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These days, rising-star chefs and the foodies who adore them are flocking to Portland. In this playground of sustainability and creativity, many of the city's hottest restaurants change menus weekly—sometimes even daily—depending upon the ingredients they have delivered to their door that morning from local farms. The combination of fertile soils, temperate weather, and nearby waters contributes to a year-round bountiful harvest (be it lettuces or hazelnuts, mushrooms or salmon) that is within any chef's reach.
And these chefs are not shy about putting new twists on old favorites. Restaurants like Le Pigeon, Beast, Ox, Ned Ludd, Natural Selection, and Aviary have all taken culinary risks by presenting imaginatively executed, often globally inspired fare while utilizing sustainable ingredients. There’s a strong willingness in and around Portland for chefs to explore their creative boundaries.
Menus frequently extend across nations and continents. First-time visitors to Portland always seem to be impressed by the culinary scene’s international diversity, especially when it comes to Asian and Mediterranean fare, but you’ll also find outstanding examples of Peruvian, Russian, regional Mexican, and dozens of other ethnic restaurants. Of course, seafood is prevalent, with chefs regularly taking advantage of the availability of fresh salmon, albacore, halibut, crab, oysters, and mussels from the rivers and the Pacific Ocean.
Most of the city's longtime favorites are concentrated in Nob Hill, the Pearl District, and downtown. But many of the city’s most exciting food scenes are on the East Side, along Alberta Street, Mississippi Avenue, Williams Avenue, Fremont Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Burnside Street, 28th Avenue, Belmont Street, Hawthorne Boulevard, and Division Street, and tucked away in many neighborhoods in between. Serious food enthusiasts will definitely want to make some trips to some of these vibrant, if out-of-the-way neighborhoods.
Bar and restaurant culture greatly overlap in Portland, and many eateries around the city stand out as much because of their carefully curated beverage programs as for their food. Expect to find wine, craft beer, and cocktail lists that rely heavily on Northwest products, and also note that many of the top cocktail lounges, brewpubs, and wine bars we included in our Nightlife and Performing Arts chapter also serve excellent tapas and bar snacks.
A laid-back North Mississippi gastropub with an L-shaped indoor bar and a bi-level back patio with lush landscaping and a shaded pergola, Interurban is both a convivial drinkery and a fine spot for affordable, well-crafted American fare served from late afternoon until 2 am. The kitchen creates consistently good and creative food, such as risotto with seasonal vegetables and smoked-trout BLT sandwiches, and there's an extensive selection of cocktails and microbrews.
The flagship restaurant of one of the country's leading sources of artisanal charcuterie, such as smoked chorizo, pepper-coated capicola, and pork-pistachio pâté, Olympia Provisions serves gorgeous platters of meats and cheeses along with more eclectic seasonal Mediterranean-influenced fare like eggplant à la plancha with pine nuts and lemon vinaigrette, and pan-roasted black cod with stewed chickpeas. The setting is a smartly designed warehouse space and features a glowing "Meat" sign which quite simply says it all. There's also a pub and a Spanish-inspired tavern, Bar Casa Vale, which are both also in Southeast.
At this trendy restaurant inside the hip KEX hotel, the menu showcases not only delectable foods of the entire Pacific Coast, including the Northwest but also California (try the steamed and then chilled Castroville artichoke with umami mayo and garlic butter) and even Baja (the Tijuana-style whole-leaf Caesar salad is spot on). The warmly lighted, atmospheric seating in the dining room–cum–lobby is at tables or the long, elliptical bar, a space that encourages lingering and socializing over an Oregon berry cast-iron crumble and rosé negroni.
This welcoming employee-owned restaurant focused on locally and seasonally sourced ingredients bills itself an "all-day café" and encourages guests to linger. Start the morning with a frittata sandwich and a latte, or drop by later in the day for a wood-fired wild mushroom pizza or a bowl of clams steamed in fennel broth, and maybe a glass of wine.
"Welcome to your friendly neighborhood beneficial bacteria emporium" is the playful greeting slogan of this locavore-minded, vegan, kombucha taproom specializing in all things fermented, from smoked-beet Reuben sandwiches with cashew-chive cheese and ruby kraut to grilled vegetables with mojo verde and fermented jalapeños. Homemade kombucha and pear-apple water kefirs are among the beverage offerings, and there's also a good variety of beers, ciders, and natural wines.
This chatter-filled breakfast and lunch spot on the edge of the Central East Side is a delightful spot for kicking off your day, with or without a splash of Campari in your glass (there's a fine selection of coffees and teas, too). The breakfast-brunch fare is superb, with chicken-and-waffles topped with hot-chili honey and Honduran baleadas (homemade flour tortillas rolled around refried beans, scrambled eggs, queso, avocado, and crema) leading the charge.
A long, narrow storefront space on the lively North Mississippi strip, this convivial restaurant with exposed-brick walls, a long bar, and high timber ceilings is appreciated as a drinking hole and source of reasonably priced, well-crafted modern American fare. Sip an inventive cocktail and order a few of the shareable small plates, such as smoked-bluefish pâté or summer squash sweet corn risotto.
