Portland’s Top 50 Restaurants | Portland Monthly
Vietnamese remixes of American brunch standards at Memoire Cà Phê.
What are the best restaurants in Portland? Where are the defining menus, the fearless voices, the charismatic cooks who help us laugh, eat like fools, and yell “Only in Portland!”? And, of course, where is the one place you need to eat before calling it a good life?
We have answers—passionate, argument-worthy answers. Which is to say: Portland is back, baby. Our updated top 50 list welcomes 14 new inductees, among them Yaowarat’s transportive homage to Bangkok’s Chinatown, Le Clown’s impressive, bootstrapping neo-Parisian cooking, and Heavenly Creatures’ reminder that Portland is a great wine city.
There’s no one definition of best, of course. What we looked for: superior craft, creativity, the little surprises, going the distance. But mostly, we’re excited about new voices, more nations at the table, and the crazy Portland spirit that refuses to be extinguished.
Smoky rice, fermented dough, and rich stews perfume Akadi’s menu.
A Captivating west african experience.
Akadi is refreshingly immersive, designed to evoke conviviality like few other restaurants. The overall effect is personal, approachable, and inclusive, with a particularly ardent following among Portland’s vegan community. Order peanut stew with fufu (a kind of sticky cassava dough perfect for dunking), or suya wings served with smoky jollof rice and a dash of Akadi’s cult tomato sauce, also available in bottles to go. Lose yourself in the room among the hanging twinkle lights, low-slung couches, cocktails made with baobab and banana, Yoruban wall masks, and West African jazz. Live music at restaurants—nearly a dead art form—is alive and well at Akadi. —Jordan Michelman“>
Akadi is refreshingly immersive, designed to evoke conviviality like few other restaurants. The overall effect is personal, approachable, and inclusive, with a particularly ardent following among Portland’s vegan community. Order peanut stew with fufu (a kind of sticky cassava dough perfect for dunking), or suya wings served with smoky jollof rice and a dash of Akadi’s cult tomato sauce, also available in bottles to go. Lose yourself in the room among the hanging twinkle lights, low-slung couches, cocktails made with baobab and banana, Yoruban wall masks, and West African jazz. Live music at restaurants—nearly a dead art form—is alive and well at Akadi. —Jordan Michelman“>
The landmark Diablo Blanca at Apizza Scholls.
Intimate nooks, inside and out, make Bellwether Bar a prime hideaway.
A Well-Kept Secret of a Public House.
Shh. For the past few years, Southeast Portlanders and industry folks have kept Bellwether Bar as their own in-the-know neighborhood jewel of the highest order. The setting: a wonderfully warm historic 1910-era building off the shoulder slope of Mount Tabor. Here, chef Jimmy Askren approaches the idea of a PNW public house with genuine intent—smoked trout roe–dotted clam dip with Old Bay chips for scooping, locally sourced beef and pork protein mains, deviled eggs for snacking, and a bar burger that disappears by the dozen from the kitchen each night. The whole is greater than the parts in a well-worn dining room that creaks with history and leads to a surprisingly large and hidden back patio. Forgiveness, please, for blowing its cover. —JM
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Shh. For the past few years, Southeast Portlanders and industry folks have kept Bellwether Bar as their own in-the-know neighborhood jewel of the highest order. The setting: a wonderfully warm historic 1910-era building off the shoulder slope of Mount Tabor. Here, chef Jimmy Askren approaches the idea of a PNW public house with genuine intent—smoked trout roe–dotted clam dip with Old Bay chips for scooping, locally sourced beef and pork protein mains, deviled eggs for snacking, and a bar burger that disappears by the dozen from the kitchen each night. The whole is greater than the parts in a well-worn dining room that creaks with history and leads to a surprisingly large and hidden back patio. Forgiveness, please, for blowing its cover. —JM
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Café Olli’s elite breakfast sandwich and Portuguese egg custard tart.
Warm vibes are on the menu at Campana.
Unshakable meatballs, pasta & cannoli.
While we were sleeping, Campana has quietly morphed into a must-know Italian restaurant, warm and thoughtful to the bone. The mood: part New Jersey food DNA, part New York fine dining. Chef-owner George Kaden comes from both worlds, and he’s got the meatballs to prove it—gorgeous beef-pork orbs swaddled in a near-spiritual evocation of East Coast tomato sauce, complete with thick, crusty garlic toast. Pastas are tone-perfect, elegantly silky tagliatelle to rustic cavatelli. Risotto is scratch-made, to order. Roasted chicken scarpariello, braised with sausage, pepperoncini, and deep, deep savor, vies for Portland’s chicken crown. Good cocktails, a Godfather-level cannoli, and attentive service seal the deal, as jazz tootles overhead. —KB
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While we were sleeping, Campana has quietly morphed into a must-know Italian restaurant, warm and thoughtful to the bone. The mood: part New Jersey food DNA, part New York fine dining. Chef-owner George Kaden comes from both worlds, and he’s got the meatballs to prove it—gorgeous beef-pork orbs swaddled in a near-spiritual evocation of East Coast tomato sauce, complete with thick, crusty garlic toast. Pastas are tone-perfect, elegantly silky tagliatelle to rustic cavatelli. Risotto is scratch-made, to order. Roasted chicken scarpariello, braised with sausage, pepperoncini, and deep, deep savor, vies for Portland’s chicken crown. Good cocktails, a Godfather-level cannoli, and attentive service seal the deal, as jazz tootles overhead. —KB
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Canard’s Painkiller Sundae swirls coconut rum granita, orange-pineapple Dole Whip, and coconut cream.
Wild fast food with sommeliers.
Le Pigeon’s next-door sister has its own groove, a neo diner inspired by France, gonzo party snacks, and wherever the kitchen wants to roam. Wild à la carte concepts turn up regularly. Hamachi tartare with banana, caviar, and lime leaf, anyone? Or how about an out-of-sight wagyu beef tartare dispatched from the kitchen with bbq potato chips that could put Kettle out of business? But some things never change: the vaunted White Castle–esque steam burgers, duck-fat grilled hotcakes, towering soft-serve parfaits, an A-level wine list, and confident cocktails. The family-friendly Oregon City location mixes “little duck” dishes with Canard staples. Who else serves chicken tenders and foie gras dumplings in French onion soup? —KB
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Le Pigeon’s next-door sister has its own groove, a neo diner inspired by France, gonzo party snacks, and wherever the kitchen wants to roam. Wild à la carte concepts turn up regularly. Hamachi tartare with banana, caviar, and lime leaf, anyone? Or how about an out-of-sight wagyu beef tartare dispatched from the kitchen with bbq potato chips that could put Kettle out of business? But some things never change: the vaunted White Castle–esque steam burgers, duck-fat grilled hotcakes, towering soft-serve parfaits, an A-level wine list, and confident cocktails. The family-friendly Oregon City location mixes “little duck” dishes with Canard staples. Who else serves chicken tenders and foie gras dumplings in French onion soup? —KB
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Daily pastries are the secret sauce at Coquine Market Café.
