The August Hit List: Apizza Scholls, Jacqueline, Firehouse, and More

Did you hear the news? According to Bloomberg, Portland is the best pizza city in the country. Whether or not you think that’s true — whether it’s worthwhile to label any city as the best in anything — we can all agree that Portland has some darn good pies, with most lists starting at Brian Spangler’s beloved pizzeria, Apizza Scholls.

Like every restaurant, Covid disrupted the normal flow of well, everything, but here, Apizza Scholls’ lines-out-the-door-as-normal got cut in favor of takeout and delivery by phone. Starting at 3 p.m., you can pre-order 18” house and build-your-own pies, salads and desserts, alongside pop, beer — in cans, bottles and growlers — and wine for evening pickup daily. Those itching to get back to in-house dining may also get their wish this month: The pizzeria is planning to bring back some dine-in tables, by reservation only. (Guess where you’ll be able to find those.)

Like many restaurants, Northwest Portland’s long standing Peruvian favorite Andina closed its doors to regroup, and opened Chicha in its stead: an outdoors and to-go-only concept bringing the best of Peruvian street food to the Pearl District. Dishes here feel more playful and fun than its more fine dining-driven sister, with bowls of ceviche, papa rellena stuffed with ground lamb and rocoto sauce, fresh sweet corn-stuffed humitas, meaty sanguches, chaufa, lomo saltado and more filling out the menu. Cocktails are headlined by wonderfully bracing pisco sours shaken until foamy and of course, the sacsayhuamán, Andina’s signature cocktail featuring house-infused habanero vodka and passionfruit. 

Before the pandemic, snagging a sunset table at one of North Portland’s favorite neighborhood brewpubs was like winning the lottery. The west-facing picnic benches were almost always filled, with golden hazy beers clinking plates of fried pickles, pretzels and Detroit-style pan pizza. Now, the expanded, formerly umbrella-covered patio has evolved into a fully covered patio with way more seating. You’ll still find the brewery’s 15 beers, ranging from “light & fresh” to “hop forward,” on tap and its menu of classic brewpub fare to pair, as well as the highly convenient beer shipping if you’re dropping $30 or more on suds. All that’s left is to get that table reservation. 

Think summer, and the first thing that comes to mind is “grilling season.” At Northeast Portland’s Firehouse, it’s always that time of year, with its fantastic-in-its-simplicity, wood-fired menu focused on locally sourced, seasonal veggies; chewy and bubbly pizzas, and cozy, hearty entrees. With both indoor and outdoor dining available, settle in for a romantic evening on the string light-lit patio with summery plates of roasted corn and tomato with ricotta salata, coal-roasted carrots drizzle with honey and chili, basil-kissed margherita pizza and whole roasted trout with charred lemon. Pair with affordable wines-by-the-glass, lighter, local beers and classic cocktails. 

Tucked into a tiny food cart pod alongside a dispensary on SE 82nd Avenue (at SE Holgate) lies Habanero Burrito, a Kelly green food cart with a psychedelic logo that makes some of the best burritos in town. Heat seekers should immediately look to the eponymous habanero burrito, which adds, surprise, habaneros, to the traditional line-up of refried beans, rice, cheese, grilled onions, pico and a protein. Don’t sleep on the cart’s trio of breakfast burritos either, which all arrive with some combination of eggs, potatoes, sour cream, cheese, pico and a protein. A rainbow quartet of salsas is also available to pair, ranging from green and mild to hot hot habanero cut with crema (though it’s no less spicy). 

Oyster lovers, rejoice. Clinton neighborhood stalwart Jacqueline is back. Partway through lockdown, Jacqueline, the city’s seafood-centric restaurant maybe best known for their $1 oyster happy hours, quietly closed its doors, rearranged furniture and some decorations, and reopened as Fair Weather, serving great espresso drinks, treat-worthy breakfast baked goods and brunch plates. Now, Jacqueline is back, and (rejoice again!) beloved Fair Weather is here to stay. Alongside the coffee drinks and brunch dishes in the AM, that oyster happy hour and PNW-driven veggie and seafood menu we loved diving into on cool summer nights with a chilled bottle of wine fill out nights, five days a week. The menu has expanded back to include a large selection of summery small plates, including an herb-infused Hamachi crudo, Oregon bay shrimp steam buns, fettuccine with shrimp and cherry tomatoes and n’duja-stuffed squid with hazelnut romesco and summer squash. 

The second location of San Francisco-born pinsa shop, Montesacro is bringing a less-known slice of Italian fare to the Pearl District. Falling into the focaccia and pizza family, pinsa is an airy, Roman-style flatbread, here made with a combination of rice, soy and wheat flour, and topped with everything from tomato, fior di latte mozzarella and basil to mozzarella, broccolini, spicy pork sausage and strachiatella di burrata. In the U.S. pinserie are rare, with Montesacro’s SF-based flagship claiming it’s the first of its kind in the country. But the menu isn’t only that flatbread. Look for a number of veggie-heavy antipasti, housemade pasta and desserts, which include a Nutella-stuffed pinsa to close out your meal. 

For more than a decade, Portland’s claim-to-fame has been our robust food cart scene. As the wild real estate boom has eaten into the more traditional food cart pod spaces — empty lots, parking lots and unused corners — even more creative solutions have popped up in their wake. The most recent: Moore Alley, home to a side-by-side cheesesteak and beer and coffee cart from the same family, complete with mismatched furniture, chess set, a wall of hanging strawberry plants all on a covered patio where you could actually hang out all day. In the mornings (starting at 6 a.m.) stop by Moore Coffee, serving Terrain Coffee espresso drinks and Crema pastries. By noon, Moore Food & Co, serving pork rolls, crispy beef and cheese egg rolls, cheesesteaks and Oregon beers by the pint, opens for lunch. With plenty of comfy seating, and at least two meals easily accessible, why would you go anywhere else? 

Just a block up from Moore Alley, and down another alley, is Someday, the buzzy cocktail bar from bartending vets-turned-back-alley cocktail patio and mini food cart pod. Sip old and new cocktail recipes from a classic Scofflaw to a reimagined daiquiri, here infused with pandan. Bites (from the bar itself) focus heavily on snacks, with dishes like olives, cheeses, anchovies, simple veggie plates and a ~fancier old-fashioned wiener. But if none of the bar’s options fit your fancy, or you missed snagging a reservation for the bar’s Sunday evening oyster grill, explore either of the two carts that also call this alleyway home: Ruthie’s, serving seasonal wood-fired dishes, and Alley Mezza, with a lengthy menu of vegan Middle Eastern food.  

The latest project from fast-casual restaurant duo Micah Camden and NFL veteran Ndamukong Suh is YaYa, a Cantonese barbecue shop helmed by lifelong Chinese barbecue enthusiast Steven Chin. The grandson of a New York City Chinatown entrepreneur and community leader whose grocery store sold Chinese barbecue, Chin grew up captivated by the glistening, lacquered meats. A former journalist, Chin came to Portland from the Bay Area where he nurtured a friend- and mentorship with famed Chinese chef Martin Yan, before working at Hapa Ramen. After being laid off during the pandemic, Chin finally set out to own his own place. Find a short but sweet menu at YaYa, with a quintet of barbecue meats served alongside rice, pickles and sauce, a quartet of fried rices and side dishes ranging from wonton noodle soup to stir-fried greens.