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


Guides   Portland

Resy’s Guide to Restaurants Selling Groceries in Portland

As some of Portland’s favorite restaurants have shifted to takeout and delivery, many have also pivoted to stocking up your…

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Helping Out   Portland

How One Portland Restaurant Made a Priority of Safety — and Comfort

It was only a day before Oregon’s statewide ban on on-site dining was announced that Portland’s newest Filipino restaurant, Magna,…

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