Where to Find Passover Meals in Portland

Considering how few Jewish delis and markets exist here, stocking up on Passover staples can be tricky in Portland — especially for those who don’t want to make their own matzo ball soup or gefilte fish. Nevertheless, a handful of restaurants, food carts, delis, and markets serve a variety of specials for seder dinner — below, find brisket, matzo ball soup, charoset, and tsimmes to order ahead. 2023 looks similar to the last few years, with the majority of meals being prepared for takeout and delivery, rather than seated dinners. Know of another great spot for Passover staples? Let us know via the tip line.

Jacob & Sons

Noah Jacob’s takeout Jewish deli has taken the west side by storm, and owner Noah Jacob always goes all-out for Passover. This year’s menu is his most personal, attributing items to the family members who provided the recipes — his grandmother Florence’s lamb, his mother-in-law Shira’s gluten-free cookies. Even the maror, or horseradish, is grown at Jacob’s father-in-law’s house. Jacob & Sons sells a full Passover seder dinner for $150, which includes a whole roasted chicken, bitter greens salad, matzo ball soup, crispy potatoes, maror, charoset, fake chopped liver, and Passover cookies. Jacob will also offer house-made versions of all the quintessential Pesach dishes, including gifelte fish, charoset, and matzo ball soup. Dishes are available for pickup between Tuesday, April 4 and Thursday, April 6; order online ahead of time. Jacob & Sons is located at 337 NW Broadway.

Kachka Lavka

Portland culinary gem Kachka, inspired by the food of the former Soviet Republics, regularly offers specials for Passover, and 2023 is no different. Unfortunately, reservations for Kachka’s Passover seder dinner have sold out, but the upstairs market and restaurant Lavka has added some Passover-specific items to the regular takeout menu, which include house matzo, smoked brisket by the pound, matzo ball soup, and chocolate-toffee matzo bark. Everything is available via the online market for pick up on Tuesday, April 4 or Thursday, April 6, with an order deadline of Friday, March 31. Kachka and Lavka are located at 960 SE 11th Avenue.

Sweet Lorraine’s

This latke cart switches up its whole kitchen during Passover, ditching the bread, corn products, and canola oil to be Pesach-friendly. During the week, the cart will sell Passover-friendly latkes and lox alongside favorites like matzo brei, charoset, and tzimmes. The cart will be a smart one-stop shop for pre-seder appetizers like smoked whitefish or smoked salmon dip with matzo, and Sweet Lorraine’s will offer a vegetarian matzo ball soup for those side-stepping the traditional chicken-y version. Sweet Lorraine’s is located at 4631 N Albina Avenue.

Zupan’s

This longstanding Portland grocery supplements its holiday offerings with treats from other popular spots — Jacob & Sons, Farina Bakery — for a lengthy selection of appetizers, staples, and desserts. Jacob & Sons will provide the grocery with things like lamb, charoset, maror, and matzoh ball soup, while Farina supplies the macarons. The offerings also include potato kugel, flourless chocolate cake, and kosher wines. Order them online, and find locations here.

New Seasons Market

Another local grocery store chain, New Seasons is offering a variety of Passover specials this year. Items include matzo ball soup, braised brisket, apple-raisin or leek-ricotta kugel, carrot tzimmes, gefilte fish, chopped chicken liver, and beet salad. The store also has a variety of salmon, lamb, and brisket cuts to be cooked at home, plus lox specials. Everything can be ordered online or by dropping by one of the stores.