Everyday Michelin cooking.
Dinners are high-end homey. Seasonality is a touchstone. The nerdy wine list impresses. Service is total pro. Yet, you never forget you’re in laid-back Portland, dining on a sleepy residential corner beneath idyllic Mt. Tabor Park. Dishes are pretty but not studied, interesting but never try too hard. Go chef’s choice or à la carte, lovely soups to dialed pastas to a fermented honey–lacquered, pan-roasted duck breast. Socca, a rolled chickpea pancake, crackles like a giant, grill-toasted potato chip. The pro move here: Order the interactive caviar service with changing accessories, perhaps onion bread and french onion dip or potato fritters; the chocolate chip cookies are a must. Next door, Coquine Market shape-shifts from a coffee pastry destination to a low-lit happening at night dubbed Katy Jane’s, complete with briny martinis and crawfish dip (walk-ins only). —KB
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Dinners are high-end homey. Seasonality is a touchstone. The nerdy wine list impresses. Service is total pro. Yet, you never forget you’re in laid-back Portland, dining on a sleepy residential corner beneath idyllic Mt. Tabor Park. Dishes are pretty but not studied, interesting but never try too hard. Go chef’s choice or à la carte, lovely soups to dialed pastas to a fermented honey–lacquered, pan-roasted duck breast. Socca, a rolled chickpea pancake, crackles like a giant, grill-toasted potato chip. The pro move here: Order the interactive caviar service with changing accessories, perhaps onion bread and french onion dip or potato fritters; the chocolate chip cookies are a must. Next door, Coquine Market shape-shifts from a coffee pastry destination to a low-lit happening at night dubbed Katy Jane’s, complete with briny martinis and crawfish dip (walk-ins only). —KB
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Even the pâté plate at Davenport is a mood ring for what’s in season.
Heavenly gnocchi, serious integrity, cult champagne.
Portland’s mythical food scene lives on within this perfectionistic, votive-glowing, defiantly uncool den. No chef statements here, just a sensibility—pristine oysters, masterful seared scallops, or perhaps duck sided by persimmons so ripe you’d swear it’s custard. The worn wood bar hides a deep trove of cult Champagnes and infallible wines poured into glassware typically reserved for the swanky set. At 76, Portland food legend Jerry Huisinga (Genoa, Bar Mingo) has teamed up with Davenport’s ingredient Jedi Kevin Gibson—two white-jacketed titans together at last. It’s like watching Pacino and De Niro in Heat. Huisinga makes the ethereal gnocchi; Gibson makes the devastating lamb neck sugo on top. It may be the best thing you’ll eat this year. —KB
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Portland’s mythical food scene lives on within this perfectionistic, votive-glowing, defiantly uncool den. No chef statements here, just a sensibility—pristine oysters, masterful seared scallops, or perhaps duck sided by persimmons so ripe you’d swear it’s custard. The worn wood bar hides a deep trove of cult Champagnes and infallible wines poured into glassware typically reserved for the swanky set. At 76, Portland food legend Jerry Huisinga (Genoa, Bar Mingo) has teamed up with Davenport’s ingredient Jedi Kevin Gibson—two white-jacketed titans together at last. It’s like watching Pacino and De Niro in Heat. Huisinga makes the ethereal gnocchi; Gibson makes the devastating lamb neck sugo on top. It may be the best thing you’ll eat this year. —KB
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Eem’s burnt brisket end coconut curry, an icon of Portland eating.
Endless buns, balls, and dumplings at Excellent Cuisine.
Dim sum that lives up to its name.
The daytime-nighttime split at this Cantonese dim sum hall delivers two hits in one dining room. By day, carts whir around the room, serving bowls of steaming congee, dozens of classic dishes, and less common options like popping orange juice balls or red rice shrimp rolls. By night, Excellent Cuisine roars again: whole crabs are fried with ginger and scallion, tables crush bottles of Tsingtao or expensive cabernets, and wonton soup releases enough herbaceous depth to cure any ailment. The parking lot is bursting, and somebody’s great uncle is out front smoking every 20 minutes. Tables stay perpetually full, and for excellent reason. —JM
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The daytime-nighttime split at this Cantonese dim sum hall delivers two hits in one dining room. By day, carts whir around the room, serving bowls of steaming congee, dozens of classic dishes, and less common options like popping orange juice balls or red rice shrimp rolls. By night, Excellent Cuisine roars again: whole crabs are fried with ginger and scallion, tables crush bottles of Tsingtao or expensive cabernets, and wonton soup releases enough herbaceous depth to cure any ailment. The parking lot is bursting, and somebody’s great uncle is out front smoking every 20 minutes. Tables stay perpetually full, and for excellent reason. —JM
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Bar vet Michael Anders is Expatriate’s accomplished hospitalitarian.
Vinyl cuts, serious snacks, careful cocktails.
Everything here speaks to my soul. Not just the drinking snacks, which are pretty perfect, but the gritty-meets-glamorous aesthetic and not one, but two turntables. In the mix is arguably the city’s best cheeseburger (at least according to Portland Monthly’s obsessive Burger Cabal) and without question, its wildest nachos, plus James Beard’s famed onion and butter sandwich, perfectly expressed. The “hot and sour spiced Indian fries” elicit F-bombs of joy around the table. That doesn’t count the careful cocktails. Expatriate, a destination since 2013, is more than a “bar.” The house philosophy is “not just a dish, but a perfect version of that thing, a serious attempt.” Truth. —KB
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Everything here speaks to my soul. Not just the drinking snacks, which are pretty perfect, but the gritty-meets-glamorous aesthetic and not one, but two turntables. In the mix is arguably the city’s best cheeseburger (at least according to Portland Monthly’s obsessive Burger Cabal) and without question, its wildest nachos, plus James Beard’s famed onion and butter sandwich, perfectly expressed. The “hot and sour spiced Indian fries” elicit F-bombs of joy around the table. That doesn’t count the careful cocktails. Expatriate, a destination since 2013, is more than a “bar.” The house philosophy is “not just a dish, but a perfect version of that thing, a serious attempt.” Truth. —KB
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Korean Fried Chicken rave in Beaverton.
