I’m not sure this was a great year for Portland dining — as we noted in our ranked guide to the city’s 10 best new restaurants, it sometimes seemed like the bigger a restaurant’s swing, the bigger the miss. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t places we enjoyed, but didn’t quite have room for in the guide. Here are five other restaurants we enjoyed this year.
Cache Cache
There’s some interesting cooking happening here at former St. Jack chef John Denison’s first solo project — including an impressively decadent buttermilk lobster roll — and some decent discounts on raw seafood, especially during the early-late $2 oyster happy hours. But with all ordering done on your phone, I found myself longing for more human interaction. Fingers crossed that Denison’s next project — the upcoming Le Clown Bar PDX pop-up — has full service!
Details: 1015 S.E. Stark St., cachecachepdx.com
Further reading: Cache Cache is an upcoming seafood raw bar that will disappear each night
De Noche
Former Lilia sous chef Dani Morales runs the show at the República group’s latest restaurant, serving a menu of seasonal Mexican-inspired dishes in a space — the former Park Kitchen — that’s arguably more elegant than her previous perch. Best of all, there’s a sprawling cocktail menu available from sister bar Comala next door.
Details: 422 N.W. Eighth Ave.
Hapa Pizza
After launching with a Beaverton Farmers Market stall, Aaron and Natalie Truong opened their new brick-and-mortar this year, serving puffy 12″ pies topped with flavors inspired by dishes they loved, including Vietnamese pho and Thai green curry. Hapa Pizza might sound like a gimmick, but its not — even the simple cheese pie is as tasty (if not more so) than any other you’ll find in Beaverton.
Details: 12755 S.W. Broadway St., 503-919-7558, hapapizza.com
Further reading: Portland’s five best new pizzerias of 2023
Kaede
This new Sellwood “sushi bistro” comes from a pair of married chefs with experience at restaurants in Tokyo, Amsterdam and San Francisco, and serves seasonal fish imported from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market. Party sushi this is not. Some of the most memorable dishes from a meal at the start of the year came from the kitchen, including the panko-fried scallop skewers drizzled with wasabi mayo and an umami bomb chawanmushi with shrimp, scallop and maitake mushroom.
Details: 8268 S.E. 13th Ave., 503-327-8916, kaedepdx.com
Further reading: Kaede’s chefs seek to raise the sushi bar in Sellwood (review)
Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine
This stall inside the Collective Oregon Eateries food hall was a pleasant surprise when I took my family on a Heyday doughnuts run a few weekends back, especially after seeing how few carts appear to be left from the once vibrant pod out back. Order the mohinga, aka the national dish of Myanmar, for a mellow, warming fish and rice noodle soup floating with split pea fritters, perfect for a winter’s day.
Details: 3612 S.E. 82nd Ave., 971-287-9609, sandysmyanmarcuisine.com
— Michael Russell; [email protected]
