3 Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon

Chef Kevin Gibson reguarly changes up the menu at this elegant but unpretentious neighborhood bistro in order to shine a spotlight on the freshest seasonal ingredients. Highlights often include grilled Oregon octopus with frisée, olive, and tomato; a lightly breaded and crispy fritto misto of fennel, sweet onion, squash, and artichoke with a saffron aioli; and grilled duck breast with haricots verts, potatoes, and cherry sauce. Beer lovers take note: the limited selection features some less common treats, like Petrus aged sour-cherry red ale. Rarely does anything on the menu cost more than $18, but with a small-plates format, you'll typically want to order at least two to three items per person; it's still a solid value, given the quality of ingredients, knowing service, and refined dining room—a dapper, modern space with gray leather booths and banquettes and polished-wood tables.

One of Portland's original farm-to-table restaurants, this classic eatery, opened in 1994 by renowned namesake chef Greg Higgins, has built its menu—and its reputation—on its dedication to local, seasonal, organic ingredients. Higgins' dishes display the diverse bounty of the Pacific Northwest, incorporating ingredients like heirloom tomatoes, forest mushrooms, mountain huckleberries, Pacific oysters, Oregon Dungeness crab, and locally raised pork.

A veteran of TV's Top Chef Masters, co-owner Jenn Louis serves exemplary modern Pacific Northwest fare in this contemporary, conversation-filled spot along the increasingly trendy North Williams restaurant strip. The stew of clams, ocean steelhead, and Burgundy snails with shiso and Calabrian chilies is a winner, and there are always three or four fresh-made pastas on the menu, such as bucatini with an octopus Bolognese sauce and mint, plus locally sourced grills and inventive salads. Louis and her husband, David Welch, also run the more casual Sunshine Tavern on Division Street in Southeast.