Pizzaiolo Craig Melillo slings sourdough pies and top-notch ice cream out of this small St. Johns pizzeria, often selling out before the night ends. Tangy, char-dotted crusts support thin sheets of mortadella or house-pickled accoutrement, served alongside pints of flavors like amarena cherry or tahini chip. Melillo is an extremely talented guy, but also humble — he doesn’t make a big fuss about being noticed, which is why his food feels so special. Gracie’s is open for takeout, with outdoor dining in a shared patio space.

In the time since Jacky Ren took over this longstanding Portland food cart, it has reached new heights: The team at this Northwest Portland Chinese cart has mastered the formula for impeccable jianbing, suede-smooth crepes wrapped around slices of duck and sausage with the satisfying crunch of cucumber and cracker. The cart’s house-made “bing sauce” gives each bite a nice salty-sweetness, while the addition of zha cai provides a burst of tang to bring things together. Bing Mi is open for takeout, with onsite seating at the Nob Hill Food Carts pod.

Nothing feels as celebratory as a meal at St. Jack, where diners marvel at beautiful plates in a humming dining room, glasses of Champagne bubbling on tables indoors and out. Here, diners will find owner Aaron Barnett’s take on French cuisine, now aided by the mind of chef John Denison. The simple classics are done astoundingly well here: 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. But distinctive dishes like mushroom vol-au-vent topped with a bouquet of lettuces and nasturtium, or beef tartare with pickled beets and rye crumbs, are the ones that keep St. Jack at top-of-mind when thinking about special occasion restaurants. St. Jack is open for indoor and heated outdoor dining; reservations are recommended.

When the Han Oak team opened Toki on Portland’s west side, they started small, with a few fun, casual snacks: variations on Korean fried chicken, a dry-aged beef cheeseburger sealed inside a steamed bun, breakfast sandwiches stacked with koji-cured pork belly. Past its first anniversary, however, Toki has grown into a restaurant that shows off the wide range of talent found within the kitchen. All of the aforementioned dishes remain on the menu, but they’re joined by elegant house-made noodle dishes and a gorgeous scallop juk, little seared nuggets of shellfish dotted with amber trout roe. Toki has taken the magic of Han Oak and transformed it into something fitting the current dining climate — you can pop in for takeout fried chicken, or sit down to a full-on tasting menu. The restaurant is open for takeout, delivery, and dine-in service, with proof of vaccination.

Mucca harkens back to an era of dining — and a caliber of service — hard to find in contemporary Portland, where servers in ties and vests refill water glasses after a sip or two, where dishes meant to be shared are split and plated per person without a second thought, where a bowl of warm focaccia lands on the table just a few moments after diners place their orders. But service is nothing if the food can’t deliver, and Mucca delivers in spades: Ribbons of 500-day prosciutto di Parma snugly encase a mound of burrata, a wild-tasting quail leans on a crisp polenta cake and a sprinkle of smoked paprika olive oil powder, a seared scallop sitting on a swipe of Parmesan fondue plays pedestal to a dollop of caramelized shallots and garlic blossoms. The restaurant is open for indoor and outdoor dining.

When identifying Portland’s “essential” restaurants, it seems only fitting to include Murata, the stalwart Japanese restaurant downtown. Since 1988, Portlanders have stepped into its tatami room for dinners of miso soup, tonkatsu, and broiled mackerel, pots of soothing zosui filled with ribbons of egg, chirashi adorned with generous slices of salmon and sweet scallop. Murata is old-school in the best way, a style of Japanese restaurant becoming rarer and rarer with time; sitting in its dining room, mulling over crispy tempura or chicken teriyaki, induces a reinvigorating nostalgia hard to find elsewhere. Murata is open for onsite dining and takeout.

In a North Mississippi pizza cafe that feels casual but intimate, pizzaiola Sarah Minnick embraces paradoxes beautifully: She took something brimming with childhood charm — pizza and ice cream — and gave it a high-end twist. Seasonally rotating pizzas are a garden of edible flowers and mushrooms, atop an airy-but-sturdy pizza dough made with Oregon whole grains. If someone is defining Portland’s distinct pizza style, it’s Minnick. She takes pre-orders for pizzas, with instructions available via her Instagram; the restaurant is also open for dine-in.

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: Ceviches land at the table like a work of art, fried calamari adding crunch to a bed of fresh seasonal seafood tossed with a summery leche de tigre. Arroz Chaufa, a Peruvian fried rice dish, gets an upgrade with a passionfruit reduction, which adds dose of acid and sweetness. And the pisco sours feel like they’re shipped straight from Lima, best sipped on Casa Zoraya’s back patio. The restaurant is open for indoor dining, outdoor dining, and takeout.

