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Where to Eat in Portland in January 2024

Posted on January 12, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
City Cast Portland staff

City Cast Portland staff

Brown ceramic coffee cup on a coffee table with a "Guatemala" sign and couch in background

A latte at Cafe Zamora. (Rachel Monahan / City Cast Portland)

Where should we eat this month? Here are some options from the restaurant reviewers around town:

The Best 38 Restaurants, Updated

Cafe Olli, Kaede, and Street Disco made it onto Eater Portland’s updated list of the “Essential 38” restaurants and food carts around town. Who’s out? Cafe Rowan, Jin Jin, Tercet, and Berlu. To make the list, a restaurant has to have been around for a year. (I still love your lobster roll, Cafe Rowan, but also Cafe Olli is really yummy.) [Eater Portland]

The Hottest Portland Restaurants

Relatedly, Sun Rice, Yaowarat, and Los Burros Supremos are among Eater Portland’s dozen “Hottest New Restaurants and Food Carts.” And yes, they all sound incredibly delicious. (Of this list, I’ve tried only a couple places. I can vouch for Xiao Ye, and I need to get out to eat more, clearly!) [Eater Portland]

A Tasting Menu Launches at L’Orange

One of the Oregonian’s favorite restaurants of 2023 is launching a tasting menu this coming week. L’Orange will continue its regular service, but have one seating for eight people each night to dine on a seven-course meal. [Oregonian]

A fountain on a wall between the front of van and a fluorescent coffee cup sign inside a coffee shop

Cafe Zamora. (Rachel Monahan / City Cast Portland)

Wanderings

I stopped in at Cafe Zamora, inspired by Eater Portland’s list of new wave coffee shops. It was clear that the place is a community spot. In the 20 minutes I was there, one customer shared that he’d just received a 90-day eviction notice; another talked about being a fitness instructor at the gym next door with a third visitor. I have coffee shops that I like for the taste, but not ones that feel like they’re a community hub. Do you?

As always, I enjoy your recs on where and what to eat. Please send along suggestions if you’re inspired.

Your Favorite Meals and Drinks?

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