Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The word on the street on where to drink and eat in the City of Roses In the rough-and-tumble city of foraged dining, vegan soul food, whole-animal butchery, and bacon-topped maple bars, there are a lot of opinions about what to eat. This guide slices through the designer flannel to help tourists find the best Portland food and drink out there. Welcome to the Land of Craftsman Cuisine Straight up, Portland has something most other cities do not: the natural bounty of the Willamette Valley, unblemished by pollution. This gives Portland chefs a huge arsenal of ingredients to play with — whether the cuisine of choice is regional Thai or Andean. The city is known for its inventive and daring food cart culture, which spans more than 25 distinct “pods;” standing in parking lots or seated at outdoor fire pits, people dine on Texas smoked brisket and duck-stuffed jianbing. Where to Start: Eater Portland's Top Maps Eater publishes and updates a rather massive database of maps — each focusing on classic foods or dining trends, from wood-fired pizzas to deftly prepared sushi. For those who want to get to Portland’s culinary heart through its ribcage, we’ve compiled the crème de la crème, the top listings, from each of these maps here: Shutterstock The White Stag sign in Portland’s Old Town. Essential Restaurants Eater Portland’s map of essential restaurants and carts includes a number of exceptional restaurants, cafes, and carts in most of the city’s neighborhoods. Spend a day eating your way through the map’s greatest hits. For brunch, try the one at Mémoire Cà Phê and bask in a “gastronomic mash-up of Vietnamese flavors and McDonald’s breakfast classics,” with dishes such as Đặc Biệt Waffle, breakfast burritos, and iced Vietnamese egg cream coffee; on the west side of the river, slide onto the banquettes at Maurice for pots of tea, rosemary scones, fluffy quiche, and black pepper cheesecake. For lunch, Rangoon Bistro — and Eater Portland 2022 Award winner — is an excellent stop for seasonal dishes such as the restaurant’s thokes, or Burmese salads, alongside hits like the lemongrass-marinated fried chicken, with restaurants on SE 50th Avenue and N Mississippi Avenue. For dinner, splurge on a tasting menu at the regional Thai spot Langbaan, seafood restaurant Jacqueline, or chef Gregory Gourdet’s highly acclaimed Kann. Hot Restaurants Portland’s heatmap is a guide to what’s new and notable in the city, with most restaurants included being less than six months old. Head to Chelo for chef Luna Contreras’s seasonal Mexican food, such as their veggie-topped tlayudas, or Lansdowne Social for an affordable five-course meal in a dinner party atmosphere or an impressive afternoon tea (just be aware that reservations for both are recommended). Side Eye offers fun riffs on drinks, such as the roasted coconut water highballs, with zhuzhed up chain classics like the Bloomin’ Onion, while Moon Pocha offers group-friendly Korean fare on NE 28th Avenue. Food Carts Portland’s cart culture is perhaps the most iconic element of the local food scene, including seared albacore nigiri at Yoshi’s Sushi and hangover-cure-worthy bibim boxes at downtown Portland’s Kim Jong Grillin’. In terms of efficiency, it’s best to visit a food cart pod with a large number of noteworthy carts, like Prost Marketplace, home to icons like Matt’s BBQ and Desi; in Southeast Portland, Portland Mercado is home to a number of Latin American carts — though its market hall is still in the midst of rebuilding after a fire in 2024 — including Oaxacan spot Tierra del Sol and Yucatecan cart Principe Maya. Alternatively, picking a food cart parked next to a brewery or bar — Mole Mole at Baerlic Beer Co. or Champs Burger at Away Days Brewing Co. are strong options. Coffee Portland’s identity as a specialty coffee haven has not dissipated in the last decade. Stumptown remains tried and true, even after the corporate switcheroos, but lovers of fine coffee need to make the effort to visit Push X Pull or Roseline. For those staying downtown or near Old Town, Deadstock is the place to be for bright roasts well-suited to iced drinks and espresso. Portland is also nationally significant for its immigrant and first-generation cafes and roasters, who are highlighting the beans and coffee