of a Mexican-American chef” remains in top formwith vibrant colorsgood technique and produce so fresh it hasn’t even hit the farmer’s markets yet. Earlier this yearthe restaurant itself was on the movetaking over the former De Noche space as part of a domino-like series of moves within the larger República restaurant group. Here you can order a la cartebut there’s more value in the tasting menuwhich encompasses around a half dozen courses including dessert for $98.
Details: Lilia serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 422 N.W. Eighth Ave.541-900-5836liliapdx.com.
Get this: The tasting menuthough if you do order a la cartekeep an eye out for the pork shoulder confit.
Know this: Though the República group has long made magic opening restaurants in former chains (Laughing PlanetPizzicatoetc.)Lilia’s new home was built to be a higher end restaurant — it was once Park Kitchen.
Go here next: The group’s namesake restaurantRepública (100 N.W. 10th Ave.) is where you’ll find former De Noche chef Dani Moraleswho has added an a la carte option to the tasting menu.
No. 12: Jacqueline ($$$)
How busy is Jacqueline’s $1 oyster happy hour? Before opening at 5 p.m.the creative seafood restaurant sets up a second shucking station under the roof of the outdoor seating it shares with neighbor Broderbreaking the whole thing down just before 6 p.m. Yesyou want to line up early to grab your designated dozen Pacific Northwest oysters and their little eye droppers of infused vinegars and hot sauce. But the maximalist approach to the evening menu is also worth your timefrom a hamachi crudo with charred pickled pineapple to the shrimp tostada with its schmear of smashed avocado and cashew salsa machaall showered with an array of edible flowers and herbs. When availablewe prefer the Dungeness crab toast to the slider-sized lobster rollbut everything else we tried — fluffy focaccia with toasted kombu oilcold-smoked scallops in tom kha buttermilktempura fried mushrooms — offered strong arguments for putting off the diet until next week.
Details: Jacqueline serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday at 2500 S.E. Clinton St.503-327-8637jacquelinepdx.com.
Get this: Those loss-leader oysters are the best way to start a Jacqueline mealassuming you can arrive early enough. Slurp down a dozenadd the Dungeness crab toast draped in Hollandaise sauce (when available) and go from there.
Know this: Spin-off brunch concept Fair Weather (2039 S.E. Clinton St.) recently reopened in Jacqueline’s original home. It’s very good.
Go here next: You won’t find the same culinary fireworksbut the seafood sourced from the attached market at Flying Fish Co. (3004 E. Burnside St.) is fresh and tastyand the patio gives off a coastal vibe that’s hard to match.
No. 11: Davenport ($$$)
Sometimessimplicity is best. At least that’s the thought that usually crosses our minds when we think about Davenportone of Portland’s best restaurants. Herelongtime local chef Kevin Gibson has his hand on the tillerserving the same understated dishes that have been his hallmark from the early days of Castagna to Evoehis lovely small plates counter alongside the sorely missed Hawthorne Pastaworks. Gibson’s cooking is as vibrant as everwith a respect for ingredients that most restaurants can feint. Depending on when you visityou might find fresh oysters or a satisfying crudoseared scallops with romano beans and hazelnuts or rings of fried delicata squash showered with grated parmesan and flecks of mint. International flavors aboundfrom early spins on goulash or cabbage rolls to a more recent grilled lamb that was more like koftaspicedgroundserved with couscous and red pepper harissa.
Details: Davenport serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday2215 E. Burnside St.davenportpdx.com.
Get this: Oystersscallopsa fried vegetablesome meatgood wine.
Know this: In the kitchen on my last few visits? Caffe Mingo legend Jerry Huisingawho “came out of retirement” to form a two-man All Star lineup in the Davenport kitchen.
Go here next: For desserthead next door to the old Pix Patisserie buildingwhere you’ll find two “Pix-O-Matic” 24-hour vending machinesand much more.
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LET THEM EAT STEAK
Jeju: This Korean BBQ newcomer from the Han Oak team serves house-butchered chops with sides of buttered rice and rock-star karaoke — where do we sign up? 626 S.E. Main St.
Laurelhurst Market: Portland’s first modern steakhouse highlights less expensive cuts in a tall-windowed dining room and sprawling pandemic-built patio. 3155 E. Burnside St.
