The restaurants in Portland are endless, and the residents take great pride in creating some of the city’s best dishes.
Widely renowned for its massive food cart scene, Portland also boasts a significant number of farmer’s markets and urban gardens that color the city.
With a plethora of options, we’ve narrowed down a list of ten of the best restaurants in Portland.
Listed in no particular order
Can Font
Food lovers will welcome any kind of restaurant in Portland at a national and international level. The Pearl District is home to another international cuisine that features the best of Barcelona’s selections.
Can Font is a restaurant created by Barcelona native Josep Vidal, who introduces Americans to unique dishes that highlight wild fish, local meat, and the best produce of the season.
Among the selections that Can Font offers are the Squid Ink Paella, Saltejat de Bolets amb Pop i Llagostins (Seasonal Mushrooms, Octopus, and Langostinos), and Vieres amb Pop Poelé (Scallops, Octopus, Celery Root Chips, Iberico Ham, Creamy Peas).
Hours:
- Monday – Saturday: 5 pm – 10 pm
Notes:
- The restaurant is closed on Sundays and holidays
Tusk
With the rising popularity of Middle Eastern restaurants, more establishments have arrived on the scene.
Tusk is a restaurant in Portland that pays tribute to Mediterranean cuisine, bringing in the freshest seasonal produce in the Pacific Northwest.
The restaurant can be found in Southeast Portland, opening its doors for dinner throughout the week and offering brunch on the weekends.
For brunch, Tusk’s Grain Bowl is a must-try.
The dish consists of argan oil, avocado, dukkah, egg, and sprouted barley.
Although Tusk doesn’t offer much selection for children, it offers biscuits and gravy as an alternative.
Tusk’s hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday: 5 pm – 9 pm
- Friday and Saturday: 5 pm – 10 pm
- Sunday: 5 pm – 9 pm
Notes:
- Tusk is a no-cash establishment
- Reservations are available for parties of seven
- Tusk removed the voluntary tip line and added a service charge of 20%
- Tusk no longer requires proof of vaccination
- Happy hour is offered between 5 pm and 6 pm
Luc Lac
Asian-themed restaurants are nothing new, and Portland is abundant with them. However, Luc Lac is one establishment that manages to stand out.
Situated in downtown Portland, Luc Lac is a Vietnamese restaurant that has earned a strong reputation for offering selections at meager prices.
Despite the prices, the food delivers on quality.
Luc Lac offers a large portion of honey chicken paired with rice and spring rolls, along with chicken curry with vegetables.
The restaurant is best known for its secret family recipe pho, which compliments Luc Lac’s finest beers, cocktails, and wine.
Luc Lac is also a go-to establishment for late-night dining, opening until midnight on weekdays and closing at 4 am on weekends.
Hours:
- Lunch: every day, 11 am – 2:30 pm
- Dinner: every day, 4 pm – 11 pm
Notes
- Limited street parking
- Luc Lac is a first-come, first-serve establishment
- Luc Lac only serves parties that are complete. Early patrons will have to wait until the rest of the party arrives
G-Love
Due to the plethora of restaurants, it can be difficult for some establishments to stand out, especially steakhouses.
However, G-Love is able to navigate the market with its unique model, pioneering the ‘reverse steakhouse’ trend in Portland.
Located in Northwest Portland, the restaurant’s vegetables are harvested at their peak and are served as G-Love’s main dish.
While the menu is predominantly vegetarian, the restaurant doesn’t identify as such, offering meat on the side.
G-Love also has a unique working relationship with Old Moon Farm, helping the restaurant create fresh fall dishes.
Many of the restaurant’s cooks double as workers for the farm, a testimony to the fresh vegetables picked earlier that day.
Hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday: 4 pm – 9 pm
- Friday and Saturday: 4 pm – 10 pm
- Sunday: 4 pm – 9 pm
Bhuna
Following the trend of Asian restaurants in Portland, Bhuna is an establishment in the city’s Northwest area that offers Indian cuisine.
Bhuna is known for crafting some of the most unique dishes using Pacific Northwest ingredients.
Some of its bestsellers include the Kashmiri Tomato & Eggplant rice bowl, made with Indian eggplant fried and stewed with tomato, Kashmiri spices, and mustard oil.
While Bhuna’s Indian soul food is its main driving force, the restaurant is also renowned for its happy hours.
Offering discounts on beer, rice bowls, and wine, Bhuna’s happy hour lasts from 11 am to 6 pm daily.
