Well, today marks the final day of 2026 Portland Salad Week. It’s been a great week, and we’ve especially enjoyed being introduced to a number of new-to-us salads. For today, we bring you recommendations from local content creators and you, our readers. Plus a few final thoughts and lessons from Salad Week, including some on the elephant in the room.
Content Creators | Readers
Lessons and Miscellaney
Content Creators
In true Portland Salad Week tradition, we now turn the spotlight to the people who know our food scene best: Portland’s community of chefs, artists, local personalities, and content creators. We love seeing the world of salad through their lens (sometimes literally) and discovering local favorites we share as well as exciting new dishes to add to our list.
Mike Bennett: Nostrana’s Insalata Nostrana
This is so much more than a salad to me. My wife introduced me to it on one of our very first dates, and before long, Nostrana’s happy hour became one of our favorite date night traditions.
We love this salad so much that we even had Nostrana prepare individual Insalata Nostrana boxes for our wedding guests during the thick of the pandemic so everyone can enjoy them safely. Sharing this salad with the people we love in August of 2020 is a memory I’ll always treasure.
They’ve absolutely mastered the balance of flavors. Exactly the right amount of dressing, exquisite croutons and somewhere the radicchio is always perfectly prepared. Order two.
1401 SE Morrison Street, Ste 101, Portland. Nostrana website
Mike Bennett on Instagram and Mike Bennett Studios website
Hot Eats Cool Feets: Nostrana and Oven & Shaker’s Nostrana Salad
I’m going to have to nominate, for the second year in a row, the Nostrana Salad at Nostrana and Over & Shaker. I love this dish so much that I made a full “hot take” video about it on my IG channel. The croutons, how well dressed it is, the cheese, it’s just perfect to me in every way and every time I order it, it’s like I’m eating it for the first time. I hate to be redundant, but this is #1 for me and it’s not even close.
1401 SE Morrison Street, Suite 101, Portland. Nostrana website. 1134 NW Everett Street, Portland and 7000 NE Airport Way, Portland. Oven and Shaker website
Hot Eats Cool Feets on Instagram
Paul Wagtouicz: Jamie’s Handmade Dumplings’ Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
As temperatures increase so does my craving for Jamie’s sweet and sour cucumber salad, which has magic cooling properties when taken in alternating bites with dumplings dunked in housemade chili oil. The composition is not complicated, you’ll find cucumbers treated this way at most any respectable dumpling venue, but there’s something to the proportions here of salt, sugar, vinegar and sesame that elevate it to star status.
5235 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland. Jamie’s Handmade Dumplings Instagram page
Paul Wagtouicz, Author of “The Way We Ate”
Brittany the Great and Em Snieska: G-Love’s Crunchmaster Crisp Salad
G Love’s Crunchmaster Crisp salad sure is popular. So much so that both Em and Brittany chose it as their go-to favorite salad. Here’s what they had to say:
Em: I love the herbs they add to this salad, and the crunch!
Brittany: It’s such a unique salad! There’s sweet, savory, and a crunch to it too! It is the salad I get every time I go to G-Love.
1615 NW 21st Avenue, Portland. G-Love website
Em Snieska on Instagram and Brittany the Great on Instagram
TweetiePOP: Toya’s Caesar Salad
Toya Caesar Salad on Southeast Stark is my favorite! I love how they coat the Caesar sauce so evenly. Each bite is crispy and filling! I love the crunchy bites they add to it with the tiny crouton crumbs.
803 SE Stark Street, Portland. Toya Ramen website
Lina Eats: Al Hawr’s Fattoush Salad
I love the texture of the toasted pita chips in this salad, which pairs so nicely with the fresh vegetables. The dressing is my favorite because it’s kinda tangy but still so light and fresh. It’s delicious!
3500 SW River Parkway, Portland. Al Hawr website
Eating with Michelle V: Normandie’s Farrah Farms Little Gems Salad
1005 SE Ankeny Street, Portland. Normandie website
I love how this salad has both creamy and umami notes. The combination of maple and togarashi with buttermilk made it addicting!
