Perhaps the most underrated long-standing Cartopia cart, this neighbor to behemoths like Potato Champion, Chicken and Guns, and Bottle Rocket shines with pops of creativity and old-school technique. Tiny cubes of house-made mozzarella melt into pockets of gold on chewy-charred crusts in the cart’s wood-fire oven, with toppings like fennel sausage and blue cheese. Real ones know the true gem of the cart is its Portland Craft Soda fountain, which pours out house-made drinks unlike anything else in the city. Flavors include Cherry Phosphate, Habanero Lime, and Spiced Coffee.

OK Omens, the sibling to fine dining destination Castagna, is one of the best places to drink wine in the city, thanks to award-winning sommelier Brent Braun’s fun, voice-y by-the-glass list. However, chef Justin Woodward’s food is no afterthought: Visitors sip Champagne while knocking back oysters on the half-shell with aged ponzu, moving on to morel-and-hedgehog-mushroom pasta tossed in sherry cream sauce. But for those looking for something more casual, OK Omens’s fried chicken torito salad goes very well with any of Braun’s favorite rieslings.

Portland’s own little Laduree, this French bakery’s standout treats are the delicately-crafted, vibrantly-colored macarons, lined up to go in Wes Andersonian pink boxes. Signature flavors of the creamy and crackly sandwich cookies include earl grey and animal cracker, alongside rotating seasonal flavors like ube, honey lavender, and mulled wine. Looking beyond, Farina also offers some of the city’s most comforting breakfast treats, from a marionberry-filled pastry mimicking a Pop-Tart to raspberry-pistachio scones with white chocolate drizzle.

Since its opening in 2017, Nimblefish has remained all the rage for its immaculate sushi. Don’t expect to find California rolls at this high-end, intimate restaurant; instead, marvel at back-to-basics-style handrolls and nigiri, all sourced fresh from Oregon, Washington, or Japan itself. Furnished with old-growth cedar and natural stone, the restaurant has that inviting and earthy Pacific Northwestern feel.  

This brightly decorated Cuban spot gives Portland a little piece of Havana with its comfort food and warm ambiance. In addition to meaty staples like sandwiches filled with roasted mojo pork, the restaurant also caters to vegan and gluten-free diets. Plus, the tropical-plant-filled patio is the ideal place to order a mojito and kick back on those rare sunny Portland days.

Where else but Portland can you sip Egyptian coffee in a double-decker bus? This cafe has a fun selection of espresso drinks, including rose mochas and the memorable Nectar of the Gods, a caramel latte with cardamom. For something ideal on a hot day, Tov’s Mint Thing — cold brew with mint, oat milk, and raw cane sugar — is a particular standout. Plus, the brightly-decked interior, with its cushy chairs and tented rooftop inspired by the owner’s native Egypt, may well be more comfortable most living rooms. Ask about the daily pastries — a recent visit included a kind of peanut-butter-and-jelly baklava.

This neon-lit neighborhood spot is ideal for lunch and a Vietnamese iced coffee mid-thrifting spree. The move is to start with fresh shrimp spring rolls or papaya salad, before digging into a beef brisket banh mi or bowl of pho with customizable broths. Visitors can choose from broths in flavors like classic beef, tom yum, and curry, as well as noodles like rice, vermicelli, and udon.

For reliable, comforting Italian-American food, 3 Doors Down Cafe always hits the spot. The pastas, like the house-made fettuccine with prawns and clams, have always been the star of the show, but don’t sleep on hearty Pacific Northwestern mains like chocolate-and-coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin. When it comes to beverages, the bar consistently shakes, stirs, and pours playful cocktails like the Italian lemon drop slushy.

Opened in 2020, this ramen house prides itself on using house-made noodles and broth — as well as ingredients from local suppliers like Ota Tofu and Carlton Farms — to craft a dozen complex and exciting versions of the soup, including yuzu miso and mala lemon. Beyond the bowls, Baka Umai (meaning “stupid delicious” in Japanese) also serves crispy chicken katsu, bento, and over 20 varieties of sake.

Considered by many to be the best pizza in Portland, Apizza Scholls has pie-making down to a science: its airy, ciabatta-style crusts are often compared to the hitmakers in Brooklyn. This bustling family-style restaurant (currently a to-go operation) consistently rolls out quality 18-inch pizzas with a choice of flavorful toppings, like Mama Lil’s hot peppers or house-made sausage. Just be warned that it does turn visitors away once it starts to run out of dough for the day. Also notable: Apizza Scholls is a prime source for hard-to-find It’s-It Ice Cream Sandwiches, the cultish San Francisco staple.

Breakfast is served all day at this dive bar and cyber-themed restaurant; it’s the place where revelers cap off a night of debauchery with stiff drinks and bacon omelets. There’s also a massive patio with numerous picnic tables canopied beneath globe-string lights, a nice spot to sit back and drink your way through warm summer evenings. On rainy days, it’s best to hit up Space Room’s arcade, stocked with pinball machines and old-school Pac-Man.