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Portland is one of the most food-smart cities in the country. We’re intimately familiar with the effort and expertise and creativity that goes into our favorite dishes. In fact, we fetishize and boast about sourcing and elaborate preparations and chef pedigrees. All of which is totally great, though it’s hard to hold front of mind when you’re hit with the sticker shock of a $20 burger.
You can’t pay your rent with foodie clout.
Historically, the city’s high culinary bar hasn’t carried much of a premium. We spend our dollars on food instead of hoity-toity vibes. Blame gentrification or Fred Armisen or whomever you like, but even our mighty, inventive food scene is not impervious to inflation. Still, we do have more than a few creative players stretching your dollar as far as it’ll go.
General food prices have spiked over 30% since the pandemic, and conventional wisdom of what a hot dog or burrito or taco or slice of pizza or latte ought to cost is gone with the winds of sheer global economic force.
So what qualifies as “cheap eats” in 2026?
It can go two ways. We set a high budget of $20, minding that $20 ain’t nothing. And we picked dishes that, while they may not scream “cheap,” are a solid bet at a time when leaving the house seems to cost $20—like the most cost-effective option in the world of bougie ice creams and the most reliably nap-inducing bowl of pho we know. On the other end are the exceptions, dishes that (somehow) break from the times, like our cover star, the $5 bánh mì and drink combo at Hong Phat and Turning Peel’s $9 Neapolitan pizza.
We’ve listed them starting with the cheapest. Next time you get hungry, run your finger down the column and stop when you’ve found a number that corresponds to exactly how broke you are at the moment. —Matthew Trueherz, Arts & Culture Editor
$1.50 Small Bean Burrito at Tecos Fresh Mexican
The miniature bean burritos at Tecos Fresh Mexican are the sort of important information that passes around like a handshake among chefs, bartenders and lonely late-night travelers down Southeast Powell Boulevard who might be drawn to the siren call of a late-night chimichanga served from the drive-thru of an unreconstructed former Taco Bell. For a while, those $1.50 small beans weren’t even on any printed menu, just a handwritten scrawl by the registers. (Tecos is prone to cash-register specials that are always the best thing to order that day, whether a pozole or some tacos de birria). The burritos still aren’t on the regular menu and can’t be ordered online. But they now inhabit a value menu affixed to the window. Ignore the rest of the value menu. You only want the mini-burritos, which are both special and nothing special: a low-cost repository for lightly soupy beans and melted cheddar and nothing else. Always get the salsa roja, which is better and fresher than you expect. The burritos are, in their way, perfect because they are the bean burritos that live in my memory. Three will sate you for $4.50. Four is too many. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. 4132 SE Powell Blvd., 503-954-2530, tecosfresh.com. 8 am–2 am Sunday–Wednesday, 8 am–4 am Thursday–Saturday.
$3.75 Lilikoi Love Passion Fruit Malasada at Bun Bandits
Tucked into a parking lot on busy Southwest Multnomah Boulevard, this food cart specializes in Hawaiian malasada doughnuts and Texan kolaches. Multnomah Village might feel like a beat too far to venture for breakfast, but I promise this spot is worth the trip. The dough and fillings for both pastries are made from scratch daily. The savory kolaches are excellent, like the Sausage Scandal ($6.75)—ground sausage, soft egg and salty cheese wrapped in housemade dough. But the sweet malasadas are why you’re really here. Especially the passion fruit Lilikoi Love ($3.75). The same yeasted dough is fried golden, filled with tangy passion fruit custard the menu describes as “the color of sunshine,” and finally dusted in a light coat of sugar. If you decide to make the trek for these doughnuts, you won’t be the only one—best to play it safe and preorder your picks. CAITLIN PANGARES. 4419 SW Multnomah Blvd., bunbandits.co. 7 am–1 pm (or till sold out) Friday–Sunday.
$4.75 Veggie Salad Roll at Bui’s Natural Tofu
This Montavilla deli offers a wide range of items under $10—from the snackable lemongrass tofu ($4.20) to bánh bèo, rice cakes with dried shrimp flakes ($5) to desserts like banana pudding with tapioca ($2.75) and black-eyed pea pudding ($2.75). But the veggie spring roll is a home run. It’s big: Think of the shrink-wrapped spring rolls sold in the deli sections at Fred Meyer and New Seasons, but about 20% larger. It’s also good: These rolls are made with tofu, red lettuce, basil and rice noodles, and everything tastes fresher than those supermarket spring rolls, which always look to me like a light, refreshing lunch, and end up tasting like plastic-wrapped disappointment. It comes with a small container of peanut sauce that’s also richer and more flavorful than those you’ll find at your local market. Even a massive spring roll never feels like quite enough food for lunch to me, so you might want to grab some tofu to snack on and maybe even a dessert. There’s no seating area at Bui’s, but it’s the perfect place to grab an inexpensive, tasty lunch when you’re out and about on the eastside. CHRISTEN McCURDY. 520 NE 76th Ave., 503-254-6132, buinaturaltofu.com. 9 am–5 pm Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm Saturday, 9 am–3 pm Sunday.
