Lilla, from The Sudra owner Sanjay Chandrasekran, is a vegan Italian wonderland, with creative riffs on all the dishes one expects from a classic red sauce joint. House vegan cheeses, made with sunflower seeds and soy, decorate plates like handmade pappardelle bolognese or chicken pesto pizza with cherry tomatoes. Dishes pair well with Italian wines by the glass or the expected cocktails, like an Aperol spritz or a Negroni.

Perhaps the most underrated longstanding Cartopia cart, this neighbor to behemoths like Potato Champion, Chicken and Guns, and Bottle Rocket shines with pops of creativity and old-school technique. Tiny cubes of house-made mozzarella melt into pockets of gold on chewy-charred crusts in the cart’s wood-fire oven, with toppings like fennel sausage and blue cheese. Real ones know the true gem of the cart is its Portland Craft Soda fountain, which pours out house-made drinks unlike anything else in the city. Flavors include Cherry Phosphate, Habanero Lime, and Spiced Coffee.

The lone cart in Cartopia still open past midnight, Bottle Rocket serves some of the juiciest burgers in Portland, topped with shredded iceberg lettuce, cheddar, and tingly sriracha mayo. But unlike other basic burger joints, the sides at Bottle Rocket just might steal the show. No floppy fries to be found here: Tater tots tossed in fish sauce and garnished with pistachio and mint are crisp, sticky, and evoke memories of a formerly-inescapable local chicken wing. Cool it all down with a ginger lemonade until 1 a.m. nightly.

This charming, independently owned patio cafe, tucked into a shady spot in Ladd’s Addition, specializes in house-made sweets, breads, and rotating soups. Menu highlights include a swirly sour cream coffee cake flavored with espresso and topped with whole hazelnuts, as well as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made on fresh white sandwich bread, which gets an extra boost of flavor from local butter and sea salt.

OK Omens, an evolution of fine dining destination Castagna’s cafe space, is one of the best places to drink wine in the city, thanks to award-winning sommelier Brent Braun’s fun, voice-y by-the-glass list. However, chef Justin Woodward’s food is no afterthought: Visitors sip Champagne while knocking back oysters on the half-shell with tarragon and truffle oil, moving on to morel-and-hedgehog-mushroom pasta tossed in sherry cream sauce. But for those looking for something more casual, OK Omens’s fried chicken torito salad goes very well with any of Braun’s favorite rieslings.

This chic-meets-rustic Indian restaurant offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes like tikka masala with mushrooms, paneer fritters, and aloo palak, served with a variety of naan (including classic butter, garlic, onion, or spicy cheese). Enjoy it all alongside a vegan mango lassi or coconut rose mocktail, and finish with gulab jamun — warm fried doughnuts with rose water simple syrup.

Since its opening in 2017, Nimblefish has remained all the rage for its immaculate sushi. Don’t expect to find California rolls at this high-end, intimate restaurant; instead, marvel at back-to-basics-style handrolls and nigiri, all sourced fresh from Oregon, Washington, or Japan itself. Furnished with old-growth cedar and natural stone, the restaurant has that inviting and earthy Pacific Northwestern feel.  

This brightly decorated Cuban spot gives Portland a little piece of Havana with its comfort food and warm ambiance. In addition to meaty staples like sandwiches filled with roasted mojo pork and melty grilled onions, the restaurant also caters to vegan and gluten-free diets with packed rice bowls filled with black beans, avocado, and plantains. Plus, the tropical-plant-filled patio is the ideal place to order a mojito and kick back on those rare sunny Portland days.

Where else but Portland can you sip Egyptian coffee in a double-decker bus? This cafe has a fun selection of espresso drinks, including rose matcha cappuccinos and the memorable Nectar of the Gods, a caramel latte with cardamom. For something ideal on a hot day, Tov’s Mint Thing — cold brew with mint, oat milk, and raw cane sugar — is a particular standout. Plus, the brightly-decked interior, with its cushy chairs and tented rooftop inspired by the owner’s native Egypt, may well be more comfortable most living rooms.

This neon-lit neighborhood spot is ideal for lunch and a Vietnamese iced coffee mid-thrifting spree. The move is to start with fresh shrimp spring rolls or papaya salad, before digging into a beef brisket banh mi or bowl of pho with customizable broths. Visitors can choose from broths in flavors like classic beef, tom yum, and curry, as well as noodles like rice, vermicelli, and udon.

For reliable, comforting Italian American food, 3 Doors Down Cafe always hits the spot. The pastas, like the house-made fettuccine with prawns and clams, have always been the star of the show, but don’t sleep on hearty Pacific Northwestern mains like chocolate-and-coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin. When it comes to beverages, the bar consistently shakes, stirs, and pours playful cocktails like the Italian lemon drop slushy.

Considered by many to be the best pizza in Portland, Apizza Scholls has pie-making down to a science: its airy, ciabatta-style crusts are often compared to the hitmakers in Brooklyn. This bustling family-style restaurant consistently rolls out quality 18-inch pizzas with a choice of flavorful toppings, like Mama Lil’s hot peppers or house-made sausage. Just be warned that it does turn visitors away once it starts to run out of dough for the day. Also notable: Apizza Scholls is a prime source for hard-to-find It’s-It Ice Cream Sandwiches, the cultish San Francisco staple.

Breakfast is served all day at this dive bar and cyber-themed restaurant; it’s the place where revelers cap off a night of debauchery with stiff drinks and bacon omelets. There’s also a massive patio with numerous picnic tables canopied beneath globe-string lights, a nice spot to sit back and drink your way through warm summer evenings. On rainy days, it’s best to hit up Space Room’s arcade, stocked with pinball machines and old-school Pac-Man.

Located in the former lobby of an early 20th century hotel and brothel, Sapphire Hotel sits near the base of Mt. Tabor, slightly removed from the bustle of Hawthorne’s main drag. A great place for an intimate date, visitors can enjoy creative cocktails like the Witchy Vibes — with vodka, Pisco, crème de violette, balsamic, egg white, and lavender black salt — alongside dishes like salmon cakes with onion aioli or salsa verde-topped roasted bone marrow with grilled bread.