Karen Brooks eats, drinks and thinks about food for Portland Monthly, as the magazine's trend-spotting food critic at large. 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 

Dining Picks

Where to Grab Mother’s Day Brunch

From coconut guava french toast to dim sum to a classic eggs benny.

05/08/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Restaurant Closures

Portland’s Acclaimed Castagna Is Dead. Long Live Castagna.

Remembering two decades, four acclaimed chefs, and one gusty woman who powered the storied Portland restaurant.

05/05/2023 By Karen Brooks

Dining Picks

Portland’s Essential Outdoor Dining Spots

Behold: a wine-lovers' patio den carpeted in Astroturf, a hidden spot for sashimi and next-level cocktails, and a strip-mall A-frame with one table only.

04/24/2023 By Karen Brooks

Food News

Why San Francisco’s Coveted Good Food Awards Quietly Moved to Portland

On April 21, the prestigious craft food award ceremony will make its local debut at Revolution Hall. Founder Sarah Weiner reveals why the Rose City is the place to be.

04/11/2023 By Karen Brooks

Coffee

The Definitive Guide to Portland’s Best Indie Coffee Shops

The revolutionary roasters and old-school cafes shaping Portland’s dynamic new coffee culture.

04/05/2023 By Jordan Michelman, Matthew Trueherz, Karen Brooks, Katherine Chew Hamilton, and Isabel Lemus Kristensen

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 Okta’s one-acre farm.

03/16/2023 By Karen Brooks

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 blew our mind with grapefruit curd and a saltine crust.

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

Self-Care

4 Local Spa Treatments to Shake the Winter Doldrums

A Hawaiian massage, a float tank, and your choice of 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

Year In Review

Our Food Writers’ Best Bites of 2022 at Portland Restaurants

After another year of eating our way through Portland, at your service, these are the dishes we’re still chewing on.

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.

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

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 2022

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

From scratch-made breakfast to late-night cocktails and bar eats

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 will be showcased in six daily slices, 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.

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

Farm field-to-fermentation lab-to-table has landed in McMinnville.

11/28/2022 By Karen Brooks