One of the last consummate dives in the city, the Yukon Tavern sports wood-paneled walls, the occasional TV, and entertainment including pool, shuffleboard, and the ubiquitous video-poker machines. Regulars stick to the bar’s 19 taps and cheap well drinks, and the food menu is everything a dive needs, including fried snacks, burgers, and a pretty solid fish-and-chips dish.

The main focus at the 40-year-old special occasion spot is on the two dozen or so cakes that the bakery makes fresh each day, but the lunch and dinner menus shouldn’t be skipped over too quickly. Lunch features classics like a buttery croque monsieur and a massive cobb salad, while dinner is more high-end without being too ambitious — think roast chicken, flat iron steak, and a creamy hunter’s pasta that that has been on the menu for decades. Still, the cakes steal the show, from the thick and dense chocolate torte to the towering, whipped cream and fruit filled Boccone Dolce, best enjoyed in the summer months when berries are ripest.

A couple of San Francisco transplants opened this bakery and cafe in February, and it’s already become a hit for its well-made breakfast fare and pastries. The bright, airy cafe’s stunner is a cheese-topped shakshuka, served with a side of grilled bread.

Kay’s Bar, with its divey, diner-like atmosphere, is bustling most nights, with reliable food, affordable well drinks and pints, and a modest-but-creative cocktail menu. The kitchen puts out classic, well-made bar staples, including a variety of burgers, burritos, and mac and cheese, and offers many dishes on the happy hour menu from 3 to 6 p.m. Notably, the bar has been open in some form or another since 1934, making it significantly older than most of its guests.

It’s a Sellwood tradition to line up outside this casual sushi restaurant, one that has been continued for decades. Even with newer sushi restaurants flooding the city, the breezy Saburo’s maintains its regulars coming in for nigiri, famously huge slices of raw, carefully prepared fish, all at ridiculously low prices for the size. It may not be a challenger for best sushi in Portland, but it’s reliably good, and reliably fun.

One of the city’s defining barbecue spots, Reverend’s BBQ serves smoked meats and fried chicken in a casual, fast-paced dining room. The chopped pork shoulder is the star of the show here, and while tender and flavorful on its own, it does well with a nice deluge of the many sauces, especially in sandwich form. Meanwhile, the griddled Polenta with Creamed Corn & Tasso Ham is a sleeper hit —creamy, silky, and rich. Cocktails don’t quite hit the mark here, but those looking for a drink can grab something from a solid draft list.

Portland is no stranger to old-school Italian eateries, and one example is A Cena Ristorante. Pronounced Ah-Chay-Nah, the restaurant has been serving its rich pasta dishes to couples and families for years now, in a romantic, formal-yet-welcoming setting. Recently, it also opened Sunny’s Pizza, an adjoining pizzeria that serves a small but satisfying menu of New York style slices and full pies alongside Greek and Caesar salads.  

The neighborhood was understandably upset when Wei Wei briefly shuttered in 2018, but the noodle house has reopened, serving its hangover-curing noodle soup out of the laid back, cheery cafe space. Aside from the savory, rich noodle bowls that define the Taiwanese spot, the restaurant also serves fluffy, stuffed bao and sides like soy-marinated eggs and sauteed cauliflower with garlic.

A longstanding member of Sellwood’s more upscale dining scene, Gino’s is home to classic Italian-American dining. The homey bistro serves pasta dishes, dry-aged ribeye steaks, and mussel bowls to the tables, booths, and oak bar that fill the space. While its cuisine is time-tested and pleasing, its wine menu may be the star, as Gino’s quietly has one of the most robust lists of Italian wines in the city.