Where to Eat This Week

Both Janken and Lan Su Chinese Garden’s Teahouse have special Lunar New Year menus.

Janken The dining room at Janken. Photo by Joey Wrinn.
By WW Staff

1. Janken

250 NW 13th Ave., 503-841-6406, jankenrestaurant.com. 4-10 pm Sunday and Wednesday-Thursday, 4-11 pm Friday-Saturday.

Some compare the Lunar New Year to a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas—families come together, gifts are exchanged, and food is a critical part of the festivities. If you’re looking for a new spot to eat some special dishes in honor of the occasion, check out Janken, which recently opened in the opulent former Blue Hour space. The special holiday menu includes A5 wagyu tataki, duck salad with rice noodles, and a whole steamed tai—the latter of which is said to bring wealth and prosperity for the coming year, so lick that plate clean.

2. Lan Su Chinese Garden Teahouse

239 NW Everett St., 503-228-8131, lansugarden.org/about-the-garden/teahouse. 10 am-4 pm. Extended evening hours during Lantern Viewing Evenings.

Continue to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at Lan Su Chinese Garden, which will host traditional lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, musical performances and more. The onsite Teahouse serves more than just its titular beverage; fill up on dumplings and steamed buns stuffed with vegetables as well as tofu rice noodles in a “longevity mushroom and garlic sauce.”

3. Wild Child Pizza

2032 NE Alberta St., 503-719-7328, wildchild.pizza. 3-9 pm daily.

If you’ve grown weary of the city’s surplus of pizza joints, Wild Child will reinvigorate your palate. The new takeout window serves Detroit-style pies with a 72-hour-fermented sourdough crust. All the classic toppings you’d expect are available daily, while special combinations (like pineapple with bacon and jalapeño, or tater tots with spicy mayo and bonito) rotate in and out. This isn’t just pizza. It’s edible architecture.

4. Jojo

902 NW 13th Ave., 971-331-4284, jojopdx.com. 11 am-10 pm daily.

Everything verges on the ridiculous at Jojo. The brick-and-mortar location opened in the Pearl in September, and since then it’s been pure maximalist dining. Servings are optimized for NFL offensive linemen. The fried chicken sandwiches are just as good as the ones at the Jojo food truck, minus the parking lot ambience. Smash burgers feature plenty of char without drying out entirely. And, of course, the jojos are in an elite tier here, staying crispy even when loaded with Tillamook cheddar and caramelized onions.

5. Cosmic Bliss

207 NW 10th Ave., 971-420-3630, cosmicbliss.com. Noon-8 pm Sunday-Wednesday, noon-9 pm Thursday-Saturday.

January might seem like a strange time to recommend chowing down on ice cream, but if you think about it, it’s really when you should be indulging in a summertime staple. Once all of the holiday decorations have come down and you’re left with gray, chilly winter days, there’s no better treat to encourage you to dream of July. There’s also a new scoop shop in town worth trying out before the summer rush: Eugene-based Cosmic Bliss, which is good news for those with dietary restrictions. There is both grass-fed dairy and plant-based ice cream, and everything is gluten free.

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