Ox (see No. 6): Steakschorizo and halibut collar alike are bathed in flame on the wood-fired grill at this Argentine-inspired hotspot. 2225 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ringside Steakhouse: Beloved for its sunken bar and elevated servicePortland’s signature steakhouse celebrates its 80th birthday in 2024. 2165 W. Burnside St.
St. Jack (see No. 15): Noit’s not a steakhouse. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a better steak frites than the one at this stylish French restaurant. 1610 N.W. 23rd Ave.
No. 10: Apizza Scholls ($$)
With apologies to a certain Italian pizza ranking groupKen’s Artisan Pizza — while undeniably world-class — is not the best pizzeria in Portland. That would be Apizza Schollswhere at 5 p.m. each daytwo adjacent Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard storefronts fill up with happy families angling for a high-backed wood bootha cold (root) beer and a crack at the vintage arcade games ‘round back. Brian Spangler’s menu is simple and uncompromising: A spot-on Caesar salad. The right olives. A laughably good calzone. And that’s before you even get to the pizza: more New York than New Havendespite the namethinwide and crispysome with red saucesome with whiteall in perfect balance. And in the unlikely event you saved roomthere are It’s-It sandwiches for dessert.
Details: Apizza Scholls serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. daily at 4741 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.503-233-1286apizzascholls.com.
Get this: SoloI’ll order a small salami and green olive pizza at the bar and watch a game. With friendswe’ll get as many of the classics as we can — split New York White and Tartufo Bianco piesor half-half Apizza Amore (with capicola) and Amatriciana (with bacon) — and see if we can eat a slice of each before we tap out.
Know this: Calzones are only offered Mondays through Thursdays. They’re as good as you’d expect.
Go here next: Speaking of calzonesthe two other versions to know are the ones at Red Sauce (4641 N.E. Fremont St.) and Gracie’s (7304 N. Leavitt Ave.). Meanwhileother East Coast-inspired pies we’ll line up for include Dimo’s (701 E. Burnside St.)Pizza Thief (2610 N.W. Vaughn St.) and Scottie’s (2128 S.E. Division St.).
No. 9: Olympia Provisions ($$$)
The sausage maker’s website describes its namesake restaurant as “rustic Spanish and Mediterranean.” Yet after two very good meals in the past yearwe’re starting to think that Olympia Provisions might actually be Portland’s top French restaurant. How else to explain the steak tartarethe moules marinièrethe salmon à l’oseilleor the pasture-raised pork with wine-braised prunes? So yesyou can get chilled gazpachocharcuterie boards inspired by Spain or Italy and grilled octopus with hazelnut romesco. But this is also the only place in town to get the late James Beard’s fave sweetbreads à la crèmepan-seared chicken thighs with rib-sticking pommes puree or braised bone-in short rib. Très bien.
Details: Olympia Provisions serves lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (and brunch starting at 10 a.m. Saturday-Sunday) at 107 S.E. Washington St.503-954-3663olympiaprovisions.com.
Get this: Charcuterie boardssteak tartaresweetbreads à la crèmepan-seared chicken thighsporc aux pruneaux.
Know this: Olympia Provisions chef Matthew Jarrell is one of many former cooks at Vitaly Paley’s old Imperial now running restaurants around townincluding Ricky Bella at Palomar (1422 N.W. 23rd Ave.) and Doug Adams at Grand Fir Brewing and The Bitterroot Club (1403 S.E. Stark St.).
Go here next: Our recent meals at sister restaurants Alpenrausch (3384 S.E. Division St.)Bar Casa Vale (215 S.E. Ninth Ave.) and Grand Amari haven’t been as fruitful as the ones at Olympia Provisions. But if you like onechances are you will like the rest.
No. 8: Ha VL ($)
When Christina (Ha) Luu died two years agoPortland lost not just the chef behind some of America’s most famous soupsbut a gracious figure who survived unfathomable hardship to raise her six sons while her husband was in prison after the fall of Saigon. You can still taste her meticulous cooking approach at Ha VLthe first soup restaurant she and husband William Vuong opened nearly 20 years ago. Long run by son Peter VuongHa VL serves two incredible soupssix days a week. The key is in the details: The perfectly browned chicken barely submerged in nourishing broththe tender chunks of carrot and potato floating in coconut curryniceties few restaurants have the time or patience for. Even with two sister locations in Rose VL (6424 S.E. Powell Blvd.) and newcomer Annam VL (3336 S.E. Belmont St.)Ha VL remains an absolutely irreplaceable Portland restaurant.
