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A pasta bowl filled with cavatelli and pork ragu, topped with a dollop of whipped ricotta.
Cavatelli with pork ragu from Campana.
Jenny Kang

The Best Pasta Dishes in Portland

Hand-rolled tagliatelle, pillowy gnocchi, and more

by Janey Wong
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Cavatelli with pork ragu from Campana.
| Jenny Kang
by Janey Wong

At classic red sauce joints and modern Italian restaurants throughout Portland, chefs dedicate themselves to the art of making pasta. Whether restaurants extrude pasta dough or cut it by hand, it’s essential to pair noodles and various other pasta shapes with sauces that will best adhere to them. Cooks strive for the ideal al dente consistency, a balance of firm-yet-tender with a slight chew, so that Portlanders may tuck into bowls of toothsome pasta, keeping a side of bread at the ready to mop up sauce.

Below, you’ll find some of Portland’s most crave-worthy pasta dishes, enveloped in hearty ragus, tangy tomato-based sauces, or velvety cream sauces, and showcasing seasonal produce. Those looking for pizza or a wider breadth of Italian cuisine can find dedicated maps to each.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Tagliatelle at Pastificio d’Oro

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Chef Chase Dopson hand makes his pasta the old-school way, using a mattarello, a three-foot-long Italian rolling pin, to smooth out dough. The small-batch nature of the restaurant means only two pastas are available nightly, making it doable for small groups to order the entire menu. Start with Maggie’s Salad, and order the tagliatelle — delicate ribbons of pasta entangled with a rich wild boar ragu or white wine-sauced mushrooms — if it’s on offer.

8737 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203

Cavatelli at Campana

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The cavatelli with pork ragu is a constant on Campana’s menu, built with an aromatic base of flavors typical to Tuscany, such as sofrito and rosemary. Owner George Kaden has refined the recipe over a decade, first workshopping the dish when he worked at New York City’s acclaimed Hearth. Kaden makes the cavatelli in-house with Pacific Northwestern flour while grinding pork shoulder and adding salumi trimmings to the ragu; the dish is finished with whipped ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

901 NE Oneonta St, Portland, OR 97211
(503) 841-6195
(503) 841-6195

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Squid ink spaghettini at Gumba

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Food cart-turned-restaurant Gumba prepares some of the most inventive pasta dishes in town, taking inspiration from Italian cuisine and adding Pacific Northwest ingredients. The restaurant’s squid ink spaghettini is a must-order — the dish has a citrusy heat and brims with scallops, Manila clams, and mussels, with a crumbly cheese frico topping it off. Daily specials are posted to the restaurant’s social media accounts in the afternoon.

1733 Northeast Alberta Street, OR 97211
(503) 975-5951
(503) 975-5951

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Radiatori at Tartuca

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Couples and small parties hover over antipasti and pastas at this intimate scratch Italian restaurant, where giant slabs of focaccia sit at the end of the chef’s counter, waiting to be sliced to order. Menus here are dictated by what’s in season, but the radiatori is one of its fixtures. The pasta’s squiggly folds are perfectly suited to trap Bolognese, which is complemented with fresh torn basil and a dusting of Parmesan. Gluten-free pasta is available.

3951 N Mississippi Ave (N Shaver St), Portland, OR 97227
(503) 477-8008
(503) 477-8008

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Pappardelle al cinghiale at Piazza Italia

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Diners at this laidback Pearl District trattoria sit under a ceiling festooned with football scarves to scarf down plates of thinly sliced prosciutto with arugula and fresh mozzarella and classic red sauce dishes like bucatini all’Amatriciana. Piazza Italia has a robust menu of pastas, but only its pappardelle is made in-house. Order the pappardelle al cinghiale, a pasta with wild boar meat sauce typical of Tuscany, or substitute fresh pappardelle in any other pasta dish for $3.

1129 NW Johnson St (at NW 11th), Portland, OR 97209
(503) 478-0619
(503) 478-0619

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Spaghetti with garlic, chile, and clams at Luce

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Part-market, part-Italian restaurant, meals at this cozy Burnside spot are highly customizable by ordering dishes from each of the menu’s sections, starting with $2 antipasti and moving on to salads, pastas, protein specials, and sides. All pasta dishes are available by the half order, making it easy for solo diners and groups alike to try corzetti with walnut ricotta pesto, fettuccine with wild mushrooms, and cavatelli with arugula and pine nuts. Luce’s garlic chile spaghetti is a perennial favorite, available with sweet clams in the shell.

