THE LAST GREAT TASTE OF PORTLAND FOOD HISTORY.
Greg Higgins in the Iconthe OG. The guy who envisioned our farm-to-table futurethen gave it voice and direction. It’s hard to imagine life without Higgins’s timeless cuisineworld-class charcuterieformidable beer listand Shakespearean waiters—unwavering since 1994. Then came the restaurant’s shocking Bat Signal last summer: Higgins was in financial troubleon the brinkHELP. The response was swift; reservations soared. Forest mushroomsmind-blowing salumiand boisterous cassoulets are dancing again. Customers swap stories. Hugs are everywhere. Lunch or dinnerthe vintage back bar remains a treasure. The grass-fed beef brisket pastrami on grilled sour stout rye bread will make you cry. We did it. —KB

Vodka magicEuro discosour cherry dumplings.
Can you hear it? Maybe it’s the irrepressible backbeat unce-unce-unce of Euro-discoor the old-school Estrada pop of the 1930s—either waythe ever-present Kachka soundtrack sets the tone for the revelry ahead. Like a dacha dinner party masquerading as a restaurantKachka draws on a panoply of pan-Soviet influences to create its own jolly universe. With Georgian shila plaviArmenian çiğ köfteand Ukrainian sour cherry dumplingsthis is resolutely not “Russian food.” It’s the Iron Curtain transformed into a discothequefueled by a dozen seasonally flavored vodkaschased by pickle juice and salt-lick splashes of creamy Borjomi mineral water. Don’t fight itfeel it. —JM

Sushi and sakejust for you.
Sellwood’s 16-seat sushi bistro is entirely run by married couple Shinji and Izumi Uehara. Shinji slices sushi behind the counterwhile chef Izumi covers the hot stuff in the kitchen. No rushing; it’s just youthemsmall platesand sushi. While once Kaede served an à la carte parade of nightly nigiri specials and saba battera (mackerel-pressed sushi)nowit's all centered on a tasting menufeaturing rare finds from Tokyodelicate silver halfbeak fish to golden-eye snapperplus elegant starters like a fresh-faced chawanmushi with fava beans and sweet corn. Sake is carefully selected to pair with seasonal ingredients. Heads up: Max group size is twoand reservations are required. —Katherine Chew Hamilton

AMERICA’S MOST DECORATED HAITIAN RESTAURANT.
Kann is more than a restaurant; it’s a force field. Reservations? Even famous names are turned away from this Haitian hot spot (pro tip: nab a 4pm rez). Chef Gregory Gourdet is a wrecking ball of drive and visionwith back-to-back James Beard awards for Best New Restaurant in America (2023) and Best Chef Northwest (2024). If only the Blazers could draft him. Kann has its own food language: spice rumblinga home for soursop and Oregon berriesand free of dairy and gluten. Vegans feel at home and carnivores get a bestial steak glazed in Kann coffee BBQ sauce. Feast on all the starterswarm sweet potato bread to the titanically crunchy akra fritters. Revelations include the peanut creamed collardsdumpling-bobbing soup joumouand hearth-charred jerk cauliflower. Multifaceted desserts nearly steal the show. —KB

The French-American school.
On the second floor of a converted housethis clandestine space bumps like a supper club on a good night. It’s a Frenchish project from chef Joel Stocksformerly of mod-cuisine darling Holdfast. His cooking here fits the homey room but maintains a cheffy rigor. Onion soup bubbles under a fan of Gruyère-crusted bread pudding slices. A rotating crepe entrée sometimes wears a crispy skirt of brûléed cheese. Confit duck legcleverly deboned and rolled into a neat parcelcould redeem any botched Thanksgiving. And you certainly don’t need to bring your own wine to this dinner party: Partner Jeff Vejr (Les Caves) quietly steers a global wine list that goes as deep as you want to follow it. —Matt Trueherz

THAI TASTING SUPERSTAR.
Charcoal grills blaze. Adventurous bites appearone after another. Craft cocktails shakehand-picked wines flow. Playlists swerve from Esan folk to chef-rapper Action Bronson. No doubt about it: Langbaan is the country’s most original Thai food experiencewith the 2024 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award as proof. It hails from the Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom and Eric Nelson school of Portland dining (see also: Eem and Yaowarat). Expect changing menu themeshistorical dishesmodern touchespastry-chef dessertsand a strong nod to local ingredientsreservation only. Think of Phuket Café as its charming roommatewith à la carte dishes big and smalllunch or dinner. Standouts there include the euphoric fried pompano salad and outdoor seats in a colorful Thai “train car.” —KB

PORTLAND’S ENFANT TERRIBLE IN TASTING-MENU MODE.
Since 2007Gabriel Rucker has reigned as Portland’s premier French gastrobasher. These daysthe two-time James Beard medalist is a proud dad and sober chef. The punk-rock vibes have given way to CrosbyStillsand Nash and a quasi-elegant cool. But the tasting-menu dishesmeat or meat-freestill look like stoner Miró. Chatty chef Dana Francisco holds fourth most nightsadding his own ideas. France is a trampoline to spring forward into the unknown. Sweetbreadsa cornerstone of French cuisinemight crash into buffalo wings territory—crisped uphot sauce soakedand set over roquefort-parsnip puree. Somehowfigs factor in. Duck l'orange hides little pockets of chicken mousseand broccoli finds happiness with...grape chutney? Andy Fortgang’s astute wine list brings it all home. —KB