Crispy! Sweet! Spicy! The fried chicken is crackling, the beer is flowing, the room is glowing, and now a heaving tray of tteokbokki goes drifting past, redolent with a molten layer of mozzarella cheese. Someone orders a bottle of soju and then everyone else joins in, half bottles of the good stuff zooming around in a ballet of brightly lit bibendum. Are we in Seoul or K-Town LA? No, it’s downtown Beaverton. And while you might wait for a table—perhaps even an hour on a busy Friday night—the lure of that sweet-spicy fried chicken is eminently worth it. The walls vibrate with energy and Korean film posters. You want two orders of wings—both styles—and you want beer. Keep it coming! —JM
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Crispy! Sweet! Spicy! The fried chicken is crackling, the beer is flowing, the room is glowing, and now a heaving tray of tteokbokki goes drifting past, redolent with a molten layer of mozzarella cheese. Someone orders a bottle of soju and then everyone else joins in, half bottles of the good stuff zooming around in a ballet of brightly lit bibendum. Are we in Seoul or K-Town LA? No, it’s downtown Beaverton. And while you might wait for a table—perhaps even an hour on a busy Friday night—the lure of that sweet-spicy fried chicken is eminently worth it. The walls vibrate with energy and Korean film posters. You want two orders of wings—both styles—and you want beer. Keep it coming! —JM
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Gado Gado brings the party to the table.
Rocking Indonesian-Chinese(ish) food fest.
Nowhere else delivers a comparable parade of Indonesian-Malaysian-Chinese(ish) foods buzz-sawed with family traditions, Northwest ingredients, and a freewheeling cabinet of Southeast Asian spices, food to cocktails. The expressive à la carte menu might juggle ecstatic roti flatbread, dry-aged steak tartare scooped up with squid ink crackers, and grilled shrimp chilling in guava aguachile. Or just let the kitchen cook up its family-style Rice Table feast. The popping boba Jell-O shots, eaten with a spoon from a tiny cup, rethink the notion of a cocktail. Have two. Outdoor eating nooks are tricked out like souks, with speakers beaming disco and reggae. —KB
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Nowhere else delivers a comparable parade of Indonesian-Malaysian-Chinese(ish) foods buzz-sawed with family traditions, Northwest ingredients, and a freewheeling cabinet of Southeast Asian spices, food to cocktails. The expressive à la carte menu might juggle ecstatic roti flatbread, dry-aged steak tartare scooped up with squid ink crackers, and grilled shrimp chilling in guava aguachile. Or just let the kitchen cook up its family-style Rice Table feast. The popping boba Jell-O shots, eaten with a spoon from a tiny cup, rethink the notion of a cocktail. Have two. Outdoor eating nooks are tricked out like souks, with speakers beaming disco and reggae. —KB
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Güero’s carnitas-stuffed torta ahogada is toasty, spicy, and classically messy.
Spellbinding tortas and much more.
Tortas on toasted bolillos are the show at this hopping neighborhood spot. The carnitas-stuffed torta ahogada—planted in a pool of achiote tomato sauce for “dipping or drowning”—skips across the tongue like a smiling demon, messy, spicy, wicked delicious. Desayuno, another fave, taps braised beef and chicharrón de queso to upgrade the fried-egg sandwich. The mile-high hamburguesa has its own following, towering with avocado and ham and queso Oaxaca. Meanwhile, one of the city’s best bowls lives here, its pinto beans, lime rice, and esquites swathed in avocado dressing and condiments. No shortage of mezcal or good tunes. —KB
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Tortas on toasted bolillos are the show at this hopping neighborhood spot. The carnitas-stuffed torta ahogada—planted in a pool of achiote tomato sauce for “dipping or drowning”—skips across the tongue like a smiling demon, messy, spicy, wicked delicious. Desayuno, another fave, taps braised beef and chicharrón de queso to upgrade the fried-egg sandwich. The mile-high hamburguesa has its own following, towering with avocado and ham and queso Oaxaca. Meanwhile, one of the city’s best bowls lives here, its pinto beans, lime rice, and esquites swathed in avocado dressing and condiments. No shortage of mezcal or good tunes. —KB
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Han Oak’s indoor-outdoor dining space is a work of happy magic.
Backyard Korean–American prix fixe, plus karaoke.
Han Oak lives on its own terms—Korean home cooking remixed with house party vibes in a magical indoor-outdoor space. At Peter Cho and Sun Young Park’s joint, kids romp around a grassy backyard in full view of candlelit dining nooks. Korean culture, Oregon ingredients, and cheeky flavor notes mingle freely in the $65 jipbap feast. To start: soup, rice, refined seafood, and playful banchan— crabn’eggs to kale salad rippling with “crunchy crunch.” Choose-your-own-entrée veers from pork ribs seriously funked up in kim-chili glaze or galbi-jjim short ribs slow cooked with a little Mexican Coke. Coffee jelly tiramisu is a signature dessert. At night’s end, Han Oak transforms into a boisterous karaoke bar, disco lights and fog machines included. —KB
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Han Oak lives on its own terms—Korean home cooking remixed with house party vibes in a magical indoor-outdoor space. At Peter Cho and Sun Young Park’s joint, kids romp around a grassy backyard in full view of candlelit dining nooks. Korean culture, Oregon ingredients, and cheeky flavor notes mingle freely in the $65 jipbap feast. To start: soup, rice, refined seafood, and playful banchan— crabn’eggs to kale salad rippling with “crunchy crunch.” Choose-your-own-entrée veers from pork ribs seriously funked up in kim-chili glaze or galbi-jjim short ribs slow cooked with a little Mexican Coke. Coffee jelly tiramisu is a signature dessert. At night’s end, Han Oak transforms into a boisterous karaoke bar, disco lights and fog machines included. —KB
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The wine is serious, the snacks playful at Heavenly Creatures.
Paris goes to Portland, mais oui.
