A Survey of the Things WW Has Officially Declared “The Best” In the Past Year

(Carleigh Oeth)

Best Place to Be on a Sunny Yet Chilly Day

Level Beer, which has a "cozy taproom next to the kettles and a massive covered patio in the previous tenant's greenhouse," perfect for tumultuous June-uary weather. June 9, 2018

Best Secret Basketball Hoop

Madrona City Park, a "hidden basketball oasis" located on the Adidas campus. June 6, 2018

Best IPA

Great Notion's Ripe IPA, the winner of our blind taste test of damn near every IPA in Portland. It's "a candied IPA so creamy and fruity it almost shoots off into its own category of beer." Feb. 28, 2018

Best New Band

Sávila, a "Mexican-American trio exploring their identity through the rhythms of cumbia" that topped our annual Best New Band poll. March 21, 2018

Best Pet

Hank, a "good-natured 6-year-old dachshund" who is the official spokesdog of Oregon Dachshund Rescue. Shout out to Bagel Butt the guinea pig, too. Jan. 30, 2018

Best Soul Food

Kee's #Loaded Kitchen serves "the biggest, baddest soul food plates in Portland, so stacked with wings and hot links and mac salad and saucy smoked ribs you can't even close the container without a collard green slipping out." March 21, 2018

Best Standup Comedian

JoAnn Schinderle, winner of our 2017 Funniest Five poll, who brings an "infectious, hammy energy" to the stage "that still seems sincere, and tells jokes that feel colloquial even though they're carefully crafted." Nov. 21, 2017

Best New Burger Cart

Bottle Rocket, which "just make[s] the best burger possible without getting stupid about it." Dec. 5, 2017

Best Beer 'Burb

Vancouver, Wash., thanks to the remodel of Loowit and the recent additions of excellent Trap Door, Trusty, and Brothers Cascadia. Jan. 19, 2018

Best Dog Park

Thousand Acres at Sandy River Delta Park in Troutdale is "dog Shangri-la," offering plenty of birds to chase, plant life to destroy, and a lazy river perfect for a mud bath. Jan. 30, 2018

Best Pre-roll for the Canna-Curious Beginner

Pachecos by Eco Firma is an affordable, easy-to-use joint with a traditional filter that "takes care of messy pull-throughs, saving newbies from stomach-churning mouthfuls of shake and socially awkward spit takes." Feb. 27, 2018

Best South-Indian Dosa

The ones at downtown's Dil Se, whose "masala-gunpowder potatoes are bolstered by a hearty lentil stew, doubling down on comfort like a blanket over a snuggie." Oct. 3, 2017

Best Place to Nerd Out

The Nerd Out, "the most dedicated geek and cosplay bar in Portland's city limits." Makes sense. Feb. 15, 2018.

Best New Portland Bar of the Year

No Vacancy Lounge, which transformed a century-old McCormick & Schmick's restaurant into an ambitious club that "strikes a careful balance between timeless glamor and a futuristic Technicolor utopia." May 22, 2018

Best Pollo Money Can Buy

The quarter chicken grilled al carbon at outer-Portland food cart Bora Bora, which is enhanced by "the flavor-packed, housemade habanero salsa." March 20, 2018

Best Instrumental Soundtrack to the World's Oldest Surviving Animated Feature at Pickathon

Dungen, the Swedish psych-rock band that live-scored the animated German fairy tale The Adventures of Prince Achmed, cementing them as "the best group in the world at making cinematic noise like this." July 8, 2017

Best House-Roasted, House-Smoked Taste of Chicago

Sammich's, which "is not the experience of a deli in Chicago. But it's what you think it should be, if you've never been." Feb. 14, 2018

Best Korean Restaurant in Beaverton

Nak Won, home to the "only gamja (mashed-potato salad) banchan really worth eating in town." Aug. 29, 2017

Best Bagel

Bundy's Bagels. Owner Joel Bundy "smothers them in cream cheese and serves them sandwich-style, as you'd find in New York." March 20, 2018

Best Bill Murray Musical Moment

His SNL character Nick the Lounge Singer's "bawdy send-up" of Star Wars from '78. Nov. 21, 2017

Best Off-Menu Item

The lamb-shank soup at Southwest Portland's Philly King food cart, which "they serve up only to special customers." Aug. 11, 2017

Greatest President We Never Had

Hillary Clinton, "paragon of quiet dignity, decency and sensibility." Aug. 28, 2017

Greatest Time Capsule Ever

A YouTube video of one family's trip to a Washington Fred Meyer, circa 1992. "Key moments in the video include 5:29, where a kid wearing an acid wash jean jacket blows a giant bubblegum bubble, the amazing jacket at 8:35, the man holding the balloon at 15:12 and the argument about whether or not a radio includes a cassette player at 14:47. But really, it's all incredible." June 21, 2017

Best Hope for Oregon Cannabis Farmers

Cynthia Nixon's push for national weed legalization, which would allow all that surplus pot Oregon farmers grew to be shipped across state lines. April 23, 2018

Greatest Accomplishment in NIMBYism

Peacock Lane managing to get its "pathetic" excuse for a Christmas street added to the National Register of Historic Places last year. Dec. 19, 2017

Click here for the full Best of Portland 2018 guide.

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