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A blue plate with small containers of hummus, baba ghanoush, and stuffed grape leaves at Queen Mama’s Kitchen in Portland, Oregon.
Grape leaves, hummus, and baba ghanoush at Queen Mama’s Kitchen.
Brooke Jackson-Glidden/Eater Portland

The Hottest New Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland, November 2023

A downtown Saudi Arabian restaurant, a Thai-Chinese spot in Montavilla, and more

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Grape leaves, hummus, and baba ghanoush at Queen Mama’s Kitchen.
| Brooke Jackson-Glidden/Eater Portland

As a city rife with turnover, sitting comfortably on the culinary cutting edge, Portland sees restaurants open doors with regularity, hoping to make a splash in a town that’s overabundant with talent for its size. Some of those newcomers become the talk of the town quickly, among food writers or neighborhood regulars in search of something special.

Thus, we present the Eater Heatmap, which covers some of the most exciting restaurants that have opened in the past six months. Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing pdx@eater.com. For more established, bucket-list restaurants in Portland, check out the Eater 38.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Magna Kubo

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Carlo Lamagna’s breakout hit, Magna Kusina, is already among Portland culinary royalty; for his next venture, he decided to explore the world of Filipino rotisserie, lechon meats accompanied by atcharra (pickles), white rice, and a house-made dipping sauce. The skin on the pork belly is astoundingly crackly, with just a hint of lemongrass and allium integrated into the meat; lemongrass also appears in the marinade for chicken quarters, brightened with calamansi and balanced by fish sauce. For dessert, halo-halo arrives with house-made leche flan and generous scoops of ube ice cream.

Queen Mama's Kitchen

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Within this ornate downtown Portland Saudi Arabian restaurant, regulars share pots of cardamom-scented coffee and sip cups of saffron tea, awaiting grape leaves filled with velvety rice and bright baba ghanoush. Each day, the restaurant offers a different special, which is worth an order; on Fridays, smoky, fall-apart lamb shanks arrive with rice cooked in the rendered fat and jus, while on Thursdays, saleeg features a bed of creamy, deeply chicken-y risotto-esque rice, a pillow for rich roasted poultry. A slice of cheesecake is a mandatory punctuation to any meal.

Saleeg, fattoush, meze, and tabouli all sit on a table at Queen Mama’s Kitchen.
Saleeg and meze at Queen Mama’s Kitchen.
Brooke Jackson-Glidden/Eater Portland

Jeju Restaurant

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At the latest restaurant from Han Oak duo Peter Cho and Sun Young Park, K-Pop blasts within a warm, sleek space teeming with pale woods and hanging lanterns. True to the restaurateurs’ form, the tasting menu here is a fun, interactive tour through creative Korean fare: A rush of banchan precede beef-and-pork mandu under a toasty, crispy lace, sitting in a pool of bone broth with unending depth. Pieces of dry-aged kanpachi swim in an almost pickle-y broth, dotted with yuja chojang. For the main event, ssam-style meats arrive on a platter alongside piles of greens for wrapping and a buttery, crisp purple rice — bulgogi flank and bavette lounge next to a sleeper hit hot dog speckled with gochugaru. For accompaniments, the bottle list sports a nice selection of wine, soju, and makgeolli.

L’ Orange

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Up a flight of stairs just a few blocks from Ladd’s Addition, L’Orange bathes in natural light as co-owner Jeff Vejr details the environmental context and history of each wine he pours. In the kitchen, chef Joel Stocks uses an impermanent cast of seasonal produce for elegant, focused dishes. Lightly smoked sturgeon, abundant in the Columbia, gets a hearty pairing of root vegetables and oil-cured black olive. Scattered Parisian gnocchi, almost custardy on the inside, arrive paired with a melange of fall squash and mushrooms. The menu will shift with the seasons, but the sense of uncomplicated deliciousness will likely remain constant.

The Việt Kiều food cart Matta has existed in several forms over its years open, but now that Richard Le has left the cart behind in favor of a residency at Concordia’s Lil’ Dame space, the chef has leveled up without losing sight of its origins. Dishes from the cart’s original menu remain — thit kho falling apart in a caramel-y, soy-salty broth; mom’s shrimp omelet, the sweetness of coconut milk an undercurrent within the sheet of tomato-studded egg. However, other additions showcase Pacific Northwestern produce and seafood with a Vietnamese culinary palette. A highlight: slices of albacore sitting over half-moons of pickled daikon, heat and sesame permeating each bite.

