USA Guide
The Pacific Northwest
Eating
1 Bombay Cricket Club 1925 Hawthorne Blvd 
503/231-0740 Terrific mid-range restaurant a mile west of the main Hawthorne scene with some of the town's best Indian food. Dive right into the delicious vindaloos and tandooris.
2 
Clay's Smokehouse Grill 2932 SE Division St, Eastside 503/235-4755 Among the top barbecue houses in town, serving up hearty brisket, ribs and pork sandwiches, spicy and delicious hot wings, and old-fashioned desserts like pineapple upside-down cake.
3 Esparza's 2725 SE Ankeny St, Eastside 503/234-7909 The height of Tex-Mex in the Pacific Northwest, a cheery place loaded with bric-a-brac and offering big plates of traditional fare like burritos with lamb or pork, as well as unconventional entrees like ostrich and alligator.
4 Higgins 1239 SW Broadway, downtown 503/222-9070 Fine Northwest cuisine restaurant, where fresh local ingredients and scrumptious desserts are the focus. Menu rotates, but watch for the cider-glazed pork loin and squash lasagne. Main courses around $20–30.
5 Hot Lips Pizza 721 NW 10th Ave, Pearl District 503/595-2342 A pizza joint serving what may be the city's best pies – complex, delicious concoctions that use organic, locally grown ingredients. Also at 2211 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Eastside.
6 Jake's Famous Crawfish 401 SW 12th Ave, downtown 503/226-1419 A landmark for more than a hundred years, with a staggering choice of fresh local seafood like sturgeon and Dungeness crab and spicy crawfish cakes. Terrific desserts, too. Lunch specials under $10.
7 Justa Pasta 1326 NW 19th Ave, NW Portland 503/243-2249 Unassuming spot serving some of the city's best and most affordable fine Italian fare, including savory soups, delicious pastas, and locally grown Painted Hills beef. The coconut cake and assorted ice creams are also a treat.
8 Lauro Kitchen 3377 Division St, Eastside 503/239-7000 A local favourite that doesn't need any publicity – even the mayor has to wait for a table on weekends. If you don't mind the delay, come for some of the city's best and most affordable Northwest cuisine.
9 McCormick and Schmick's 235 SW 1st Ave, downtown 503/224-7522 The first location of what's become a national chain of fine seafood restaurants, with fresh nightly specials and a lively oyster bar.
10 Oba 555 NW 12th Ave, Pearl District 503/228-6161 Flashy, expensive eatery that fuses flavours from all over Latin America and is most inviting during happy hour in the bar, when the succulent bar-menu entrees are mostly around $5.
11 Pazzo 621 SW Washington St, downtown 503/228-1515 Top-notch Italian and Northwest cuisine with a solid selection of fresh seafood and inventive pasta.
12 Pix Patisserie 3402 SE Division, Eastside 503/232-4407 Local hot-spot with a colourful range of French desserts made by a Parisian-trained chef known as the "Pixie." Good for its international beers. Also at 3901 N Williams Ave, North Portland.
13 Pok Pok 3226 SE Division St, Eastside 503/232-1387. One of the city's best spots for Thai food – scrumptious curry noodles, green papaya salad, and pad Thai – though portions can be small. The adjoining takeout shack has much cheaper, but still excellent, food.
14 Siam Society 2703 NE Alberta St, Eastside 503/922-3675 While there are plenty of excellent, affordable Thai diners around town, this mid-level entry is a welcome sight, doling out innovative versions of Southeast Asian fare in a moody modern setting.
15 Stumptown Roasters 3356 SE Belmont Ave, Eastside 503/232-8889 Widely acknowledged as the city's best coffee, made from a blend of seven different types. The most convivial of a local chain, the others are at 4525 SE Division St, Eastside and 128 SW 3rd Ave, downtown.
16 Rimsky-Korsakoffee House 707 SE 12th Ave, Eastside 503/232-2640 Excellent place to linger for hours over dessert and coffee. Immensely popular with bohemians and slackers.