Eating with Michelle V on Instagram
Reader Salad Favorites
We asked you, our readers, to offer up your favorite salads, and you shared some really good ones! Here are some of your favorite salads in Portland (and one in West Linn).
Raspberry and Hakurei Turnip Salad at Navarre
What’s in it: Raspberries, hakurei turnips, olive oil, vinegar, salt, maybe a little garlic?
Why it’s good: Just a delightful, perfect combination of flavors; the raspberries balanced the turnips perfectly with their tart fruitiness complimenting the more earthy bite of the turnips. The very light dressing blended everything together.
Other info: This was one of a trio of small salads we got at Navarre last week (see photo). The other two (beet salad, and strawberry/cucumber salad) were pretty good, but the raspberry/turnip salad really stood out. I’m going to try to re-create the salad myself next June raspberry season.
10 NE 28th Avenue, Portland. Navarre website
Caesar Salad at Flying Fish
What’s in it: Classic Caesar with lettuce, homemade dressing, croutons.
Why it’s good: The dressing is SO good! And honestly it was the element of surprise, too. I don’t think of Flying Fish as a go-to salad place, so having the delightful surprise of a really solid salad on the menu was nice.
3004 E Burnside Street, Portland. Flying Fish website
Por Qué Salad (a “Big Salad”) at ¿Por Qué No?
What’s in it: Greens, avocado, pumpkin seeds, pico, protein.
Why it’s good: It’s big! And filling and tasty and “feels healthy.” I like mine with grilled chicken, but there are lots of protein options.
4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd and 3524 N Mississippi Avenue, Portland. ¿Por Qué No? website
Poached Chicken Breast Salad at Basilisk
What’s in it: Chipotle-herb seasoned chicken breast, spring mix, ginger/garlic marinated noodles, spicy radish medley, soft-boiled egg sprinkled with sea salt, sesame vinaigrette.
Why it’s good: The addition of noodles makes it different from most salads, chilled chicken makes it especially good in hot weather.
820 NE 27th Avenue, Portland. Basilisk website
Chop Salad at Pizzeria Otto
What’s in it: Seasonal greens, radicchio, colorful crunchy vegetables (often carrots, radishes, purple broccoli, romanesco), pistachio crunch, herby ranch, magic.
Why it’s good: It’s the perfect crunchy accompaniment to soft Neopolitan style pizza. The dressing is delicious and doubles as the perfect dip for pizza crust (get extra). The pistachio topping is slightly salty so the salad is perfectly seasoned. The large salad is generously sized for leftovers.
7122 SE Foster Road and 6708 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland. Pizzeria Otto website
Caesar Salad at Nineteen 33 Taproom (West Linn)
What’s in it: A huge salad with mixed greens and veggies, plus the BEST Creamy Caesar Dressing (housemade) in the universe. Three days later I still have leftover greens.
Why it’s good: It’s gigantic. The greens are fresh. Lots of chopped tomatoes and cukes and red onions. You can get grilled chicken on it. It’s made to order. The greens are not ice cold.
And the dressing—a delicious Creamy Caesar with I’m guessing cheese—a little chunky and delicious. Its made in-house and the recipe is secret and I am going to have to buy some because its that good. And the amount you get is enormous. I needed two take-home boxes and days later I’m still eating it.
Other comments: This is a small independent restaurant in West Linn that sources many ingredients locally. I know it’s Salad Week but they also have great burgers. Really excellent restaurants in West Linn are few, this one is a standout.
1873 Willamette Falls Drive, West Linn. Nineteen 33 Taphouse website
Buffalo Chicken Salad at Tinker Tavern
What’s in it: Chopped iceberg, tomato, carrots, celery, buffalo tossed chicken tenders, blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing.
