7 of the Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon

[Lily Berns]

Beautiful Portland, Oregon has been getting a fair amount of attention in recent years for its restaurant scene. Each café and restaurant of Portland offers something special, whether it’s a special dish or the other point of interest. However, only several ones are considered to be the best in Portland, and they are included into the following list…

Pok Pok

This lovely restaurant specializing in Thai cuisine, run by its owner-chef Andy Ricker since 2005, is one of the most popular culinary establishments in town. Its top-selling dish is chicken wings with spicy cheese sauce. 3226 SE Division St; dishes $5-25; daily 11.30am-10pm.

Bollywood Theater

Hooray for Bollywood! A taste of exotic Indian street food in the Pacific Northwest - sure enough, with Indian movies playing in the background - with the likes of kati roll (meatwith pickled onion, egg and chutney rolled in Indian flatbread) and pav bhaji (a mixture of potatoes, tomato and spices, served with meat rolls). Each diner also gets complementary fried okra and a T-shirt. 2039 NE Alberta St; dishes $4-20; daily 11am-10pm.

Beast

A carnivore's paradise, with a weekly-changing menus of packed with a variety of creative, attractive dishes from chef Naomi Pomeroy. Pretty limited hours, though! 5425 NE 30th Ave.; dishes $15-65; Wednesday-Sunday 6 to 8:45 pm, Sunday brunch 10 am to noon.

Måurice

Like a little jewel in the heart of the city (though what's up with the "å" I don't know), this "pastry luncheonette" has a small but tasty/eclectic menu including oysters on the half shell and Norwegian meatballs. But of course it really shines with dessert menu, such as black-pepper cheesecake, butterscotch chews, chocolate cappuccino cake, chocolate pavé, and lemon soufflé cake. 921 SW Oak St.; prices $11-$30; summer hours Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-7 pm, Sunday 4-9 pm.

Navarre

The name may refer to a region of Spain, but John Toboada's cuisine here is a mix of Spanish, French and Italian, delivered with flair, excellent service, and very reasonable prices. All that has made Navarre a lynchpin restaurant of Portland's dining scene for some years now. 10 NE 28th Ave.; dishes $10-$45; weekends 9:30 am-10:30 pm, Monday-Thursday 4:30 pm-10:30pm, Friday 4:30 pm-11:30 pm.

Woodsman Tavern

Delicious modern American comfort food - both meat and seafood -including raw, chilled shellfish; hot buttered buns (with crab or chicken), fried chicken, pecan pie, and the like. Extensive drinks list; great for families and friends, maybe not so much for romantic dinners a deux - it can get noisy in here! 4537 SE Division St.; prices $5-$34; weekdays 5 pm-10 pm, weekends 9 am-10 pm. 

Little Bird Bistro

Named for classic French chanteuse Édith Piaf, this lovely bistro with very cozy interior (ideal for a romantic dinner) offers a great choice of appetizers sandwiches, and French and French-meets-American entrées such as duck confit with chestnut fried rice and pastrami and coq-au-vin fried chicken with racelette potatoes and bacon-glazed mushrooms. 219 SW 6th Ave.; prices $8-$30; weekdays 11:30 am-midnight; weekends 5 pm-midnights.


Any one of these restaurants will be a delicious revelation. To find them easily and quickly, the best thing is to rent a car with optional GPS. Bon appétit! 

photos: https://flic.kr/p/4Fm4pF; https://flic.kr/p/bjUk4c; https://flic.kr/p/5hUkj3; https://flic.kr/p/boEdAB