traditions of their ancestral countries: Portland Cà Phê showcases the brooding flavor profile of Vietnamese-grown beans, places like Less and More or Kalesa lean on East Asian ingredients and flavors for inventive lattes, and cafes like Electrica and La Perlita explore the nuances of Mexican roasts. Sandwiches This city’s top sandwich shops excel at the artisan sandwich, and while the longtime ruling king is definitively Lardo, now there are a number of viable contenders: Sammich’s Italian beef, Pasture’s pastrami, Jojo’s fried chicken sandwiches, Güero’s torta ahogada, Binh Minh’s banh mi — the options are relatively endless. Pizza There’s no getting around it now — Portland is one of the country’s great pizza cities, whether you like it or not. The city’s access to fresh, whole-grain flours, its penchant for sourdough and baking, and its passion for Oregon-grown produce make the city’s pies worth a second look. For a taste of what we could call “Portland pizza,” Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty should be stop one, thanks to its sturdy and flavorful crusts topped with truly of-the-moment toppings (Chef’s Table agrees). The city is also home to a cool range of cultural crossover pizzerias — pop by Hapa Pizza for toppings inspired by banh mi and pho, or Reeva for the “pizzaleada,” a pizza version of the Honduran baleada. Or try Neapolitan pizza at Grana, where the Nonna, a pie topped with preserved lemon and broccolini, landed as a recent best dish by Eater Portland. For something square, Ranch Pizza tops towering Sicilian-esque squares with dense layers of pepperoni or dollops of ricotta. Other common pizza crawl stops include Ken’s Artisan, Scottie’s, Apizza Scholls, and Red Sauce. Beer With a wild number of breweries, Portland-based brewers come close to perfecting the art of craft beer. Brett and farmhouse fans adore Little Beast and Upright Brewing, while German-style beer aficionados may prefer Zoiglhaus or Occidental. But the brewpub beer snobs absolutely cannot miss, both for its food and its beer, is Breakside Brewery. Brunch Brunch here is a blood sport. While many restaurants offer the standard array of Benedicts and scrambles, some Portland restaurants and food carts have become true innovators in the art of the leisurely morning meal: Jojo offers a specialty-laden weekend brunch including a deceptively simple chicken biscuit sandwich starring a fried chicken thigh on a scallion biscuit, while Hey Love offers perhaps a boozier version of the typical brunch scene. Still, for a more classic breakfast, places like Tin Shed Garden Cafe — or even diners like Cameo Cafe or Fuller’s — may be a better fit. For more recommendations, check out our one-stop shop for breakfast maps, recommendations, and news. Everything Else Portland is a national hotspot for Southeast Asian cuisine, from Thai to Vietnamese; it is absolutely essential to visit Hat Yai and Rose VL Deli (or its sibling, James Beard Award semifinalist Ha VL) while in town. Portland fares rather well for ramen and burgers, and Eater has those guides covered. Oh, and of course, those who abstain from meat will be well-fed in Portland, with several vegan options for dinner or even brunch. For another quick-and-dirty guide to the must-visits in Portland, check out our Portland dining starter pack. Portland Food Neighborhoods to Know Portland is broken up into six general “quadrants” (yes, we’re in on the joke) — North, South, Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast — but the city is defined by its many small neighborhoods within these six larger regions: Thye-Wee Gn/Shutterstock The St. Johns bridge in North Portland. North Portland North Portland, colloquially known as the “fifth quadrant,” consists of everything above Burnside, from North Williams to the east and the Willamette River to the west. There are several noteworthy neighborhoods within North Portland — we’ve focused on North Mississippi into its own section below — but for a rough primer, here’s a good way to eat through North Portland: Start on Williams with coffee at Either/Or and a croissant from Jinju Patisserie. From there, you can either head south to Kayo’s Ramen Bar for lunch, or head north to St. Johns for Mexican food (Tienda Santa Cruz for caldos or burritos; El Coyote for carnitas tacos). For dinner, either