Restaurants Opening in Portland in 2026: What We’re Excited About

As we head toward the end of the year, a lot of things come to mind—and that includes looking forward to the restaurants opening in Portland in 2026. Here are the ones (that we know at this point in time) we’re particularly keen on in the new year.

First, Did Our 2025 Picks Open?

Mostly. Seven of the ten did, which is pretty good. The remaining three are repeats here (James Beard Public Market, Portland Mercado, and Fremont Garage) because they remain anticipated and exciting projects.

Restaurants Opening in Portland in 2026

Crispy Cones (Vancouver)

OK, so this one is not in Portland, but it’s close enough. Crispy Cones is a chain that offers trdelník—AKA chimney cake. They are a bit more stout than some of the others I’ve seen—and they fill them with ice cream. It is a delicious combination and I can’t wait to see their version of this combo in real life.

Fun fact: The founders of Crispy Cones were on Shark Tank in 2023 (Season 14, Episode 17). You can read more about that here. 13909 NE 10th Avenue, Vancouver

Fremont Garage

This is the food cart pod being built on the location that was Barrett Automotive for many years, on the corner of NE Fremont and 44th Avenue. The “garage” part in the name is an homage to that auto repair business. We first spoke with them in summer 2024; they are aiming for a spring 2026 opening. 4403 NE Fremont Street, Portland

Hearth & Vine

This place on W Burnside and NW 12th Avenue is a bit of a mystery, but they are definitely working on the place. A colleague who stopped by recently says it looks amazing inside. Apparently the people behind the place also have connections to restaurants in Seattle. The most recent timeline is that they are looking at an April 2026 opening; APCII in NYC has been listed as the tenant; the chef is making most of the decisions. 10 NW 12th Avenue, Portland

James Beard Public Market

This public market named after Portland’s own James Beard is going to add a lot of new appeal to downtown Portland. There will be three floors, a teaching kitchen, prepared foods, vendors, a rooftop events space, and more. Look for phase 1 to open later this fall. 622 SW Alder Street, Portland

Mako Matcha Mill

I continue to be intrigued by a couple of efforts that the owners of Mako Matcha Mill are involved in: growing matcha in Oregon and milling matcha on site in the West End section of downtown Portland. We spoke with the owners in November; their hopes were for a 2025 opening but it’s looking more like 2026. In any case, I’m excited to check them out. 414 SW 13th Avenue, Portland

OK Chicken & Khao Soi

They are looking at opening in the first week of January, bringing Northern Thai food to Portland. And it’s a great team behind the restaurant: Earl Ninsom, Sam Smith, and Eric Nelson. They’ve all been responsible for some of the most delicious food the ever lived in Portland. I am confident this will be additive in the tasty realm. We are lucky in Portland. 3226 SE Division Street, Portland

Portland Mercado

Last year I projected this place would open in 2025, but it hasn’t. Look at 2026 and exciting new changes to the new building. Montavilla News covered this story better than we did this year, and here is some important relevant info from them:

“Work on the Portland Mercado will continue well into 2026, but site operators are exploring ways to bring some cart vendors on-site before the project’s completion. Kebbe noted that having early tenants is complicated due to construction schedules and worker access, but he would like to see the site active again as soon as possible. He also wants to restore the space as a community resource, where it can host farmers’ markets and other events for the growing population in the area. People should expect significant progress to be completed in spring 2026, followed by places opening to customers in the summer months.” 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland

Sure Shot Burger

They’ve been a cart for a number of years on NE 42nd Avenue, and are now moving to a brick & mortar, a goal that Nick Jarvis and his partner Will Kuhns have had for some time. And they’ll only be moving a short way away—into the Taqueria Los Pepitos Locos space just next door to the cart.

Bonus: Sorbu will remain; look for collabs. The former ice cream shop left their machine so there are plans to create housemade ice cream for shakes. Plus a boss patio. It’s gonna be great! Look for them in April 2026. 5011 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland

YUI

Chalunthorn “Yui” Schaeffer is back! She’ll open her doors this Friday at the new location on SE Belmont, offering a variety of familiar and less-familiar Thai dishes. I’m excited to try them. 4246 SE Belmont Street #2, Portland

Will They? Won’t They?

The property at 555 NW 12th Avenue was purchased by THE MALARKEY 555, LLC in May 2025—Brian Malarkey is involved. I have reached out to learn more from him, but it’s been crickets so far. On Brian Malarkey’s website, there’s this: “In 2025, the group will debut its second highly anticipated concept in Portland, Oregon, continuing its expansion into the Pacific Northwest.” This permit looks relevant.

So will this project continue? Only time will tell. 555 NW 12th Avenue, Portland

Hopes for Happy Outcomes in 2026

Three bakeries may have new homes in 2026 and I wish them only the best in that process of landing safely somewhere within the city limits.

Flour Market

The owner is closing the cafe but still baking and providing bread and pastries wholesale. But, she would like to re-open at a new location. We hope she will be able to find a spot that checks all the boxes (location, affordability, etc). Location unknown

Jinju

They have closed their location on North Williams and are also looking for a new location. But it’s time for them to take a little bit of a break. I get the sense that it’s been kind of intense over there since they won the James Beard Award last summer, and they deserve all the accolades. Here’s hoping they, too, find a spot that checks all the boxes. Location unknown

Nuvrei

They have unofficial plans to re-open in Northwest Portland, but for now you can find their products at their SW Harvey Milk cafe, at coffee shops around the city (I like getting their croissants at Extracto in the Concordia neighborhood). I also learned they have a big commercial baking facility down by OMSI, too. 1122 SW Harvey Milk Street, Portland