Portland had an abundance of good restaurants to choose from. As we head into a new year, the City Cast Portland team is sharing a personal favorite from what we ate in 2025:
Location: 1924 SW Broadway (Downtown)
“My pick for best thing I ate in Portland this year: this meal I had at a late-night Thai food spot. The ‘goong chae nam pla’ raw shrimp dish was so fresh and flavorful, I think about it all the time. And don’t skip on their pandan lemongrass drink. It’s made in-house and delightfully sweet. I’m obsessed.” — Giulia Fiaoni, senior producer
Location: 525 NE 24th Ave. (Kerns)
"My favorite bite this year is surprising even to me, but Sincerely Bagel really delivered something I thought I’d never find in this town, a bagel I actually enjoy eating. The combo of their Rosemary, EVOO, Maldon salt bagel with spicy scallion cream cheese and a slice of tomato is something I look forward to ordering every time I’m in their part of town." — Claudia Meza, podcast host
Locations: 2311 SE 50th Ave. (Richmond) & 3747 N. Mississippi Ave. (Boise)
“It's hard to believe my No. 1 dish of the year was a salad, but there's nothing I craved more than the Lahpet Salad from Rangoon Bistro. Its tannic green tea leaves make your mouth water, the fish sauce dressing gives it a wonderful savoriness, and the chana dal lends a satisfying crunch. Far and away my most ordered dish (including on Halloween night, when I ordered delivery but the bag of food was stolen off my porch by some teenage pranksters! I hope they enjoyed it as much as I do).”— John Notarianni, executive producer.
Location: 2730 SE Gladstone St. (Creston-Kenilworth)
“I keep coming back to this pizza. It wasn’t the most unusual, the fanciest, or the trendiest thing I ate this year. But it was my favorite. It converted me into a believer of Portland pizza (sourdough crust or go home!). But it’s more than that — with Mexican and Pacific Islander flavors. My usual is the El Chingon, which has pepperoni and pineapple but also jalapeño. I also loved the elote pizza, when that was around. The verde — a veggie pizza — is excellent too.” — Rachel Monahan, newsletter editor
📲 Your turn: What was your favorite meal of 2025? Please email us, and we’ll share it in an upcoming newsletter.