Details: Ha VL serves breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. until sold out Wednesday-Sunday at 2738 S.E. 82nd Ave. #102503-772-0103.
Get this: I’ve had many “favorite” Ha VL soups over the yearsbut Friday’s hủ tiếu “special,” with its dainty quail eggs and golden cracklingis the one that calls me back most often.
Know this: My all-time favorite all-time Vuong-Luu collaboration is their take on cao lầua subtly sweet noodle and pork dish you toss with herbs to reveal a rich sauce underneath. It’s available Saturdays at Rose VL.
Go here next: Some of Portland’s best Vietnamese restaurants offer only a handful of dishes. Two worth trying are Thơm (3039 N.E. Alberta St.)with its sweet lacquered pork and vermicelli noodle bowland Tèo Bún Bò Huế (8220 S.E. Harrison St. #230)which doesn’t even offer a menu for its trio of soups.
No. 7: Han Oak ($$$)
Portland’s first modern Korean restaurant will likely never resemble its original incarnationa place where the music was loudkids ran free and chefs cracked open beer cans with the precision flick of a dish towel. But menu change by menu changefrom premium hot pot to the current home Korean comfort food known as jipbapthe Han Oak team fills each table with delicioussurprisingly wholesome dishes — firsta probiotic-packed tray of pickleskimchi and deonjang jjigae (a pleasantly funky porkanchovy and soybean stew) join potato fritters and a bowl of rice worth holding onto as the mains — soy-braised short ribhalibut in tomato-anchovy broth — start vying for table space. MeanwhileJejuthe sister steakhouse focused on whole animal butcherymight not have the history of Han Oakbut is definitely worth a visit for the dumplingschicken wingsgenerous ssam platters of wood-fired pork and Portland’s best French fries.
Details: Han Oak serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday at 511 N.E. 24th Ave.971-255-0032hanoakpdx.com.
Get this: Han Oak’s only option is the $65 prix fixe (currently focused on Korean home cooking).
Know this: Though historically known for its outbreaks of spontaneous karaokewe didn’t see any at Han Oak or Jeju this year.
Go here next: There’s a $75 set menu at Jeju (626 S.E. Main St.)but you can also freelance there with wings and dumplings and baoburgers and fries and a ssam set of hearth-grilled meatswhere I encourage focusing on the pork.
No. 6: Ox ($$$$)
Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton’s Argentine-inspired blockbuster has never just been about the flaky empanadasthe sizzling steaksor the halibut collars grilled over open flames in its rolling grill. Just as important are the starters and sides: the bone-marrow clam chowderthe beef tongue with horseradishthe tripe and octopusdishes that have practically become household names in food-obsessed Portland. If the dining room is fullas it often isdon’t hesitate to take a seat at the chef’s counterwhere you can watch the firewood spark while tucking into the Asado Argentinoa mixed platter of short ribskirt steakchorizoblood sausagesweetbreadsfried potatoes and salad (whew). It’s meant for twothough it can (and recently did) serve three for $125. We’ll never say no to Ox’s dessertsparticularly the hazelnut brown butter torte with its delicate chamomile ice cream and stick-to-your-teeth honeycomb candy.
Details: Ox serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily at 2225 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.503-284-3366oxpdx.com.
Get this: Bone marrow clam chowdertripe and octopusthe Asado Argentinoa pickle-spiked Dirty Grandma Agnes martini and a hazelnut brown butter torte.
Know this: In 2023the Dentons raised $15,000 for Maui wildfire relief through a star-studded chef dinner; last yeara fire in Ox’s kitchen temporarily shut the restaurant for several months.
Go here next: Most of Portland’s South American options are food cartsbut those looking for a sit-down dinner can head to the vegan Epif (404 N.E. 28th Ave.)downtown’s Lechon (113 S.W. Naito Pkwy)the Pearl District’s Andina (1314 N.W. Glisan St.) or North Portland’s Casa Zoraya (841 N. Lombard St.).
No. 5: Kachka ($$$)
Kachka is the restaurant that taught America that Soviet food could be coolaspicbony fish and all. But it’s also Portland’s best izakaya. Hear us out: Traditionallyan izakaya is a laid-back pub with free-flowing drinks and snacks. NoKachka isn’t a Japanese restaurant. But our favorite meals here — a legendary New Year’s Eve dinner at the original locationa recent triple date with friends who had never gone before — have been the ones where the table filled with picklesdumplingsfish boards and several small carafes of the restaurant’s outstanding infused vodkas (especially if you happen to visit when the lush Oregon strawberry is available). That’s not to speak ill of the more traditional dinner farethe meaty skewersthe ornate pickle soupthe cheesy Georgian bread boat known as khachapurithe rabbit in a clay pot or cabbage rollssome of which we love. It’s only to say thatlike a great izakayathe food and atmosphere here encourage ordering another round.
