HIT LIST

Where Portland Monthly Staffers Really Eat Lunch

Ever wonder where to grab a bite in the bustle of downtown Portland? We share our go-to lunch orders to help you wade through the sea of carts and delis.

By Portland Monthly Magazine and Allison Jones June 23, 2015

Chinese crêpes from Bing Mi!

We all know that Portland is America's Great Restaurant Destination, and given proper planning you could likely come up with enough incredible meals to fill a full week without repeats (ahem, like we did here). But when time is short and budget is a major concern—like during a panicked lunch hour downtown—all of that foodie research and preparation flies out the window and you're left staring down at a $15 Whole Foods salad or a risky cart purchase you made on a whim just because it had the shortest line. 

We get it. We work downtown, making the magazine that informs Portland about the all-time best meals this city has to offer, and even we get overwhelmed with all the options and default to a few tried-and-true favorites. To help out our fellow man—and acknowledge that it's not always practical to sit down to a two-hour, $40 meal worthy of our cover shot in the middle of a busy Thursday—we assembled a list our favorite downtown meals. Behold, how Portland Monthly really eats.

Rachel Ritchie, Executive Editor
Michael Novak, Art Director
  • The carnitas burrito with everything at La Jarochita ("Make sure to get the green sauce called 'guacamole.'”)
  • Tuna and White bean salad at Café Voila ("If you’re feeling guilty after eating the burrito.")
  • Double burger with fries at Lardo
  • The Kelsey sandwich at Grilled Cheese Grill, with added grilled mushrooms and turkey
Kelly Clarke, Senior Editor
  • Bing Mi!, add Chinese sausage and double cracker
  • Café Voila chicken caesar
  • Spielman Bagels
  • Maya Taco chicken mole burrito w/ extra salsa
  • Garden Bar ("I usually try out the special or anything with kale.")
  • All-Way cheeseburger & fries
  • Sawasdee Thai cart pad kee mao medium spicy w/ extra veggie ("Because the owner Sunny is the nicest human on the planet and she has remembered my order for a decade")
  • No 1 Bento bulgogi with yam noodle salad
  • In case of emotional emergency: Lardo's meatball banh mi.

Fiona McCann, Arts Editor
Allison Jones, Digital Editor/Health Editor
  • Wolf & Bear's: sabich on greens instead of pita with a side of grilled potato and extra green sauce
  • Lardo's sandwiches made as salads!
  • Imperial: Kale & Vegetable Salad with rotisserie grilled chicken
  • Kure Juice Bar: Honey Be Good bowl
  • Prasad: Utopian Dream "Pasta" (shredded green papaya, carrots, shredded collard greens, scallions and broccoli tossed in almond butter pad thai sauce) and a Gilt smoothie (carrot juice, coconut milk, mango, pineapple, turmeric, ginger, bee pollen).
  • But, really, homemade leftovers from the night before...
Zach Dundas, Executive Editor
Marty Patail, Associate Editor

Wolf & Bear's SW Portland cart

Benjamin Tepler, Associate Food Editor
Margaret Seiler, Copy Editor
  • BBQ pork bahn mi at Roll Plus Sushi ("So cheap!")
  • Bulgogi burrito at Korean Twist
  • "The thing with the meat and the egg" at Emame’s Ethiopian
  • "And I do like the polenta clafouti with an oyster on the side at Maurice on those days when the following are all true: I’m in absolutely no hurry and have something to read. I just feel like pretending I'm a wealthy femme d’un certain âge. I’m kind of hungover."
Eden Dawn, Style Editor

A photo posted by ALL-WAY (@allwaypdx) onNov 21, 2014 at 4:50pm PST


Ramona DeNies, Assistant Editor
  • I admit to medicating myself about once a month, or as needed, with an All-Way burger. Also like the soup n sandwich cart (Savor Soup House) and Nong’s of course.
Sika Stanton, Web Producer
  • Caspian Kabob: Kubideh Kabob over salad (juicy grilled lamb and beef meatballs)
  • Garden Bar: Northwest Bowl sub avocado for cheese ("Solid.")
  • Verde Cocina farmer’s market stand on Wednesdays: Paleo Verde plate ("Simple, generous, and done right!")
Molly Woodstock, Digital Content Coordinator
Brian Barker, Contributing Editor
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