2140 E Burnside St (at SE 22nd Ave), Portland, OR 97214
(503) 236-7195
(503) 236-7195

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Pork belly mac and cheese at Grassa

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Pastas come and go from the menu at Rick Gencarelli’s fast-casual pasta chainlet, but the restaurant’s pork belly mac and cheese is a mainstay. Made with handcrafted lumache noodles, pieces of smoky pork belly kick the dish up to another level. The mac and cheese carries on its barbecue vibe with a touch of heat from jalapeños, red onion, and cornbread crumbs.

1205 Southwest Washington Street, Portland, Oregon 97205
(360) 360-4687
(360) 360-4687

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Tortelli al funghi at Mucca Osteria

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Downtown Italian restaurant Mucca Osteria has been serving house-made pasta since 2011. Menus, and therefore pasta offerings change on occasion, but the customer favorite tortelli al funghi is a mainstay. Chef Simone Savaiano smothers mushroom and ricotta-filled tortelli and Brussels sprouts in a white wine shallot cream sauce, and garnishes the dish with sliced almonds. Mucca also offers a customizable four-course prix fixe menu, with pastas available for the primi course.

1022 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205
(503) 227-5521
(503) 227-5521

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Gnocchi at Nostrana

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On Thursdays, chef Cathy Whims observes the Roman tradition of gnocchi Thursday, swapping out Nostrana’s regular pasta dishes for hand-formed gnocchi specials. The soft, pillowy dumplings are comfort food at its finest, with variations including leek and pancetta, ragu di prosciutto, and saffron cream. Meatball fans should make a point to dine here on Mondays, when pork and chicken meatballs are served atop a bed of pasta or on wood-fired pizza.

1401 SE Morrison St (SE 14th Ave), Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-2427
(503) 234-2427

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Lobster agnolotti at a Cena Ristorante

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Since the late aughts, seafood lovers have headed to Sellwood’s main strip for this Italian restaurant’s signature agnolotti dish. Tender chunks of butter-poached Maine lobster are nestled among golden parcels of corn and mascarpone raviolini. Pair the decadent dish with wine from Piedmont, Tuscany, or Veneto.

7742 SE 13th Ave (SE Lambert), Portland, OR 97202
(503) 206-3291
(503) 206-3291

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Janey Wong is Eater Portland's reporter.

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Tagliatelle at Pastificio d’Oro

8737 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203

Chef Chase Dopson hand makes his pasta the old-school way, using a mattarello, a three-foot-long Italian rolling pin, to smooth out dough. The small-batch nature of the restaurant means only two pastas are available nightly, making it doable for small groups to order the entire menu. Start with Maggie’s Salad, and order the tagliatelle — delicate ribbons of pasta entangled with a rich wild boar ragu or white wine-sauced mushrooms — if it’s on offer.

8737 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203

Cavatelli at Campana

901 NE Oneonta St, Portland, OR 97211

The cavatelli with pork ragu is a constant on Campana’s menu, built with an aromatic base of flavors typical to Tuscany, such as sofrito and rosemary. Owner George Kaden has refined the recipe over a decade, first workshopping the dish when he worked at New York City’s acclaimed Hearth. Kaden makes the cavatelli in-house with Pacific Northwestern flour while grinding pork shoulder and adding salumi trimmings to the ragu; the dish is finished with whipped ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

901 NE Oneonta St, Portland, OR 97211
(503) 841-6195
(503) 841-6195

Squid ink spaghettini at Gumba

1733 Northeast Alberta Street, OR 97211

Food cart-turned-restaurant Gumba prepares some of the most inventive pasta dishes in town, taking inspiration from Italian cuisine and adding Pacific Northwest ingredients. The restaurant’s squid ink spaghettini is a must-order — the dish has a citrusy heat and brims with scallops, Manila clams, and mussels, with a crumbly cheese frico topping it off. Daily specials are posted to the restaurant’s social media accounts in the afternoon.