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 and barbecue fried rice combining brisket with shishito peppers. 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 takeout, indoor dining with proof of vaccination, and outdoor dining in heated pods.

In a bright yellow cart parked outside East Coast sandwich shop Lottie & Zula’s, Erica Montgomery tosses wings in maple barbecue sauce, smothers chicken thighs in mushroom gravy, and tops grits with Gouda and roasted tomatoes. Here, Portlanders will find staples like crispy-fried catfish, black-eyed peas, and boiled peanuts, though Montgomery caught the attention of greater Portland thanks to her Atlanta-style hot lemon pepper wings: One bite into a crispy-but-saucy wing induces a tangy pop of acid, blended with a gentle-but-present heat that coats the mouth. The cart’s Buffalo bacon ranch wings cling to that same acid with a nice touch of smoky, porky flavor. But if the wings are off the menu, savvy diners should nab a box of those fall-apart chicken thighs drenched in rosemary-heavy gravy, with a scoop of textbook-tasty mac and cheese. Erica’s Soul Food is open for takeout.

This red food cart and its massive “#Loaded” sign attracts hordes of customers as soon as it opens each day. Owner Kiauna Nelson and her staff load up gargantuan containers of saucy-and-smoky pot roast and garlicky macaroni and cheese. Nelson’s food evokes shouts for how flavorful it is, from the fried chicken tossed in a seasoning reminiscent of Buffalo Bleu potato chips to her slices of cake, thrown in with the order for good measure. One meal is enough to feed four, and make no mistake: This is some of Portland’s finest soul food.

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 may be surprising to those who know Rucker and the restaurant: Le Pigeon is no longer offering an a la carte menu, and 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 blending 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 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 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.

Twenty-somethings in T-shirts and jeans sit at teal tables in this airy, cool dining room, surrounded by stormy blue walls printed with seahorses. The decor reflects the restaurant’s vaguely oceanic theme, which the kitchen enforces with dishes like Pacific Northwestern oysters with horseradish granita, or seared albacore swimming in an aromatic coconut leche de tigre. Surprisingly, some of Normandie’s most memorable dishes rely on land-locked ingredients, from spare ribs that easily release from the bone in a silk glove of maple-bourbon glaze, to a miso deviled egg with a filling whipped smooth and dusted with furikake. Then again, those eggs come with just a few dots of tobiko — a little briny touch never hurt anyone, after all. Normandie is open for indoor and outdoor dining.

It’s hard to understate how influential this Buckman Russian restaurant is: When Bonnie and Israel Morales opened Kachka in 2014, it ushered in the great Slavic American culinary renaissance, as restaurants around the country popped up celebrating Eastern European cuisines under-represented in the United States restaurant scene. Today, the restaurant is stronger than ever: The restaurant’s zakuski cover tables, caviar and roe scattered between plates of multi-colored pickles and fish-topped toasts. Bowls of juicy Siberian pelmeni bathe in butter and vinegar, a dollop of smetana sour cream on top for good measure. Tender rabbit swims in a braising liquid of cherries, porcinis, and garlic, perhaps accompanied by cabbage rolls filled with beef, pork, and lamb. Drinkers should opt for a few pours of the restaurant’s fun house-infused vodkas, with pickle juice as an optional accompaniment. It’s open for onsite dining and takeout.

Cody Auger’s Southeast Hawthorne sushi counter has become a national destination for Edomae-style sushi: delicate, cured slivers of fish, potent and pristine in flavor and texture. The chefs here introduce so many nuances of each fish that are often lost: cold-smoked, salt-and-pepper-cured saba is salty and sweet and smoky in individual acts. Hotate from Northwestern Japan gets a spritz of yuzu, its perfume-y citrus complementing the creaminess of the scallop. And, outside the world of seafood, A5 wagyu is hit with a hand torch so the fat renders silken, but doesn’t cook; the result is a delicate, decadent bite of beef that’s hard to forget. Reservations for the restaurant’s omakase are 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, fermented garlic honey, or fennel confit. 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 Southeast Clinton for onsite dining; proof of vaccination required.

When Jacqueline opened on Southeast Clinton, it slowly became known as a Pacific Northwestern seafood restaurant, a place for $1 oysters and Dungeness crab toast. Both are still available at Jacqueline today — the former during happy hour, the latter on the dinner menu. However, Jacqueline treats its seasonal produce with the same care and focus as its McFarland Springs trout or hamachi crudo. A charred bite of pineapple mimics the sear on a slice of albacore; the pop of a pickled shiitake stands up to a smoked black cod; a lightly juniper-cured salmon benefits from the earthiness of charred beets. The restaurant is open for onsite dining, with proof of vaccination.

