Portland

Squeeze into this cozy, low-lit space for some of Portland's best and most-loved cooking. — Lonely Planet

Locals argue constantly about whether this is Portland’s – or the Northwest’s – best eatery. — Rough Guide

Le Pigeon inhabits a small space on busy East Burnside Street, a space that is dominated by the open kitchen, a counter around the kitchen for diners, and a number of farmhouse tables. Le... — Where

The restaurant that put Portland on the national culinary map. — Bon Appétit

Haute cuisine comes to East Burnside. No joke. — Not For Tourists

Chef Joshua McFadden elevates the humble vegetable at his obsessively seasonal trattoria with standout dishes like a celery and sunchoke salad with Parmesan cheese, lemon, and almonds. — Condé Nast Traveler

The vegetables you’ll dream about (seriously). — Bon Appétit

Ava Gene's has maintained its foodie reputation and remains one of the few Portland establishments requiring an advance reservation. — Gayot

Renowned trattoria-inspired eatery owned by Duane Sorenson, who founded Stumptown Coffee. — Lonely Planet

This resident of Richmond’s ‘restaurant row’ provides “a unique experience for foodies” with its pricey but “mind-blowing” presentations of seasonal, old-world Italian cuisine that’s... — Zagat

Because the menu is seasonal, it changes all the time; however, diners can always count on at least one vegan dish on the menu in addition to the beef, duck, fish and other entrees. — Where

These days, Higgins feels more classically elegant than cutting edge, but it still features French-inspired dishes using seasonal Northwest ingredients. — Lonely Planet

Fine, expensive Northwest cuisine restaurant, whose menu rotates, but watch for the Alaskan halibut, salmon risotto and “whole pig” plate that features a festival of pork. — Rough Guide

"Local and seasonal" is now practically a cliché, but it was a revolutionary concept when chef-owner Greg Higgins set up shop in downtown Portland back in the 1980s. — Gayot

"Uniformly superb" NW dishes comprising the "freshest local ingredients" have kept "godfather of sustainability" Greg Higgins and his Downtown bistro near the "top of the Portland food chain". — Zagat

His prix-fixe menus --- both a standard four-course and a 15 to 20 course "tasting" extravaganza --- highlight the Willamette Valley's agricultural bounty. — Gayot

The Painted Lady Restaurant has become even more of a destination with the opening of an adjacent two-bedroom cottage. — Travel + Leisure

A Pacific Northwest gem, The Painted Lady Restaurant is located in the heart of Oregon pinot noir country, where chef Allen Routt revels in the bounty from local farmers and fisherman,... — Forbes Travel Guide

The menu makes creative use of local and seasonal Willamette Valley meat, vegetables, and fruits, and Pacific Ocean seafood. — Frommer's

"You're in for a remarkable" evening... the "minute you step inside the picket fence" at this wine-country "jewel" set in a "romantic" Newberg Victorian. — Zagat

This delightful salumeria—amazingly, given all the house-cured meats here, Portland’s first—has both a retail side and a restaurant side. On the retail side, you can take home savory... — Where

Fans of these "cool" but "cozy" European-style salumerias in the Northwest District and Buckman like that they have a "big-city deli and butcher-shop feel". — Zagat

How much charcuterie can you eat? (Answer: A lot). — Bon Appétit

Salumist Elias Cairo made a name for himself throughout the country with his artisanal charcuterie. — Fodor's

Just a few items like biscuits with sausage gravy, keilbasa hash and three kinds of benedicts. Also at 107 SE Washington St. — Lonely Planet

An array of "lovely flavors" "tickle your taste buds" at this Pearl District "destination", where "adventurous" eaters tuck into "delicious, modern" Peruvian fare. — Zagat

Peruvian cuisine --- a sophisticated blend of Native American, Spanish, and even Asian cuisines --- is enjoying a deserved burst of popularity. — Gayot

This stylishly renovated warehouse in the Pearl District is a star in the Portland restaurant scene. Comprising a tapas bar, an aperitif bar, a wine shop and the capacious dining room,... — Where

The small-plate selection is awfully tempting, with choices like grilled octopus kebabs with a caper-chimichurri sauce, or prawn-mango-passion-fruit ceviche. — Travel + Leisure

This popular upscale Pearl District restaurant offers an interesting and inventive menu. — Fodor's

The thick strip of duck -- aged after its decease, not before -- is impressive, juicy, vividly flavored with a crisp skin and a Scrooge-like richness. — Oregonian

Castagna is a sophisticated and spare restaurant on the western end of Hawthorne, with a minimalist ambiance that allows the food to take center stage. The presentation here is... — Where

At this elegantly upscale prix-fixe restaurant, chef Justin Woodward transforms seasonal ingredients into works of art with truly amazing textures and flavors. — Lonely Planet