$4.75 Teri-Salmon Onigiri at Yokai Musubi
The onigiri at Yokai Musubi on West Burnside makes a great on-the-go snack, especially given that it costs less than a latte. They’re wrapped in such a way that the seaweed stays separate from the rice, keeping it crispy no matter how long it sits in a work bag or picnic basket. While the flavors rotate day to day, the teri-salmon onigiri (available Tuesday through Thursday) is my go-to. Two or three make a meal. Mix and match with a $3.99 ume pickled plum onigiri—tart with a hint of sweetness—and perhaps the cheapest item on the menu, the namesake Spam musubi, which costs just $3.50. KENDALL PORTER. 2190 W Burnside St., 503-915-7499, orderyokaimusubi.com. 9 am–4 pm Tuesday–Saturday.
$5 Bánh Mì and Drink Combo at Hong Phat
The deli counter at Hong Phat Supercenter may be the best meal deal in Portland: $5 gets you a bánh mì paired with a free drink of your choice. Choose among options that include pork belly, pork meatball and grilled chicken from a stack of prewrapped, clearly labeled sandwiches, then walk up to the counter to select one of the rotating and freshly prepared drinks, ranging from Vietnamese-style coffee to Thai iced tea. There’s not a bad bánh mì in the place, but for my money, the grilled chicken with passion fruit juice combo is tough to beat. Other surprisingly cheap takeaway options include salad rolls, fried shrimp, and bun bo hue noodle soup, with different deals each day of the week. Be warned: If you’re going for bánh mì, go early because the sandwiches often sell out. KENDALL PORTER. 4200 SE 82nd Ave., 503-217-6868, hongphatsupercenter.com. 9 am–9 pm daily.
$5.50 Breakfast Sandwich at Fehrenbacher Hof
Few things pull me out of a poor mood as quickly as a really good breakfast sandwich, and few places make me feel as hopeful about the world as Fehrenbacher Hof, the Goose Hollow cafe that’s as much of a neighborhood landmark as its boozy brother down the hill (both the Hof and the Goose Hollow Inn are owned by Rachel Clark, daughter of late Portland Mayor Bud Clark). Somehow, though, I’d never tried the Hof’s breakfast sandwich until a colleague sang its praises in a staff meeting. The basic concept of the sandwich is familiar—egg and cheddar on a toasted English muffin—but there are a couple of surprises. First, the cheese is griddled briefly, making for a delightful crispy texture. Second, the muffin is smeared with a generous helping of Reuben sauce, adding a surprising pop of flavor. Each sandwich also gets a slice of fresh tomato; if you’re feeling flush, you can add avocado for $1.25, or ham or veggie sausage for the same price, or housemade corned beef for $2.50. However you order, you’ll still end up with a warm, filling breakfast for under $10, which is a pretty cheap way to improve your outlook. CHRISTEN McCURDY. 1225 SW 19th Ave., 503-223-4493, fehrenbacherhof.com. 7 am–3 pm daily.
$5.50 Egg Rice Noodle Roll at Steam Rice Roll King
Steamed rice rolls, or cheung fun, are a Cantonese dish consisting of thin sheets of rice noodles wrapped around various fillings and served in a seasoned soy sauce. Steam Rice Roll King, recently opened deep in Southeast Portland, is, as the name suggests, the local king of the dish. The rolls come with a bunch of different fillings—shrimp, beef, and so on—but the egg rice noodle roll stands out as both the best value and a great vegetarian option. Thin ribbons of egg complement the bouncy rice noodles and contour each bite. One order is four rice rolls, which will leave you sufficiently full, especially when paired with the complimentary subtly sweet and warm soy milk when you dine in. Something cheap for dessert? Chinese youtiao doughnuts ($3.50) are an airy and very slightly sweet sidecar to the soy milk. KENDALL PORTER. 11003 SE Division St., 971-346-2038, orsteamricerollking.com/an-xuyen-bakery. 8:30 am–8 pm Tuesday–Sunday.
