The October Hit List: Les Caves, Lilia, Xiao Ye, and More

One of the city’s best cocktail bars has a new food pop-up in tow. To pair with Adam Robinson’s creative and globally inspired — and admittedly, a little too easy-drinking — cocktails, find Plumb Restaurant, which brings a bit of French bistro vibes back to Southeast Portland. The menu is straightforward and wonderfully familiar, with small plates like a steak tartare and grilled bread, before more classic large plates, including steak frites, pork chop a la moutarde, and a classic bar burger dressed up with Gruyere and aioli.

Roughly a year since its rebirth along Alberta Street, Abyssinian Kitchen remains one of the city’s best Ethiopian restaurants. Unlike many others in town, Abyssinian Kitchen doesn’t offer the “combo platter” option and that’s perfectly fine. Start with an order of the 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, with conveniently one-per protein, or something in between. Our go-to (for either a group or two with leftovers) is the beyaynetu veggie sampler paired with a doro wat or lamb tibs and the unparalleled rosemary-scented kitfo, here gently warmed in butter and served with a side of housemade ayb.

Find more info here.

Now that summer’s over, there’s no need to feel guilty for spending the evening cozying up at this subterranean wine bar. One of the most unique spaces in town, Les Caves not only boasts an absolutely fantastic wine list, but a truly singular and eponymous aesthetic. Hidden behind and beneath Roseline Coffee and a vintage store, guests will find an ever-changing wine list, pouring glasses from across the world, alongside bottles from the owners’ two labels: Golden Cluster and Ovum.

It’s never easy to choose what to order, and thankfully the waitstaff is particularly knowledgeable and ready with suggestions and tastings to boot. Hearty snacks — namely, one of the best grilled cheeses in town — are on offer. If it’s available and you feel particularly mobile and physically capable, make sure to reserve the nook, a partially private, half-hidden couch and table only accessible by a short climb up a three-and-a-half foot stone ledge.

This airy all-day cafe not only boasts some of the best pizza in town, but one of the best brunches and some of the best baked goods. So naturally, we often find ourselves finding excuses to while away several hours here as menus transition throughout the day. And it’s become clear that we’re not the only ones. Last month, The New York Times named Cafe Olli as one of the 50 best restaurants in America (alongside Lilia and McMinnville’s Okta), and we couldn’t agree more.

During the day, the menu veers toward both sweet and savory things served with or on toast. There’s a fantastic breakfast sandwich on a housemade milk bun and a whipped ricotta toast that could also double as a decadent, but not overly sweet dessert. At night, the menu keeps its simple mantra, trading out toast and eggs for pizza, pasta, veggies, snacks, and protein-rich mains. The absolute can’t-miss stunner may surprise you, but we promise it’s a keeper: the simple pomodoro pie with stracciatella (+$4) is truly one of the best slices in town.

Find more info here.

One of the Republica family’s most decorated restaurants, Lilia is proof of concept that sometimes, the best thing you can do is let a vision run true. Here, the menu focuses on Pacific Northwest cuisine through the lens of Mexican American chef Juan Gomez, who has earned numerous national mentions.

While menu details are scant outside of many tantalizing Instagram posts — and hinge on seasonality — the restaurant is inspired by the small, casual neighborhood spots in Mexico that feature a special of the day. Recently, we spotted a fried green tomato quesadilla made with a nasturtium tortilla, charred cucumber, and a papalo salsa cruda, smoked king salmon on a marigold and carrot mole with pickled burnt peach and carrots a la brasa, and a Concord grape scallop aguachile with pressed Oregon kiwi berry and shaved daikon.

Killingsworth’s former home to Handsome Pizza and Seastar Bakery has been steadily making a name for itself. Since opening earlier this year, the restaurant has continually fine-tuned its salads, pastas, and pies menus to something that now looks a little more structured. Find a handful of simple antipasti — think housemade focaccia and olives — alongside more composed plates, like the coal-roasted eggplant with walnut-miso paste, pickle aji rico peppers, and salsa verde. Salads capitalize on the seasons and similarly run from simple — try the heirloom lettuces with lemon and olive oil — to the complex, such as the stone fruit and sheep’s milk cheese, studded with fennel, jalapeño, and Calabrian chile salsa di girasole for extra kick. And for the most part, pizzas here dive headfirst into beautiful seasonality alongside a handful of classics, like a tomato pie with an optional burrata topper, plain cheese, and a pepperoni supreme dolled up with pepperoncini and hot honey.

Yes, we know this is an indoor pickleball/sports facility, but when was the last time you went to one that had dueling menus from pizza king Brian Spangler (Apizza Scholls) and cured meat connoisseur Nate Tilden (Olympia Provisions)? This gigantic indoor/outdoor rec center has been the talk of the town all summer, as anxious pickleball players (picklers?) have sought out courts across town to play.

Now that the courts are open, players can also fuel up at The Kitchen, Tilden’s brats and burger joint, or Spangler’s Parlor, home to a quartet of 14-inch parlor-style pies while waiting for their next match. Wherever you eat, the rec center’s bars are pouring a dozen local and domestic beers and a couple of cocktails (a very nice looking vieux carre) on tap, alongside a short cocktail and mocktail list, wines by the glass and pop by-the-glass or pitcher.

Find more info here.

Seven nights a week, this globetrotting Thai restaurant from the Langbaan team takes on shareable plates, snacks, salads, and curries, with dishes like beetroot and 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, and a beautiful dry-aged rib eye with grilled tomato relish that seems likely to win Instagram. From Wednesdays to Sundays, the restaurant also adds lunch to its service rotation, stealing a few dishes from the dinner menu to pair with more commonly seen Thai dishes, including pad see ew, pork fried rice, and black pepper pork.

It’s not often you see a big-ticket restaurant name pop up east of 205. But for those of us who call East Portland home, it’s a sight for sore eyes. Hailing from the same restaurant group that brought the city Ate-Oh-Ate, Big’s Chicken, and the beloved Laurelhurst Market, Sandy O’s boasts many familiar parts of the award-winning formula: well-sourced ingredients smoked and cured in-house and a simple but effective menu. Options include a trio of smashburgers, from the classic with American cheese to a smoked brisket patty topped with pimento cheese and fries; hot “sandos,” like the shaved roasted pork loin with romesco and broccolini and a fried chicken cutlet with red sauce and provolone; and a trio of cold sandwiches that you might see at Laurelhurst Market at lunch.

Find more info here.

One of the city’s most anticipated openings of the year might be one of Portland’s most impressive in a long time. Xiao Ye, a “first generation American” restaurant from partners Jolyn Chen and Louis Lin, brings their impressive resumes (Rose’s Luxury, Felix), as well as an opening lineup that includes former head chef Samuel Meoño of the Michelin-starred Rose’s Luxury.

The short-but-sweet opening menu boasts five sections, with each offering two to three dishes. Plates kick off with mini madelines with whipped butter and jalapeño powder and tom yum shrimp, reimagined in cake form with a sprinkle of tom yum salt, before weaving between “cold,” “warm,” and “bigger stuff,” before landing at “sweets.” Other exciting-sounding dishes include Jolyn’s favorite noodle v.1 spiked with Taiwanese black vinegar and Lao Gan Ma, and the glazed pork ssam with sesame “toum,” ssamjang, and more.