Producer
Karen Brooks
Food Critic Email

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.

Best New Restaurants 2019
Best New Restaurants 2019

Best New Restaurants 2019
Portland Monthly’s Best New Restaurants 2019

Best New Restaurants 2019
Best New Restaurants 2019: Keep Your Eye on These Runners-Up

Best New Restaurants 2019
Berlu Serves the Most Unpretentious Pretentious Tasting Menu in Town

Best New Restaurants 2019
At JinJu Patisserie, a Pair of Korean-Born Vegas Expats Find Portland’s Sweet Spot

Best New Restaurants 2019
Portland Monthly’s Restaurateur of the Year 2019 is Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom

Best New Restaurants 2019
Locavore Upstart Farm Spirit Has Evolved into a Legit Vegan Fine Dining Destination

Best New Restaurants 2019
Eem is Portland Monthly’s 2019 Restaurant of the Year

Restaurant Closures
Little Bird to Close on October 27

Word of Mouth
K-Pop, Cat Cakes, and Cotton Candy Coffee at Soro Soro

Restaurant Review
Freaky Tiki

Entertaining Guide