THE FLOWER-POWER QUEEN OF PORTLAND PIZZA.
Great traditional pizza is everywhere. But there is only one Lovely’s Fifty Fifty. Flavors you don’t associate with pizza prance across the chewy sourdough crust. A seasonal pie mingled taleggio cheese and stinging nettle leaveswhich bike-riding owner Sarah Minnick foraged that morning inof all placesForest Park. A diner once spotted her milling about the urban park’s bushes: “Is that youChef Minnick?” No wonder Italian pizza master Franco Pepe is a fan. This is pizza on its own mountaintopin its own conversationwith a distinct taste of place. Throw in some wildflowers and Portland weird. Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Pizza devotes an entire episode to the Minnick way. The ice cream is just as good. —KB

The littlest Italy.
Luce (pronounced “LOO-che”) means “light” in Italian. This is the Vogue Italia kind of Italian restaurantalmost (almost!) as much about what’s not here as what is. Instead of overelaborate presentations and pumped-up twiststhere’s lemony cappelletti in brodopanna cotta sauntering in pine syrupsimple pastas (offered as whole or half orders) like rabbit pappardelle and shrimp linguini. The house wine is good and comes in little tumblers. Order the octopus with potatoes and olives. Get some little wedges of farro and Parmesan pie and a few salt cod crostini. The room fits the menutoo: Checkered tilefloor-to-ceiling windowsand retail shelves cluttered with jarred and bottled things give the look of a mini-mart from when mini-marts could be beautiful. —MT

Filipino with a cheffy twist.
Chef Carlo Lamagna serves the city’s most polished Filipino food at Magna Kusinabut the setting is comfortably convivial. Staples skew traditional: charcoal-grilled skewerslonganisa (sausage) to pork intestine; killer classic lumpia comes with Lamagna’s sweet and sour. Others twist recipesnostalgiaand cultureslike Mom’s Crab Fat Noodles—squid ink spaghetti in sarsathe funky-hot coconut saucewith a heavy ration of Dungeness. Industry advocate Lamagna is also a major mentor to upcoming cooksparticularly those with Southeast Asian heritage. —MT

THE FRENCH-NORWEGIAN LUNCHEONETTE OF YOUR DREAMS.
Måurice is one woman’s ode to the art of eating. Kristen D. Murray’s pastry luncheonette is charmingsuper-rigorousand sweetly elegant. The kitchen occupies half the roombordered by a marble counter. HereMurray is ever-present in a pork pie hatstirring her Le Creuset pots. The daily à la carte menu is her short story: French techniquesGrandma’s lefseand exacting seasonal excitements. Even a rosemary currant scone looks (and tastes) like a million bucks herewith spoonfuls of fresh jam and crème fraîche. Portland’s most finicky eaters come for pristine fisha true French quicheand Danny McGeough’s startlingly delicious wines. The iconic black pepper cheesecake and lovingly fragile tartes are a reminder: Murray is a New York–trained pastry chef. Don’t miss them with tea in black iron kettles. —KB

Old-school sushi through an Oregon lens.
Not much changes at this wonderfully retroelegantly understated sushi bar and restaurantowned by the same family since 1988—except the daily specials board. For my moneythis is the most important fresh fish sheet in towna sighing surfeit of impossibly fresh seafood: Oregon abalone and Japanese firefly squidHokkaido uni and Puget Sound oystersmiso stewed mackerelcoastal craband the list goes on. Murata occupies a beautiful duality—Japanese cuisine through a Pacific Northwest lensserved with uncommon grace and hospitality. The folks next to you at the sushi bar have been coming here for 30 years. Let us all hope to visit for another 30 more. —JM

FARMHOUSE BRUNCH GONE WONDERFULLY MAD.
In 2002budding food philosopher John Taboada conceived a tiny eat spot with an “only what we love” mindset and a kind of lawlessness in the airkicking off Portland’s east-side indie food revolution. It endures as a quirky candlelit marvel on NE 28th: the dim sum–like platesthe ugly-delicious farm vegetablesthe abiding wine passionsome 80 glasses deep. The minimalist menus still arrive with a pencilchecklistand clipboard. Sprawling dinner menu roams the world and our backyard; everything available in half portionseven the hangar steak. Weekend brunch is like a farmhouse gone wild—eggs 10 waysa mountain of crusty breadand some 20 specialsperhaps steelhead trout toast or braised turnipsrootsstemsand allserved with outsize vintage spoons. If authentic Portland has a definitionNavarre is it. —KB

UNMATCHED OMAKASE AND SUNDAY HIGH TEA.
Nodoguro is its own definition of fine dining: ceremonial kaiseki without the rules. Think dinner party intimacy meets Michelin-caliber omakase conjured with love on Tokyo flea-market plates. The entrance “study” with handmade books and found relics leads to a 1920s art deco dining roomplush and moody. You’re in Ryan and Elena Roadhouse’s world. Hospitality is their art form. The night might yield a torrential uni risottosesame tofu tasting like silky halvahor an ethereal vision of Dungeness crabcustardand local matustakes. Oceanic jewels overnighted from Kyushu become a sublime sushi course. Portland’s best new experience is Sunday’s high teaa two-hour finger-food extravaganza with inventive sandwich craftrare teas. and seasonal sweets arranged whimsically on tiered trays. You feel like royalty here. Nothing slips by the Roadhouses. —KB

Meatflamesand bone marrow chowder.
A hand-cranked wood-burning grill is the centerpiece of Ox and the chariot to a grunt-worthy pork chopmassive short ribsand grilled maitake mushroomsmuch of it glazed in signature fattygarlicky “Black Gold” juice drippings. The menu—Argentine-inspired wood grillingcoal-roasted vegetablesa little Portland food mania—rarely changesand nearly every dish is a classicfrom spicy braised beef tripe to octopus with mint aioli to smoked beef tongue carpaccio. Clam chowder is the unexpected star: freshdeepand garnished the Ox waywith a smoked bone marrow the size of a Grecian pillar. —KB