Thai street food in a fun setting; not the usual noodle+sauce thing you find most places. Get the wings, papaya salad, eggplant, pork curry, drinking vinegars. It gets packed, so show up early. Also try their bar across the street, Whiskey Soda Lounge, or their smaller location in the NE.
Busy $$ Kids OK, mostly Large parties OK with reservation Map it ➔
The best pizza I've ever had, anywhere. Get the margherita or the tartufo bianco. Show up by 5 PM or expect a one-hour wait; parties of 1 or 2 may have more luck. Comfy waiting area, drinks served.
Busy $$ KIDS OK Parties of 1-6 Map it ➔
"Tacos de guisado"—basically, Mexican stews. Best in taco form or as a plate with rice & beans. Rajas, mushroom, and pork are always stellar.
Not too busy $-$$ Kids OK Large parties probably OK Map it ➔
Extremely quirky Japanese/Korean izakaya. Small, dark, loud, showing violent movies. The food is salty, spicy, and seafood-heavy. Get omakase (chef's choice), $20 per person, do nothing to displease the chef/owner, and enjoy.
Busy-ish $$ no kids Parties of 1-3 only Map it ➔
A casual, lightweight Momofuku-inspired ramen joint. The ramen is good, the buns are better, the fried chicken is stellar. Lots of fun little sides.
Not too busy $-$$ Kids OK Large parties ok Map it ➔
Very nice slightly-upscale Italian. Pizzas and insalata Nostrana are ace. The best Italian spot in town.
Busy $$-$$$ Kids OK, mostly Large parties OK with reservation Map it ➔
Indian street food in a fun, bar-like space. Casual and cheaps, yet serving lots of diverse food you won't find at many Indian spots in town.
Lively, but never a long wait $-$$ Kids OK Small to medium parties Map it ➔
Bonus entry for the dedicated: Excellent Peruvian rotisserie chicken in a weird, deep-East location. Everything will be tastier than you expect; get the yucca, ceviche, and lots and lots of chicken. Skip the fries and salad—they're fine, but that's not why you drove out here.
Not Busy $$ Kids OK Small to medium parties Map it ➔
Carts? We have lots of carts; some good, some bad. My favorites are Nong's Khao Man Gai
, PDX 671 , Tabor, 808 Grinds, Viking Soul Food . Square is popular, but not ubiquitous.Sandwiches? Best Baguette, Meat Cheese Bread, Bunk, Lardo, Double Dragon.
Chinese? Lucky Strike, Frank's Noodle House; most good places are far out West. Taste of Sichuan is best, if you can drive out to it.
Pizza? Portland has a lot of great pizza. Apizza Scholls, Nostrana, Via Tribunali, Lovely's Fifty-Fifty, Firehouse, Oven & Shaker, Ken's.
Sushi? Portland isn't generally known for awesome sushi. Bamboo, Hokusei, and Boxer are very good.
Indian? Same with Indian—we have plenty of so-so massala. Bollywood Theater is different, fun, and tasty.
Vegan? Portobello and Natural Selection are two good vegan-specific places.
Brunch? Portland loves brunch, and it waits for it forever. You shouldn't; most places packed on a Saturday morning are only ok. Try The Woodsman, Roost, Navarre, or dim sum at Wong's King, Ocean City Seafood.
Fancy? Little Bird, Le Pigeon, Castagna, Ox. Note: our fancy/pricy places are still pretty cheap by SF/LA/NY standards.
Coffee It's better than average at most local places. I like Stumptown, Barista, Coava, Heart.
Bars? I'm not much of a drinker myself, I'm afraid. As for food, Portland bars are required to serve it, and most of them do quite a good job with it (Beaker & Flask and Rum Club). Beer selection is excellent everywhere, so don't sweat finding the right brewhouse.