I recently became aware of Sazanami, a new restaurant in Beaverton. Helmed by Hajime Sato, formerly chef at Detroit’s Sozai and Seattle’s Mashiko, both of which he founded, he brings an omakase menu focused on sustainability to a space in a mall next to Greenway Park. I had a chance to chat on the phone with him about the restaurant, and here is some of what we talked about.
The Yum Mama salad from Gin Thai Brasserie, which we ate and loved earlier this week.
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.
The Bridgetown Bites crew loves venturing beyond Portland in search of great salads. Last year, we expanded into the Willamette Valley and had a great time, while this year we crossed the river for a Salad Week road trip to visit our neighbors in Vancouver, Washington. Meg and I explored four restaurants, most of them clustered around the Waterfront and the Downtown districts, an easy trip from Portland and well worth the visit.
Berkeley Salad at Thunderbird. Photo credit: Thunderbird.
Portland is one of the top cities in the U.S. for vegan eating, with restaurants, cafes, and bakeries having won a number of awards for the high quality plant-based food made in this town. For Salad Week this year, we wanted to feature specifically where to get vegan salads in Portland, because they deserve a proverbial seat at the table.
Welcome to 2026 Portland Salad Week, one of our favorite annual traditions at Bridgetown Bites! It’s a chance to celebrate the incredible restaurants and small businesses that showcase the abundance of fresh, local produce our lovely state has to offer. And we’re excited to spotlight the 2026 Portland Salad Week restaurant specials for you to enjoy over the next five days.
At these restaurants you’ll find familiar favorites that have been with us from the beginning alongside some wonderful newcomers, each serving up a salad worth checking out. We hope you’ll discover a few new favorites and get out to experience them for yourself.
Many of these featured salads will be available duringSalad Week: Monday, July 20 to Friday, July 24, while others will remain on menus longer, giving you more time to enjoy the season’s fresh flavors. A map of the participants can be found here.