Portland food news and views
A week celebrating salad in Portland, Ore.
It’s back! Portland Salad Week 2025 is almost upon us. We’ll be celebrating our love of salad from July 14 to 18 on Bridgetown Bites—look for roundups, reader suggestions, unexpected tidbits, and more.
Continue reading “Get Ready for Portland Salad Week 2025”There are a whole bunch of salads recommended by Portlanders online—thanks especially to those who submitted their pics through the online form and for those who answered via Facebook. Here are some of their recommendations for salads + a mention of salads we haven’t tried, but want to.
Another great salad from New Seasons: Lemongrass Chicken
Continue reading “Reader/Online Salad Picks + Salads We Want to Try”You’ve seen Part One of Salads We Like during Portland Salad Week—here’s Part Two!
Photo credit: Yelp
What’s in it: Green papayas, carrots, tomatoes, peanuts, chili cooked in lime sauce.
We love a good ol’ papaya salad and this one definitely delivers. It’s high in flavor and texture and a little goes a long way. Sensitive palates may want to start slow, as the heat can quickly creep up on you. Those with more tolerance will find themselves reaching for seconds and thirds. –JR
4806 SE Stark Street, Portland. https://www.facebook.com/SivalaiThaiRestaurant/
Continue reading “Portland Salad Week – Salads We Like, Part Two”
A big salad from Garden Monsters—The Hercules with chicken
Over the years, I’ve heard people ask, “So where can I get a big salad in Portland?” If they are a New York transplant, they are probably thinking of those chopped salad and panini spots that were (are?) ubiquitous in Midtown Manhattan. Or the kind of “Big Salad” referred to in Seinfeld. But really—sometimes you just want a big salad, no matter where you come from.
Here are some places where you can get the classic “Big Salad”—but instead of a bowl of “big lettuce, carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs,” a la Seinfeld, you can get a mix of diverse ingredients that will be delicious and satisfying—enough for a whole meal (sometimes two, if you play your lettuce cards right—Romaine stands up better overnight compared to mesclun greens).
Photo credit: Yelp
Self-described at a “world famous organic juice and smoothie bar,” the food here I would say is nutrient dense, healthy, and fresh—the kind of place I like to go when I need to nourish myself. They offer two substantial salads at their SE Stark location:
I usually get a smoothie with my salad (The Orange One is a fave). I love eating here. Definitely put it on your list of tasty healthy crunchy food spots.
2816 SE Stark Street, Portland. http://www.canteenpdx.com/
Continue reading “Where to Get a Big Salad in Portland”When it comes to food opinions and expertise, there’s never a shortage of either in Portland. With so many talented people sharing their thoughts and insights about food, we asked some of the top Portland food influencers about their favorite salad recommendations in honor of Portland Salad Week. Here’s what they said:
Photo credit: Good Stuff NW
Blogger at GoodStuffNW | Instagram: @goodstuffnw
My first strong salad memory was, of course, my mom’s iceberg lettuce with her family’s mayo-and-ketchup dressing, and much later the yet-to-be matched Caesar at Zefiro (sigh). I can’t resist any salad that Sarah Minnick has on the menu at Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, especially if it’s her mixed chicory salad with the most tender, colorful mix of organic greens, yellows and pinks from local sustainable farms. Right now she has spring garden lettuces with Point Reyes Blue Cheese, beets and toasted hazelnuts. (Watch her Instagram video about making salad, where she starts by mixing the dressing *in the salad bowl first* and only then adding the salad greens and giving them a toss).
One other I have to add is Mark Doxtader’s Kale Caesar at Tastebud in Multnomah Village, which is a meal in itself with breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic and anchovy aioli, also always sourced from local farms.
Continue reading “Portland Food Influencers Who Love Salad”