“What if we make a place like the ones we love in Europe, only here in Portland?” This impulse is easy to dream, but difficult to achieve. No place pulls it off better in 2024 than Heavenly Creatures, a waltzing, wafting puff of perfumed air in the guise of a Parisian wine cave lost on NE Broadway. Like at those 11th Arrondissement joints, bottles of wine line the walls and a dozen eminently curated glasses make an appearance each night, with an unapologetic focus on France. Look closer and you’ll find little plates of yellowtail toast or chilled lamb shoulder or soft cheeses served with potato chips. The wine flows. The room glows. C’est si bon. —MT
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“What if we make a place like the ones we love in Europe, only here in Portland?” This impulse is easy to dream, but difficult to achieve. No place pulls it off better in 2024 than Heavenly Creatures, a waltzing, wafting puff of perfumed air in the guise of a Parisian wine cave lost on NE Broadway. Like at those 11th Arrondissement joints, bottles of wine line the walls and a dozen eminently curated glasses make an appearance each night, with an unapologetic focus on France. Look closer and you’ll find little plates of yellowtail toast or chilled lamb shoulder or soft cheeses served with potato chips. The wine flows. The room glows. C’est si bon. —MT
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The last great taste of Portland food history.
One of the first farm-to-table restaurants to open in Portland in the early 1990s, Higgins has staying power. This can be attributed in part to its timeless cuisine: world-class house-cured charcuterie and seasonal risottos, not to mention chef-owner Greg Higgins’s longtime loyalty to the local farmers who produce his ingredients, which translates to a surprisingly vegan-friendly menu. Regulars often skip the white-tablecloth dining room and settle in at the homey, wood-worn back bar, with its formidable beer list, uptown lunch menu, and some of the city’s best soups, changing daily. —KB
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One of the first farm-to-table restaurants to open in Portland in the early 1990s, Higgins has staying power. This can be attributed in part to its timeless cuisine: world-class house-cured charcuterie and seasonal risottos, not to mention chef-owner Greg Higgins’s longtime loyalty to the local farmers who produce his ingredients, which translates to a surprisingly vegan-friendly menu. Regulars often skip the white-tablecloth dining room and settle in at the homey, wood-worn back bar, with its formidable beer list, uptown lunch menu, and some of the city’s best soups, changing daily. —KB
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Bartender Alani Vierra shakes up Jeju’s clever cocktails.
Full-service KBBQ, with soju frogs.
What would fancy Korean BBQ taste like if cut loose in Portland? Jeju has answers. No tableside gas grills—the kitchen does the work over the embers of a wood fire. Throw in whole animal butchery, dry-aging, some modernist touches, soju that squirts out of a frog’s mouth at your table. It all comes together in a lantern-glowing, hip-hopping Korean steakhouse – meaty house cuts and sides, a spicy Ceasar, a bao burger, and fat, thrice-cooked fries in the mix. At the bar, your Negroni is infused with Jolly Pong cereal snack. Bottom line: the grown-up sequel to Han Oak, from freethinkers Peter Cho and Sun Young Park. —KB
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Vodka magic, Euro disco, sour cherry dumplings.
Can you hear it? The rhythm pulses through you—the irrepressible backbeat unce-unce-unce of Euro-disco, ever-present on the soundtrack inside Kachka. Like a dacha dance party masquerading as a restaurant, Kachka draws on a panoply of pan-Soviet influences to create a raucous atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the city. With Uzbek shashlik, Armenian çiğ köfte, and Ukrainian sour cherry dumplings, this is resolutely not “Russian food.” It’s the Iron Curtain transformed into a discotheque, fueled by a dozen seasonally flavored vodkas, chased by pickle juice and salt-lick splashes of creamy Borjomi mineral water. Don’t fight it, feel it. —JM
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Can you hear it? The rhythm pulses through you—the irrepressible backbeat unce-unce-unce of Euro-disco, ever-present on the soundtrack inside Kachka. Like a dacha dance party masquerading as a restaurant, Kachka draws on a panoply of pan-Soviet influences to create a raucous atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the city. With Uzbek shashlik, Armenian çiğ köfte, and Ukrainian sour cherry dumplings, this is resolutely not “Russian food.” It’s the Iron Curtain transformed into a discotheque, fueled by a dozen seasonally flavored vodkas, chased by pickle juice and salt-lick splashes of creamy Borjomi mineral water. Don’t fight it, feel it. —JM
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Kaede’s nightly nigiri includes rare finds from Tokyo.
Kann’s griyo composes twice-cooked pork, Haitian-style crisp plantains, and tart pikliz.
Langbaan’s famed Thai tasting menu unfolds at midcentury modern booths.
Thai tasting wunderkind.
Langbaan is, pure and simple, one of the country’s most original Thai tasting menus—with the 2024 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award to prove it. It belongs to the Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom and Eric Nelson school of Portland dining (see also: Eem and Yaowarat). The blueprint includes ever-changing themes, historical dishes, modern touches, and a strong nod to local ingredients; Thursdays through Sundays, reservation only. Think of Phuket Café as its happy roommate, with à la carte dishes big and small, lunch or dinner. Standouts include the dramatic whole fried pompano salad, wondrous fried tofu, and outdoor seats in a colorful Thai “train car.” —KB
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Langbaan is, pure and simple, one of the country’s most original Thai tasting menus—with the 2024 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award to prove it. It belongs to the Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom and Eric Nelson school of Portland dining (see also: Eem and Yaowarat). The blueprint includes ever-changing themes, historical dishes, modern touches, and a strong nod to local ingredients; Thursdays through Sundays, reservation only. Think of Phuket Café as its happy roommate, with à la carte dishes big and small, lunch or dinner. Standouts include the dramatic whole fried pompano salad, wondrous fried tofu, and outdoor seats in a colorful Thai “train car.” —KB
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Schug-spiced fries shine bright at Lil’ Shalom.
Your mezze needs and more.
Lil’ Shalom is a counter service closet of a restaurant capable of satisfying your hankering for falafel, criminally smooth hummus (plain or with pastrami shreds), and extraordinarily airy pita, baked to order. Various sides and snacks fill out the menu, from red schug-spiced fries to sumac-tinged grilled cauliflower, plus desserts and cocktails, indoors or out. It’s our favorite of a trio of interconnected Mediterranean spots from the Sesame Collective. The Pearl District’s splashy, full-service Mediterranean Exploration Company (a.k.a. MEC), with its lamb-chops-before-the-theater vibe, is the dressiest of the three. Southeast’s bustling Shalom Y’all covers the middle ground: bring a schmancy date, or belly up to the bar for shawarma. —MT
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Lil’ Shalom is a counter service closet of a restaurant capable of satisfying your hankering for falafel, criminally smooth hummus (plain or with pastrami shreds), and extraordinarily airy pita, baked to order. Various sides and snacks fill out the menu, from red schug-spiced fries to sumac-tinged grilled cauliflower, plus desserts and cocktails, indoors or out. It’s our favorite of a trio of interconnected Mediterranean spots from the Sesame Collective. The Pearl District’s splashy, full-service Mediterranean Exploration Company (a.k.a. MEC), with its lamb-chops-before-the-theater vibe, is the dressiest of the three. Southeast’s bustling Shalom Y’all covers the middle ground: bring a schmancy date, or belly up to the bar for shawarma. —MT
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Mustard green flowers find new glory on a Lovely’s pizza.
