We sometimes get asked to recommend places to eat in Portland. It’s a very food-oriented city, so you’re probably in good hands wherever you go. Here’s a list of specific dishes I love and you should seek out:
Neven’s Can’t-Miss Foods
- Fish sauce wings at Pok Pok or Whiskey Soda Lounge
They were named one of the top ten dishes in the US by Food & Wine magazine for a reason. And that reason is that they are delicious. The fish sauces stretches the very definition of “savory”; these are impossible to put down, but please do so for a moment, to sip on some drinking vinegar. I know, right – fish sauce and vinegar? You may be surprised how comforting and familiar it all tastes. (You can get the wings at either restaurant; they’re run by the same crew, and located across the street from each other.) - Pizza Tartufo Bianco at Apizza Scholls
Scholls makes perhaps the greatest pizza yours truly, a native of the Mediterranean, has ever tasted. All the house pies are great, but this truffle-rich white pizza stands out. Come hungry and come early; they’re always busy, and understandably so. - Nong’s Khao Man Gai
This street food popular in Thailand may sound simple – chicken and rice in soy sauce – but its taste is a four-movement symphony. Some say the secret is yellow soybean paste; others point to rice cooked in fresh chicken broth. Whatever it is, this downtown cart does it right. - Gnocchi at Nostrana
It’s hard to pick one favorite from Nostrana, a multiple-award-winning restaurant that’s high on authenticity and originality, and low on pretension. How about the best gnocchi you’re likely to have anywhere? They’re only available Thursday nights; a sign of the effort that goes into making these perfect pillows of fluffy dough. - Schnitzelwich
The name of the Czech cart is actually Tabor, but everyone identifies it with their signature dish – the schnitzelwich sandwich. A tender, juicy chunk of pork (or chicken) with caramelized onion, on ciabatta bread with horseradish and ajvar (red-pepper sauce). - Sardine sandwich at Best Baguette
Everyone ought to eat more sardines, and Best Baguette – a McDonalds-looking building in an unremarkable location – is a great place to start. Their bánh mì (Vitneamese sandwiches on French-style baguette) are fresh, quick, and shockingly cheap – about $2.75 for the footlong sardine yuminess.
Neven’s Safe Bets
The following restaurants either have seasonal, rotating menus, or they’re just great overall. We won’t single out any one thing on the menu – go nuts and order what looks good!
- Beast
A six-course, prix-fixe restaurant perfect for a hip date. - Le Pigeon
Fancy dinner from one of Portland’s top chefs - Grüner
Alpine food with a modern twist; classy and satisfying - Clyde Common
Hip and reliably tasty; open for lunch - Piazza Italia
Portland’s most authentic Italian food, down to the soccer jerseys on the walls - Lucky Strike
Hellishly spicy and awesome Szechuan on the far East side. They close at random times, so good luck to ya if you decide to go. - Leroy’s Familiar Vittles
Fabulous BBQ and Southern fare from a Southeast cart
We could go on with these lists for a very long time. Hopefully this is enough to get you started on your next visit to PDX. Or if you’re a local – what are you doing not hitting these places already?
Here’s a handy-dandy map of all these places.
Now you have literally no excuse not to go!
Now you have literally no excuse not to go!
