Italian technique and Columbia River Gorge flavor meet at this pizza spot down by the water. Local ingredients and seasonal availability are the bedrock for the inventive house pies, which feature toppings like cremini mushrooms and Siragusa pear over goat cheese or mozzarella. Just as much attention and care are given to the base of the pizza as well: The dough is fermented for 72 hours and baked in a wood-fire oven imported from Italy. If the wait at the riverfront dining room is too long, walk over to the nearby food truck to grab a slice or a whole pie to eat by the river.

It’s impossible to go wrong choosing a beer from this award-winning artisanal craft brewery that, since its founding a decade ago, has become one of Hood River and the Pacific Northwest’s preeminent beer destinations. Known for its Belgian-inspired creations and experimental brews like its peach-infused Lambic-esque ale, Pfriem’s beer list features year-round staples as well as seasonal specialties for spring, summer, fall, and winter — think: refreshing pints of orange-zested golden ale for summer or rich barrel-aged stouts for winter. While the food menu of brewpub classics like chicken sandwiches pairs just fine with the beers, it’s the waterfront views from the industrial tasting room that makes the already excellent beer go down even better.

The only downside to this Waterfront Park food cart selling knockout Texas-style barbecue is that it’s only open on the weekends. The headlining beef brisket, slow-smoked over oak for more than 16 hours, puts Grasslands firmly on the list of destination barbecue joints around the Pacific Northwest; the spicy Hatch green chile and cheddar sausage is just a bonus. It’s best to get a heaping plate of everything on the menu — including the brisket, sausage, and slow-smoked pulled pork rubbed with Cajun tasso — to eat on its own or as a sandwich. The barbecue meats come served with all the standard Texas fixings on the side like sliced white bread, with essential add-on sides like collard greens. Go early; Grasslands tends to sell out later in the afternoon. Note: After Labor Day, Grasslands will only be open Saturdays and Sundays through at least mid-December.

Hood River is home to the first nonalcoholic distillery and tasting room in the U.S., offering nuanced spirits made from botanicals and teas in a stylish bar-like space. The waterfront location pours complimentary tastings of the distillery’s three nonalcoholic spirits, as well as nonalcoholic cocktails for purchase. Wilderton also offers tours of the distillery for those interested.

Come for the views but stay for the food at this beautiful hotel restaurant. Riverside is Hood River’s only dining option directly on the water, with an expansive deck nestled next to the Columbia River. Executive chef Mark DeResta whisks omelets with organic eggs and Pacific Northwest-grown veggies, transitioning to house-made pastas or Columbia River salmon during dinner service. You’ll also find an extensive bottle list highlighting wines from the Columbia River Gorge.

While Oregon’s reputation as a beer destination is now cemented, this independent brewery was one of the first microbreweries to come along and successfully set up shop. Established in 1987, the initial line-up of ambers, goldens, winter ales, and porters have now expanded to include IPAs and stouts. The hillside brewery and pub, which offers elevated views of windsurfers and kite-boarders on the river, has rotating draft selections, tasty pub standbys like mac and cheese made with Sesión Cerveza Gouda cheese, and beer to-go. Its water and energy-saving practices have also earned Full Sail distinctions as one of Oregon’s most sustainable breweries.

In 1934, before the craft breweries and wineries took over the area, Hood River Distillers was using apples and pears left over from harvest for fruit brandies and liqueurs. It still does so today, pouring and selling them alongside the gins, vodkas, whiskeys, and Nordic schnapps made by the different distilleries that form the Hood River Distillers family. Sip through flights of the different distillates or try them in mini-cocktails at the distillery’s downtown tasting room.

Good things await those entering this brightly-painted restaurant serving homestyle traditional foods from around Mexico. Even the snobbiest Californian will be won over by the Baja-style fish tacos, served on house-made corn tortillas, with chorizo, lengua, and chicken among the other options for fillings — not to mention the gorditas, tortas, and enchiladas. Hood River locals love this spot so much that they helped to raise more than $48,000 to renovate a new location downtown. Grab a bite and pair it with a margarita on the sunny patio.

The seasonal opening of Mike’s Ice Cream, starting in late March, heralds in the summer season in Hood River. A beloved local staple since 1986, the team serves out of a quaint, teal cottage in the downtown area with a front lawn full of Adirondack chairs for lounging. Alongside classics like chocolate or strawberry, they’ve whipped up their own creamy concoctions like the Galaxy, an uber-chocolately mix of malted chocolate studded with chunks of white and dark chocolate. Mike’s is generally cash-only, but a friendly sign out front says they’ll take a check or an IOU. Mike’s closes up shop for the winter around the end of October.

Helmed by chef Ben Stenn, the cuisine at this high-end restaurant focuses on hyper-local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients. Working with Columbia River Gorge farmers, ranchers, cheesemongers, and more, Stenn builds dishes like house-made pappardelle pasta with morels and asparagus or salmon with fregola sarda and roasted romanesco. The wine list features tons of Gorge-based wineries, and Oregon breweries are well represented in the restaurant. Top it all off with an elegant dining room, and it’s a memorable place to go for a special night out. 

Portland’s popular collection of Scandinavian restaurants extends east with this Hood River outpost, with a Nordic brunch menu that arguably tops the in-town offerings. Inside the cozy dining room, tucked into the side of downtown’s Hood River Hotel, brunch on rounded Danish ebleskiver pancakes with lingonberry jam or chevre-stuffed lefse topped with runny eggs, complemented by cardamom-scented coffee or a dill-aquivit-spiked bloody mary. During lunch, opt for gravlax-topped smørrebrød open-faced sandwiches or Swedish meatballs, particularly nice alongside flight of regional and international aquavit like Portland’s Krogstad, Älskar from Seattle, and Norwegian Linie.

Fresh-baked bread, flaky buttermilk biscuits, sweet baked goods, and coffee from Nossa Familia are the right way to start a Hood River day at this charming bakery and cafe. Owner Megan Davis uses seasonal fruits in her muffins, turnovers, and pies, often from area growers like Wildwood Farm or Royal Anne Organics; the same is true on the lunch menu, with sandwiches stacked on house-baked bread.

Fried empanadas overflowing with melty cheese; colorful completo hot dogs topped with diced tomatoes, sauerkraut, mashed avocado, and mayonnaise (don’t knock it til you’ve tried it); and doughy sopaipillas bring the flavors of Chilean homes and markets to Hood River’s food cart scene. Owner Norma Vega and her husband originally hail from Chile’s capital city of Santiago, but now serve popular Chilean street food from this food cart along 13th Street. The house specialty is the empanada, stuffed with traditional fillings like a blend of ground beef, onion, eggs, and black olives called pino, or non-traditional fruity fillings like pineapple. The recipes come from Vega’s grandmother, for whom the cart is named. In the summer, you can cool off with a glass of mote con huesillo, a syrupy-sweet drink made with peaches and husked wheat brought from Chile.

Reservations at this idyllic natural winery, working farm, and restaurant 15 minutes out of town are a must for out-of-towners, gourmands, and wine aficionados. Visitors stop by the James Beard Award-nominated Hiyu for relaxed afternoon lunches, tavern tastings of small plates and wine pairings, and full-on feasts. Nearly all the ingredients on the table, from food to wine, come from the 30-acre permaculture property, where farm animals like pigs and cows roam free among the vineyards. Visits include walks and tours of the farm to see and learn about Hiyu’s methods and practices before sitting down at the communal wooden tables for food and wine. Reservations are required for their Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday openings.