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 march across the chewy sourdough crust. A spring pie mingled taleggio cheese and stinging nettle leaves, which bike-riding owner Sarah Minnick foraged that morning in, of all places, Forest Park. A diner once spotted her milling about the urban park’s bushes: “Is that you, Chef Minnick?” No wonder Italian pizza master Franco Pepe is a fan. This is pizza on its own mountaintop, in its own conversation, with 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
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Great traditional pizza is everywhere. But there is only one Lovely’s Fifty Fifty. Flavors you don’t associate with pizza march across the chewy sourdough crust. A spring pie mingled taleggio cheese and stinging nettle leaves, which bike-riding owner Sarah Minnick foraged that morning in, of all places, Forest Park. A diner once spotted her milling about the urban park’s bushes: “Is that you, Chef Minnick?” No wonder Italian pizza master Franco Pepe is a fan. This is pizza on its own mountaintop, in its own conversation, with 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
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Luce’s enduring mini-mart charm, captured here in our 2017 Best Restaurants issue.
The littlest Italy.
This charming spot evokes small-town Italy and the best of Portland, from the handmade ambience to candlelit grocery shelves. The space has the feel of a ladylike hardware store, with teeny tables, indoors and out. Unadorned plates carry the kitchen’s paean to honest Italian food: pasta, fresh focaccia, and olive oil cake. Make a party out of the $2 antipasti list, slurp a truly soulful cappelletti in brodo, or make hay on insider favorites—stuffed trout and a hunk of blackened cabbage seemingly cooked by an ironworker, twinkling with garlic oil. Nearly everything is under $20, and the terrific Italian wine list is priced to drink. —KB
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This charming spot evokes small-town Italy and the best of Portland, from the handmade ambience to candlelit grocery shelves. The space has the feel of a ladylike hardware store, with teeny tables, indoors and out. Unadorned plates carry the kitchen’s paean to honest Italian food: pasta, fresh focaccia, and olive oil cake. Make a party out of the $2 antipasti list, slurp a truly soulful cappelletti in brodo, or make hay on insider favorites—stuffed trout and a hunk of blackened cabbage seemingly cooked by an ironworker, twinkling with garlic oil. Nearly everything is under $20, and the terrific Italian wine list is priced to drink. —KB
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Magna Kusina’s crab lugaw (front right) includes chili crisps and a poached egg.
Filipino with a cheffy twist.
Chef Carlo Lamagna serves the city’s most polished Filipino food at Magna Kusina, but the setting is comfortably convivial. Staples skew traditional: charcoal-grilled skewers, longanisa (sausage) to pork intestine; garlicky bowls of laing, thick with coconut-braised taro greens; killer classic lumpia. Others twist recipes, nostalgia, and cultures, like Mom’s Crab Fat Noodles—squid ink spaghetti in sarsa, the funky-hot coconut sauce, with a heavy ration of Dungeness. Industry advocate Lamagna is also a major mentor to upcoming cooks, particularly those with Southeast Asian heritage. —MT
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Chef Carlo Lamagna serves the city’s most polished Filipino food at Magna Kusina, but the setting is comfortably convivial. Staples skew traditional: charcoal-grilled skewers, longanisa (sausage) to pork intestine; garlicky bowls of laing, thick with coconut-braised taro greens; killer classic lumpia. Others twist recipes, nostalgia, and cultures, like Mom’s Crab Fat Noodles—squid ink spaghetti in sarsa, the funky-hot coconut sauce, with a heavy ration of Dungeness. Industry advocate Lamagna is also a major mentor to upcoming cooks, particularly those with Southeast Asian heritage. —MT
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Shaved beets hover over one of the stunning, daily open-faced sandwiches at Måurice.
The French-Norwegian luncheonette of your dreams.
Portland’s most unique lunch spot is an intimate little kingdom of French-Norwegian fervor, antique dishes, baking joy, chanteuse music, and seasonal excitement. It comes together in a daily à la carte menu from the talented Kristen Murray. Portland’s most finicky eaters come for quality seafood, a true French quiche with a custardy jiggle, or cloudlike polenta clafoutis capped with a gorgeous poached egg. Make a meal of dessert, black pepper cheesecake or lemon soufflé pudding cake tangy enough to earn the French Legion of Honor. —KB
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Portland’s most unique lunch spot is an intimate little kingdom of French-Norwegian fervor, antique dishes, baking joy, chanteuse music, and seasonal excitement. It comes together in a daily à la carte menu from the talented Kristen Murray. Portland’s most finicky eaters come for quality seafood, a true French quiche with a custardy jiggle, or cloudlike polenta clafoutis capped with a gorgeous poached egg. Make a meal of dessert, black pepper cheesecake or lemon soufflé pudding cake tangy enough to earn the French Legion of Honor. —KB
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Mémoire Cà Phê owners Kim Dam (Portland Cà Phê ), Richard Le (Matta), and Lisa Nguyen (HeyDay) combined their epicurean superpowers to open their Vietnamese American brunch café on Alberta.
Vietnamese American Brunch With Cool Kid Charm
Alberta’s hottest Vietnamese Americana café plays like a supergroup album—with no skips. Richard Le, of the pop-up Matta, provides the Vietnamese fast food remixes, like fish sauce bacon, egg, and cheeses on milk buns. Pastry chef Lisa Nguyen, of the now-closed HeyDay Doughnut, handles the shop’s springy rice flour pastries and black sesame cinnamon rolls. And Vietnamese coffee bean evangelist Kim Dam, of Portland Cà Phê, tops profoundly strong iced coffees with celestial egg fluff. Its tiny coffee shop digs and laid-back vibe belie Mémoire Cà Phê’s command of Asian American culinary motifs and breakfast staples: Chewy pandan waffles with chile maple syrup and a traditional-ish shrimp omelet (trung chien), swirled with herby salsa and fried shallots, capture the second-gen experience with a cohesive, fresh perspective. —Brooke Jackson-Glidden
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Alberta’s hottest Vietnamese Americana café plays like a supergroup album—with no skips. Richard Le, of the pop-up Matta, provides the Vietnamese fast food remixes, like fish sauce bacon, egg, and cheeses on milk buns. Pastry chef Lisa Nguyen, of the now-closed HeyDay Doughnut, handles the shop’s springy rice flour pastries and black sesame cinnamon rolls. And Vietnamese coffee bean evangelist Kim Dam, of Portland Cà Phê, tops profoundly strong iced coffees with celestial egg fluff. Its tiny coffee shop digs and laid-back vibe belie Mémoire Cà Phê’s command of Asian American culinary motifs and breakfast staples: Chewy pandan waffles with chile maple syrup and a traditional-ish shrimp omelet (trung chien), swirled with herby salsa and fried shallots, capture the second-gen experience with a cohesive, fresh perspective. —Brooke Jackson-Glidden
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Old-school sushi through an Oregon lens.
