Our annual Best New Restaurants issue is a bit like a wine vintage: every year is different, defined by random forces, the quirks and flavor predilections of the moment, and, always, the notion of place. Last year, a wine bar craze hit Portland. Before that, the city’s anti-fine-dining mode was in force, rife with hidden, backroom tasting menu concepts. This year? Asian flavors, wild to traditional, ruled the day, animating our Restaurant of the Year, Rising Star, and Trend of the Year—a blossoming of underappreciated or underrepresented cuisines around the city. Meanwhile, a scotch destination set a new bar for eating while drinking, vegan fine dining got serious, Texas planted a meaty flag downtown, and two bakeries made our list. This was not a year for showy blockbusters, but a delicious vintage indeed.
PICTURED ABOVE: Gado Gado’s Chinese-Indonesian fare is electrifying Portland’s food scene
Eem is <em>Portland Monthly</em>’s 2019 Restaurant of the Year
Meaty, spicy-sweet, and ridiculously fun, Thai tiki barbecue is what we need in 2019.
Radical Thinking, Southeast Asian Rarities, and Heart Make Gado Gado Our Rising Star Restaurant 2019
Come for the salty-funky smoked pork shank, stay for the Capt’n Crunch–covered pandan waffle puffs.
Portland Monthly’s Restaurateur of the Year 2019 is Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom
How the man behind Eem, Hat Yai, and Langbaan rocketed from a rookie Thai cook to Portland’s most influential food player.
Berlu Serves the Most Unpretentious Pretentious Tasting Menu in Town
Chef Vince Nguyen’s Zen-modernist menus find beauty in everyday things.
Scotch Lodge Is <em>Portland Monthly</em>’s Bar of the Year 2019
At Tommy Klus’s whiskey den, a daring menu lives up to the (rare, illuminating, transcendent) booze.
Bullard’s Doug Adams Is More Than Fried Chicken
The celeb chef finds his own brand of Lone Star–meets–Beaver State cooking at his meaty hotel restaurant.
At JinJu Patisserie, a Pair of Korean-Born Vegas Expats Find Portland’s Sweet Spot
Butter-bomb croissants to lime yuzu bonbons, this place is a keeper.
Locavore Upstart Farm Spirit Has Evolved into a Legit Vegan Fine Dining Destination
There’s nothing else quite like it in America.
Bella’s Italian Bakery and Market Is a Stealth Red Sauce Haven
The Lents bakery—a destination for killer cannoli and sfogliatelle—also does weekly pizza and lasagna nights.
2019’s Cart Standouts Were All About the Meat and Potatoes
The year belonged to Austin barbecue, Tex-Mex tacos, and chicken n’ jojos.
Seven Spots Expanding Portland’s Food Map
In 2019, Guam, Burma, the Philippines, and other nations got more room at the table.
Best New Restaurants 2019: Keep Your Eye on These Runners-Up
Yonder and Erizo just missed the cut for our list of the year’s Best New Restaurants, but we’ll be back to see what happens at these high-profile spots.
|
|
|