Xiao Ye

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The atmosphere of this restaurant, specializing in what the team calls “first generation American food,” is warm and loud, borderline-cottagecore plates of acorn squash toast and butter-basted chicken hearts passed around boisterous tables throughout the space. The food is similarly colloquial, but executed impeccably: Mini madeleines use both mochiko (glutinous rice flour) and masa, which balance each other out — the mochiko adds a lovely springiness, while the masa gives each madeleine a nice weight. Jolyn’s favorite noodle, a play on the noodles chef Louis Lin would make for partner Jolyn Chen after long restaurant shifts, coat alkaline spaghetti in a remarkably delicious combination of sesame, black vinegar, and Lao Gan Ma. And as a grand finale, it’s best to spring for both large format plates, a pork coppa and short rib ssam and a whole grilled fish; let the table mix and match the components of each, loading buttery tai cheeks into lettuce wraps with curtido and kimchi.

A plate of masa madeleines sits on a white plate at Xiao Ye.
Mini madeleines at Xiao Ye.
Carter Hiyama/Eater Portland

Los Burros Supremos

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Chef Adán Fausto worked everywhere from New York’s Daniel to California’s French Laundry before opening this takeout-and-delivery-only Southeast Division burrito spot. Don’t expect gargantuan, infant-sized wraps filled with a salad bar’s worth of vegetables here; Fausto’s burritos are focused, small Norteños filled with little more than beans, cheese, salsa, and protein. The mesquite-grilled carne asada is the famous option here, particularly nice in the Número Uno; it’s worth it to add guac and a side of salsa, for dipping.

Two hands hold a burrito from Los Burros Supremos.
A burrito from Los Burros Supremos.
Los Burros Supremos

Yaowarat

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The latest restaurant from the Akkapong Earl Ninsom empire celebrates the food scene of Bangkok’s Chinatown, which means dishes like salted fish fried rice and wonton-esque crispy bean curd dumplings share space with house-made fish balls in a pool of green curry and rad na, a gravy-soaked egg noodle with gailan. Meals at this Montavilla spot should start with “Chinese sashimi,” pickled chile-topped slices of albacore glistening with sesame oil and lime juice, before bowls of tingly and rich mapo tofu and a larb-esque ground pork-and-black olive dish, laden with shallots and chiles. For dessert, dunk sweet buns in luscious pandan and Thai tea custards between sips of tea.

Sandy's Myanmar Cuisine

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Decades in the making, Mya Sandy Myint’s Southeast 82nd restaurant — well, stall within the CORE food hall — serves perhaps the city’s finest version of lahpet thoke, or tea leaf salad. The blue cheese funk of fermented and marinated tea leaves mingles with dried shrimp, fresh cabbage, and peanuts, adding dimension without distracting from the star of the dish. Other items on the menu are straight comfort food, executed with layers of flavor and nuance. The shop’s ohn no khao swè, Myanmar’s answer to Thai khao soi, is silky on the tongue with coconut milk and schmaltz, sweeter and richer than other versions in town. And Myint’s mohinga — a seafood noodle stew often considered Myanmar’s national dish — balances the brininess of the shellfish in the broth with lemongrass, ginger, and allium.

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Magna Kubo

Carlo Lamagna’s breakout hit, Magna Kusina, is already among Portland culinary royalty; for his next venture, he decided to explore the world of Filipino rotisserie, lechon meats accompanied by atcharra (pickles), white rice, and a house-made dipping sauce. The skin on the pork belly is astoundingly crackly, with just a hint of lemongrass and allium integrated into the meat; lemongrass also appears in the marinade for chicken quarters, brightened with calamansi and balanced by fish sauce. For dessert, halo-halo arrives with house-made leche flan and generous scoops of ube ice cream.

Queen Mama's Kitchen

Within this ornate downtown Portland Saudi Arabian restaurant, regulars share pots of cardamom-scented coffee and sip cups of saffron tea, awaiting grape leaves filled with velvety rice and bright baba ghanoush. Each day, the restaurant offers a different special, which is worth an order; on Fridays, smoky, fall-apart lamb shanks arrive with rice cooked in the rendered fat and jus, while on Thursdays, saleeg features a bed of creamy, deeply chicken-y risotto-esque rice, a pillow for rich roasted poultry. A slice of cheesecake is a mandatory punctuation to any meal.

Saleeg, fattoush, meze, and tabouli all sit on a table at Queen Mama’s Kitchen.
Saleeg and meze at Queen Mama’s Kitchen.
Brooke Jackson-Glidden/Eater Portland

Jeju Restaurant

At the latest restaurant from Han Oak duo Peter Cho and Sun Young Park, K-Pop blasts within a warm, sleek space teeming with pale woods and hanging lanterns. True to the restaurateurs’ form, the tasting menu here is a fun, interactive tour through creative Korean fare: A rush of banchan precede beef-and-pork mandu under a toasty, crispy lace, sitting in a pool of bone broth with unending depth. Pieces of dry-aged kanpachi swim in an almost pickle-y broth, dotted with yuja chojang. For the main event, ssam-style meats arrive on a platter alongside piles of greens for wrapping and a buttery, crisp purple rice — bulgogi flank and bavette lounge next to a sleeper hit hot dog speckled with gochugaru. For accompaniments, the bottle list sports a nice selection of wine, soju, and makgeolli.

