Southwest

E-San

133 SW 2nd Ave.

503.223.4090

Though E-San has a northwest Portland offering and a new cart on Southwest 10th and Alder, their original location reigns supreme. If you’re looking for Thai downtown, look no further. E-San’s novel-like menu and super-friendly service will blow you away. While their food is top-notch (especially their noodles), one thing that E-San does better than most any other Thai restaurant is Thai iced tea. Though it’s hardly a dinner staple, this tea is the nectar to E-San’s ambrosia.

Sushi Sakura

506 SW 6th Ave.

503.206.8663

Adorned with a playful crayon-drawn font on its sign, Sushi Sakura is the new kid in Portland’s conveyor belt sushi scene. After a patchy start, Sushi Sakura is now easily the best belt sushi in town. The belt is really long and, unlike other places, kept fully stocked all the time. Condiments that you’d normally have to borrow the chef for, such as the crack-like spicy orange sauce, are readily available, along with condiments not seen elsewhere, like ponzu sauce. They’re open until 9 p.m. most nights.

Ristorante Roma

622 SW 12th Ave.

503.241.2692

Close to nothing else food-related; many a passerby has sauntered on by Roma’s delicious offerings. Like Iorio in Southeast, Roma offers little signage other than their awning. The interior is dark, well suited to a romantic night out, and when you hear employees talking to each other in Italian, it really means something. Order the Spaghetti Carbonara. Most places use bacon. They use pancetta. It seems like such a simple thing, but it speaks leagues about Ristorante Roma’s authenticity.

City Grill

111 SW 5th Ave. #3000

503.450.0030

Portland’s City Grill is one of those places that you’d see in movies growing up and marvel at—a restaurant in a high-rise building, with everyone all dressed up and a guy playing piano. Well, it’s only fitting that this place be near the top floor of the tallest building in the city, and yes, you’ll get stared at for wearing shorts. But the food—goodness. Their steaks are the best you can get in town without dropping $80 at the chain steakhouses that Portland seems to have a lot of. Just remember to tip the pianist.

Jake’s Famous Crawfish

401 SW 12th Ave.

503.226.1419

Jake’s has a ton of history and some really cool stories. Apparently, Jake was a real jerk who was always trying to get his wife to pose for a painting. She refused, until one day she decided to surprise Jake. Jake walked in on this, and shot the artist and the painting. The painting still hangs in the bar, holes and all. What’s not jerkish about Jake’s is their razor clams. The menu rotates with what’s biting, but trust me on these clams.

Karam

316 SW Stark St.

503.223.0830

If you’re totally bummed about the Golden Dragon turning into a strip joint, then make your way kitty-corner to Karam, home to the best Lebanese food in the city. The décor of this unassuming joint���which is right next to a travel agency—higginis really great and all, but let’s get right to it. The food, my God, the food. You’ll never have better falafel or lamb unless you actually go to Lebanon. There, I said it.

Higgins

1239 SW Broadway

503.222.9070

There are Portland staples that exist only because they’ve been around for a very long time. While this doesn’t always mean great food, Higgins is one of those places that has been around for a long time for a reason—16 years, to be exact. Higgins was one of the first restaurants in Portland to rely solely on fresh, local ingredients before that whole yarn started up. Their menu, like others, changes weekly, and it’s not uncommon to find Higgins to be standing room only on nights where every other restaurant is dead (i.e., Tuesdays). There’s a reason for that.