Chef Justin Woodward maintains Castagna'€™s enthusiasm for playing with food conventions. — Gayot

"Brilliant" chef Justin Woodward tinkers with one of the city's most "intriguing menus", an "amazing modernist take on Northwest ingredients and flavors". — Zagat

On a cold and rainy night (alas, there are a good number of those in Portland), the casual and inviting Toro Bravo is a ray of Mediterranean sunshine. — Concierge

Even though Toro Bravo has been around several years, it remains a hot draw. — Gayot

This smart and unpretentious tapas restaurant... uses local ingredients to create Spanish-inspired, sometimes revelatory dishes. — Travel + Leisure

Sure, you could order the house bacon and manchego burger here and be happy, but it's the endless list of tapas that should guide your taste buds. — Lonely Planet

Toro Bravo carries the Spanish flag for Portland restaurants, as hospitable and friendly as the country, relaxed and sociable, but with outstanding food. It truly is a tapas “bar,” and... — Where

Four-course prix-fixe brunch on Sunday (10am and noon seatings only). Reserve ahead. — Lonely Planet

Beast is the brainchild of Naomi Pommeroy, and it features not only communal dining but almost communal cooking—cooks and diners all share the same pretty space, all in one large... — Where

Diners sit an "elbow away" from each other at communal tables for pricey twice-nightly prix fixe platings of "phenomenal" French- and Pacific NW–inspired cuisine. — Zagat

With a name like Beast, you shouldn't expect an abundance of vegetarian offerings. — Frommer's

Located near the Alberta District, a top showcase for all things beef, and anything from pork- trotters osso bucco to chicken-liver mousse and quail-egg toast. — Rough Guide

A small-scale, pure-hearted restaurant that has no stove. What it’s got is a wood-burning oven inherited from the space’s last incarnation, a short-lived pizza joint. — Travel + Leisure

Salvage-style décor and pre-industrial (wood-fired) dining. — Not For Tourists

Four-month-old Ned Ludd pulls together all the elements that are right for Portland right now. — Oregonian

With a weekly changing seasonal menu using local and Pacific Northwest ingredients, chef Jason French provides an honest approach to American cooking. — Gayot

This Northwest-inspired craft kitchen prepares its food the most low-tech way possible: in a wood-burning brick oven, over an open flame. — Fodor's

Established by Vitaly and Kimberly Paley, this is one of Portland's premier restaurants, offering a creative blend of French and Pacific Northwest cuisines. — Lonely Planet

Located in a Victorian-era house, Paley's is another favorite of Portland foodies. — Frommer's

Chef Vitaly Paley is one of Portland’s star chefs, and his intimate eatery, located in a Victorian house in a historic neighborhood, is a shrine of Northwest cuisine. — DK Eyewitness

The cheese selection, on display under a glass case just inside the front door, is extensive and exquisite. — Fodor's

The dinner menu varies daily and has included rabbit ravioli, escargot à la Bordelaise, American wagyu beef tartare, and Mediterranean blue mussels, as well as a cheese list. — Travel + Leisure

Since 1892, a fresh fish sheet as long as your arm. — Not For Tourists

A Portland institution and tourist destination, this 1892 fish house boasts nearly three dozen kinds of fresh fish and seafood daily. — DK Eyewitness

Saunter into this classic joint, reservation in hand. You'll need it – some of Portland's best seafood can be found here within an elegant old-time atmosphere. — Lonely Planet

Established in 1892, Jake'€™s has a patina of burnished woods and deep colors, as well as a polished panache. — Gayot

A landmark for more than a hundred years, with a staggering, expensive choice of fresh local seafood like sturgeon and Dungeness crab, and spicy crawfish cakes. — Rough Guide

Farm-to-table country cooking. Mighty fine fried chicken. — Not For Tourists

Located in the Montavilla neighborhood (about 4.5 miles east of downtown), which is starting to establish itself as a foodie destination with a few key eateries. — Lonely Planet

"Excellent Southern-inspired cuisine" "with a locavore twist" is the thing at this Montavilla American serving up "unreal" fried chicken and "incredible" biscuits. — Zagat

Chef Adam Sappington handles butchering duties in-house, carving a whole heritage pig on-site weekly. — Gayot

Pork lovers rejoice: you've found hog heaven. House-cured, slow-cooked country ham and bacon and samplers of pork shoulders, head, and belly await you at this craft eatery. — Fodor's

Yes, it' a restaurant, with a little butcher counter up front. — Not For Tourists

The magazine applauds the part steakhouse, part butcher shop, noting it has "all the good steakhouse cliches (fun, raucous) without all the bad ones (super-expensive, boys' club)". — Oregonian