Not much changes at this wonderfully retro, elegantly understated sushi bar and restaurant, owned by the same family since 1988—except the daily specials board. For my money, this is the most important fresh fish sheet in town, a sighing surfeit of impossibly fresh seafood: Oregon abalone and Japanese firefly squid, Hokkaido uni and Puget Sound oysters, miso stewed mackerel, coastal crab, and the list goes on. Murata occupies a beautiful duality—Japanese cuisine through a Pacific Northwest lens, served 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
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Not much changes at this wonderfully retro, elegantly understated sushi bar and restaurant, owned by the same family since 1988—except the daily specials board. For my money, this is the most important fresh fish sheet in town, a sighing surfeit of impossibly fresh seafood: Oregon abalone and Japanese firefly squid, Hokkaido uni and Puget Sound oysters, miso stewed mackerel, coastal crab, and the list goes on. Murata occupies a beautiful duality—Japanese cuisine through a Pacific Northwest lens, served 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
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Brunch, Navarre style, includes eggs 10 ways and 20 specials.
Farmhouse brunch gone wonderfully mad.
In 2002, budding food philosopher John Taboada conceived a tiny eat spot with an “only what we love” mindset and a kind of lawlessness in the air, kicking off Portland’s east-side indie food revolution. It remains an unfussy marvel on NE 28th: the dim sum–like plates, the ugly-delicious farm vegetables, the abiding wine passion. The minimalist menus still arrive with a pencil, checklist, and clipboard. Sprawling menus roam the world and our backyard. Weekend brunch is like a farmhouse gone mad—eggs 10 ways, a mountain of crusty bread, and some 20 specials, perhaps steelhead trout toast or braised turnips, roots, stems, and all, served with outsize vintage spoons. If authentic Portland has a definition, Navarre is it. —KB
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In 2002, budding food philosopher John Taboada conceived a tiny eat spot with an “only what we love” mindset and a kind of lawlessness in the air, kicking off Portland’s east-side indie food revolution. It remains an unfussy marvel on NE 28th: the dim sum–like plates, the ugly-delicious farm vegetables, the abiding wine passion. The minimalist menus still arrive with a pencil, checklist, and clipboard. Sprawling menus roam the world and our backyard. Weekend brunch is like a farmhouse gone mad—eggs 10 ways, a mountain of crusty bread, and some 20 specials, perhaps steelhead trout toast or braised turnips, roots, stems, and all, served with outsize vintage spoons. If authentic Portland has a definition, Navarre is it. —KB
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Nodoguro is the definition of simple, beautiful perfection.
Unmatched Omakase with a charmed vibe.
Nodoguro has its own definition of fine dining: ceremonial kaiseki without the rules. Think dinner party vibes, Michelin-caliber omakase, and superb sushi craft conjured with love and poetry on flea-market plates, some 100 years old. Since 2014, the concept has had more makeovers than Madonna, in different locations, each an invitation into the obsessions of Ryan and Elena Roadhouse. Their spring 2025 chapter transports diners to 1920s Japan in Portland’s best new space—plush, moody, full of found objects. Go as deep as you like, adding a hardcore sushi adventure or caviar service to the night’s tasting menu. Meanwhile, over in Kerns, the Roadhouses’ impressive new side project Peter Cat blends izakaya whimsy, vintage Tokyo vinyl, and a staggering slate of sake pours from small Japanese producers at 623 NE 23rd Ave. Get the jump via Nodoguro’s newsletter, reservations go fast. —KB
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Nodoguro has its own definition of fine dining: ceremonial kaiseki without the rules. Think dinner party vibes, Michelin-caliber omakase, and superb sushi craft conjured with love and poetry on flea-market plates, some 100 years old. Since 2014, the concept has had more makeovers than Madonna, in different locations, each an invitation into the obsessions of Ryan and Elena Roadhouse. Their spring 2025 chapter transports diners to 1920s Japan in Portland’s best new space—plush, moody, full of found objects. Go as deep as you like, adding a hardcore sushi adventure or caviar service to the night’s tasting menu. Meanwhile, over in Kerns, the Roadhouses’ impressive new side project Peter Cat blends izakaya whimsy, vintage Tokyo vinyl, and a staggering slate of sake pours from small Japanese producers at 623 NE 23rd Ave. Get the jump via Nodoguro’s newsletter, reservations go fast. —KB
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Gnocchi bouillabaisse at Normandie.
An oceanic, sorta french wild child.
While nautical–vibed Normandie’s chaotic elements have raised eyebrows in the past, the bistro has matured into a cohesive, elegant whole without sacrificing its sense of reckless fun. Chef and co-owner Heather Kintler draws inspiration from the semi-eponymous French region but eschews strict adherence. Calvados cocktails and appetizers—think steaming Dungeness crab beignets and decadent chicken liver mousse—hit the marble bar ahead of seared albacore dotted with uni crème fraiche and cheffy burgers draped in gooey alpine cheese, crowned with onion rings. Finish with madeleines nestled in calvados-caramel sauce to round things out—best paired with even more apple brandy—and bask in the bombastic, barely restrained indulgence of it all. —Alex Frane
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While nautical–vibed Normandie’s chaotic elements have raised eyebrows in the past, the bistro has matured into a cohesive, elegant whole without sacrificing its sense of reckless fun. Chef and co-owner Heather Kintler draws inspiration from the semi-eponymous French region but eschews strict adherence. Calvados cocktails and appetizers—think steaming Dungeness crab beignets and decadent chicken liver mousse—hit the marble bar ahead of seared albacore dotted with uni crème fraiche and cheffy burgers draped in gooey alpine cheese, crowned with onion rings. Finish with madeleines nestled in calvados-caramel sauce to round things out—best paired with even more apple brandy—and bask in the bombastic, barely restrained indulgence of it all. —Alex Frane
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The Japanese comfort food at Obon Shokudo often sports housemade misos and Oregon-grown produce.