$6.99 Chipotle Chicken Bánh Mì at An Xuyen Bakery
An Xuyen Bakery is a darling of Southeast Portland for good reason. There’s the price—$6.99 for any bánh mì—but the pillowy-crisp housemade baguettes are a stunner regardless of budget. The baguettes are so good, in fact, that you’ll find them at other sandwich shops around Portland. Choose from 16 bánh mì fillings, barbecue pork to pâté to vegetarian “meat” to lemongrass chicken. A personal favorite, and one of the most popular options, the shredded chipotle chicken, is so tender and flavorful it melts into the roll, contrasting with crisp pickled carrots and radish and that dreamy baguette’s shiny crunch. You should also pick up a pandan and coconut lá dúa ($3.75); the sweet and flaky, croissantlike pastry is nearly the size of my head. In truth, you can’t go wrong with any of the pastries (all under $5), which take inspiration from Vietnamese, Chinese and French cuisine. KENDALL PORTER. 5345 SE Foster Road, 503-788-0866, mng890.wixsite.com. 7 am–6 pm Tuesday–Saturday, 7 am–3 pm Sunday.
$8 Bibingka Cornbread at Balong Panaderia
There are many incredible places to eat on Southeast 82nd, but Balong Panaderia is my favorite. Specifically, I go for the griddled cornbread ($8). This traditional Filipino-style bread is made with a mix of cornmeal and rice flour, seared, then topped with a generous dollop of sticky sweet honey and a sprinkling of big salt flakes. The bread has more depth and flavor than traditional American cornbread, emphasized further by its golden brown char. It tastes both familiar and like something new. I’d happily navigate the twisty corridors of Fubonn Shopping Center just for this bread, but if you want to tack on something more substantial, check out the Balong breakfast sandwich ($12). In that, crispy bacon or housemade longanisa sausage patties are topped with a fried egg, cheese and sundried tomato aioli and served on a fluffy pan de sal bun or deliciously dense cheddar scallion biscuit. No matter what you order, the best part of your meal will undoubtedly be the warm, almost familial hospitality. Which suits, since the space was created in homage to owner-chef Justin Dauz’s grandmother, who called him “Balong,” or “little boy” in Ilocano. This might not be your grandma’s cornbread, but lucky for us, it is Dauz’s. CAITLIN PANGARES. 2850 SE 82nd Ave., #27, 971-319-4124, eatbalong.com. 8 am–1:30 pm Wednesday–Sunday.
$8 Onigiri at Onigiri Gaijin
In simplest terms, onigiri are Japanese rice balls. More precisely, they comprise steamed rice molded into a triangular shape, wrapped in nori, and topped with any one of several ingredients. They are a fixture in Japanese convenience stores and make a great carbo-loading/walking snack. At this humble little eat-in or takeaway shop on the eastern approach to the Morrison Bridge, Gaijin (the Japanese word for foreigner) owner Erin Haltom slings mega-sized, made-to-order onigiri, with a small ramekin of bracingly vinegared seaweed salad on the side, for $8 apiece. The added ingredients, including my favorites—sweet and savory pork floss, which has the texture of cotton candy, and shocking pink-orange spicy cod roe—are used as both a stuffing and topping. Haltom is also proud to use a high-quality variety of vaguely sweet, short-grain rice called hoshihikari. One of these bombers is a substantial snack; two make a meal. If that’s not enough, or you are looking for an alternative, all sorts of other goodies are to be found here, including musubi (Spam or tempura shrimp) for $8 or yakisoba for $12. Also, grab a sweet (and gluten-free) slab of butter mochi ($4) to finish. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 621 SE Morrison St., 503-964-5219, instagram.com/onigirigaijin. 11 am–4 pm Tuesday–Sunday.
$8.75 The Special at Fuller’s Coffee Shop
There’s nothing special about the special at Fuller’s, which is exactly what’s special about it. For all that Portland has to offer in the way of restaurants, we’re weirdly short on real-deal diners serving, as Fuller’s does, a plate with one crusty-fluffy pancake, an egg however you like it (or two for an extra $2.50), two strips of strips of bacon, and no BS. That said, Fuller’s will put blueberries in your pancake for an extra buck, if that’s your thing. The establishment dates to 1947—it moved to its current Pearl District location in 1960—back when, instead of a place that specializes in specialty milks, a “coffee shop” was a kind of diner. Not all that much seems to have changed since. (Even after a 2023 fire, which forced a temporary closure). And while $8.75 could have bought you one hell of a breakfast in 1947, it’s a steal today. MATTHEW TRUEHERZ. 136 NW 9th Ave., 503-222-5608, fullerscoffeeshop.com. 7 am–2 pm Monday–Saturday, 8 am–2 pm Sunday.
