January is a quiet month for restaurants and bars, while everyone minds their budgets and their waistlines after the holidays and New Year’s resolutions. But as soon as you get a chance to go out, these are the restaurants to try. They all opened in the last year — and are handpicked by Alex Frane from Portland Monthly.
LaVerne’s is a ’70s-themed bar with excellent food — good enough to treat it like a restaurant.
Order: the rotisserie chicken, whole bird or half.
Location: Woodlawn
This is another bar that’s a food destination — this one for French cuisine.
Order: the deviled eggs (Frane says they're the best Portland has) or the chicken liver pate (big enough to share).
Location: St. Johns
This restaurant was chef Naomi Pomeroy’s last project before her untimely death in 2024. It’s a French place that continues Pomeroy’s legacy of serving some of the best food available in the city.
Order: the French onion soup, recommended by the Oregonian, which picked L’Echelle as the best restaurant of 2025. Or the duck (Frane’s pick).
Location: Richmond
🐟 Pal's
This one’s on the Columbia River — and so maybe it’s more of a summer spot. But any season of the year, it’s a fun location to get away to.
Order: the fish, of course.
Location: Hayden Island
Part of a trend of restaurants that are renting space from bars, Lil’ Barbeque is an offshoot of a Michelin-starred Texas barbecue joint and serves some of the best ribs and brisket in town.
Order: the chicken thighs. (They’re the crowd favorite — and not on the menu in Texas.)
Location: Woodlawn, inside Tough Luck
🗞️ Further reading: Frane has more picks for the Portland restaurants that defined the dining scene in 2025. [Portland Monthly]
📲 Your turn: What kind of restaurant would you like to see open this year in Portland? Please drop us a note — and we’ll share it with fellow readers. Please include your name as you’d like it to appear.
