Pizzaiolo Craig Melillo doesn’t just make his own dough — a slow-fermented sourdough using Pacific Northwestern grain — for his pizzas; he makes his own cheese. Gracie’s, a small pizzeria in St. Johns, makes tangy and distinct pies with char-dotted crusts and house-pickled accoutrement, served alongside pints of house-made ice cream in flavors like amarena cherry or honey and black pepper. Melillo a humble and extremely talented guy, but he doesn’t make a big fuss about being noticed — that’s part of what makes his food feel so special: It’s something people get to discover. Gracie’s is open for takeout, with outdoor dining in a shared patio space.

Nothing feels as celebratory as a meal at St. Jack, where diners marvel at beautiful plates in a humming dining room, glasses of Champagne still bubbling on tables indoors and out. Here, diners will find chef Aaron Barnett’s take on French cuisine: Barnett frosts a craggy mountain range of a crispy-fried pork rind with espelette and a touch of maple syrup, the restaurant’s knockout chicken liver mousse is velveteen and has a sweetness reminiscent of rich ice cream, and a simple plate of steak frites comes with an on-point shallot-red wine demi-glace and tangy bearnaise. St. Jack is open indoor and outdoor dining.

The Indian food served by chef Deepak Kaul is simply soulful, turning each dish into its own little balanced ecosystem: Rich and finely honed spiced blends serve as the foundation for bowls of rogan josh, Goan pork vindaloo, and Chettinad chicken, balanced with refreshing raita and salty-briny mango pickle seeping into a bed of turmeric-yellow basmati rice. Kaul, an expat of fine dining kitchens, dug into his childhood to develop the menu at Bhuna, but make no mistake: This is his food, edited and recreated in his own voice. Bhuna is open for onsite dining, as well as delivery and takeout.

In a casual former taproom, Duck House has finally provided Portland with a dreamy Chinese restaurant in the heart of the city. Since his 2016 arrival, San Diego chef Ivan Liu has played with heat and aromatics like a master, from delicate wontons with savory chile-oil-spiked broth to tingly dan dan noodles with borderline-bitter bite. The restaurant is open for takeout, onsite dining, and delivery.

In a bright, beautifully appointed hole-in-the-wall venue near Powell's Books, Kristen D. Murray delivers exactly what Portland didn't know it needed: an incredibly charming "pastry luncheonette" that focuses equal attention on sweets and savory fare. Now, Murray is serving her delicate black pepper cheesecakes, warm Meyer lemon pudding cakes, and artfully adorned open-faced sandwiches in an outdoor dining space. The restaurant is also open for takeout — it’s best to eat the restaurant’s rich cones of chocolat capuchin while strolling around downtown Portland.

Since Zoraya Zambrano and her children, Gary and Gloria Marmanillo, opened Casa Zoraya back in 2018, this Peruvian spot has been Piedmont’s under-the-radar destination restaurant: Gary Marmanillo’s ceviches arrive at the table like a work of art, fried calamari adding crunch to the bed of fresh seasonal seafood tossed with a summery leche de tigre. Arroz Chaufa, a Peruvian fried rice dish, comes cheerfully paired with a passionfruit reduction for a dose of acid and sweetness. And the pisco sours feel like they’re shipped straight from the pisco bars in Lima, best sipped on Casa Zoraya’s back patio. The restaurant is also open for takeout and delivery.

In a nondescript lot off Albina, Kabba Saidikhan quietly serves exceptional Senegalese and Gambian dishes out of a black-and-silver food cart, from flaky fataya (meat pies) that satisfyingly stretch and tear apart to reveal a core of intricately spiced ground beef, to an acid-laden, whole-fish yassa, balanced with the addition of yellow rice. The cart’s mafe yapp, a creamy tomato-peanut stew with tender hunks of beef, is particularly nice paired with the shop’s bissap. The cart is open for takeout and delivery.

