Karen Brooks eats, drinks and thinks about food for Portland Monthly, as the magazine's trend-spotting food critic. Karen's reviews and think pieces ferret out the restaurants, food carts, and maverick thinkers defining Portland's food voice. In 2017, Karen won one of the food world's most prestigious titles: the James Beard Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Reviewer Award. She's penned nine books on food and drink, and in 2020 guest-starred on Hulu's food series, Eater's Guide to the World.

Food Events

McMinnville's Okta to Bring Michelin-Star Chefs for a Mini Food Festival in June

Expect an intimate dinner with 5 world-class chefs, LA’s Aitor Zabala to London’s Leandro Carriera. Plus: Solstice in the Fields at the restaurant's one-acre farm.

03/16/2023 By Karen Brooks

Lunch

15 Places to Grab Lunch in Portland

Trouble finding the perfect place to “do lunch"? From Lebanese standbys to classic sushi, here’s a list of some of our favorite lunch spots across the city.

03/15/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

Eat This Now

Lauretta Jean’s Grapefruit Saltine Pie Is Bonkers Good

It’s salty, sweet, and fiercely tart. How Portland’s iconic pie shop on SE Division blew our mind with grapefruit curd and a saltine crust—just in time for Pi Day.

03/09/2023 By Karen Brooks

Restaurant Review

How Nodoguro, Maurice, and Scottie’s Pizza Parlor Made Their Big Comebacks

They conquered Portland, but when the pandemic hit, they crashed and reexamined everything.

02/27/2023 By Karen Brooks Photography by Aubrie LeGault

Breaking News

The Gado Gado Team’s Next Project: A Wild Bar-Restaurant Called the Houston Blacklight

The 1970s-inspired spot will open this summer on SE Clinton, Jell-O shot Bundt cakes and French onion ramen soup in tow.

02/24/2023 By Karen Brooks

Review

Hidden Clandestino Is Portland’s Best New Mexican Restaurant

Chef Lauro Romero’s casual experiment is the electric jolt we need right now.

02/20/2023 By Karen Brooks

Dining Picks

Where to Eat and Drink on Heated, Covered Patios

From restaurants to bars to food cart pods, these spots are sure to come in clutch during this pandemic winter.

02/15/2023 By Karly Quadros, Shannon Daehnke, and Katherine Chew Hamilton

Self-Care

4 Local Spa Treatments to Shake the Winter Doldrums

A Hawaiian massage in the Pearl, a float at the Float Shoppe, and two very different Portland soaks

02/08/2023 By Karen Brooks, Katherine Chew Hamilton, Isabel Lemus Kristensen, and Margaret Seiler

Eat This Now

Review: Weekend Lunch at Oma’s Hideaway Delivers a Pretty Genius Filet-O-Fishball Sandwich

Yes, you want the salted egg curry fries at Portland's best new lunch destination on SE Division.

02/03/2023 By Karen Brooks

Dining Guide

Portland’s Most Romantic, Date-Worthy Restaurants

Planning a date with that special someone? Peep this list first.

02/01/2023 By Karen Brooks, Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Matthew Trueherz

Year In Review

Our Food Writers’ Best Bites of 2022 at Portland Restaurants

From Sichuan to Haitian to Vietnamese and everything in between, these are our standout restaurant dishes after a year of eating in Portland.

12/29/2022 By Matthew Trueherz, Karen Brooks, and Katherine Chew Hamilton

Year in Review

Portland’s 2022 Restaurant Closures, from Acadia to Ya Ya

Longtime institutions, food carts, and fledgling restaurants all shuttered this year, including Clyde Common, Sunshine Noodles, and Toffee Club.

12/29/2022 By Katherine Chew Hamilton, Matthew Trueherz, and Karen Brooks

Year in Review

The Trends That Drove Portland’s 2022 Restaurant Openings

A return to fine dining, two restaurants are better than one, and wine bars galore, from Kann to Canard to a slice shop from Scottie’s Pizza

12/28/2022 By Karen Brooks, Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Matthew Trueherz

Breaking News

The Iconic Feast Portland Food Festival Will Not Return

Cofounder Mike Thelin talks about why Feast mattered, why he pulled the plug, and what Portland needs now.

12/22/2022 By Karen Brooks

Best Restaurants

Portland’s Top 50 Restaurants

The legends, new voices, and mad-scientist ideas that make Portland a strange and wonderful food city.

12/19/2022 By Karen Brooks, Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Matthew Trueherz

Best Restaurants 2022

Where Does PoMo Food Critic Karen Brooks Eat Off-Duty?

From scratch-made breakfast to late-night cocktails and bar eats, here’s what Brooks seeks out at Portland restaurants

12/02/2022 By Karen Brooks

Food News

Acclaimed Scottie’s Pizza Parlor Will Drop a Major Slice Shop in Northwest Portland, Mid-December

The shop's exacting pies, already a favorite on Division Street, will be showcased in six daily slices on NW 21st, burrata topped to grandma style.

12/01/2022 By Karen Brooks

Best Restaurants 2022

Two Food Parties in One Space: Phuket Cafe & the New Langbaan

Thai tasting-menu destination Langbaan takes on new life inside the playful party atmosphere of Phuket Cafe in Northwest Portland

11/29/2022 By Karen Brooks Photography by thomas teal

Restaurant Review

Michelin-Starred Chef Matthew Lightner Seeds Oregon’s Next Food Revolution at Okta

Two Michelin-starred chef Matthew Lightner conjures new menus in the middle of a farm field and fermentation lab.

11/28/2022 By Karen Brooks

Best Restaurants 2022

Hors d’Oeuvre, Cocktail, Entrée & Dessert of the Year—Our Dream 2022 Meal

These are our top menu picks of the year, from French cheese puffs at St. Jack to the perfect takeout chicken from Mama Bird.

11/28/2022 By Karen Brooks, Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Matthew Trueherz