Best of Portland 2021

Skip to main content

NEWSFOODDRINKMUSICARTSGET BUSYGUIDESGIVE GUIDEOpens in new windowSUPPORT USOpens in new window

NEWS
FOOD
DRINK
MUSIC
ARTS
GET BUSY
GUIDES

Portland wasn’t quite Portland this past year, with many local businesses closed or shuttered for months on end. So for our annual Readers’ Poll, we identified categories that best reflect shared experiences from the last year of Quarantine. And you nominated and voted! The time has finally come to share the results - check them out below. For more information about our Readers' Poll, or if you would like to be nominated next year, email bop@wweek.com.

Nikki Brown Clown Is One of Portland’s Few Clowns of Color

Nikki Brown Clown Is One of Portland’s Few Clowns of Color

Laura Hall Created Portland’s First Escape Room. Now She’s Literally Written the Book on Them.

Laura Hall Created Portland’s First Escape Room. Now She’s Literally Written the Book on Them.

During Her Career at PBOT, Kirstin Byer Made Her Mark on Portland—With Bike Lane Art

During Her Career at PBOT, Kirstin Byer Made Her Mark on Portland—With Bike Lane Art

The Internet’s Most Popular Jesus Impersonator Lives in Portland and Rolls Around Town on a Cross-Shaped Skateboard

The Internet’s Most Popular Jesus Impersonator Lives in Portland and Rolls Around Town on a Cross-Shaped Skateboard

Ben Zabin Used to Sell Weed. Now He’s the Host of Portland’s Only Cannabis-Themed Magic Show.

Ben Zabin Used to Sell Weed. Now He’s the Host of Portland’s Only Cannabis-Themed Magic Show.

A Wayward Peacock Showed Up in Creston-Kenilworth in March and Became the Star of the Neighborhood

A Wayward Peacock Showed Up in Creston-Kenilworth in March and Became the Star of the Neighborhood

Got Geese Problems? Call the Geese Guys.

Got Geese Problems? Call the Geese Guys.

This Portland Cat Went Viral Getting Spliced into Classic Movie Scenes

This Portland Cat Went Viral Getting Spliced into Classic Movie Scenes

Linda Williams Uses a Crew of Hungry Goats to Help Clear Portland’s Brush

Linda Williams Uses a Crew of Hungry Goats to Help Clear Portland’s Brush

Buckman’s Secret Roller Disco Isn’t So Secret Anymore—but It’s Still an Awesome Party

Buckman’s Secret Roller Disco Isn’t So Secret Anymore—but It’s Still an Awesome Party

Rainbow City Hosts Everything From Fashion Shows to Music Video Shoots to Lightsaber Duels

Rainbow City Hosts Everything From Fashion Shows to Music Video Shoots to Lightsaber Duels

Portland’s Most Stunning Rain Garden Is in Cathedral Park

Portland’s Most Stunning Rain Garden Is in Cathedral Park

Once a Month, You Can Shoot a Bow and Arrow Under Black Lights in Tigard

Once a Month, You Can Shoot a Bow and Arrow Under Black Lights in Tigard

Antony Valoppi Once Threw a Typewriter at a Teacher. Now He Owns a Shop Dedicated to Them.

Antony Valoppi Once Threw a Typewriter at a Teacher. Now He Owns a Shop Dedicated to Them.

This East Portland Apartment Complex Is One Large, Ongoing Art Project

This East Portland Apartment Complex Is One Large, Ongoing Art Project

This Portland Company Leaves Dozens of Pink Plastic Flamingos on People’s Yards in the Middle of the Night.

This Portland Company Leaves Dozens of Pink Plastic Flamingos on People’s Yards in the Middle of the Night.

This Local Aerial Photography Firm Captured the Image That Broadcast Portland’s Black Lives Matter Protests to the World

This Local Aerial Photography Firm Captured the Image That Broadcast Portland’s Black Lives Matter Protests to the World

Artist Ted Zahn Has Created Digital Portraits of Some of Portland’s Most Iconic Bars and Storefronts

Artist Ted Zahn Has Created Digital Portraits of Some of Portland’s Most Iconic Bars and Storefronts

Portland’s Fonograf Editions Wants to Prove That Poetry Readings Can Be Raw, Messy and Thrilling.

Portland’s Fonograf Editions Wants to Prove That Poetry Readings Can Be Raw, Messy and Thrilling.

Arby’s Has the Meats. This Portlander Has the Fast Food Chain’s Old Signs.

Arby’s Has the Meats. This Portlander Has the Fast Food Chain’s Old Signs.

One of the Oldest Non-Collegiate Choirs in America Just Wrote an Ode to Damian Lillard

One of the Oldest Non-Collegiate Choirs in America Just Wrote an Ode to Damian Lillard

Portland’s Favorite Graffiti Tag Is Penis Girl.

Portland’s Favorite Graffiti Tag Is Penis Girl.

