The 10 Restaurants That Defined Portland Dining in 2022

Canard, Le Pigeon’s Gabriel Rucker and Andy Fortgang’s all-day, casual bistro and wine bar, expanded out to Oregon City earlier this year, bringing the gospel of kooky, reimagined bistro and diner dishes to the former Grano Bakery space. The menu is substantially larger than the Burnside space, and puts a new spin on a number of familiar dishes. Here, nachos merge with clam ceviche, chicken tenders take a dip in koji honey and Japanese gribiche, and shells earn a chashu chanterelle stuffing and “ramen-esco” broth. There’s also a “little ducks” menu for kiddos, and an expanded ice cream desserts menu, replete with four different sundaes. But don’t worry: alongside the new creations, the old favorites remain, including the White Castle-inspired steam burgers, duck-fat pancakes and the oeufs en mayonnaise. And as part of the Le Pigeon family, expect plenty of foie gras to go around.

Abyssinian Kitchen has awoken from its pandemic slumber, reopening with a full and delicious cocktail menu in tow (try the amchoo guji punch). Unlike many other Ethiopian restaurants in town, Abyssinian Kitchen doesn’t offer the “combo platter” option and that’s perfectly fine. It’s worth ordering everything you want and bringing the leftovers home. Start with an order of the light and airy sambusa, here arriving as a trio of crispy, deeply spiced beef- or lentil- filled dumplings similar in size to samosa. Platters here can be built in any assortment, from an all-veggie sampler of the Big Seven — kik alicha, gomen, timtimo, stewed yellow split peas, seasoned collards, spicy red lentils, and mixed veg — to all meats. Whatever you do, don’t miss the rosemary-scented kitfo, gently warmed in butter and served with a side of housemade ayb — this is the dish we’ll remember all year long.

Find more info here.

It’s rare to describe a restaurant as lovely, but there’s no better word for Cafe Olli. Born from a group of Submarine Hospitality alums who sought to create a “less hierarchical” kitchen, the team built a different restaurant model, with employees as partial owners and community at its core. The result is a truly perfect all-day spot, full of fantastic breads (all baked in-house) and pastries like salted chocolate caramel-filled bomboloni (get two), the unbelievable bruléed Portuguese tart (also get two), and indulgent slices of salted chocolate cake with chocolate frosting; wholesome brunch dishes; perfect midday bites; and fantastic pizza. The pomodoro (add stracciatella) is one of the best pies in town. Tipping here has been replaced with a 20% service fee that supports the staff’s living wage, health care, and paid time off.

Find more info here.

The newest restaurant from the Sesame Collective, the team behind the ever-popular Shalom Y’all, Yalla, and Mediterranean Exploration Company, sidesteps their Eastern Mediterranean menu in favor of something straight out of the Adriatic. At first glance, Dolly Olive looks much more Italian in nature, kicking off with a duo of housemade focaccia, one studded with garlic and herbs, the other topped with delicata squash and harissa honey, followed by antipasti and classic pasta offerings. By the second course however, the menu format takes a U-turn, instead focusing on dishes from the grill and those roasted and fried. Look for big cuts of protein, like the fennel-crusted rib eye for two, and veggies, like grilled carrots with béarnaise. Further, the cocktail menu has a Dungeons & Dragons flair, with a number of drink names hearkening back to quintessential game mechanics and phrases.

Since it opened in 2014, Dough Zone has been among the Pacific Northwest’s best dumpling spots, serving up excellent xiao long bao, spicy wontons, and the elusive sheng jian bao, those puffy, yeasted bao brimming with juicy pork and pan-fried to a rich golden brown. The chainlet started as a tiny storefront in Bellevue, but has since expanded with locations up and down Washington, California, and Portland, with plenty more to come. The South Waterfront location is housed within a cavernous riverside space, serving up all the old favorites. Alongside dumplings, don’t miss the kale salad in sesame dressing (for the garlic girls!) or the bouncy dan dan noodles.

Find more info here.