$8.95 Chicken Yakitori Bowl at Hachi
While the menu at Hachi is home to many affordable dishes, the chicken yakitori bowl stands out as an especially cheap and filling meal under $10. The bowl includes three skewers of grilled chicken—yakitori literally translates to “grilled chicken”—dipped in Hachi’s housemade tare, accompanied by pickled ginger and shredded seaweed and stacked on top of a heaping pile of white rice. For a fresher option, the sashimi salad ($8.95) tastes similar to your typical seaweed salad, but it’s four times the size and loaded with mixed greens and a surprising amount of raw fish for the price. Wash it down with a highball—Japanese whiskey and soda water—for $6, or swap out the soda water with Coca-Cola for an extra 50 cents. KENDALL PORTER. 580 SW 12th Ave., 503-265-8085, hachiportland.com. Noon–2:30 pm and 5–11 pm Monday–Thursday, noon–2:30 pm and 5 pm–2 am Friday, noon–2 am Saturday, noon–11 pm Sunday.
$9 Nachos at Low Tide Lounge
I was delighted to find a towering stack of melty, fully loaded nachos for under $10 at Low Tide Lounge. During happy hour, a breezy $9 ($10–$17 during regular hours, depending on size) will buy you a generous portion of chips covered in sour cream, pinto beans, raw onion, diced tomatoes and guacamole—topped with, of course, broiled cheese. To me, nachos are a complete meal, not just the cherry on top of a night out. It’s snacky, shareable summer patio food at its finest. Low Tide itself strikes the right balance between neighborhood watering hole and scuzzy dive. There’s a branded photo booth, retro jukebox, deep leather booths, and plenty of on-the-nose nautical décor. Regulars slide onto their favorite barstools while big groups gather for surprise birthday parties and other celebrations in the parklet. Grab a house marg and a heaving plate of nachos and join them. CAITLIN PANGARES. 2045 SE Belmont St., 503-477-8394, lowtideloungepdx.com. 4 pm–midnight Monday–Wednesday, 4 pm–1 am Thursday and Friday, noon–1 am Saturday, noon–midnight Sunday.
$9 Single Pancake at Stepping Stone Cafe
This one is not exactly a deep cut: WW has been singing the praises of Stepping Stone for years, most recently in our 2025 feature on Portland diner regulars. But there are so many reasons to love this place. The vibes are impeccable, and the people watching and eavesdropping are some of the best in town. But we are here to talk about the pancakes. Reader, these things are fucking huge. A single pancake takes up your whole plate, which actually makes it a little hard to eat gracefully. (So what, though? Grace is overrated.) Stop by after a hike in Forest Park or to treat a hangover with the necessary carbs and caffeine. If you’re more of a savory breakfast person, the omelets are as generously portioned as the pancakes, and priced between $13 and $20; I’m also a fan of the huevos rancheros ($14). Stepping Stone is also a great place to bring out-of-town guests and let them soak up some Old Portland vibes. If they’re big readers, tell them author Katherine Dunn worked here in the ’70s and ’80s and then take them to the Rose Garden. CHRISTEN McCURDY. 2390 NW Quimby St., 503-222-1132, steppingstonecafe.com. 7 am–3 pm daily.
$9 Margherita Pizza at the Turning Peel
If you take a quick peek inside this Division Street pizza shop, you’ll be forgiven for assuming everything on the menu will cost twice what it does. The chic, funky décor and gorgeously presented dishes all feel on trend for Portland in 2026, where dinner for two can easily set you back a Benjamin. And in full disclosure, the $9 price listed here refers to the lunchtime price of an 11-inch margherita pizza; I went in for dinner on a Saturday night, when the pizza costs $13. It’s a beautifully executed pie, with balanced tomato sauce and rich mozzarella on top of a bubbly sourdough crust. One pie is enough for two lunches (for me, at least); for two very hungry evening diners, it didn’t quite feel like enough, so we also split an order of herb marinated olives ($7) and, in hindsight, a salad wouldn’t have hurt: The apple green salad ($12) and the arugula Parm salad ($10) both looked well worth it. Even with an app and drinks, though, we ended up with a tab of less than $40, which feels like a date-night victory. CHRISTEN McCURDY. 4546 SE Division St., theturningpeel.com. 11:30 am–3 pm and 5–8:30 pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 11:30 am–3 pm and 5–9 pm Friday and Saturday.