1733 Northeast Alberta Street, OR 97211
(503) 975-5951
(503) 975-5951

Radiatori at Tartuca

3951 N Mississippi Ave (N Shaver St), Portland, OR 97227

Couples and small parties hover over antipasti and pastas at this intimate scratch Italian restaurant, where giant slabs of focaccia sit at the end of the chef’s counter, waiting to be sliced to order. Menus here are dictated by what’s in season, but the radiatori is one of its fixtures. The pasta’s squiggly folds are perfectly suited to trap Bolognese, which is complemented with fresh torn basil and a dusting of Parmesan. Gluten-free pasta is available.

3951 N Mississippi Ave (N Shaver St), Portland, OR 97227
(503) 477-8008
(503) 477-8008

Pappardelle al cinghiale at Piazza Italia

1129 NW Johnson St (at NW 11th), Portland, OR 97209

Diners at this laidback Pearl District trattoria sit under a ceiling festooned with football scarves to scarf down plates of thinly sliced prosciutto with arugula and fresh mozzarella and classic red sauce dishes like bucatini all’Amatriciana. Piazza Italia has a robust menu of pastas, but only its pappardelle is made in-house. Order the pappardelle al cinghiale, a pasta with wild boar meat sauce typical of Tuscany, or substitute fresh pappardelle in any other pasta dish for $3.

1129 NW Johnson St (at NW 11th), Portland, OR 97209
(503) 478-0619
(503) 478-0619

Spaghetti with garlic, chile, and clams at Luce

2140 E Burnside St (at SE 22nd Ave), Portland, OR 97214

Part-market, part-Italian restaurant, meals at this cozy Burnside spot are highly customizable by ordering dishes from each of the menu’s sections, starting with $2 antipasti and moving on to salads, pastas, protein specials, and sides. All pasta dishes are available by the half order, making it easy for solo diners and groups alike to try corzetti with walnut ricotta pesto, fettuccine with wild mushrooms, and cavatelli with arugula and pine nuts. Luce’s garlic chile spaghetti is a perennial favorite, available with sweet clams in the shell.

2140 E Burnside St (at SE 22nd Ave), Portland, OR 97214
(503) 236-7195
(503) 236-7195

Pork belly mac and cheese at Grassa

1205 Southwest Washington Street, Portland, Oregon 97205

Pastas come and go from the menu at Rick Gencarelli’s fast-casual pasta chainlet, but the restaurant’s pork belly mac and cheese is a mainstay. Made with handcrafted lumache noodles, pieces of smoky pork belly kick the dish up to another level. The mac and cheese carries on its barbecue vibe with a touch of heat from jalapeños, red onion, and cornbread crumbs.

1205 Southwest Washington Street, Portland, Oregon 97205
(360) 360-4687
(360) 360-4687

Tortelli al funghi at Mucca Osteria

1022 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205

Downtown Italian restaurant Mucca Osteria has been serving house-made pasta since 2011. Menus, and therefore pasta offerings change on occasion, but the customer favorite tortelli al funghi is a mainstay. Chef Simone Savaiano smothers mushroom and ricotta-filled tortelli and Brussels sprouts in a white wine shallot cream sauce, and garnishes the dish with sliced almonds. Mucca also offers a customizable four-course prix fixe menu, with pastas available for the primi course.

1022 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205
(503) 227-5521
(503) 227-5521

Gnocchi at Nostrana

1401 SE Morrison St (SE 14th Ave), Portland, OR 97214

On Thursdays, chef Cathy Whims observes the Roman tradition of gnocchi Thursday, swapping out Nostrana’s regular pasta dishes for hand-formed gnocchi specials. The soft, pillowy dumplings are comfort food at its finest, with variations including leek and pancetta, ragu di prosciutto, and saffron cream. Meatball fans should make a point to dine here on Mondays, when pork and chicken meatballs are served atop a bed of pasta or on wood-fired pizza.

1401 SE Morrison St (SE 14th Ave), Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-2427
(503) 234-2427

Lobster agnolotti at a Cena Ristorante

7742 SE 13th Ave (SE Lambert), Portland, OR 97202

Since the late aughts, seafood lovers have headed to Sellwood’s main strip for this Italian restaurant’s signature agnolotti dish. Tender chunks of butter-poached Maine lobster are nestled among golden parcels of corn and mascarpone raviolini. Pair the decadent dish with wine from Piedmont, Tuscany, or Veneto.

7742 SE 13th Ave (SE Lambert), Portland, OR 97202
(503) 206-3291
(503) 206-3291

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