Eem is a restaurant born out of collaboration, an amalgamation of Matt Vicedomini’s smoked meats, Earl Ninsom’s curries and salads, Colin Yoshimoto’s snacks and fried chicken, and Eric Nelson’s lively drinks. The resulting menu feels like it truly and cohesively shares those voices, with burnt ends simmering in a sweet coconut milk curry in one of the restaurant’s most beloved dishes. But beyond the menu, Eem feels like a place that treats every employee and customer with respect, a warm spot in a cold city that still feels relaxed when nothing feels relaxing. It’s open for outdoor dining and takeout.

The original carts are gone, but Nong's Khao Man Gai’s restaurant space on SE Ankeny is still kicking, despite everything. Chef Nong Poonsukwattana’s signature dish, a deceptively simple take on Hainanese chicken, takes center stage here: Ask five acolytes their favorite part of the dish and each will offer a different answer: the soul-satisfying broth, the rice, Nong's ginger-heavy sauce, or the chicken itself, skins or no. Poonsukwattana’s story is one of dogged perseverance; that has not changed. Nong’s is open for onsite dining, takeout, and delivery.

Gabriel Rucker, in his years at Le Pigeon (and, on occasion, Canard and the now-closed Little Bird), often molds the casual or unexpected into a fine dining format, from fried chicken to coconut shrimp; it made him uniquely prepared for the “pandemic pivot,” with his “bird boxes” of takeout and meal kits. When Le Pigeon returned, it dabbled in a few different iterations of itself, but the restaurant has settled into its new form, one that is perhaps surprising to those who know Rucker and the restaurant: Le Pigeon is no longer offering an a la carte menu, no longer serving burgers at its bar. Instead, it has become a tasting menu only restaurant, which was, after all, the best way to enjoy Le Pigeon in the old days. Still, Rucker is a master at combining the best of both worlds: A single menu may include “duck in a blanket” with chanterelle mushrooms, “orange chicken” made with rainier cherries, and a dessert of Rucker’s legendary foie gras profiteroles. Tasting menus are available vegetarian, as well, for indoor or outdoor dining by reservation only.

Scotch Lodge, when it opened in 2019, was easily one of the most exciting new bars in Portland — not just for the hard-to-find whisky selection and creative cocktails, but for its menu of truly inventive bar snacks. The menu has retained some of those standouts: a soft shell crab sandwich gets its energy from a white kimchi slaw, the mushroom fettuccine comes coated in fiore sardo and a house Fresno spice, and fried brie sticks rolled in pumpernickel crumbs will rule over any mozzarella stick you’ve ever eaten. The bar is open for indoor dining, with reservations.

Earl Ninsom did it again: After treating Portland to deftly executed Thai cooking at Langbaan and Paadee, the chef and restaurateur created a casual southern Thai compatriot with hardcore devotees. Hat Yai’s shallot-fried chicken, salty and fragrant and just a touch sticky, pairs beautifully with Malayu-style curry and crispy roti, all available in the popular combo No. 1. However, diners will be rewarded for straying from the top billing: The restaurant’s searingly spicy kua gling ground pork is abundant with aromatics and alliums, and the dtom som shrimp pairs seafood with meaty oyster mushrooms in a broth pleasingly sour with tamarind and ginger. Hat Yai is open for takeout, delivery, and patio dining.

Ok Omens is one of those places that successfully straddles the line between fine dining and casual wine bar, thanks to the rockstar duo of Castagna chef Justin Woodward and sommelier Brent Braun. Woodward’s menu covers everything from airy cheddar-filled beignets and fried chicken Caesar salads to raw Oregon albacore in a lime-leaf guacamole and chicken liver mousse served with house-pickled vegetables. The wine list at Ok Omens isn’t only one of the city’s best, it’s also one of the most fun, written in Braun’s nerdy-cool voice; many of these wines are elusive — rare or from small producers — but Braun makes them feel accessible. The restaurant is open for onsite dining on the patio, as well as takeout and delivery.

Chef Cody Auger’s SE Hawthorne sushi counter has become a national destination for Edomae-style sushi: meticulously cured and delicate slivers of fish, potent and pristine in flavor and texture. During the pandemic, Auger transitioned his restaurant into a more takeout and delivery-accessible format, which means the restaurant’s salt-and-vinegar-cured salmon and wild bluefin tuna can arrive alongside maki filled with things like crispy salmon skin, mackerel, and natto. However, the restaurant’s stellar omakase experience has also returned, with limited reservations available via Resy.