eat handmade pasta at Pastificio d’Oro, or enjoy the ceviches at Peruvian stunner Casa Zoraya. North Portland is also home to arguably the city’s best bagel, found at Bernstein’s. Interurban North Mississippi and Albina A local favorite, North Mississippi is a pseudo-bohemian wonderland of food carts, whiskey, and pizza. Visitors should start the day with breakfast at Sweedeedee on Albina for Spanish tortillas and cultured butter corn cakes, and as many of the morning pastries as possible. After shopping through Mississippi’s numerous boutiques, pop by Prost Marketplace for a lunch of Portland’s best brisket, found glistening with fat at the humble Matt’s BBQ cart, or chai-cardamom chicken at DesiPDX. For a taste of Oregon pinot, stop by Stem for a flight; or, for something less boozy, sit down to a pot of rose tea at Portal Tea. Your dinner stop should be Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty for chanterelle-topped pizzas and buckwheat honey ice cream. And for post-dinner drinks, the back porches at Bar Bar, Interurban, and the Rambler provide a true taste of rustic Portland homeyness. Jakub Zajic/Shutterstock Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland. Downtown Portland’s downtown is primarily dominated by food carts and hotels, which is where to find some of the neighborhood’s best meals. The Midtown Beer Garden food cart pod is a strong starting place, cart-wise: Options here are abundant, including the duck-filled jianbing at Bing Mi and the hand-pulled noodles at Stretch the Noodle. For something a little different, the deeply European and blissfully understated Maurice is essential eating, and the flavorful Caribbean chicken and rice at Love Belizean is in the lunch rotation for downtown locals. And for leisurely Saudi Arabian dinners followed by green-hued Arabic coffee, Queen Mama’s Kitchen is a strong contender. Southeast Division and Clinton The restaurants ruling Division and Clinton are not the same as the ones that ran the street even ten years ago, with a few exceptions. Relative newcomers have turned heads in that neighborhood: Oma’s Hideaway, a freewheeling bar and restaurant with boozy slushies and a to-die-for game hen, and Magna Kusina, an exciting Filipino spot with charcoal-grilled skewers and seasonal fare. However, there are some tried-and-true favorites that remain in the culinary canon, like the quintessential dive bar and nationally significant fried chicken destination Reel M Inn. Wherever you go, end your day with some Pinolo Gelato or a slice of pie at Lauretta Jean’s. Northwest Portland The tree-and-boutique-lined streets of Northwest are in the midst of a shake-up: Suddenly, several new restaurants, bars, and cafes are all eyeing Portland’s upper left neighborhood for expansions and openings. In recent years, Northwest Portland has accrued a number of destination-worthy spots, including the casual Kashmiri cafe Bhuna and the acclaimed Mexican tasting menu restaurant República. Palomar, a Cuban cocktail bar with a nationally celebrated bartender and shockingly meticulous frozen daiquiris, just moved into the neighborhood from Southeast Division. The longtime standby is the dazzling French restaurant St. Jack, with its breezy take on brasserie staples. For a funky wine list and unforgettable gnocchi, hit up Arden Wine Bar. Dina Avila/Eater Portland The dining room at Kachka. Buckman and Central Eastside The Central Eastside neighborhood is spread out, so don’t expect to walk between these dining hotspots. Don’t miss the game-changing charcuterie producer Olympia Provisions, French chef’s counter Le Pigeon, Slavic dinner hall Kachka and its adjoining market, and wine bar and bistro Ok Omens. For a classic (borderline cliche) Portland experience, Central Eastside is home to food cart pods Cartopia and its neighbor, Hawthorne Asylum; nab peanut-butter-and-jelly fries at Potato Champion at the former and creamy rosé tteokbokki at Mukja within the latter. Christine Dong Hat Yai on Killingsworth. Northeast Alberta and Killingsworth The Northeast Alberta and Killingsworth neighborhoods have their own artsy style and dining scene to match. In many ways, this Northeast Portland area is a kingmaker: Some of the city’s most nationally recognizable names began on the two streets. Killingsworth, farther north, is home