L’ Orange

Up a flight of stairs just a few blocks from Ladd’s Addition, L’Orange bathes in natural light as co-owner Jeff Vejr details the environmental context and history of each wine he pours. In the kitchen, chef Joel Stocks uses an impermanent cast of seasonal produce for elegant, focused dishes. Lightly smoked sturgeon, abundant in the Columbia, gets a hearty pairing of root vegetables and oil-cured black olive. Scattered Parisian gnocchi, almost custardy on the inside, arrive paired with a melange of fall squash and mushrooms. The menu will shift with the seasons, but the sense of uncomplicated deliciousness will likely remain constant.

Matta

The Việt Kiều food cart Matta has existed in several forms over its years open, but now that Richard Le has left the cart behind in favor of a residency at Concordia’s Lil’ Dame space, the chef has leveled up without losing sight of its origins. Dishes from the cart’s original menu remain — thit kho falling apart in a caramel-y, soy-salty broth; mom’s shrimp omelet, the sweetness of coconut milk an undercurrent within the sheet of tomato-studded egg. However, other additions showcase Pacific Northwestern produce and seafood with a Vietnamese culinary palette. A highlight: slices of albacore sitting over half-moons of pickled daikon, heat and sesame permeating each bite.

Xiao Ye

The atmosphere of this restaurant, specializing in what the team calls “first generation American food,” is warm and loud, borderline-cottagecore plates of acorn squash toast and butter-basted chicken hearts passed around boisterous tables throughout the space. The food is similarly colloquial, but executed impeccably: Mini madeleines use both mochiko (glutinous rice flour) and masa, which balance each other out — the mochiko adds a lovely springiness, while the masa gives each madeleine a nice weight. Jolyn’s favorite noodle, a play on the noodles chef Louis Lin would make for partner Jolyn Chen after long restaurant shifts, coat alkaline spaghetti in a remarkably delicious combination of sesame, black vinegar, and Lao Gan Ma. And as a grand finale, it’s best to spring for both large format plates, a pork coppa and short rib ssam and a whole grilled fish; let the table mix and match the components of each, loading buttery tai cheeks into lettuce wraps with curtido and kimchi.

A plate of masa madeleines sits on a white plate at Xiao Ye.
Mini madeleines at Xiao Ye.
Carter Hiyama/Eater Portland

Los Burros Supremos

Chef Adán Fausto worked everywhere from New York’s Daniel to California’s French Laundry before opening this takeout-and-delivery-only Southeast Division burrito spot. Don’t expect gargantuan, infant-sized wraps filled with a salad bar’s worth of vegetables here; Fausto’s burritos are focused, small Norteños filled with little more than beans, cheese, salsa, and protein. The mesquite-grilled carne asada is the famous option here, particularly nice in the Número Uno; it’s worth it to add guac and a side of salsa, for dipping.

Two hands hold a burrito from Los Burros Supremos.
A burrito from Los Burros Supremos.
Los Burros Supremos

Yaowarat

The latest restaurant from the Akkapong Earl Ninsom empire celebrates the food scene of Bangkok’s Chinatown, which means dishes like salted fish fried rice and wonton-esque crispy bean curd dumplings share space with house-made fish balls in a pool of green curry and rad na, a gravy-soaked egg noodle with gailan. Meals at this Montavilla spot should start with “Chinese sashimi,” pickled chile-topped slices of albacore glistening with sesame oil and lime juice, before bowls of tingly and rich mapo tofu and a larb-esque ground pork-and-black olive dish, laden with shallots and chiles. For dessert, dunk sweet buns in luscious pandan and Thai tea custards between sips of tea.

Sandy's Myanmar Cuisine

Decades in the making, Mya Sandy Myint’s Southeast 82nd restaurant — well, stall within the CORE food hall — serves perhaps the city’s finest version of lahpet thoke, or tea leaf salad. The blue cheese funk of fermented and marinated tea leaves mingles with dried shrimp, fresh cabbage, and peanuts, adding dimension without distracting from the star of the dish. Other items on the menu are straight comfort food, executed with layers of flavor and nuance. The shop’s ohn no khao swè, Myanmar’s answer to Thai khao soi, is silky on the tongue with coconut milk and schmaltz, sweeter and richer than other versions in town. And Myint’s mohinga — a seafood noodle stew often considered Myanmar’s national dish — balances the brininess of the shellfish in the broth with lemongrass, ginger, and allium.

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