It had been open for years, but chef Ryley Eckersley helped Quaintrelle become a must-visit destination in Portland. Nothing about his food is minimalist: Eckersley plays with a full palette, be it Oregon seafood or fermented garlic honey or edible flowers or a smoked chanterelles or nuoc cham. Each dish, then, feels specifically his, the same way bar manager Camille Cavan’s cocktails, leaning on everything from amari to house-made tiki-adjacent syrups, are hers — it could be said that Cavan is one of the city’s most underrated bartenders. Quaintrelle has moved from its original North Mississippi location, now serving dishes on SE Clinton for indoor and outdoor dining.

There is so much that feels revolutionary about Mirisata: It’s one of Portland’s few — if not the only — collectively owned restaurant, serving vegan Sri Lankan food; Sri Lankan food is already an under-represented cuisine in Portland, let alone a version that is animal-product-free. But a concept does not a restaurant make; Mirisata could be awfully cool without actually making palatable dishes. Good news: the restaurant’s soft string hoppers (essentially pucks made of noodles) sop up sweet, caramelized seeni sambol, as well as a soothing red lentil dal and an earthy potato curry. The restaurant’s string kottu, a sort of stir-fry noodle with veggies and vegan egg, is comforting and best paired with a jackfruit curry. And the parippu vada, crispy fritters filled with split pigeon peas, are absolutely dreamy when dunked in the accompanying green chile sauce. Weekend visitors who can order off the rice-and-curry menu are in for a real treat, banana leaves piled with oyster mushroom curry and deviled sweet potatoes. Mirisata is open for onsite dining and takeout.

At this intimate pintxo bar, Javier and Jael Canteras have developed a reputation for straight-up goofy dishes winking at Northern Spanish staples, whether it’s an absurdly tender lamb skewer glazed in kalimotxo, a combination of Coca-Cola and red wine, or a ham-and-cheese sandwich made with jamon serrano and American. Still, the traditional Spanish dishes on the menu remain true to the originals, whether it’s a crispy croqueta de jamon or the blackened slice of Basque-style cheesecake. Urdaneta is open for indoor and outdoor seating.

Portland’s Texas barbecue scene has become nationally significant in recent years, from the brisket at Matt’s in North Portland to this up-and-coming Southeast Portland cart. Kyle Rensmeyer is a newer kid on the block, but his 14-hour-smoked brisket, savory and captivating smoked sausage, and cheesy green chile grits have made him a star. Holy Trinity is open for pre-order takeout and walk-ups, with tables available at the pod.

The fried chicken sandwiches at Jojo have become the stuff of legend, hypebeast towers of smoked-then-fried chicken topped with everything from Alabama white sauce to pepper relish. However, often the simplest dishes at Jojo are the team’s finest: the cart’s namesake jojos are crispy with mashed-potato filling, often gleefully dipped in house ranch. Jojo is open for takeout and delivery, with onsite dining at the pod.

Matta chef Richard Le refers to his food cart as a Việt Kiều experience: Việt Kiều, a term that refers to ethnically Vietnamese people living outside the country, is how Le identifies, a first generation Vietnamese American chef from California. Thus, his food is a representation of that identity: He recreates fast food classics like Filet-O-Fish with Thai chili tartar sauce and breakfast sandwiches on pandan milk buns, while also making dishes his mom, aunt, and grandmother made while he was a kid, like thit kho, a caramel-y pork belly reined in with a hit of fish sauce. Le is a deeply casual, instantly likeable chef, and his dishes reflect his creativity, charm, and honesty. Matta is open for takeout.