Japanese comfort food that’s casually vegan.
Homestyle Japanese comfort food wears a casual grace at Obon Shokudo, a comfy, bright, and gently punk rock little restaurant. The udon noodles are gleefully slurpable, the misos zippy and numerous, and the tempura fritters (kakiage) light as lace. It’s all made onsite, fermented hot sauce to tofu misozuke, and it all happens to be vegan—sating the city’s animal product–free beau monde, deliciously. Behind indigo noren curtains, chef and co owner Humiko Hozumi approximates dishes she grew up eating in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture. You want udon, tucked in a brothy curry or chilled with sesame. And you want onigiri: tender pearls of sprouted brown rice clustered around creamy fermented tofu; they’re finished with a toasted smear of an oddball miso made from things like hominy or pistachios. —MT
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Homestyle Japanese comfort food wears a casual grace at Obon Shokudo, a comfy, bright, and gently punk rock little restaurant. The udon noodles are gleefully slurpable, the misos zippy and numerous, and the tempura fritters (kakiage) light as lace. It’s all made onsite, fermented hot sauce to tofu misozuke, and it all happens to be vegan—sating the city’s animal product–free beau monde, deliciously. Behind indigo noren curtains, chef and co owner Humiko Hozumi approximates dishes she grew up eating in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture. You want udon, tucked in a brothy curry or chilled with sesame. And you want onigiri: tender pearls of sprouted brown rice clustered around creamy fermented tofu; they’re finished with a toasted smear of an oddball miso made from things like hominy or pistachios. —MT
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Ecstatic salted egg yolk curry fries with sambal ketchup at Oma’s.
Spirited sambal meets Americana fast food.
Gado Gado’s sister spot is the missing link between sambals, char siu pork, and a rocking burger that juggles American cheese and chile shrimp jam. This is where Indonesian fried chicken thighs share space with salted egg yolk curry fries, as psychedelic Indonesian music wafts overhead. Get anything with the cherry cola char siu pork, arranged over coconut rice or tangled with springy noodles. Outdoor seats are prime here, out front or on the backyard summer patio, which boasts its own rhinestone bar and inventive cocktails. —KB
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Gado Gado’s sister spot is the missing link between sambals, char siu pork, and a rocking burger that juggles American cheese and chile shrimp jam. This is where Indonesian fried chicken thighs share space with salted egg yolk curry fries, as psychedelic Indonesian music wafts overhead. Get anything with the cherry cola char siu pork, arranged over coconut rice or tangled with springy noodles. Outdoor seats are prime here, out front or on the backyard summer patio, which boasts its own rhinestone bar and inventive cocktails. —KB
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Meat, flames, and bone marrow chowder.
A hand-cranked wood-burning grill is the centerpiece of Ox and the chariot to a grunt-worthy pork chop, massive short ribs, and grilled maitake mushrooms, much of it glazed in signature fatty, garlicky “Black Gold” juice drippings. The menu—Argentine-inspired wood grilling, coal-roasted vegetables, a little Portland food mania—rarely changes, and nearly every dish is a classic, from spicy braised beef tripe to octopus with mint aioli to smoked beef tongue carpaccio. Clam chowder is the unexpected star: fresh, deep, and garnished the Ox way, with a smoked bone marrow the size of a Grecian pillar. —KB
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A hand-cranked wood-burning grill is the centerpiece of Ox and the chariot to a grunt-worthy pork chop, massive short ribs, and grilled maitake mushrooms, much of it glazed in signature fatty, garlicky “Black Gold” juice drippings. The menu—Argentine-inspired wood grilling, coal-roasted vegetables, a little Portland food mania—rarely changes, and nearly every dish is a classic, from spicy braised beef tripe to octopus with mint aioli to smoked beef tongue carpaccio. Clam chowder is the unexpected star: fresh, deep, and garnished the Ox way, with a smoked bone marrow the size of a Grecian pillar. —KB
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Myanmar flavors meet Italian pasta art at Rangoon Bistro.
Kasumi Manabe is among the bar wizards at Scotch Lodge.
Smartly dressed cocktail salon.
The best thing about this dark, sexy food and drink cave? You can make your own world here. Every night, every table is a different experience. The guy in the corner might be having an epiphany over old Macallans and Japanese whiskey rarely seen outside collector cabals. Daters at the chef’s counter juggle dill pickle–flavored fries, modernist fried brie sticks, elegant vegetables, and some of Portland’s best pasta. (How is this food still under the radar?) Steps away, at the other marble bar, folks chat up ace bartenders who put the likes of coconut vermouth and popping blueberry pearls in smoky drinks. For all its scholarly curations, Scotch Lodge has not an ounce of pretension. —KB
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The best thing about this dark, sexy food and drink cave? You can make your own world here. Every night, every table is a different experience. The guy in the corner might be having an epiphany over old Macallans and Japanese whiskey rarely seen outside collector cabals. Daters at the chef’s counter juggle dill pickle–flavored fries, modernist fried brie sticks, elegant vegetables, and some of Portland’s best pasta. (How is this food still under the radar?) Steps away, at the other marble bar, folks chat up ace bartenders who put the likes of coconut vermouth and popping blueberry pearls in smoky drinks. For all its scholarly curations, Scotch Lodge has not an ounce of pretension. —KB
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Scottie’s pepperoni pizza is righteous to the bone.
Corner slice meets the art of neapolitan pizza.
No place better distills the essence of 1970s New York—Mean Streets New York—in pie form. Scott Rivera pays tribute to hometown heroes from Brooklyn. But, typical in Portland, he pulls a hodgepodge of ideologies and obsessions into his pizza gestalt. In the mix: the DNA of a New York corner slice and the art of Neapolitan pie, all melded into something ineluctably crispy, chewy, tender, and tangy. The original Southeast shop has corner-joint character, plus whole pies, limited slices, and a few coveted seats. Northwest has plentiful booths, wine and beer, and Portland’s most serious slice game, sesame-clad Frankie P slices to squares of DeFino pie (grandma-style). Upgrade any slice with a big dollop of decadent burrata for a buck. —MT
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No place better distills the essence of 1970s New York—Mean Streets New York—in pie form. Scott Rivera pays tribute to hometown heroes from Brooklyn. But, typical in Portland, he pulls a hodgepodge of ideologies and obsessions into his pizza gestalt. In the mix: the DNA of a New York corner slice and the art of Neapolitan pie, all melded into something ineluctably crispy, chewy, tender, and tangy. The original Southeast shop has corner-joint character, plus whole pies, limited slices, and a few coveted seats. Northwest has plentiful booths, wine and beer, and Portland’s most serious slice game, sesame-clad Frankie P slices to squares of DeFino pie (grandma-style). Upgrade any slice with a big dollop of decadent burrata for a buck. —MT
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Steak frites central.