When the highly anticipated Filipino restaurant Magna opened in 2019, it was a great restaurant, one that got better every visit with silky squid ink noodles slick in crab fat, homey bowls of pancit bihon, and a sweet charred biko, or coconut sticky rice. But it seems that chef and owner Carlo Lamagna reaches a new level each time his restaurant passes an anniversary, not just as a chef but as a leader. When the pandemic hit, he sold takeout containers of porky lechon and bright purple ube cookies with neon-green pandan frosting, setting aside a portion of his takeout profits every week to give back to the community. After a hiatus, Magna reopened with a new menu format that holds space for both the supremely casual and the festive, whether it’s a skewer of charcoal-grilled beef tongue, a play on kaldereta with lamb neck and a bright briny relish, or calamansi-scented sisig with silken egg. Magna is open for onsite dining.

When Beast, Naomi Pomeroy’s influential tasting menu restaurant, was open, it was a destination for tourists and locals — a quintessential celebration spot. Across the street, Pomeroy and Kyle Linden Webster ran Expatriate, a casual cocktail bar counterpart, with burgers and wonton nachos. Ripe Cooperative lands somewhere in between: On a leisurely weekend afternoon, Portlanders sip briny white wine on a plant-lined patio, daintily biting into shokupan rolls filled with Dungeness crab. In the evenings, bowls of hearty, house-made rigatoni tossed in a rich vodka sauce land at tables next to kanpachi crudo dotted with smoked hazelnuts. Salads walk the line between intricate and chaste, well-executed vinaigrettes coating in-season produce with a few deliberate adornments. It is one of those any-time, dress-it-up or dress-it-down restaurants, with a freezer and refrigerator case full of take-home treats. It offers seating indoors or out.

At this intimate pintxo bar, Javier and Jael Canteras have developed a reputation for straight-up goofy dishes winking at Northern Spanish flavors, like an ice cream cone of white asparagus espuma and a curl of smoked salmon “pastrami.” Still, the traditional Spanish dishes on the menu remain true to the originals, whether it’s crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside croquetas de jamon, or a blackened slice of Basque cheesecake. Urdaneta is open for indoor dining with proof of vaccination, and outdoor dining for walk-ins.

Think of Cafe Rowan as the platonic ideal of a brunch place. The light eaters will find gorgeous avocado toasts, layered with spring peas, watermelon radish, and meyer lemon tahini. Folks on the go can order hearty breakfast sandwiches and burritos, ones stuffed with house-made breakfast sausage and roasted garlic potatoes, respectively. And those looking for luxury can order Benedicts topped with lobster or Dungeness crab, drenched in white truffle hollandaise and a sprinkling of edible flowers. Every dish is shockingly intricate — huevos rancheros balance mojo pork with the brightness of aji amarillo aioli and salsa verde, with a rich and silky foundation of refried beans. French toast laced with brulee char gets a blanket of miso caramel, dripping over chunks of banana and walnut. Plus, the restaurant has even gotten into dinner territory, offering prix fixe winemaker dinners on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It’s open for onsite dining and takeout.

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. The sleeper hit, however, is its KJG hot dog, an Olympia Provisions hot dog topped with sesame sprouts, spicy daikon, kimchi mayo, and pickled mango. 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. Kim Jong Grillin is open for takeout and delivery.

Alkebulan Moroski is exacting with the meat-free proteins at their vegan restaurant, Dirty Lettuce: The chef goes down to the very foundations of the protein structure, mimicking the balance of fat and muscle that gives chicken its juiciness or pork ribs that “fall off the bone” quality. But at the core of Dirty Lettuce is an allegiance to the true Southern classics, be it a Cajun mac and cheese that boggles the mind with its faux sausage, or a fried “chicken” with a crackly skin indistinguishable from the real thing. The mission is to make vegan comfort food that feels true to the original, in an effort to get people more interested in eating less meat — non-judgmental, but still intent on excellence. And trust us: Eating those sour cream and onion mashed potatoes won’t feel like any sort of sacrifice, even without the dairy. Dirty Lettuce is open for takeout and onsite dining.

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 spot in the food hall Rocket Empire Machine; Portland Mercado offers outdoor seating, as well.

In a neighborhood littered with exceptional Vietnamese and Chinese food, Jin Jin has consistently churned out fine tuned versions of both for decades. Here, visitors grab takeout containers of salted fish fried rice or bánh bột chiên, fried rice flour cakes, from an unassuming cafe space in a Montavilla strip mall. Many of the dishes on the menu are reliably delicious, but Jin Jin’s hủ tiếu sa tế bò — spicy sate beef noodle soup — is what really earns Jin Jin a spot on this map. It is a masterpiece: Ribbons of thinly-shaved beef and wide rice noodles peek out of the depths of a nutty broth scented with five spice, supporting fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and greens. It’s available for takeout or dine-in.

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 consomé, 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 are some of the city’s best. Birrieria La Plaza remains open for takeout.