The Five Best Places to Eat in Portland Right Now

1. Dame

2930 NE Killingsworth St., 503-227-2669, damerestaurant.com.

Formerly home to Maya Lovelace's pop-up Mae, Dame has opened its own bottle shop in the private dining room behind the restaurant. That's where you can snag some of this spring's most sought-after local wine releases from labels like Maloof and Fossil & Fawn. While you're there, grab a bite at the newly launched Dame Collective featuring chefs-in-residence and collaborations with the business's natural wine program.

Read the full review: Dame is an Increasingly Accessible NoPo Wine Spot With Elevated Bar Snacks

2. Eem

3808 N Williams Ave., Suite 127, 971-295-1645, eemportland.com.

The restaurant from the superstar trio behind Hat Yai, Matt's BBQ and the Shipwreck cocktail pop-up has finally arrived, and it somehow manages to exceed all expectations. The white curry with brisket burnt ends is a dish so rich and nuanced it's almost without precedent, while the chopped barbecue fried rice is another mashup that's bafflingly simple yet unbeatable in flavor.

Read the full review: Eem Brings Together a Trio of Portland Food Heavyweights for Thai Barbecue That Somehow Surpasses the Hype

3. La Osita

1515-A SE 122nd Ave., 503-358-3364.

Located in the parking lot of Plaza 122, La Osita is a delightfully understated Mexican breakfast and coffee cart. Alongside a small selection of breakfast bowls is the brunch taco ($3.50), a small but mighty mix of Tillamook pepper jack, fried egg, colorful veggies and a long slab of applewood bacon that's a good 2 inches longer than the flour tortilla it's wrapped in.

Read the full review: Two Food Carts Are Finally Making Portland Players in the Breakfast Taco Game

4. Erizo

215 SE 9th Ave., Suite 101, 503-206-8619, erizopdx.com.

The earnest young chefs behind this new sustainability-focused prix fixe spot have made "by-catch" and "invasive species" the center of their culinary universe—and it might be the most extraordinary seafood restaurant the city has seen in nearly a decade.

Read the full review: Erizo's Eco-Conscious Seafood Is Some of the Best Portland Has Seen in Years

5. Matt’s BBQ Tacos

3207 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-956-7455.

Breakfast tacos are one of the few major food trends Portland has yet to successfully pilfer. Leave it to Matt Vicedomini to change that. The new venture from the pitmaster behind the city's best Texas barbecue and 2019 Restaurant of the Year contender Eem is almost comically perfunctory, but nothing much matters beyond the namesake chef's magical experiments in smoky-sweet protein. Our top pick is the brisket, which is packed with Vicedomini's trademark notes of brassy, woody flavors with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and just the perfect amount of char on the edges.