Portland’s Best Treehouse Looks Like a Set Piece from “Lord of the Rings”

Portland’s Best Treehouse Looks Like a Set Piece from “Lord of the Rings”

Two Portlanders Converted an Old Willamette Week Box Into a Neighborhood Movie Swap

Two Portlanders Converted an Old Willamette Week Box Into a Neighborhood Movie Swap

This Portlander Manufactures the World’s Best Form-Fitting, Wedgie-Proof Underwear

This Portlander Manufactures the World’s Best Form-Fitting, Wedgie-Proof Underwear

To Mark Its 20th Anniversary, Portland Parks Foundation Created Stunning Posters of Iconic Local Parks

To Mark Its 20th Anniversary, Portland Parks Foundation Created Stunning Posters of Iconic Local Parks

Fed Up With Dating Apps, This Portlander Started Her Own Low-Tech Matchmaking Service

Fed Up With Dating Apps, This Portlander Started Her Own Low-Tech Matchmaking Service

Two Artists Put Up Posters All Over Town to Educate Portland About the Work of Filmmaker Agnès Varda. They Ended Up Starting a Movement.

Two Artists Put Up Posters All Over Town to Educate Portland About the Work of Filmmaker Agnès Varda. They Ended Up Starting a Movement.

Go Girl Ride Wants to Make Women and Nonbinary Passengers Feel More Comfortable When Calling for a Lift.

Go Girl Ride Wants to Make Women and Nonbinary Passengers Feel More Comfortable When Calling for a Lift.

Jeff Weissler Can Find a Wine Pairing for Anything or Anyone, Whether It’s the Rolling Stones or Arya Stark

Jeff Weissler Can Find a Wine Pairing for Anything or Anyone, Whether It’s the Rolling Stones or Arya Stark

When This Portland Chef Lost His Job, He Took His Culinary Skills on the Road—Literally.

When This Portland Chef Lost His Job, He Took His Culinary Skills on the Road—Literally.

Mutt’s Coffee Puts Images of Rescue Dogs on Its Bags to Support Pet Adoption

Mutt’s Coffee Puts Images of Rescue Dogs on Its Bags to Support Pet Adoption

This Former Taxi Driver Spent the Pandemic Delivering Mushrooms Door to Door

This Former Taxi Driver Spent the Pandemic Delivering Mushrooms Door to Door

The Rice Bowl Posse, a Coalition of Portland AAPI Chefs, Forms a United Front to Oppose Anti-Asian Hate.

The Rice Bowl Posse, a Coalition of Portland AAPI Chefs, Forms a United Front to Oppose Anti-Asian Hate.

At the Coffee Stand Inside Muji, a Robot Barista Will Make You a Latte, Complete with Milk Foam Art.

At the Coffee Stand Inside Muji, a Robot Barista Will Make You a Latte, Complete with Milk Foam Art.

Portland Still Doesn’t Have Major League Baseball, but It Does Have a New Coffee Shop Owned by a World Series Champion

This Portland Party Promoter Worked to Keep the Queer Scene Connected During the Pandemic.

This Portland Party Promoter Worked to Keep the Queer Scene Connected During the Pandemic.

In Troubling Times, the Oregon Zoo is Doing the Most to Keep the Internet Cute

In Troubling Times, the Oregon Zoo is Doing the Most to Keep the Internet Cute

This Videographer Posts Daily Videos Documenting Life in Portland—for 1,100 Straight Days and Counting.

This Videographer Posts Daily Videos Documenting Life in Portland—for 1,100 Straight Days and Counting.

The Portland Feed Streams Everything From Old PGE Commercials to Clips From Local Disaster Movies On a 24-Hour Loop.

The Portland Feed Streams Everything From Old PGE Commercials to Clips From Local Disaster Movies On a 24-Hour Loop.

On His DIY YouTube Series, Comedian Jake Silberman Plays Reporter, With Hilarious Results

On His DIY YouTube Series, Comedian Jake Silberman Plays Reporter, With Hilarious Results

This Portland Instagram Account Is Straight Trash—and That’s the Whole Point.

This Portland Instagram Account Is Straight Trash—and That’s the Whole Point.

An Oregon Vineyard Is Employing Anti-COVID Technology to Kill Crop-Destroying Fungi

An Oregon Vineyard Is Employing Anti-COVID Technology to Kill Crop-Destroying Fungi

This 10-Year-Old Launched Her Own Line of Vegan Lip Gloss During the Pandemic. It Was an Instant Success.

This 10-Year-Old Launched Her Own Line of Vegan Lip Gloss During the Pandemic. It Was an Instant Success.

Molalla’s Temperate Orchard Conservancy Is Dedicated to Preserving the World’s Rarest Apples

Molalla’s Temperate Orchard Conservancy Is Dedicated to Preserving the World’s Rarest Apples

Nicolas-Jay Winery Will Soon Employ Oregon’s First Self-Driving Tractor

Nicolas-Jay Winery Will Soon Employ Oregon’s First Self-Driving Tractor

Herland Forest Cemetery Offers Some of Washington’s Most Eco-Friendly Burials

Herland Forest Cemetery Offers Some of Washington’s Most Eco-Friendly Burials