$9 Caesar Salad at Toya Ramen
The rap on ramen joints is that hot noodle soup is ill-suited to summer dining. This would be an inaccurate assessment of Toya. In general, there are plenty of choices beyond ramen here. And one item in particular suits both the sunny season and limited budgets. I am speaking of Toya’s novel take on the classic Caesar salad. It is critical to a successful Caesar that every ingredient carries its own weight and then some so that the total exceeds the sum of its parts. Toya’s Caesar greens supplement traditional romaine with pleasantly bitter, garnet-hued radicchio and wakame kissed with sweet-tart amazu. Parmesan breadcrumbs supplant garden-variety croutons. The dressing sings at least an octave higher than the traditional version, with fish sauce, shio tare, lemon, yuzu and rice vinegar. The salad neither swims in it nor makes you long for more. At $9, the lunchtime version is substantial on its own. Add chicken for $3 and you have a full meal. At dinner, the salad is nearly twice the size and runs $14 without the chicken or $17 with. If the summer rain is falling, go ahead and order some ramen, too. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 803 SE Stark St., 971-420-9672, toyaramen.com. 11 am–9:30 pm Sunday–Thursday, 11 am–midnight Friday and Saturday.
$10 Dan Dan Fries at Basilisk
In the first lonely weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Basilisk’s dan dan fries held peculiar sway over my imagination: I simply could not stop fantasizing about the day I’d get to eat them again. There were other things I missed, sure, like going to the movies and hugging my family. There were even other foods I missed—foods I don’t cook at home or that don’t hold up well when delivered. The dan dan fries fit both categories (I don’t deep fry at home, and I believe in eating fries as quickly as possible after they get out of the fryer); more crucially, though, this dish feels like it was engineered for my particular palate. The peanut sauce seasoned with Szechuan peppercorns is worth half the price to me, but drizzle it over a crispy plate of fries and throw in chunks of pickle, green onion, cilantro and lime? I’m helpless. Basilisk’s towering fried chicken and tofu sandwiches (each $10) are the joint’s signatures. I’m also fond of the vegetarian salad ($10), a mix of noodles, greens and a soft-boiled egg that makes me feel a little more like a grown-up. Though if you want to make a meal of the dan dan fries alone, I’d be the last person on earth to judge you. CHRISTEN McCURDY. 820 NE 27th Ave., basiliskpdx.com. 3–10 pm Monday–Friday, noon–10 pm Saturday and Sunday.
$10.95 Meat Folder at Master Kong
“Meat folder” is Master Kong’s translation of the Chinese pork sandwich roujiamo, a flat, griddled bun that’s split and stuffed with warm-spiced braised pork. They’re cut so the bun hinges open and they sit open like singing clams. Others have called roujiamo a Chinese “burger,” noting that the sandwich predates the American one by a few thousand years. But isn’t “meat folder” so much more fun? And as far as ignorant cultural analogs go, they more closely approximate a slider-sized torta, especially with their fresh pop of diced jalapeño and generous helping of cilantro. Meat folders come two to an order at Master Kong and make a nice meal alone or a solid addition to a table full of xiao long bao ($10.95), congee ($5.95–$11.95), and beef noodle soup ($11.95). MATTHEW TRUEHERZ. 1522 SE 32nd Ave., 503-384-2184; 8435 SE Division St., 971-373-8248; masterkongor.com. 32nd: 11 am–9:30 pm Sunday–Thursday, 11 am–10 pm Friday and Saturday, noon–5 pm Sunday. Division: 10:30 am–9 pm Monday–Friday, 10 am–9 pm Saturday and Sunday.
$11 Looper Burger at Steely’s
Steely’s opened this spring in the old Gigantic Brewing space along Southeast Hawthorne. It brings together the folks behind former Sellwood tap house Smitty’s and smashburger pop-up Little Brother. The pop-up’s beloved Looper Burger ($11) carried over as Steely’s signature dish—and for good reason. Daily, it combines a fresh mix of chuck and brisket that’s smashed so thin its edges spider out and go lacy on the grill. A square of American cheese melts on top, and it’s finished with veggies sliced thin enough to keep from slipping out of the squat, soft bun. It’s my ideal smashburger—tasty enough to impress out-of-town friends and easy enough to be a “just because” weeknight dinner. Plus, Steely’s has a toy burger phone at the register, the fries ($5) taste like McDonald’s (a compliment), and there’s Guinness on tap, which the bartenders know to let settle before handing to you. CAITLIN PANGARES. 4343 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 971-227-0527, @steelys_pdx.4–10 pm Wednesday and Thursday, noon–11 pm Friday and Saturday, noon–9 pm Sunday.