If you’re looking for great steak frites, you’re in the right place. Think thick, juicy overlapping slices, each with crusty edges and hot red-pink centers under rich, glossy demi-glace. On the side, tender, slender fries. A steak frites fanatic
calls it “flat-out one of the Top 5 dishes in Portland.” Since 2010, Aaron Barnett has been a keeper of French comfort, doling out tradition and generosity. The low-lit dining room and handsome bar are welcome retreats for oysters, poached shrimp, scallop crudo, or even a boisterous burger. Traditional works here; the experimental neo-bistro ideas are more adrift. Lots of good French and Oregon wines roam the list. —KB
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If you’re looking for great steak frites, you’re in the right place. Think thick, juicy overlapping slices, each with crusty edges and hot red-pink centers under rich, glossy demi-glace. On the side, tender, slender fries. A steak frites fanatic
calls it “flat-out one of the Top 5 dishes in Portland.” Since 2010, Aaron Barnett has been a keeper of French comfort, doling out tradition and generosity. The low-lit dining room and handsome bar are welcome retreats for oysters, poached shrimp, scallop crudo, or even a boisterous burger. Traditional works here; the experimental neo-bistro ideas are more adrift. Lots of good French and Oregon wines roam the list. —KB
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Portland’s premiere Portlandia-era café.
Since 2012, this indie café has stood as a definition of quintessential Portland. Handmade everything is the ethos—from the three kinds of bread to the pottery mugs. The small space exudes stylist ragtag charm: hand-tagged market shelves, quirky art, a turntable spinning the history of American music. Scan the pastry case for the day’s haul, giant frosted cinnamon rolls to rustic cheddar biscuits. All-day breakfast includes artfully grilled corncakes and a Spanish tortilla thick with olive oil–poached potatoes. Lunch veers into salade Nicoise with delicate fresh tuna. Owner Eloise Augustyn makes the dumpling-chewy orecchiette pasta and lovely culinary-forward herbal tea blends. Meanwhile, the house barters food for vinyl with the iconic Mississippi Records next door. Is anything more Portland? —KB
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Since 2012, this indie café has stood as a definition of quintessential Portland. Handmade everything is the ethos—from the three kinds of bread to the pottery mugs. The small space exudes stylist ragtag charm: hand-tagged market shelves, quirky art, a turntable spinning the history of American music. Scan the pastry case for the day’s haul, giant frosted cinnamon rolls to rustic cheddar biscuits. All-day breakfast includes artfully grilled corncakes and a Spanish tortilla thick with olive oil–poached potatoes. Lunch veers into salade Nicoise with delicate fresh tuna. Owner Eloise Augustyn makes the dumpling-chewy orecchiette pasta and lovely culinary-forward herbal tea blends. Meanwhile, the house barters food for vinyl with the iconic Mississippi Records next door. Is anything more Portland? —KB
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A destination-worthy double smashburger at Tuilp Shop Tavern.
Old Portland soul, only better.
It’s something of a Portland tradition: deceptively simple, uproariously delicious places, the likes of Tulip Shop Tavern, where high levels of food and drink execution meet a lowbrow theory of dive bar comfort and smashburger phenomenology. Tulip comes on like a late-aughts North Portland boozer—all rickety tables and sticky bar-tops—but then you’re served an original cocktail with Haitian rum and falernum, or hand-cut fries with a choice of seven house sauces, and it reminds you this place is serious. Some nights there’s a fried bologna sandwich (hello, they make the bologna), while other nights you’ll find a definitive patty melt. This is Old Portland soul but with New Portland execution. —JM
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It’s something of a Portland tradition: deceptively simple, uproariously delicious places, the likes of Tulip Shop Tavern, where high levels of food and drink execution meet a lowbrow theory of dive bar comfort and smashburger phenomenology. Tulip comes on like a late-aughts North Portland boozer—all rickety tables and sticky bar-tops—but then you’re served an original cocktail with Haitian rum and falernum, or hand-cut fries with a choice of seven house sauces, and it reminds you this place is serious. Some nights there’s a fried bologna sandwich (hello, they make the bologna), while other nights you’ll find a definitive patty melt. This is Old Portland soul but with New Portland execution. —JM
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Mini madeleines helped put Xiao Ye on the food map.
The new new american cuisine.
Xiao Ye, Mandarin for “midnight snack,” reflects owners Louis Lin and Jolyn Chen’s Taiwanese American identity. But their “first generation American food” is purposefully eclectic and open-ended. And the snacks are pretty fancy; the couple cut their teeth at Michelin-starred (DC’s Pineapple and Pearls) and celebrity-packed (LA’s Felix) restaurants. Their place gracefully swirls the entirety of their experience, and the staff’s. Truffles, masa, Japanese curry, hearts of palm, and guanciale are all fair game. One truly flawless, classic Italian pasta—tonarelli lately—is as much a staple as the khao soi radiatore, dressed in a cheerful Thai yellow chicken curry with a comfort food factor on par with old-school tetrazzini. Servers wear their personalities on their mismatched T-shirt sleeves, collectively celebrating individuality, same as the food. —MT
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Xiao Ye, Mandarin for “midnight snack,” reflects owners Louis Lin and Jolyn Chen’s Taiwanese American identity. But their “first generation American food” is purposefully eclectic and open-ended. And the snacks are pretty fancy; the couple cut their teeth at Michelin-starred (DC’s Pineapple and Pearls) and celebrity-packed (LA’s Felix) restaurants. Their place gracefully swirls the entirety of their experience, and the staff’s. Truffles, masa, Japanese curry, hearts of palm, and guanciale are all fair game. One truly flawless, classic Italian pasta—tonarelli lately—is as much a staple as the khao soi radiatore, dressed in a cheerful Thai yellow chicken curry with a comfort food factor on par with old-school tetrazzini. Servers wear their personalities on their mismatched T-shirt sleeves, collectively celebrating individuality, same as the food. —MT
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Yaowarat is the funhouse of the year, with food and drinks to match.
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