Category: Restaurants

first-look-dining-room-grand-stark-deli-portland-oregon

News and reviews of restaurants in Portland, Oregon.

Some of the most written about places on this blog include:

Portland Mercado [Latin American]
Ben & Esther’s [Jewish/Vegan]
Sizzle Pie [Pizza]
Bee’s Cakes [Cakes and Baked Goods]
Salt & Straw [Ice Cream]
Nepali Kitchen [Nepalese]
Vivienne[Bakery, Wine Bar, Bookstore]
Kachka [Russian]
Chin’s Kitchen [Dongbei Chinese]
Arrowood [New American]

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Eat Pancakes, Tamales, and Sausages With More Light in Portland

What a day to eat pancakes, tamales, or sausages.
Sunrise in the Grant Park neighborhood. More light is coming.

Over the years here, I’ve highlighted food traditions connected to the date of February 2, which in the U.S. is know best as Groundhog Day. It’s also Candelmas, a Christian feast day, and Imbolc, a Celtic cross-quarter festival that starts the night before. This day is significant because it is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. And it’s a day to eat pancakes, tamales, and sausages.

Below we’ll recap our roundups of where to find these foods to enjoy on February 2 as a way to welcome the increasing amount of light.

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Small Bites: Donuts of Portland, República, Baker’s Mark, and More

PIp's one of the donuts of Portland.
The donuts from Pip’s are top notch.

The donuts of Portland. Comedian Brandon Lyons is going to all the donut shops in Portland. He started with Coco Donuts. Spoiler: he is not into the mochi donut (at least the ones at Coco), but liked the raised glazed, which is the standard donut he’s using when possible. So far he’s been to Annie’s, Doe, Delicious, Pip’s, and more. Multiple locations

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Small Bites: End of Wilderton, Donuts, Good Measure, and More

The end of Wilderton is a sad state of affairs. Here's their final product. We will miss them.
Wilderton during a more colorful time.

The end of Wilderton. Bummer news about this NA distiller in Hood River. They closed their tasting room in August 2025 and the distillery will close at the end of January. One of the founders, Brad Whiting, said this: “We endeavoured to find a new steward of the brand for the past several months, but alas none worked out so the brand/IP etc will be shelved in the hopes to be resurrected at some point in the future. The distillery and tasting room are now closed and decommissioned.” More details here.

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Restaurant AMA Will Enclose Their Rooftop Deck in Hillsboro

The roofdeck at Restaurant AMA.
The roof deck as it has been. Photo credit: Restaurant AMA.

While putting together our Valentine’s Day 2026 roundup, I learned about Restaurant AMA in Hillsboro and their sister restaurant Urban Decanter in Forest Grove. At Restaurant AMA, they’ve decided to enclose their rooftop deck and run a tiki bar of sorts up there until summer. I was curious and intrigued by this, so I connected with Jill Craig, who owns both restaurants, to learn more.

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