$12 Ali’s Burger and Tater Tots at Lil’ Barbecue
Portland is a burger town, through and through—a city where invoking the Deluxe burger at Tulip Shop, the thickburger at Champ’s or the onion burgers at MidCity might stake strong claims in an argument that’s already in progress. The Ali’s Burger at Texas-style Lil’ Barbecue, now in busy residence at Dekum Street bar Tough Luck, will make you shut your mouth. Like most great things, it is simple. Martin’s potato rolls, the only potato rolls that matter. Yellow mustard. American cheese. Chili-spicy housemade pickles. And then there’s the double stack of loosely smashed quarter-pound patties made from brisket trimmings blended to the same fatty 70–30 mix that pitmaster Ben Vaughn favors for his sausage. The burger is a balance of extremes: the meat’s unctuous richness, and the acid pop of pickle and mustard. Vaughn developed it in Texas alongside chef Ali Clem, at Michelin-starred Austin BBQ spot La Barbecue. He kept trying to complicate things, he tells WW—but Clem had a way of cutting a recipe back down to its bare essentials. That no-nonsense recipe promptly won a burger competition in Austin. And the burger that bears Clem’s name is now among the best in Portland. The first time I tried it, I said “god damn,” and then I didn’t speak again till it was finished. I’ve been back for it three more times since May. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. 1771 NE Dekum St., 971-754-4188, toughluckbar.com. 3 pm–close Monday–Friday, noon–close Saturday and Sunday.
$13 The Bowl at Güero
When’s the last time you were truly impressed by a bean? I’ve found it’s impossible to eat The Bowl at Güero without spending at least a moment gazing at a sumptuous, fully intact pinto on the end of a fork and getting lost in its beauty. Find me a more tender, more aromatic, more plainly delicious bean. There is a similar beauty and level of care to be found in the lime rice these beans sit atop, and in the spicy esquites and fresh greens and creamy cotija and poblano crema above. At $13, we’re not far from Qdoba and Chipotle prices, though the airy indoor-outdoor restaurant on Northeast 28th is a much better hang (and I’ve never daydreamed about Qdoba or Chipotle beans). This is not the kind of blank slate dish that’s incomplete without a few upcharge add-ons. But if you want a little something more, the tamarind tomato ($3), pollo ($4), carnitas ($4) or simmered beef “res” ($5) will all get you there. MATTHEW TRUEHERZ. 200 NE 28th Ave., 503-887-9258, guerotortas.com. 11 am–10 pm Monday–Saturday, 11 am–9 pm Sunday.
$13 Pints at Pinolo Gelato
For those summer days when Portland truly swelters—or anytime, really—Pinolo Gelato is your top stop for cooling frozen confections. It is hard to believe Pinolo has been open for more than a decade. Regulars will recall walking in and ordering without delay while credulous rubes waited in line down the road. No such luck now, though the lines usually are not bad. Pinolo’s fruit-flavored sorbets, in particular, have no peer in Portland, with their intense natural flavors and minimal added sugar. In late May and early June, Pinolo featured fioritura, combining the legendary Hood strawberry and elderflower blossoms. Nothing anywhere compares with this. This year’s fioritura moment may have passed, but there is always another summer riff to take its place, whether based on local cane berries, stone fruits, melon or something else. Whichever flavor you favor, consider a strategy that will both decrease the dent in your wallet and permit you to savor summer well beyond the balmy days: Purchase a $13 pint (or two) to take home. Pinolo usually has a few of every flavor, and it will even hold it in the freezer while you leisurely lick a cone or cup ($5.95–$8.50) before you hustle home. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 3707 SE Division St., 503-719-8686, pinologelato.com. 11:30 am–10:30 pm daily (summer hours).
$14 Chinese Pork Congee at Cozy Congee
Congee is, I am told, trending these days. It’s a bit like hearing that something called “bread” has become popular. Congee might be Asia’s most ubiquitous comfort food, a slow-cooked and silky rice porridge that can serve as a canvas for all things spicy, salty and savory. The congee at year-old breakfast and lunch nook Cozy Corner, tucked behind the Belmont location of Hat Yai, is nonetheless something special. Owner Jihae Kwon’s Chinese-style pork congee, my favorite among five strong contenders that include a Thai-style jok, comes accented with finely julienned ginger, dapples of scallion and cilantro, a dollop of sesame oil, and a healthy dose of white pepper. Most notable is the telltale slippery texture of pork that’s been velveted, a poetic term for the Chinese technique of dredging meat in corn starch before cooking. This preserves the meat’s moisture, and keeps it tender as a song. Top your congee as you like from there, with anything from chili oil to wolfberries to a lusciously slow-cooked onsen egg. But the real secret to Kwon’s congee is the richness of the bone broth used to cook down the rice. Kwon sources bones for her stock from Hat Yai next door, an arrangement Kwon baked into her lease. Because her induction-burner setup doesn’t allow for an overnight cook, she relies on friends at sandwich shop Sammich, where Kwon once worked, to simmer those bones down into a collagen-dense broth of lovely depth. It takes a village to make congee this rich. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. 605 SE Belmont St., 971-930-6382, cozycongee.com, 9 am–3 pm daily (summer hours).
