Khun Pic’s Bahn Thai on Belmont (a k a: the secret Thai restaurant). Hard to spot place run by 2 people, a cook and a waiter, in an incredible house. You can walk right by it without noticing it tucked in a garden nook behing an iron gate between old city buildings. No credit cards, no reservations, no phone, open only three days a week for a few hours. Order the catfish (really!). Delicious food and a one of a kind experience.

I know a lot of places.

La Taq - get as many Brisket tacos as you can eat (diversifying by ordering a variety will result in regret… you’ll wish you went all-in on brisket)

Killer Burger - the Peanut Butter Pickle Bacon Burger is divisive. Some love it, some hate it. Their Classic is a solid 9/10 too, so go even if you have conservative tastes. Fry quality is inconsistent across locations. Sellwood location had disappointing fries when I went 2 years ago. My local location (not in Portland) had excellent fries yesterday.

Sckavone’s - their Chicken and waffles is lovely

Genie’s - their real claim to fame is their Bloody Marys, but the food’s good too, no specific favorites

Pine State - Reggie Deluxe with cheesy grits

City State - solid biscuits and gravy or benedict. They even offer the two together in a combo

Horse Brass - no specific recommendation but the vibe is good

Matador (multiple locations) - grande nachos with steak. I recommend a mexican lager to go with it (taps rotate)

Petite Provence - their menu rotates but if you can get anything with their smoked salmon, do it

Saburo’s - best quality and best value of sushi you will find anywhere in Oregon, hands down. Didn’t care for the “big O” roll but everything else is good. Try the Spider roll, Sabu roll and veggie tempura (I order with no mushrooms) if you are unsure

Love me some Marrakesh, though Moroccan food is eaten barehanded, so not everyones cup of tea.

Pelmeni Pelmeni in Hawthorne Asylum is a great cart, though area parking is kind of a pain.

Eem (Thai) and Gado Gado (Indonesian) are two personal favorites! Both have really delicious food and drinks.

Beau Thai

It’s been a long time since I was there, but I loved the tempeh pad thai.

Jame John Cafe was awesome.