Sandwiches$hawthorne-belmont
Rick Gencarelli's chef-driven sandwich shop on SE Hawthorne in Portland, founded as a 2010 food cart and four-time Willamette Week Best Sandwich winner.
Signature: Pork meatball banh mi, Dirty fries
Order: The dirty fries: cut fries with pork scraps and marinated peppers
Tip: Counter order. The chefwich rotates monthly and is a collaboration with a guest chef.
Seafood and oysters$$division-clinton
The Clinton Street seafood and oyster room in Portland that moved to a bigger SE 25th and Clinton space in November 2024. Oysters, crab, cocktails.
Signature: Oysters on the half-shell, Dungeness crab roll
Order: A half-dozen Pacific oysters and a martini
Tip: Oyster happy hour from 16:00 to 17:30 weekdays. The bar takes walk-ins; the dining room books on Resy.
Thai chicken and rice$hawthorne-belmont
Nong Poonsukwattana's Thai chicken-and-rice counter in southeast Portland, started as a 2009 food cart and now the canonical khao man gai in town.
Signature: Khao man gai, Pandan chicken
Order: Khao man gai with the house ginger-soy sauce
Tip: Two locations: SE Ankeny is the original cart-turned-shop. SW 13th Ave is the downtown counter.
Southern Thai$alberta-arts
Earl Ninsom and Alan Akwai's Southern Thai chicken shop in NE Portland, with rice-flour-battered free-range chicken and sweet-spicy chili sauce.
Signature: Fried chicken, Roti and curry
Order: The three-piece fried chicken plate with curry roti
Tip: Two outposts (Killingsworth, Belmont) and a stall at Eem Pod. Killingsworth is the original room.
Southern Thai$hawthorne-belmont
The Belmont outpost of Earl Ninsom's Southern Thai chicken concept in Portland, with rice-flour fried chicken, khao soi and walk-in counter seating.
Signature: Fried chicken, Khao soi
Order: Khao soi with the half chicken
Tip: Counter ordering, table service. Open daily 11:30 to 21:00. No reservations.
Southern biscuits$hawthorne-belmont
The Belmont biscuit counter that put Portland on the breakfast map in 2008, with fried chicken, gravy and the Reggie sandwich Diners Drive-Ins made famous.
Signature: The Reggie sandwich, Country breakfast
Order: The Reggie: fried chicken, bacon, cheese and gravy on a biscuit
Tip: Open daily 07:00 to 14:00. Cash and card. Order at the counter; expect a 15-minute wait on weekends.