In sports world, a power ranking is an attempt to rank teams using their overall record, recent wins and prominent prizes, all filtered through the writer's own subjective rating.
Our Portland restaurant power rankings look to accomplish something similar, using all the data at our disposal -- news, word-of-mouth reviews, critical takes (including our own), various awards (both local and national) and our own experiences -- to determine which Portland restaurant you need to eat at next.
By design, this ranking highlights the Portland area's best new restaurants in all their forms, from Argentine-inspired sandwich pop-ups (Ox Box) to exhilarating tapas bars (Bar Casa Vale) to phenomenal smokehouses (Big's Chicken). Most will be in Portland, but we'll take the occasional road trip, too (after visiting Oregon City in May, we're sticking closer to home this month).
For June, we're shuffling the deck with four new spots, including an old favorite that recently landed at the very top of a surprising national list. Not interested in the latest thing? Then check out the city's best places to eat, period, with our ranked guide to Portland's 101 best restaurants.
| Portland Restaurant Power Rankings | ||
| Rank | Restaurant | Report |
|---|---|---|
1(Last ranking: 9) |
Big's Chicken | The latest spin-off from the Laurelhurst Market team, Big's Chicken (5663 N.E. Glisan St.) serves smoked-and-grilled chicken sandwiches, fried wings, crisp JoJos and whole birds with a variety of sauces inside a North Tabor storefront decked out with roadhouse ephemera. The chicken is as good as you've heard. Maybe better. |
2(Last ranking: NR) |
Stanich's |
Nick's cheeseburger at Northeast Portland's 68-year-old Stanich's (4915 N.E. Fremont St.), with its triple threat of mayo, mustard and red relish (and dill pickles on the side), is an undeniable classic, especially when combined with a pitcher of cold beer and a Trail Blazers game on TV. And now, at least according to one website, it's the best burger in America. |
3(Last ranking: NR) |
Bar Casa Vale | When we first visited Clyde Common co-owner Nate Tilden's latest passion project (215 S.E. Ninth Ave.), we found tasty tapas, ambitious cocktails and a Spanish-style standing bar that lacked only a lively crowd. Hopefully, after last month's Willamette Week Bar of the Year nod, those people could be on the way. |
4(Last ranking: 5) |
Chalino | Johnny Leach (Clyde Common) joined forces with David Haddow (Xico) on Chalino (25 N. Fremont St.), a modern Mexican restaurant at the gateway to North Portland. Get the chips and salsa, a daiquiri or two, and save room for dessert, especially the pineapple ice cream with mezcal dulce de leche, a sweet symphony from Le Pigeon pastry chef Helen Jo. |
5(Last ranking: 1) |
Han Oak | The accolades keep coming for chef Peter Cho's contemporary Korean restaurant (511 N.E. 24th Ave.), which followed up a Food & Wine Best New Chef win with a spot on GQ's Best New Restaurant list. More importantly for you, Sunday and Monday's a la carte noodle and dumpling nights make the restaurant easier to visit than ever. |
6(Last ranking: 3) |
Tusk | These past few weeks brought Tusk (2448 E. Burnside St.) a Food & Wine honor and a visit from Kansas City chef Patrick Ryan, who collaborated with Sam Smith on a meal of Millennial-pink margaritas and flower-strewn albacore tostadas. Keep an eye out for Nora Antene's new desserts, including a raspberry-pistachio pavlova. |
7(Last ranking: 6) |
Coquine | Few Portland chefs know how to make seasonal produce shine like Katy Millard of Coquine (6839 S.E. Belmont St.), our 2016 Restaurant of the Year. Asparagus salads, soft gnocchi with artichoke hearts, seared halibut and tender beans and pitch-perfect wine pairings from partner Ksandek Podbielski are already here. |
8(Last ranking: Same) |
Jacqueline |
There's plenty to like at this "Life Aquatic"-loving seafood spot in the original St. Jack (2039 S.E. Clinton St.), including artful salads and a luscious smoked black cod. But the best thing is the late-running happy hour, when the beer and Campari cocktails are discounted and good Northwest oysters are only a buck. |
9(Last ranking: 2) |
Güero | Have you tried the tortas at Güero (200 N.E. 28th Ave.)? Have you tasted the way owners Megan Sanchez and Alec Morrison layer flavors -- creaminess, spice, tang -- and and textures, including a double internal crunch from beautifully griddled teleras rolls? If so, you know why it's the torta shop of Portland's dreams. |
10(Last ranking: NR) |
Ox Box | Recent James Beard Award winners Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton sling Argentine-style choripán sandwiches filled with wood-fired albacore or house chorizo at this lunchtime pop-up in the parking lot of their Northeast Portland restaurant (2225 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd). Save room for a poblano-spiked gruyere empanada. |
-- Michael Russell Follow @tdmrussell