Details: Kachka serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. or later daily at 960 S.E. 11th Ave.503-235-0059kachkapdx.com.
Get this: Okroshkaherring under a fur coatpelmenikhachapurithe kotleta and another carafe of horseradish vodka.
Know this: Kachka’s seasonal strawberry vodka infusions are worth marking your calendar for each spring.
Go here next: Those without a reservation can get a taste of Kachka at Lavkathe restaurant’s little deli on the mezzanineor at Kachka Fabrika (2117 N.E. Oregon St. #202)the restaurant’s new sister bar.
Nodoguro
No. 4: Nodoguro ($$$$)
Over the past decadeRyan and Elena Roadhouse have shown they can pop up anywherefrom the “Twin Peaks”-themed dinner they cooked for the late director David Lynch at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles to the izakaya menu presented to some of Europe’s most celebrated chefs at a food conference on the Canary Islands. This yearthe Roadhouses made a serious bet on downtown Portlandsetting down roots in the Morgan’s Alley mezzanine previously home to Tercet and Roe (and for decades beforeHunan Restaurant). Herein what feels like their a new forever homethe couple serve a blended menu of creative kaiseki cooking and lovingly presented sushi alongside carefully curated pours of hard-to-find sake. As we’ve written beforeNodoguro excels at the little details: the perfectly shucked oyster dabbed with gazpachothe claret red slices of bluefin sashimi dabbed with fresh wasabi; the sushi rice that collapses into individual grains the moment they hit your tongue. If sushi was the only thing this restaurant servedit would be the best sushi restaurant in Portland. But that would mean missing out on the uni risotto intriguingly dusted with espresso; the “hasun” course of dainty bites — duckmushroomeel — each with its own hidden portents; the sweets stacked into a Matryoshka-doll-like bento box of desserts.
Details: Nodoguro serves dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 515 SW Broadway #100 (enter on Broadway)nodoguropdx.com.
Get this: Despite experimenting with different formats in its first monthNodoguro has settled back into its previous approach — a sprawling tasting menu of hot and cold dishes followed by a 10-piece nigiri flight and dessert for $250.
Know this: The dining room’s design was inspired by Japan’s heavily Art Deco-influenced Taisho period.
Go here next: There’s nothing like Nodoguro. But fans of Japanese food might consider trying Takibi (2275 N.W. Flanders St.)a gorgeous restaurant at outdoor gear specialists Snow Peak’s North American headquarterswhich recently added some spectacular ramen at lunch.
No. 3: Coquine ($$$)
Last yearwe used this space to reminisce about a time when you could walk up to Coquineput your name on a listtake a quick hike up Mount Taborthen return for a glass of white Burgundy and a great bowl of pasta when a spot opened up at the small bar. Wellsometimes you just have to put things out in the universe. Last winterCoquine launched Katy Jane’san oyster bar in the cafe-market next door. As you might expect if you’ve ever been to CoquineKaty Jane’s is fantastic (and better yetyou can walk right in). Or you can make a reservation a week or so out for the mother shipwhere French-trained chef Katy Millard’s cooking exists at the midpoint of comfort and precision. A meal might start with house-baked bread and French onion dip dotted with trout roeor finish with an inverted pavlova stacked atop seasonal fruit. There’s more finery here than you would expect from what looks like a neighborhood hangoutlike the candy and spirits trays at dessertor the deep wine list from co-owner and wine expert Ksandek Podbielski. But once you’re herethat feels right. Whatever Coquine sets its mind toit tends to do it best.
Details: Coquine serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 6839 S.E. Belmont St.503-384-2483coquinepdx.com.
Get this: Onion breadan exquisitely cooked vegetable or twoa beautifully presented fish or braised meatpavlova or some other meringue-based dessert.
