Where family-friendly and foie gras mingle. The infamous, White Castle–inspired steam burgers lead the charge of Gabriel Rucker’s suburban outpost. But, like the original Canard on E Burnside, the menu is full of playful high-low dishes—think flattop diner meets French wine bar. A classic goat cheese omelet (listed on the menu with an ironic l’apostrophe) sits next to a broccoli Cobb salad. Foie gras dumplings next to chicken tenders with Japanese gribiche. Malleability is Canard’s game. Drop by for a post–soccer practice duck stack or a dozen oysters on the half shell, or both. Bring the family or woo a client. —Matthew Trueherz

A barebones dining room, dangling roast duck in a glass case, and handwritten specials in Cantonese and English: Montavilla’s Fortune BBQ exhibits all the aesthetics of a killer Chinese barbecue joint, and the flavors match the vibe. Under an armor of crackly skin, gorgeously rendered roast pork waits to be placed in a bowl of noodle soup or alongside a pile of rice; ultra-juicy duck steals the spotlight, lacquered so well it needs no plum sauce. Those on the go can sip tea while they wait an appreciably short time for their orders, as families crowd into vintage tables to split platters of bouncy noodles, tender steaming bowls of wonton soup, and, of course, platters of meat. —Alex Frane

Maybe Portland’s closest thing to an iconic diner. The hash browns are crispy, the eggs are how you like ’em, and the pancakes are always fluffy. Chances are the people sitting next to you at the bar are on a first-name basis with the waitstaff—though the servers will call you “honey.” Breakfast, of course, is available all day, but missing the burger—sesame bun, classic fixings, and unchanged for going on 70 years—would be a mistake. And the club sandwich, really a double-decker Frankensandwich combining chicken salad and a BLT, is a favorite of former Simpsons showrunner Bill Oakley. —MT

Jake’s hasn’t changed much in its century-plus of business, and you can feel it. This is the spot for a lunch-hour martini. If you’re after a time machine of a restaurant, stumble through the richly patinaed doors and say hey to the bow-tied bartenders. There is a full Cajun-leaning menu of stuffed salmon and crawfish étouffée, but time-honored seafood dishes like shrimp cocktail and oysters on the half shell are the way to go. —MT

Jojo is named for its fried potato wedges, but chicken is the star. It’s served as lightly spiced “popcorn” nuggets; features in several towering sandwich iterations, spiced with Crystal hot sauce and Alabama white mustard; it’s even grilled, if that’s your thing. What’s more, the back of the menu mirrors the front, except everything is turned vegan and gluten free, swapping in thick slabs of breaded and fried tofu. The brick-and-mortar spot in the Pearl District is an outcropping of the original, diner-inspired food cart that, despite its plant-filled and dark-wood-accented dining room, maintains a nostalgic, Americana charm. —MT

How many places still have a soup of the day? Not a phony, quarterly rotating cast of purees, but a truly ad hoc special? Higgins’ housemade charcuterie gets the same treatment: duck liver moussette, terrines, and too many salami options to list. Cheese is equally inspired. For lunch, we love the worn-wood, anachronistic bar, where the bistro menu is served all day (lunch in the dining room ends at 2pm). If you’re after a more substantial meal, the burger is meaty, and comes with soup or salad like it’s 1995. Something more refined? Carnaroli risotto and a saffron bourride show up among the rotating entrees. The wine list is long and the imported tap list is longer. —MT

From former Angel Food and Fun chef Manuel “Manny” Lopez, this Yucatecan spot resurrects his storied panuchos, rellenos, and burritos that Portland fell in love with, then longed for in Lopez’s five-year absence from the scene. Simply and accurately, Ki’ikibáa translates from Mayan as “delicious food.” —MT

In 2016, Tokyo’s Marukin Ramen brought straight-from-Japan Hakata ramen (a subgenre of the tonkotsu style) to Portland. The broth was distinctly rich and porky, and the noodles were thin with a remarkable slurp and chew. Portland dug in: years on, there’s a constant line for karaage bites and bowls of spicy-creamy red paitan and vegan miso ramens. A few years ago, the company separated from its parent brand in Japan, changing the name to Kinboshi and leaning into the local influence (read: half of the ramen on offer is vegan). —MT

If there’s a place to wine and dine on a downtown afternoon, it’s Måurice, a devout luncheonette serving Norwegian and French fare. The menu is pastry-forward, but pastry doesn’t always mean sweet. Think lox-garnished savory Danishes and delicate potato lefse filled with chanterelle mushrooms—not to mention the cloudlike, polenta clafoutis decorated with a poached egg. Handwritten menus and delicate smørrebrøds make for a classy business lunch, a memorable afternoon catching up with friends, or a romantic date. —MT

A no-frills sandwich, the kind of thing you’d expect from a place called Meat Cheese Bread, is a surprisingly hard thing to track down. If you’re after a solid BLT (available only in the summer) or nostalgic, deli-style turkey on sourdough, this is the place. Picture a “sandwich shop” and you have a pretty good idea of the aesthetic: a pile of cookies on the counter, the day’s soup written on a roll of butcher paper hanging from the wall, fresh-baked bread in the air. A few tables inside and a run of picnic tables on the sidewalk make for plenty of room for you and your friends and their dog. —MT

Murata might be the only place in Portland where we recommend the valet. It’s a fitting way to kick off your Financial District power lunch. Sit at the sushi counter or, better yet, call ahead to reserve a private tatami room. Specific to the lunch menu (available weekdays till 2pm) is Murata’s teishoku, a traditional Japanese set meal. You choose a protein—assorted sashimi to broiled rib eye to hakata-age (fried chicken)—that’s served with cucumber salad, steamed rice, and pickles. —MT

In a long and narrow wooden dining hall, diners slurp udon noodles in Japanese curry broth and nosh delicate tofu katsu, crisp karaage, brown rice onigiri with creamy tofu. Entirely vegan, Obon Shokudo makes everything in-house, from the tofu to hot sauce. A variety of curry and bento specials, including a katsu sandwich and vegetable curry served with rice, salad, and pickles, make for an ideal lunch: quick, filling, and never too heavy. Bringing Fido along? Grab some complimentary sushi for dogs—just be sure to snap a pic for the ’gram, as requested by the restaurant. —AF

The Thai restaurant that would birth a veritable Portland empire, Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom’s first restaurant remains one of the finest Thai spots in town. While herby larbs and black cod curry dominate dinner, lunch is a far more utilitarian affair (though equally delicious). The lunch sets, offered from 11:30am to 3pm, are almost like a Thai bento: Dishes like pork belly noodles, tamarind-glazed wings and sticky rice, or stir-fried Japanese eggplant with jasmine rice, come with a few backup singers, namely papaya salad, soft boiled egg, and a side of broth. Kids even get their own wings lunch, which swaps in some steamed veggies and rice for the other sides; it’s just $8. —AF

This longtime favorite North Portland café serves a snacky, brunchy menu into the afternoon with a fun list of mostly local natural wines. It’s tiny and overflowing with neighborhood charm. House focaccia rolls make for sandwiches from the heavens: spicy mayo and scrambled egg and ever-changing cold-cut and vegetarian options. And the orecchiette, hand-pinched in house, switches up its schtick by the season—one day it may come tossed with crab and fava beans, the next sausage and broccolini, showered in pecorino. Don’t leave without something sweet. —MT & Brooke Jackson-Glidden