When Malka opened at the worst possible time — the beginning of 2020 — it was clear it would be something special. Jessie Aron and Colin McArthur created an otherworldly space in which they concoct mystifying, maximalist dishes, including an unforgettable matzo ball khao soi. But in a brutally difficult first year, Malka surprised us again and again: Employees like Eli Goldberg spent off-hours working with mutual aid networks. The restaurant donated meals to food insecure diners on a day-to-day basis. And the meals themselves remained dazzlingly intricate, like a Umi ramen curry bolognese with stir-fried Brussels sprouts, or a mac and cheese with traces of berbere and vermouth. Malka is open for takeout and delivery.

Kim Jong Grillin, a Korean cart that has probably earned its spot in the city’s hall of food cart fame, still nails every “bibim box” it sells, from the lightly charred japchae to the lipstick-red kimchi. Han Ly Hwang, the cart’s owner, has been slinging bulgogi and kimchi fried rice for free on and off throughout the pandemic, feeding food insecure and unemployed restaurant workers. When he’s not doing that, he’s raising money for the Black Resilience Fund or celebrating other restaurants on his cart’s page. Kim Jong Grillin is open for takeout and delivery.

Hawthorne’s no-frills pizza cafe still produces some of the town’s best pies. Brian Spangler shows respect for his dough, refusing to overload his crisp, quick-fired crusts with more toppings than they can handle. Thankfully, there's no need for DIY concoctions given the pizzeria's meticulous equation of sauce, fresh mozzarella, pecorino romano, and, in the case of the Pizza Amore, salty capicola scattered on top. Apizza Scholls is open for takeout or delivery.

Tucked into a mini strip mall on SE Powell, Rose VL is the cheerful sister restaurant to Ha VL, serving those famous traditional Vietnamese soups with unending depth. Two to three different soups or noodles are served for takeout daily, along with brace-yourself strong Vietnamese iced coffee. Portlanders often flock on Saturday for cao lầu, a regional Vietnamese noodle dish with piles of herbs and a tangy, savory sauce. It’s open for takeout, onsite dining, and delivery.

Most of the carts at Portland Mercado, the colorful Latin American food cart pod in Foster-Powell, could earn a spot among Portland’s best restaurants; still, Tierra Del Sol’s complex moles and sloppy-delicious tlayudas — smothered fried tortillas with beans — stand out. Chef Amalia Sierra left a career as a social worker for migrant farm workers to focus on her family business, which serves meticulously balanced Oaxacan specialties. No visit is complete without mole amarillo; its elusively layered spice is hard to forget. Tierra del Sol is open for takeout from both the original cart and its new spot in the food hall Rocket Empire Machine.

In one of the most talent-packed restaurant alcoves off SE 82nd, this Vietnamese restaurant — with its line of shiny Vespas near the counter — has no formal menu; instead, customers walk up and order pho (chicken or beef) or the restaurant’s namesake dish, bún bò Huế. Pros know to go for the latter, extra spicy: In a dark-but-pristine broth, meaty pork knuckles, thin ribbons of beef and pork shank, and slippery rice noodles swim below a floating layer of alliums, joined by the accompanying mound of herbs and vegetables. Bún bò Huế is a perfectly multifaceted dish, with the soprano notes of lemongrass and mint given body with the brooding flavors of pork blood and beef bones; Teo makes the city’s best. It’s open for indoor dining, takeout, and delivery.

This Chinese restaurant in Southeast Portland is as casual as they come, but the dishes that roll out of Amy and Kang Zhu’s kitchen are deftly executed and profoundly flavorful — juicy pork dumplings lovingly made by hand, the interplay of ginger and pork in a bowl of congee, and the pile of herbs tucked into a jianbing keep the memory of a meal at Master Kong in mind long after it’s finished. Master Kong is open for takeout and delivery.

Tijuana-style quesabirria, a cheesy take on the braised beef dish birria de res, is a national sensation for a reason: Melty, gooey, and sometimes crispy cheese is objectively delicious when paired with a slow-braised beef. But Birrieria La Plaza, the truck serving crisp and cheesy vampiros, takeaway cups of steamy consomme, and plates of snug tacos topped with scattered cilantro and onions, is so much more than a cart capitalizing on a trend; the tacos coming out of this cart could be some of the city’s best — the foundational birria is a gently spicy and grounded masterpiece. Birrieria La Plaza remains open for takeout.