$14 Ghin Salad at Rangoon Bistro
The khao pyan sane or “KPS” ($9) is perhaps the obvious cheap meal choice at Rangoon Bistro. It’s a burrito-sized dumpling filled with juicy pork and cabbage, tightly wrapped in a rice noodle sheet and sat with a tamari chili oil. But I’m here to make a case for the ginger or “ghin” salad ($14). I had this dish for the first time during a Rangoon pop-up at Duality Brewing and haven’t looked back. The base is a mix of finely shredded purple and green cabbage. Salty peanuts and crispy fried fava beans add a pleasant crunch. Chana dal, chickpea flour, dried shrimp and cubed tomatoes add body. But what really makes this salad sing is the magic of combining its namesake pickled ginger with coconut flakes and a garlic oil and fish sauce dressing. The result is an unctuous blend of texture and spice, savory and sweet. It’s great alongside the KPS or Rangoon’s Malaysian-style fried chicken ($18), which is marinated in lemongrass, curry leaf and red peppers and served with coconut rice and belacan. But for me, the ginger salad is best as a satisfying, refreshing meal on its own. CAITLIN PANGARES. 2131 SE 11th Ave. and 3747 N Mississippi Ave., 503-953-5385, rangoonbistropdx.com. 5–10 pm Monday–Thursday, noon–10 pm Friday–Sunday.
$16 Zumpango Burrito at Smart Donkey
Oswaldo Bibiano has been making great food in Portland for two decades. Among Mexican chefs, he was one of the first to offer higher-end and regional dishes when he opened Autentica back in 2006. I will not soon forget his splendid made-from-scratch chicken mole and Thursday pozole nights—especially the pozole blanco with all the accompaniments. Bibiano’s current venture emerged as a lonesome food cart in 2022 once the dark days of the pandemic subsided. Smart Donkey has gradually grown to offer both covered and outdoor seating on a space filling much of one corner at the intersection of Southeast 50th Avenue and Powell Boulevard. Bibiano has been wowing fans and newbies alike with an array of fat, creatively composed burritos that sell for $15 or a bit more. These little footballs of joy combine meat, beans, cheese and rice, each imbued with all his experience and willingness to source top-quality ingredients. Even the four salsas on offer—careful with the “devil’s tears”—are made fresh here. I am partial to the Zumpango burrito ($16), starring Guerrero-style beef barbacoa. Diverse diets are honored, too, with vegetarian selections (try the Peak Forest burrito centered on seasonal mushrooms) and tortillaless bowls that mirror the burrito menu. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 3420 SE 50th Ave., 971-544-7219, smartdonkeypdx.com. 11 am–9 pm daily.
$16 Guay Tiew Ruea at Guay Tiew
At any restaurant named for a single dish, you can usually presume that (a) the dish is pretty good, and (b) it’s a pretty good deal. That’s true at Khao Moo Dang, Chookiat Saenguraiporn’s busy takeout spot on Southeast Hawthorne, an homage to the Chinese-style Thai dish of barbecue pork over rice. The same holds for Saenguraiporn’s new restaurant in the Pearl. Guay Tiew roughly translates to “noodle soup.” The soup options all come with the same basic setup: braised pork, a rich slice of a minced pork patty, snappy pork meatballs (which are coolly square), cracklings and a little garnish of bean sprouts and yu choy. From there, you choose between two thicknesses of rice noodles or the springier egg noodles, and from among nine broth options that span most of Thailand’s cuisines, all of which have tofu-based, vegan dupes. You can go “dry,” opt for a light and clear broth, a creamy northern-style curry, fan-favorite tom yum, or even the pink-hued yen ta fo broth made with fermented red bean. The spicy and velvety ruea broth—made velvety with pork blood—is a play on Bangkok’s famous boat noodle soup, and a good place to start. MATTHEW TRUEHERZ. 330 NW 10th Ave., 503-730-9995, guaytiewpdx.com. 3:30–9 pm Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 am–9 pm Friday–Sunday.
