Does it feel like Portland is suddenly awash in new restaurants? Even by the standards of this food-obsessed Western city, the past few months have brought an impressive number of fresh options, with several interesting and ambitious openings in the mix.
Leaving aside the new bars, bakeries and food carts and second locations of existing restaurants, there are plenty of places to check out. Here are eight — and a few more for good measure — new restaurants to know about in Portland for fall 2023.
Bellpine
Given the sweeping views from its perch on the 20th floor of the new Ritz-Carlton hotel, one thing was for certain about this new downtown Portland restaurant: It would have to be grand. To that end, the luxury hotel chain recruited Pedro Almeida, chef behind several Michelin-starred restaurants at the Ritz-Carlton’s Penha Longa Resort in Portugal, and local luminary Lauro Romero (Republica). Together, the chefs are collaborating on a modern American menu presented in a dining room inspired by the tidepools and rock formations of the Oregon Coast.
Details: 812 S.W. Washington St., ritzcarlton.com
[Read more: Take a first look inside Bellpine, the Ritz-Carlton’s sweeping new 20th-floor restaurant]
Don’s Favorite Foods
Reservations are now open for this prix-fixe hotspot inspired by Burger Stevens chef Don Salamone’s upbringing in upstate New York and cooking career at Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City (Gordon Ramsey at the London) and Las Vegas (Restaurant Guy Savoy). Opened with systems specialist Kate Laurents and former Seattle sommelier Adam Galbraith, the supper club-style restaurant is aiming for a November 29 bow in Old Town Beaverton’s longtime Gloria’s Secret Cafe space, with a multi-course menu executed almost entirely by Salamone.
Details: 12500 S.W. Broadway St., Beaverton; 971-276-5582; donsfavoritefoods.com
[Read more: Chef with Michelin-starred experience to open Italian-inspired supper club in Beaverton]
Pizza pop-up Grana Pizza Napoletana will open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant this fall in the former Pizzicato at 2811 E. Burnside St.Courtesy of Maya Setton/Grana Pizza Napoletana
Grana
Just when you thought Portland’s pizza scene couldn’t get more saturated, along come another handful of places to try. This fall, those included Fusion Curry Pizza (4630 N.E. Sandy Blvd.), The Turning Peel (4546 S.E. Division St.) and new Beaverton truck Proof Pizza (12675 S.W. First St., at the Breakside pod). Grana, a Neapolitan pizzeria that owes a small debt of gratitude to travel host Rick Steves, serves portafoglio (wallet-style) folded pizzas through a takeout window by day, and more straightforward pies in the dining room at night.
Details: 2811 E. Burnside St., granapdx.com
[Read more: Upcoming Portland pizzeria Grana specializes in Naples-style folded pizzas. Rick Steves is to thank]
La Patroncita
The latest restaurant from Salsas Locas owner Lucy De León — whose great guisados spot recently moved from the Portland-Gresham border to 4512 S.E. 28th Ave., near Reed College — has comfy couches, colorful walls, neon signs, great chips and guac, a full bar, tacos on pink tortillas and more.
Details: 2832 S.E. Belmont St., 971-254-4317, lapatroncitapdx.com
Los Burros Supremos
The first of two concepts to debut in the old Woodsman Tavern complex, this burrito shop from former Paradise Mariscos chef Adán Fausto, whose Norteño-style carne asada pop-up Tacos Con Onda took over the back patio here last summer, explores regional burrito variations from Sonora to San Francisco. Early next year, Fausto plans to follow-up with La Leñadora, a full-service Mexican restaurant with lamb shank birria, Oregon albacore fajitas and “a really aggressive agave program” including tequila, mezcal, sotol and raicilla, with around 150 bottles in all.
Details: 4529 S.E. Division St., 503-342-1122, losburrossupremos.com (La Leñadora is aiming for an early 2024 opening next door)
[Read more: Pair of new Mexican restaurants to open in former Woodsman Tavern space]
The Paper Bridge
Between new fusion spot An An (8220 N. Denver Ave.), the Ha VL family’s new Annam VL (3336 SE Belmont St), Chém Gió's new home at Mosaic Taphouse (7955 N. Lombard St.), Friendship Kitchen’s second location (2764 N.W. Thurman St.) and roving pop-up Lobo x Platicities hủ tiếu nights, there sure are a lot of interesting Vietnamese options in Portland right now. The latest place to hit my radar is The Paper Bridge, a new restaurant in the former Simpatica/La Luna cafe with “Northern delicacies that rarely grace typical Vietnamese restaurant menus.”
Details: 828 S.E. Ash St., 503-265-8105, thepaperbridgepdx.com
Xiao Ye
At this “first-generation American restaurant,” partners Jolyn Chen and Louis Lin are importing lessons learned at Washington D.C.’s great Rose’s Luxury — the eclectic menu, yes, but also the overachieving hospitality — to Portland. Xiao Ye, which Chen and Lin opened two months ago in a charming Hollywood neighborhood space formerly home to a DIY dog grooming studio (the sign still hangs out front), serves a lively menu encompassing everything from Roman pastas to Taiwanese street snacks.
Details: 3832 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-764-9478, xiaoyepdx.com
Yaowarat
Earlier this year, Langbaan’s Earl Ninsom took a handful of Portland restaurant industry heavyweights on a guided tour of Yaowarat Road, the main thoroughfare through Bangkok’s Chinatown. Those high-calorie eating adventures inspired Yaowarat, a new restaurant at Montavilla’s old Country Cat/Lazy Susan space, where former Tusk chef Sam Smith and hosts/bartenders Eric Nelson and Kyle Webster serve crispy bean curd dumplings, Chinese pork black olive pork and a sultry spin on kuay teow kua gai, the pork-fat-fried rice noodles.
Details: 7937 S.E. Stark St., 971-420-8913, yaowaratpdx.com
— Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com
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