If there was an award for the funniest restaurant in town (and the world?), there’s no question it would go to Jojo (see Instagram for a sample of owner Justin Hintze’s outsized goofy humor). The cult restaurant is even better than the baby blue fried chicken sandwich and jojo cart that started it all (and is still open on Southeast Powell). The stylish, midcentury-inspired restaurant offers all the same favorites as the cart, alongside an expanded fully vegan menu (hello, popcorn tofu!) with a new cast of future favorites waiting to go platinum. New to the menu: a long list of cheeky cocktails (the “Sloe Death to the Monarchy” states simply, “I said what I said”) and exciting boozy-or-not shakes (“the way a baby shouldn’t”), plus an upgrade to the standard fried chicken sandwich called the “vampires hate her,” which arrives with a slather of garlic confit mayo, cheddar, house barbecue sauce, and a stick of spearmint gum.

After almost four years of menu testing, cookbook writing, conceptualization, COVID pop-up navigating, and construction, Gregory Gourdet’s Kann is finally open, and reservations are the city’s hottest commodity — for good reason. The restaurant — completely gluten- and dairy-free, unbeknownst to many — proudly focuses on Gourdet’s Haitian heritage. A glimpse at the menu brings immediate excitement, kicking off with a gluten-free plantain brioche with epis butter and griyo twice-cooked pork with pikliz. The heart of the menu earns a kiss of wood-fired flame, from red cabbage with smoked herring and African pepper sauce to meaty beef ribs dusted in Haitian coffee rub. Veg-heavy sides help fill out the meal (the peanut creamed greens caught our eye) and desserts remain a focal point here, with a slice of the grilled pineapple upside-down cake and (dairy-free!) rum raisin ice cream holding court above the rest.

We were hoping Clyde Common and Pepe le Moko, both closed during the pandemic, weren’t the last Portland saw of lauded mixologist Jeffrey Morgenthaler. But he’s back, in a different hotel lobby across town. Taking over the main floor of Scandinavian hotel KEX, Morgenthaler and Benjamin Amberg’s Pacific Standard offer an all-day menu that includes cocktails, helpfully listed by ABV to help guests navigate their night (or day). Look for a michelada and an Aperol spritz on tap, coffee cocktails (obviously including an espresso martini in the mix), a carousel of classic cocktail variations, and perfect for the holidays, a seasonal eggnog special. Food too is notable, with the bar’s menu coming from Ned Ludd’s Jason French, with munchy snacks like sriracha-ranch almonds and Castelveltrano olives, Walla Walla French onion dip with Ruffles, and hot sauce deviled eggs.

Find more info here.

You should know by now that any Earl Ninsom-Eric Nelson vehicle is going to be a fun one. And after the blockbuster success of North Williams’ Thai BBQ-meets American BBQ-meets vacation cocktail party Eem, we knew that Northwest Portland’s Phuket Cafe would not, could not be an exception to the rule. Seven nights a week, the globetrotting Thai restaurant takes on shareable plates, snacks, salads, and curries, with dishes like pandan cheese roti (with optional cured salmon roe and coconut creme fraiche), glazed pork belly bites with makrut lime, whole fried pompano sauced in miang kum dressing with herbs, a Thai-style paella with clams (a possible a hat tip to the restaurant’s former tenant, the beloved Ataula?), and a beautiful dry-aged rib eye with grilled tomato relish that earns tons of Instagram praise.

When 2022 started, Republica was just a single restaurant. Now, it’s a seemingly unstoppable empire, earning a nod on Bon Appetit’s 10 Best New Restaurants in America list. The list of properties has expanded steadily, including the La Perlita coffee roaster arm; the Esperanza Trading Co. coffee shop and (now) evening wine bar; La Fondita, the homey, daytime-only space that brought over some dishes from Republica’s lunch menu; and Los Ponchos, the next-door taco shop. Out of almost thin air, it seemed, popped Lilia, fully formed and ready to nab a spot on Esquire’s Best Restaurants list. After that, De Noche, taking over night hours at La Fondita and just last month, Electrica, the Japanese-Mexican coffee shop, opened inside the Schoolhouse Electric building. Somehow, some way, they’re making it all work, and bringing some of the best and most beautiful Mexican food, beer, wine, and spirits to Portland.