to no-joke cocktail bar Expatriate and the original Hat Yai location; farther south on Alberta, Australian brunch and coffee icon Proud Mary sits among homegrown favorites like Basque pintxo and tapas bar Urdaneta, standout deli and butcher shop Pasture, sushi destination Zilla Sake, and pasta hotspot Gumba. Alberta’s food carts are also particularly special — we love pizza cart Paladin Pie, Filipino cart Baon Kainan, and Mexican cart Mole Mole, specifically. Nathan Williams/Eater Portland Ha VL. 82nd Avenue 82nd is a sprawling thoroughfare stretching up to Highway 30 and down into Clackamas. It’s also home to some of the city’s exemplary Chinese and Vietnamese food, either directly on the street or right off of it. Starting to the north, you can have breakfast at the diner Cameo Cafe, which serves kimchi alongside eggs and bacon and lists mung bean pancakes next to the buttermilks. Lunch could be spent at Pho Oregon, a true Portland institution. The CORE food cart pod is home to carts and stalls serving everything from mochi flour doughnuts to Burmese mohinga. Fortune BBQ Noodle House is a smart choice for those craving roast duck, and Tèo Bun Bo Hue is the place to be for the namesake soup — within the same strip mall, Jin Jin Deli serves a knockout Vietnamese sate. For dim sum, H.K. Cafe or Excellent Cuisine will serve nicely. Whatever you do, however, be sure to grab a soup or two from Ha VL, the predecessor to Rose VL. Birrieria PDX East Portland, the Numbers, and Gresham “The Numbers” refers to the neighborhoods and suburbs east of 82nd, one of the most diverse communities in Portland. It’s home to some of the city’s best Mexican food, from the quesabirria served at Birrieria La Plaza or Birrieria PDX to the tacos gobernador at La Tía Juana. Outside the world of Mexican cuisine, East Portland is home to standbys like Sayler’s, as well as Southeast Asian markets like Lily Market. Reservations to Make in Advance Kann The nationally renowned Haitian restaurant Kann can sell out of reservations for the following month minutes after they drop, so set your alarm. The restaurant releases reservations on the first of each month at noon Pacific Time — but that’s for the following month. For example, April reservations will be released on March 1. Really, the move is to keep an eye on Instagram for cancelations. Reservations are available on Resy. Langbaan Langbaan serves historic regional Thai dishes — some from ancient royalty’s cookbooks — and is perhaps the hardest Portland restaurant to get into. The hidden restaurant inside of Phuket Cafe books out a month in advance, dropping at noon on the 15th every month. The restaurant just won the Outstanding Restaurant medal at the 2024 James Beard Awards, making it somehow even more of a hotspot. Le Pigeon Gabriel Rucker’s free-wheeling French fare has earned him a few James Beard Awards, plus a loyal group of local devotees. It doesn’t take too much planning to make a reservation at Le Pigeon, though reservations tend to book up a few weeks ahead of time. Follow the News Eater Portland is updated multiple times every weekday with breaking news stories (restaurant openings, closings, etc.), maps, features, and more. Here are a few ways to stay in the loop: Keep an eye on the Eater Portland homepage. New stories will always appear near the top and flow down toward the bottom of the page as they get older, while important recent stories will stay pinned right at the top. Also, check out our big sister, Eater.com, for national and international food news. Subscribe to our newsletter, which goes out three times each week and includes links to top stories. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and find us on Instagram for updates on new stories and more throughout the day. Interested in upcoming restaurant openings? Follow our Coming Attractions tag to see what’s in the works from the city’s restaurateurs. Get in Touch Have questions not answered here? Want to send in a tip or a complaint or just say hello? Here are some ways to get in touch with the Eater Portland staff: Email us at pdx@eater.com Send us a tip, which can be anonymous, over our tipline. Talk with us on Facebook and Twitter. Additional reporting by Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Janey Wong, and Rebecca Roland ...read more read less