With an artisanal butcher shop anchoring the right side of the building, Laurelhurst Market offers some of the best meat in Portland. — Fodor's

"It's all about the meat" at this "lively" Kerns steakhouse/butcher shop, a "carnivore's delight" proffering "unusual" cuts "aged to perfection (and cooked even better)". — Zagat

Laurelhurst Market is a haven for meat lovers who don't feel their steak has to come with flaming Caesar salads and exorbitant prices. — Gayot

Describing Ox as a steakhouse does inadequate justice to the Argentine-inspired menu of brawny steaks and chops, ushered to meat nirvana via a custom grill with more trappings than a luxury sports car. — Condé Nast Traveler

There are days when my "no meat" thing is easy to manage and embrace. My trip to Ox wasn't one of them... — Afar Magazine

Currently Portland's most popular restaurant is this upscale, Argentine-inspired steakhouse. Start with the bone-marrow clam chowder, then go for the gusto: the grass-fed beef ribeye. — Lonely Planet

The custom-made, wood-fired grill stars at this pricey Boise-Eliot Argentinean that pulls in crowds for its sizzling mash-up of South American and Pacific NW cuisines. — Zagat

Portlanders travel to Buenos Aires at this Northwest version of an Argentine asadero, complete with a flaming hand-cranked grill behind the bar. Start with an empanada filled with spiced... — Frommer's

Opened by long-adored Portland chef Vitaly Paley (of Paley's Place), the Imperial – attached to Hotel Lucia – is huge in scale but fastidious and detail-oriented in approach. — Lonely Planet

Paley draws inspiration—and ingredients—from the surrounding area. — Fodor's

You can assemble a fine, intriguing meal at Imperial, and nobody would say that Vitaly Paley shouldn't have his name in lights. — Oregonian

Imperial is a fairly new kid on the block when it comes to Portland hotel restaurants, but it’s getting a royal buzz because its chef-owner is Vitaly Paley, the force behind the... — Frommer's

This hotly anticipated eatery in Downtown's Hotel Lucia from chef Vitaly Paley seems a world away from his more demure Paley's Place. — Zagat

The aromas of roasted garlic and wood smoke greet patrons of the bustling, street-level dining room of the Hotel Vintage Plaza. — Fodor's

Set in Downtown's Hotel Vintage Plaza, this "reliable" Italian serves "elegantly prepared" plates to a crowd that's "mainly couples on dates and business travelers". — Zagat

When a large restaurant can stay in business for almost a quarter of a century, it’s doing something right. The food at Pazzo is contemporary Italian, and it’s not trend-setting cuisine,... — Frommer's

Pazzo was one of the first restaurants in Portland to serve authentic Northern Italian food. — Gayot

Top-notch Italian and Northwest cuisine with a solid selection of fresh seafood and inventive pasta, on the expensive side for most items. — Rough Guide

Soul food that doubles as cuisine, but leaves out the attitude. — Not For Tourists

There's almost always a long line at this family-friendly restaurant; see it through and you'll understand why. — Gayot

The line that forms outside this Southern cooking restaurant at brunch and dinner is as epic as the food itself. — Fodor's

This casual restaurant just a few blocks from the restaurant-heavy crossroads of East Burnside Street. — Frommer's

Heavenly fried chicken and exceptional French toast. Wait guaranteed. — Lonely Planet

This glass, steel, and wood-framed restaurant leaves little doubt about its intentions: the logo is a pizza peel, and they feature a wood-fired oven. — Travel + Leisure

"Wonderful" thin-crust pizza "baked to blistered perfection" in a wood-fired oven attracts acolytes to Cathy Whims' "unpretentious" (some say "pricey") Buckman Italian. — Zagat

Food fanatics flock to Nostrana for Italian dishes made with obsessive attention to detail. — DK Eyewitness

Rustic Italian home cooking gets the Portland treatment at this east-side restaurant that's somehow both spacious and cozy, equally welcoming to foodies with and without kids. — Frommer's

This casual yet elegant restaurant delivers delicious, thin-crusted pizzas and wood-grilled specialties (even desserts) from their signature oven. — Fodor's

This is Thai food like most of us have never experienced. — Concierge

Originally a take-out only establishment, most of the seating is on stools at counters, though there are a few tables in front and in the enclosed tent out back. — Fodor's

Pok Pok is the most authentic Thai restaurant I've ever eaten at outside of Thailand. — Frommer's

Andy Ricker’s northern Thai restaurant in Southeast Portland started as a cart, before expanding and spawning nearby Whiskey Soda Lounge and Pok Pok Noi. — Travel + Leisure

Acclaimed chef Andy Ricker made his name with this Thai restaurant in Southeast Portland, which has since become the flagship of his growing empire (with outposts in New York City and Los... — Condé Nast Traveler