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Amy Lam
Amy Lam is a writer and editor based in Portland. Read More
Food Portland Is Known For: A Sampling
Take a tasty tour of Portland’s famous food at the city’s most iconic restaurants.
Amy Lam
Amy Lam is a writer and editor based in Portland. Read More
Foodie destination, gourmand’s paradise, eater wonderland; by any other name, Portland punches way above its weight class with its food scene, especially with some of its most popular restaurants and signature dishes. Ready to take a tasty tour of this Pacific Northwest city’s greatest eats? Let’s dig in.
Iconic Portland Foods
When you’re in Portland, you’ll hear from everyone that you have to make time to visit Nong, Ken or Otto — as if they’re a group of friends waiting for you to arrive in town, ready with generous portions of their iconic dishes. With its humble beginnings as a food cart, Nong’s Khao Man Gai serves up unassuming yet powerfully flavored Thai chicken and rice; Ken’s Artisan Pizza slings crisp wood-fired pies in Southeast Portland; and there’s always a line out by the grill at Otto’s Sausage Kitchen & Meat Market for their old-fashioned wieners. I’ve measured the icon status of a restaurant by the crave-worthiness of their most popular dishes. Take some of my friends, for example — ex-Portlanders who return to our fair city just for a taste of Nong’s famous poached chicken with a steamy heap of rice.
Depending on their Portland tenure, a rideshare driver or concierge might give you recommendations that parade you through Portland mainstays. One of the first restaurants to serve pizza in Portland, Black-owned Amalfi’s has been dishing up Italian comfort food for over 65 years. Screen Door and Pine State Biscuits have both been cooking up hearty Southern dishes since 2006. For dessert, try Salt & Straw, one of Portland’s most popular ice cream shops with fun locally sourced and PNW-inspired flavors. And of course, there’s the unmistakable big pink box from Voodoo Doughnut, packed with popular treats like the bacon maple bar and the namesake voodoo doll with a pretzel stick jammed in its chest.
More Classic Portland Eats
Sample more iconic restaurants that help give the Portland food scene its unique flavor.
Eat Like a Portlander
These are the plates locals crave — the under-the-radar gems that pack just as much flavor as the city’s legacy bites. In Northeast Portland, Ki’ikibáa serves delicious dishes specializing in Yucatan cuisine. Usually, my personal Mexican food order consists of burritos, tacos or a sope or two (or three), but I find the panuchos de cochinita at this comforting spot irresistible. Stuffed with refried beans, fluffy corn tortillas are topped with a slow-roasted, marinated pork that will have you planning your next trip to Portland before you leave.
Decorated with plants, warm woody textures and colorful lanterns, The Paper Bridge in the Buckman neighborhood features Northern Vietnamese cuisine like hand-pulled noodles and scratch-made sauces. The menu is all hits, no misses, but the xôi chiên ngũ sắc, or stuffed five-color sticky rice, is a must-try. Pulling influence from Saigon street food, this generous dish comes packed with char siu and Chinese sausage sandwiched between perfectly pan-fried sticky rice.
More Local Favorites
Continue your only-in-Portland culinary adventures at these local hot spots.
Can’t-Miss Bites
Want to focus on eateries that simply demand a visit? Don’t miss these go-to spots; I promise you’ll be thinking about returning for another taste the minute you step back into PDX.
On a busy corner in the Boise neighborhood, Eem bustles each night with hungry diners. Such is the vibe at any of chef and restaurateur Earl Ninsom’s Thai-inspired eateries. Eem’s take on Nimson’s cultural foods infused with Texas BBQ surprises with bold, rich flavors. Whatever you set your heart on with Eem’s menu, I implore you to get the white curry with brisket burnt ends as part of your meal. Succulent yet delightfully charred, this incredible brisket paired with a creamy, subtly sweet curry melts in your mouth. If Eem converted you into a Ninsom fan (as it should), try his other good eats at Langbaan, Hat Yai and Phuket Cafe.
At another corner spot, this one in the Southeast Buckman neighborhood, Luce is a cozy Italian restaurant serving rustic pasta with seasonal dinner menus. All pasta and salad dishes at Luce can be made as half orders, giving diners the option of trying multiple dishes. I recommend the humble and heavenly spaghetti with garlic, chili and clams (always add clams). Nothing hits the spot more for me than simple, buttery garlic noodles, paired with the briny taste of the sea.
For dessert, head to Fifty Licks for scoops of their wildly delicious flavors. You might struggle to decide on flavors, so allow me to help: Try the mango sticky rice, a favorite among anyone who pops into the ice cream shop. Rich and creamy, this hit flavor is a fragrant marriage of jasmine rice and coconut mixed with the honeyed sweetness of mango.
FAQs About Portland’s Favorite Dishes
What are some famous Portland foods and treats?
What food was invented in Portland?
Is Portland a foodie city?
More Ways to Dine Out in Portland
Options for a meal out in Portland run deep, from food carts to food halls to bar food and beyond.
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