Why it’s good: It’s a perfectly-balanced bowl of contrasts: hot vs. cold, fresh vs. fried, zippy vs. creamy, vegetal vs. funky.
Other comments: All the food at Tinker Tavern is A+.
7980 SE Stark Street, Portland. Tinker Tavern website
Greek to Me at Crisp Salads
What’s in it: Field greens, spinach, black olives, tomato, cucumber, raw red onion, garbanzo beans, feta cheese (I add beets).
Why it’s good: Lots of taste! Also, crisp!
Other comments: I love this restaurant.
3715 SE Division Street and 505 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland. Harlow website
Miscellany and Lessons from Salad Week
Here are some lessons from Portland Salad Week, and some miscellaneous thoughts.
The Cyclosporiasis Outbreak in the U.S.
This is the elephant in the room this year. But, we learned you can enjoy salad even when there is a parasite looming—at least in Oregon. Taylor Farms (and their other brands) has been linked to the outbreak, and it’s their shredded iceberg lettuce, which is also used by Taco Bell, that is generally considered the culprit. Fun fact: As of 2009, Taylor Farms “was ranked as the world’s largest salad and fresh-cut vegetable processor.”
Here’s a map from CNN—note that Oregon is grey and not suffering like Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, or the other states colored red.
Local and hyperlocal produce here in Oregon is not affected. And so many of the salads we’ve promoted during Salad Week are made from local ingredients grown by farmers and at farms that many of our local independent restaurants know and have relationships with. We are fortunate here in Oregon to have this kind of access.
If you are considering increasing your consumption of locally-grown produce at home, consider shopping at farmers markets or joining a CSA. Food coops are another good option for thoughtfully-sourced produce.
There Are a Lot of Salads in Portland
We thought we had a fair handle on the range of salads in Portland. But the more salads we saw online, on menus, and shared by readers, the more we realized that we have only scratched the surface of the Portland salad scene. It’s an exciting idea of trying more salads, and we are here for it.
The Fate of Leftovers
It’s hard to do leftovers with salad most of the time, because salad greens like leaf lettuces and mesclun wither overnight sitting in dressing or vinaigrette—even the locally grown stuff. On the other hand, Caesar salads can survive pretty well because their greens—romaine and/or kale—are sturdier.
Cabbage-based salads often get better the day after, as it takes longer for them to break down. Chicories are also pretty resilient. Meat salads often improve the day after. And of course vegetables like green beans, carrots, tomatoes, eggplant, celery, etc—all do well as leftovers.
New Seasons Promoted Salad This Week
On Tuesday they sent out a deal for their salad bar that coincided with Salad Week. Pretty cool coincidence … or was it?
Shoutout to Gin Thai Brassiere
We (Judith and Meg) got together Wednesday night to try the Yum Mama salad, one of our featured restaurant salads, at Gin Thai Brasserie, located in the Rockcreek section of Washington County. It was really good, made with minced chicken, onions, carrots, tomatoes, cilantro, peanuts, curly instant noodles, all tossed in a tangy lime dressing with chili jam. We liked how flavorful it was and the spice level was just right for Meg.
They also make their mango sticky rice dish with pandan in the rice, and add a swirl of coconut soft serve ice cream. Many thanks to Amika for having us (note: This meal was comped but we left a generous tip).
Next Year’s Portland Salad Week
We are already thinking about Portland Salad Week in 2027, which will also mark 10 years of Bridgetown Bites. We aim to expand the number our participating restaurants; we think we know where our field trip will be. Also, is there a salad topic you’d like to see us cover? Leave a comment below.
Thanks for joining us this year for Portland Salad Week. See you next year!
Judith Rich
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Yummy! Delicious! Thank you so much!
As suggestions for 2027…
It might be helpful to categorize your recommendations either into neighborhood locations and/or into food categories – out of sensitivity to folks who might have dietary restrictions/allergies/food preferences.
Just ideas!
This is great feedback – thanks, Linda! I’m glad you enjoyed Salad Week!