$16 B.L.B. (Bacon, Lettuce and Beets) at Meat Cheese Bread
If the menu’s effort to specify that this sandwich’s beets are “heirloom” lands a little twee, if it gives you pause, makes you question its heft, or leads you to believe that this is that kind of $16 sandwich, the promisingly greasy butcher paper it’s wrapped in should restore your confidence. Another clue is the cavemanlike name of the sandwich shop you’re at. Heirloom or not, the thick slices of roasted beet—nicely seasoned like any tomato worth its salt—are a solid off-season swap for beefsteaks that will save you the pain of crunching down on a slab of nasty December tomato. Otherwise, things are more or less textbook. The bacon comes from Nueske’s, the 100-year-old Wisconsin smokehouse, and griddled slices of sourdough get a slick of mayo and a green leaf of lettuce or two to complete the picture. MATTHEW TRUEHERZ. 1406 SE Stark St., 503-234-1700, meatcheesebread.com. 7 am–3 pm daily.
$17 Poc-chuc at Lonchería Los Mayas
Low-and-slow cochinita pibil gets all the press, when it comes to Mayan pork craft. But at Yucatecan restaurants in these parts, I often find the best flavors are found instead with poc-chuc, cochinita’s grill-kissed cousin: marinated in citrus, charred over embers or on a flat-top, and thin-sliced to slip into a tortilla. My favorite poc-chuc among Portland’s many Yucatecan restaurants can be found in the generous $17 platter at Lonchería Los Mayas’ food cart on Northeast Cully Avenue. There, the lightly salty pork takes on the savory-sweet qualities of cooked orange, with a delicate balance of char and still-tender meat—meant to be topped with avocado, radish and black beans cooked down nearly to paste, plus a housemade, fire-roasted tomato salsa called chiltomate. But everything at Los Mayas is about its fresh masa. Tortillas here are redolent of corn, thick and soft and hearty and among the most distinctive in town. Split a poc-chuc platter between two, with a bean-filled panucho apiece to fill out a hearty appetite, and it’s among the best $12 meals you can get on a sunny day in Portland. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. 2515 and 4205 NE Alberta St., instagram.com/loncherialosmayas. 11 am–7 pm Monday–Friday.
$17.95 Som-Lar Maju Kreung at Mekong Bistro
Som-lar maju kreung soup contains everything I love about Cambodian food. There’s the kreung that animates the broth, of course—the pounded spice blend of lemongrass and turmeric and other aromatics that forms the fragrant heart of Khmer cuisine. There’s that gently sour tamarind broth, balanced by earthy palm sugar. And then the funky umami undertow of that other distinctive pillar of Khmer flavor: a fermented fish paste called prahok. The result is not a riot. It is instead a surprisingly delicate balance. Though full of flavor, the soup remains remarkably light, served over rice. As far as I know in Portland, the dish can be found only at 14-year-old Mekong Bistro, a sprawling Cambodian restaurant and community-minded music venue facing an 82nd Avenue beauty school, where it sometimes seems everyone who comes in knows everyone else in the place. The som-lar maju kreung here is a homestyle family recipe: simple, comforting, hearty, and filled to its lip with sweet and grassy water spinach and your choice of beef, chicken, pork or tofu. It will feel like home. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. 8200 NE Siskiyou St., 503-265-8972, mekongbistro2012.com. 4 pm–midnight Sunday–Thursday, 6 pm–midnight Friday and Saturday.
$19 #1 at Pho Oregon
The #1 here begins with a seemingly bottomless bowl of broth, richly scented with warm and wonderful aromatics from the Southeast Asian woods: star anise, cinnamon, clove and coriander, maybe more. It fills the nostrils and piques the palate before a single sip. Next comes the thicket of long, slippery rice noodles, that bane of chopsticks amateurs. Then, there are the meats, an abundant, unrepentant brigade of beef: meatballs cut in halves, tripe, tendon, flank, fatty brisket and round steak. The amalgam arrives tableside heavy and near overflowing. A seasonally variable plate of fresh embellishments arrives with the bowl: basil, mint, rau ram, ngo gai, jalapeño slices, bean sprouts and lime. The #1 is priced at $19 ($19.50 if you take it to go) at the Beaverton location, and has crept up to $20.25 at the Northeast 82nd location. It is, perhaps, not the insane bargain it once was, but it is still enough to serve as two meals except for, say, the growing teen or the trencherman. They might peruse the dozens more options on the menu. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 2518 NE 82nd Ave., 503-262-8816. 9 am–7:45 pm Monday–Saturday, 9 am–6:45 pm Sunday. 12870 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton, 503-747-0814. 10 am–8:30 pm Monday–Saturday, 10 am–8 pm Sunday.
