When seeking picnic supplies, Cooperativa — an Italian market and restaurant steps away from the Fields Park — is an obvious choice, with its menu of pizza bianca, cured meat sandwiches, and selection of pastries like chocolate-cherry biscotti. Those who want to dine in, however, will find a range of hand-made pastas: squid-ink spaghetti with chorizo and clams, pillowy ricotta ravioli, tagliatelle in Bolognese, plus rotating seasonal specials. Finish with a scoop of pinolo gelato, or recreate it at home with the grocery’s pastas and take-home sauces.

Walking into Via Delizia, the first thing that greets diners is a looming faux olive tree and walls depicting a rambling street in Italy. The most casual of the many Italian restaurants in the Pearl, Via Delizia started as a cafe focused on gelato and pastries, and later expanded to a full restaurant serving fresh pastas, pizza, and salads. In the mornings, locals flock to the trattoria for Italian-style espressos and the black pearl Benedict, a twist on the classic with apple balsamic creme sauce. And it’s impossible to leave without at least one scoop of the restaurant’s gelato, which has held the neighborhood’s attention for more than 15 years. Via Delizia is open for onsite dining and delivery.

Another sleeper hit that has been in the neighborhood for many years, Yama’s uniformed sushi chefs churn out some of the most thoughtfully and sustainably sourced sushi and sashimi in the neighborhood — in fact, its website proudly displays the source and sustainability rating of nearly all the seafood it serves. While some flashy specialty rolls and an Instagram-friendly tuna tower draw a crowd, the hand-scrawled specials are where it’s at, featuring everything from Mirugai giant clam to kobe beef rolls topped with foie gras. Yama is open for indoor and outdoor dining.

Cool Moon Ice Cream has been quietly and consistently scooping fun and inventive flavors of ice cream and sorbet for over a decade, making it one of the oldest ice cream shops in all of Northwest Portland. Perched on the edge of the splash pad waterworks at Jameson Park that draws the neighborhood’s youngest residents, it could potentially have survived the years by the sheer fact that kids love ice cream. But with flavors like kulfi rose and Thai iced tea, this ice cream shop would thrive on any corner in Portland.

República isn’t just one of the most exciting new restaurants in the Pearl District; it’s one of Portland’s most exciting new restaurants. Mornings at República involve tortas stacked with cochinita pibil, pozole, and toasty quesadillas filled with queso Oaxaca made an hour away. Dinner, on the other hand, is a ritzier affair, a tasting menu incorporating dishes like risotto-esque arroz with huitlacoche and seafood-topped tostadas. Those seeking a morning cafe de olla can stop by the restaurant’s neighboring cafe and predecessor, La Perlita.

Open since April 2019, Break Bread is one of the newer kids on the sandwich block, even though its gargantuan mural of Mt. Hood and comfortable but casual seating area feel like it could have been tucked into this corner spot for years. Upon entry, a sharp scent of vinegar and pickled things hits the nose, a hint at what’s to come. The Chubby Puggy, with three layers of sauces including a sweet-and-spicy bacon pepper jelly, is a hit, as is the Stein’s, a roast chicken number topped with red pesto and a ranch that will convert any hater to a fan. 

Andina emerged in 2003 as a darling of the Portland food scene, and has defied all restaurant longevity odds to remain a top spot in the Pearl. Andina was serving lime-scented quinoa salad before quinoa exploded in the health food market, a nod to the native ingredients and rich food culture of owner Doris Rodriguez de Platt’s hometown in Peru. The restaurant’s longstanding hits, like the citrusy ceviche cinco elementos or the hearty braised lamb shank seco de cordero, remain stalwarts, but no order should omit the restaurant’s anticuchos — the lamb and beef heart, both impossibly tender and accompanied by salsa criolla, may be some of the city’s finest.

This Park Blocks bar is one of those spots where there’s always something going on: a drag show, live jazz, open mics, trivia. In an intimate brick-lined space, couples chat over coupe glasses filled with ruby-hued whiskey drinks made with house bitters or shrubs; on nights when the bar gets crowded, park-side outdoor tables provide a little respite, especially on warm days.

If one Pearl eatery mirrored the sleek vertical growth of the neighborhood, it would be the polished and minimalist Nuvrei. In its uncluttered, under-lit pastry cases, dessert lovers can find one of the most refined croissants in the city, fashioned into something modern and thrilling by way of a rosewater glaze. Other top sellers include the marionberry danish and the flaky, laminated twist on a savory Japanese curry pan. Visitors should note that items often sell out by mid-day.

The owners of Khao San wanted recreate the vibrant street food of Thailand in the heart of Portland. While Khao San features Thai fare often spotted in American Thai restaurants — pad thai, larb — the restaurant stands out for dishes like hoy joh, a snack of pork shrimp, crab, and water chestnut wrapped in bean curd and deep-fried to perfection. Tourists may dig this: When available, the owner will drive visitors to or from the restaurant in the tuk tuk parked out front, making this a great spot to hit before seeing a movie at one of the neighboring theaters.

This spot will almost always greet diners with a sizeable wait, so it’s best to make a reservation to enjoy dishes like meats roasted in its 700-degree oven, lemony herbaceous potatoes, and crispy-lamb-topped hummus. Smaller groups can also enjoy food and drinks in the sleek subway tiled bar, with bare Edison lights dripping from the ceiling. MEC, as it’s known, is open for takeout and delivery, as well.

Bartenders at this neon-lit, stylish cocktail lounge slide banana daiquiris and frosé slushies across the brass counter, while 20 and 30somethings dunk soy-glazed fried chicken in kimchi ranch. Here, Last Words arrive with curry-and-coconut-washed gin, mezcal lands in a shaker with carrot juice and grapefruit, and a rum-pineapple drink gets a colorful butterfly pea flower falernum for color. The wonton nachos, topped with curry and cheddar chili, are a particular standout. Visit for seating indoors or out.

This Pearl District soul food and seafood spot starts its day with elaborate brunch fare, like lump crab omelets drizzled in Cajun cream sauce or peach cobbler chicken and waffles, before moving into a menu of top-tier soul food and decked-out mac and cheese. Truly, it is difficult to find better soul food on the west side of the river, be it the vanilla-scented candied yams, the smothered turkey legs, or the sharp-and-creamy mac and cheese. Everybody Eats is open for indoor and outdoor dining, as well as takeout and delivery.