Devour smoky grilled chicken at Big’s Chicken

The just-opened roadside shack from the minds behind Laurelhurst Market does not disappoint. The short menu centers around dry-rubbed, Fresno-chile-marinated chicken, smoked over oak and grilled to order with sweet Alabama-style “white gold” sauce (essentially mayo with vinegar and sugar). Get that juicy, crisp-around-the-edges bird with a side of creamy fried jo-jos and a spicy, chicken liver-jazzed dirty rice.

Get happy at Ankeny Tap & Table 

The shoebox sized taproom punches way above its weight, with great pub grub and perhaps the most neighborhood-friendly amenities around (two TVs, a kids' menu, impressive tap list, patio for brunching). From 4–6 p.m., Ankeny griddles up a fat, juicy burger with fast-food accoutrement (shredded lettuce, special sauce, tomato) for $7. Wash it down with discounted suds, from pFriem's pilsner to Coalition’s Two Flowers.

Fork into a Headwaters Dungeness crab omelet

Vitaly Paley’s seafood restaurant at the Heathman doesn’t let up on the briny love at breakfast. The kitchen tucks a massive amount of sweet crab meat—along with spinach and gruyere—into its fluffy, buttery morning egg blankets. 

Sip Wayfinder beer tasters and chow a Black Lodge sandwich

Chase a wild lineup of Bavarian imports and local collaborations (Wayfinder/Zoiglhaus’s hop-dizzy Snufflefluffagus to roasty Wayfinder/Ancestry Bock) with the brewpub’s huge, gooey cheesesteak, upgraded with smoked prime rib and so much beer cheese sauce.

Tuck into a Wurst trio plate at Occidental Wursthaus

Nibble three of the Urban German’s house triumphs: marjoram-laced Nürnberger, classic bratwurst, and rich, smoked brat in between bites of melty, spice-fragrant red cabbage. And wash it all down with floral Occidental Kölsch.