Every Portland neighborhood needs its anchor coffee shop, and the 2021 arrival Woodstock Cafe is auditioning to fill that role. Owner Katherine Harris founded Upper Left Roasters, and the spacious, bright Woodstock Café brews the local roaster’s beans exclusively. The expected espresso drinks are supplemented by a small-but-polished tea list, along with the cafe’s golden milk, a bracing concoction with cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, and turmeric. The food menu includes bagels from Henry Higgins and vegan Shoofly muffins.

Tucked into the northwestern-most corner of the neighborhood, Keeper Coffee is a popular third place for Reed College students and remote workers. The cafe sports inviting cottagecore vibes and makes cortados and macchiatos with single-origin Coava beans. For extra sustenance, order a pastry — like a raspberry-rosemary scone or a slice of orange olive oil cake — from the tempting display or a jar of house-made granola to go.

A favorite of one Woodstock resident who happens to be Oregon’s senior senator, Otto’s has been serving grilled links and deli sandwiches in Woodstock for a century. Otto’s offers a few simple veggie sandwiches, but the house-cured meats are the name of the game here. The menu boasts a wide range of salamis and liverwurst, corned and roast beef; the Otto’s team grills hot dogs and links outside in front of the store in almost any weather. Beverage options include a range of sodas and juices, along with a small selection of beer and wine. Patio seating can fill up at lunchtime when the weather is nice, so visitors should be prepared to order to-go.

Nudi’s eclectic menu opens with snacks like tempura-fried pickles and garlic frog legs and boasts a wide swath of noodle dishes that include Thai boat noodles, duck ramen, japchae, and laksa. It’s a neighborhood standby, using seasonal produce for its menu and offering a kid’s menu for families.

When it comes to fish and chips, fish markets often hit the top of the power rankings, considering their access to fresh seafood. That freshness comes with varying availability and prices as seasons come and go, but Portland Fish Market typically offers a wide variety of “and chips” options; the menu includes Pacific Northwestern staples like salmon, as well as relative rarities like fried oysters. Those looking for a beverage pairing can opt for bottles of Topo Chico, canned beer, or wine. Fish and chips are served from a window on the side of the building, with online ordering available.

The longtime Scandinavian food cart has sailed over to Woodstock, opening a second location in a hole-in-the-wall along the neighborhood’s main strip. As with the original cart, the restaurant serves Viking Soul Food’s famous lefse wraps, stuffed with Norwegian meatballs or smoked salmon. But here, diners will also find expanded offerings, including specials like seafood chowder and a small market section with Scandinavian goods such as lingonberry thumbprint cookies, rye loaves, and bottles of house-made beet hot sauce.

A neighborhood wouldn’t be quite complete without a local ice cream parlor, and Woodstock’s scoops top-notch ice cream while avoiding destination status for tourists — in other words, fewer lines and more ice cream. Cloud City packs house-made waffle cones with generous scoops of classic and classic-adjacent flavors, such as cookies & cream, bourbon vanilla, and honey lavender. Non-dairy folks will enjoy the up to eight mostly coconut milk-based vegan flavors.

Reedies have been rolling through Delta Cafe for decades, stopping in for hush puppies and fried chicken, or hangover brunches of smoked brisket hash or biscuits and gravy. The ’90s-funky decor adds serious charm, and the restaurant’s happy hour — which offers a daily rotating cocktail — is a tradition within the neighborhood.

More is more at Shoko Sushi, which serves hearty portions from a wide-ranging menu anchored by sushi but also featuring ramen, teriyaki, tonkatsu, and Korean dishes like bulgogi and bibimbap. The bento combos offer a mix of cooked dishes and sushi, alongside rice, salad, and the chef’s choice of the day. The wood-heavy décor is homey and inviting, and with a kids menu and mochi ice cream for dessert, Shoko is a solid choice for families.

Proper Pint offers a thoughtful tap list featuring a savvy balance of IPAs, porters, sours, ciders, and wine. Most beers are available in the U.S. standard 16-ounce pour as well as a U.K. imperial, or “proper” pint of 20 ounces. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the taproom, and an honest-to-goodness pizza hotline phone hangs on the wall to summon a tavern-style pie from Bridge City Pizza down the street. If the bar’s relatively modest indoor space is full, visitors can try the ample heated patio out back.

From its name, Toast might sound like a too-precious “New American” restaurant of the Portlandia era; instead, however, it’s more of a down-to-earth — but not uncreative — neighborhood café. Breakfast and brunch are the main attractions, rich with savory haymakers like the pork-belly-and-fried-egg Golden Pig as well as a decadent French toast topped with orange-vanilla whipped cream. Locals come for the extended afternoon happy hour, which might feature specials like tender, gamey lamb burgers or creamy, nutty Gruyere mac and cheese. The $5 happy hour gin and tonic is hard to beat.

Fitting for laid-back Woodstock, the cozy Bergerac approaches French fare in a relaxed, far-from-intimidating way. Drawing on the casual-but-hearty bistro cuisine of his childhood in Dordogne — a cool, wet region of western France (sound familiar?) — chef Joris Barbaray offers a highly seasonal, prix fixe menu. Sea or land proteins lead most entrees, but Bergerac offers at least one vegetarian option. The wine list is almost completely French, but those uncertain with unfamiliar vintages can opt for a chef’s wine pairing. And, yes, escargot is available.