Know this: In addition to hosting one of Portland’s best oyster bars five nights a weekCoquine’s market-cafe neighbor is open for coffeepastries and pantry goods from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Go here next: Besides Katy Jane’s (6833 S.E. Belmont St.)other restaurants at the intersection of good wine and good food include OK Omens (1758 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.)downtown luncheonette Maurice (921 S.W. Oak St.) and the Pearl District’s always-surprising Arden (417 N.W. 10th Ave.).
No. 2: Langbaan ($$$$)
The main rhythms at Portland’s premier Thai restaurant are the same as they have been for nearly a decadefrom the collapsing coconut milk cups and betel leaf shrimp wrap starters to the crescendo of curriesmeat and rice near the tasting menu’s end. But the surroundings sure have changed. Like St. Jack before itLangbaan left its cramped Southeast Portland digs last year and headed west across the river to the former Ataula space. Instead of the old concrete bunkerthe new space feels like eating inside the living room of a well-to-do Bangkok grandmaonly one with a terracotta hearth roaring with red-hot Thai charcoal at its center. Even before it was named America’s most outstanding restaurant at the 2024 James Beard AwardsLangbaan has brimmed with confidencefrom a cordyceps soup with in a pure white coconut broth pin-pricked with bits of pineapple and Thai chile to the intriguing wines poured by sommelier Dana Frank to the lobster or A5 wagyu courses you can add to your meal. Even if you don’t splurge on a supplementyou might learn that chef Kitsanaruk “Pui” Ketkuaviriyanont has let some of that beef fat drip into your jasmine rice. Yesplease.
Details: Langbaan serves two dinner seatingsat 6 and 8:45 p.m. Friday-Saturday and at 5:30 and 8:15 p.m. Sundayat 1818 N.W. 23rd Place971-344-2564langbaanportland.com.
Get this: The $135 tasting menu will fill you upeven if you don’t splurge on that A5 add-on.
Know this: On nights when Langbaan isn’t openrestaurant roommate Phuket Cafe — which otherwise occupies the mock Thai train car out front — takes over the dining room and bar.
Go here next: Owner Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom is the hitmaker behind a half dozen very good Portland restaurantsincluding Eem (3808 N. Williams Ave. #127)Hat Yai (1605 N.E. Killingsworth St. and 605 S.E. Belmont St.)Paadee (6 S.E. 28th Ave.) and Yaowarat (7937 S.E. Stark St.)
No. 1: Kann ($$$$)
Yesit can be difficult to get in (though not as hard as it once was). And yesthe prices can be high (we’re looking at you$54 sausage spaghetti). But despite Gourdet’s absencerecent meals at this wood-fired Haitian restaurant have been as good as they’ve ever beenif not better. That starts at the entrancenow located one door overwith a host stand at the end of a long hallway that drops you at the back of the busy kitchen and into the gorgeous dining rooma gold-accented fantasia of house plantswell-dressed dinerspaintings evoking a Caribbean sunset and a gold-plated ceiling alcove evoking a muted James Turrell installation. And it extends through the service (improved)the vibrant cocktails (fantastic) and of course the food. Gourdet’s team — including chef Varanya Geyoonsawat and general manager Elishca Charles — conjures up a near-mythical vision of Haitian cuisinewith dishes both traditional and imagined emerging from the long chef’s counter and its roaring hearth. Taro root fritterswarm sweet potato bread (casually gluten- and dairy-freelike everything here) and twice-cooked pork make a persuasive argument that Caribbean food deserves the same respect Americans give to ItalianJapanese or Thai. From the grilled half chicken with jerk leek to the pasture-raised pork chop in cherry-ginger sauce to the famous creole smoked duckmeats are consistently well cooked and delicious. In Kann’s rose-tinted worldHaiti didn’t just give us the word for barbecueit innovated a modern meat-smoking tradition the envy of the world. And in a city where funding for new restaurants has been all but dry for half a decadeit’s a borderline miracle that Kann is not only herebut shining.
Details: Kann serves dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 548 S.E. Ash St.503-702-0290kannrestaurant.com.
Get this: Akrasoupgriyopeanut greensdiri ak djonepis-brine chickencherry-ginger duckpasture-raised pork.
Know this: Cancellations happenbut the best way to secure your place at the restaurant is to set an alarm for noon on the first of each monthwhen reservations for the following month are released en masse.
Go here next: Unless you feel like taking a road trip to Yardy (837 Lincoln St.Eugene)you could try Sousòl (227 S.E. Sixth Ave.)the cocktail bar underneath Kannwith its pan-Caribbean bar snacks and nightclub- vibe.
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