Hours:
- Wednesday – Saturday: 11 am – 9 pm
- Sunday: 12 pm – 8 pm
Note:
- Bhuna offers dine-in, take-out, and delivery
Hunnymilk
Sweets are one of the people’s favorite treats, and Hunnymilk is a restaurant in Portland that delivers them in abundance.
Located in West Portland, Hunnymilk boasts a colorful (and tasty) menu that reflects the chef’s love for sugar.
Selections include almond shortbread, astronaut strawberries, vanilla bean crepe with lemon-orange curd, and whipped ricotta cream, among many other selections, including drinks.
Patrons are also in for a treat as Hunnymilk serves a drink, one savory item, and a sweet item for the flat price of $26.
Hunnymilk serves brunch at the following hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday: 9 am – 2 pm
- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 8 am – 2 pm
Notes:
- Hunnymilk is a first-come, first-serve establishment
- The restaurant’s maximum group size is six people
Gumba
Portland is not only filled with restaurants but also food carts, and the Northeast area is home to one of the best carts in the market: Gumba.
Gumba has earned a reputation for delivering fresh food that’s so good that many patrons can’t believe it doesn’t have its own establishment.
While Gumba is only a cart, it offers a menu with extensive selections thanks to the chef’s creativity.
The chef exercises his creativity to produce various dishes, so the menu never retains the same selections.
Hand-cut pasta dishes are the only permanent fixtures on Gumba’s menu.
One of the bestselling pasta dishes is the Tagliatelle Carbonara – a delicacy topped with homemade burrata that combines cheese, breadcrumbs, chili oil, fried candied shallots, and sesame seeds to make a standout dish.
Hours:
- Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays: 4:30 pm – 9:30 pm
- Fridays and Saturdays: 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Notes:
- Gumba tends to sell out regularly, so don’t visit too late in the day
- Open for dine-in or delivery
- Stay tuned to the Gumba Facebook page for its spontaneous season dishes of the day
Screen Door Restaurant
A city like Portland welcomes all kinds of cuisines on a national and international level.
Screen Door Restaurant is an establishment on the Eastside that delivers on the classic Southern cooking and is renowned as one of the best weekend brunch spots in the city.
The restaurant opens its doors to patrons five nights a week, presenting them with a menu that strikes the right balance between simple and exquisite.
The Southern classic dishes include favorites like the Carolina pulled pork, fried buttermilk-battered chicken, and Low Country shrimp and grits, to name a few.
The menu’s selections include various heavy meals, but Screen Door also offers salads and vegetable dishes.
Hours:
- Brunch: every day, 9 am – 2:30 pm
- Dinner: every day, 5 pm – 9 pm
Notes:
- Reservations are required
- Weekend brunches are typically full
Podnah’s Pit Barbecue
Barbecues are a staple in America, and Podnah’s Pit Barbecue offers some of the best in Portland.
Based in Northeast Portland, Podnah’s Pit is known for its fresh, honest, slow-smoked, Texas-style barbecue.
The restaurant’s secret can be attributed to its use of 100% oak hardwood instead of electricity, gas, or charcoal.
Podnah’s Pit offers a variety of selections, including briskets, prime ribs, pulled pork, and sausages, to name a few.
The restaurant also has unique cocktail creations. One example is the Dr. Salty Pepper, which combines Aria gin, grapefruit, lime juice, Peychaud’s bitters, and a salted rim.
Podnah’s Pit also offers meals with huge portions that are big enough for two.
Hours:
- Wednesday – Sunday: 12 pm – 8 pm
Notes:
- The restaurant sometimes closes early if sold out
- Podnah’s Pit offers a daily special and also typically sells out
- The restaurant is open for a Tex-Mex BBQ brunch every weekend
Quaintrelle
Quaintrelle is one of the most unique restaurants on this list, giving patrons the option to take their meals outdoors.
Found in Southeast Portland, Quaintrelle offers an expansive lush outdoor patio that complements its exquisite menu, providing a unique ambiance.
The restaurant’s menu changes seasonally, but the locally sourced ingredients remain a permanent fixture.
Chef Riley brings a unique selection to the restaurant’s patrons, mixing global and Pacific Northwest ingredients to turn the season’s best offerings into elegant dishes.
Quaintrelle’s appetizers are renowned for highlighting the current harvest and offering choices like chili honey, smoked pecorino, sweet potato, and broccoli tempura.
Hours:
- Wednesday – Sunday: 5 pm – 10 pm
Notes:
- Reservation needed
- Proof of vaccination required
- Face masks are optional
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