Samantha Bakall

Samantha Bakall

Portland Contributor

Samantha is a queer, second-gen Chinese American journalist and strategic communications leader living in Portland, Oregon. From 2013 to 2018, she worked for The Oregonian and was the only staff food writer of color in the state, and has since worked as a freelance writer specializing in equity-based food issues, particularly about the AAPI diaspora in the Pacific Northwest, alongside nonprofit social justice work. When not sharing her opinions on food with all her friends, you can find her in the great outdoors where she’s still sharing her thoughts, just without cell service.

Fun Facts

  • Lives in
    Portland, OR
  • First Resy ever made
    The Gold Room in 2022.
  • Drink of choice
    Almost any old fashioned or Manhattan.
  • Favorite food city
    Chicago (my hometown, I’m biased).
  • Restaurant you’ve been to the most
    Cafe Olli.
  • Favorite food movie
    “Ratatouille.”
  • Last meal on earth
    A Frankensteinian menu of sashimi, salt-and-pepper head-on shrimp from Honeymoon Cafe in Chicago, butter chicken, a sausage and giardiniera tavern-style pizza from Vito & Nick’s, hot pot, and boxed yellow cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

Recent Posts


The Hit ListPortland

The July Hit List: Los Ponchos, Jem Supper Club, Nico’s, and More

Portlanders have never been more excited for summer. With a spring that just wouldn’t quit and endless rain (we are…

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The Hit ListPortland

The June Hit List: Fills, Palomar, Jacqueline, and More

The season we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: summer. And to celebrate the sun finally shining, we’re highlighting…

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The Hit ListPortland

The May Hit List: Artigiano, Ox, Dough Zone, and More

We’re finally emerging out of what feels like one of the longest and wettest Portland winters in recent memory. With…

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The Hit ListPortland

The April Hit List: Gado Gado, Takibi, Phuket Cafe, and More

Spring has always been a season of rebirth. Once-barren trees burst in bright pink and white flowers, new life resurfaces…

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The Hit ListPortland

The March Hit List: Bar West, Casa Zoraya, Han Oak, and More

Two full years into the pandemic, and it feels like Portland couldn’t be more nostalgic for the Before Times. Restaurant…

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Photo courtesy of Normandie

The Hit ListPortland

The February Hit List: Canard, Bing Mi, Normandie, and More

February is one of the toughest months in Portland as cold weather, gray skies and rain continue for what feels…

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Photo courtesy of Hey Love

The Hit ListPortland

The January Hit List: Hey Love, Cafe Olli, Dame, and More

New year, new restaurants. After another tough year of mandates, closures, and restrictions, dining out has become a little more…

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Photo courtesy of Apizza Scholls

Best of The Hit ListPortland

Apizza Scholls, Toki, Cully Central, and More: Portland Dining’s Best in 2021

If another year of a pandemic taught us anything, it’s to cherish the people and places we love the most.…

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Photo courtesy of G-Love

The Hit ListPortland

The December Hit List: Decarli, G-Love, Precious Pizza, and More

Somehow, it’s already December again. After another turbulent year of navigating COVID restrictions and the uncertain openings and closures it…

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Photo courtesy of Lovely Rita

The Hit ListPortland

The November Hit List: Casa Zoraya, Lovely Rita, Baon Kainan, and More

The dreary, rainy days of fall are finally here. And though the weather isn’t particularly inspiring, there are plenty of…

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