Skip to main content
1. Vegan Dining Month
Various locations, vegansbaby.com/about/vegan-dining-month. Through Jan. 31.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of going vegan, either by joining the Meatless Monday movement or by adopting a completely plant-based diet, January is the perfect time to give it a shot; and no, this has nothing to do with resolutions. Two dozen Portland restaurants are participating in Vegan Dining Month, which, sure, was dreamed up by some lifestyle business, but results in a slew of creative, limited-time dishes on local menus. Examples include a carrot “osso bucco” with foraged mushrooms from Clarklewis, a tempeh and house cashew ricotta pizza at Oakshire Beer Hall, and a rustic vegetable-bean stew at Blossoming Lotus that sounds like the perfect meal to ward off winter’s chill.
2. Boxer Cedar Hills
3205 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Suite 24, Beaverton, 503-747-3507, boxerramen.com. 11 am-9 pm daily. Beaverton’s Cedar Hills Crossing (looking more and more like the “Peak Portland” you might remember from before the pandemic but tucked conveniently into a very walkable outdoor mall) added Boxer to its directory in early December. This is great news for ramen lovers in the suburbs, but Portlanders may want to check it out because it’s the chain’s only location serving bento. Four protein options (teriyaki chicken, ahi tuna poke, pork katsu and kalbi teriyaki) come with rice and a side of your choice. We’ll warn you now: It’ll be hard to choose between the macaroni salad and the togarashi tots.
3. Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
210 NW 11th Ave., 503-296-4906, deschutesbrewery.com/visit-us/ portland-public-house. 10 am-2 pm Saturday.
Turns out, Deschutes’ new weekly holiday-themed brunches were actually just a trial run for permanent service. The Portland pub is going to continue hosting the leisurely midday meal—though you just won’t be dining while decorating Christmas cookies or donning ugly holiday sweaters (we hope). So far, we’ve enjoyed the Benedict: crumbly bits of fennel sausage sprinkled atop two poached eggs rather than nestled in puck form below, a sturdy griddled buttermilk roll and sunny Hollandaise. Or you could order executive chef Jill Ramseier’s go-to: breakfast bravas, which marry the Benedict and the shakshouka thanks to its inclusion of both Hollandaise and red sauce.
4. Fuller’s Burger Shack Pioneer Place
700 SW 5th Ave., Suite 1113, 971-415-6480, fullersburgershack.com. 11 am-7 pm Monday-Saturday, 11 am-6 pm Sunday.
Just a few weeks after the reopening of Fuller’s Coffee Shop following a fire that caused its temporary closure, the heart of downtown Portland welcomed the diner’s spinoff that pays tribute to its hamburger. Urban Restaurant Group (Bartini, Swine, Brix Tavern) launched Fuller’s Burger Shack in the former BurgerFi space at Pioneer Place in November. The star of the lineup is, of course, the titular burger, made the exact same way (21-day aged beef patty, secret sauce, fresh bun) as it has been since Fuller’s Coffee Shop began serving customers in 1947. The price is also welcomingly retro: The classic goes for $6.95.
5. Lawless Barbecue at My-O-My
8627 NE Sandy Blvd., lawlessq.com. 3 pm-late Tuesday-Sunday.
Lawless Barbecue, the former cloud kitchen turned Little Beast Brewing’s hit resident pitmaster, has launched a second location. Owner Kevin Koch decided he was ready to expand after developing a following and discovered that My-O-My was looking for a new food truck partner. So why make a special trip to that tavern for KC-style ‘cue? Because you’ll get to try something new. Koch is offering a different menu, which so far includes jumbo wings with your choice of sauce (Alabama white, Kansas City sweet, and lemon pepper wet), St. Louis ribs, loaded waffle fries, and a mac with pulled pork.