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Aviv
1125 SE Division St., 503-206-6280, avivpdx.com. 11 am-10 pm Monday-Friday, 10 am-10 pm Saturday-Sunday. $.
Portland went nutty for plant-based cuisine this year, with a host of new vegan and veggie-driven openings. Our favorite of the plant-based crop is Aviv, the new vegan Israeli spot from the Gonzo food truck's Tal Caspi. Aviv was a pop-up before taking over the space inside Southeast Division Street's Banana Building with a hummus-heavy menu that makes sparing use of tofu feta, cashew labneh and soy curls. Aviv builds much of its seasonal and constantly updating menu from hummus, labneh, carrots and eggplant. (READ FULL LISTING HERE.)
Kati
2932 SE Division St., 503-477-6059. Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday. $$.
Vegetarian Thai eatery Kati has wowed us with bold flavors, bright colors and fun snacks like wrap-em-yourself betel leaves with roasted coconut, ginger, lime and palm sugar syrup.
Ranch
Deliveries to Beermongers, Apex, Baerlic and Grixsen. Order by phone at 503-477-6481. Ranchpdx.com. Thursday-Sunday dinner, late night Friday-Saturday. $$.
This pop-up delivers hearty nonna-style squares exclusively to nearby beer bars and breweries. The perfect crust is chewy in the middle and crispy on the sides, but the secret is raw sauce, applied twice during baking.
Abyssinian Kitchen
2625 SE 21st Ave., 503-894-8349, abyssiniankitchen.com. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. $$.
It lacks the punchy flavors of Enat but this homey, earth-toned space serves very nice Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes like tilapia stew and sauteed lamb on tangy injera.
OP Wurst
3384 SE Division St., 503-384-2259, opwurst.com. Lunch, dinner and late night daily. $.
Olympia Provisions' white-on-white sausage shack sports a seriously great beer list and dogs stacked with mac and cheese. But the classic OP dog is the Platonic ideal of frankfurter, the one God would grill in heaven's backyard.
Nuestra Cocina
2135 SE Division St., 503-232-2135, nuestracocina.com. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. $$.
The name means "Our Kitchen" and that's what it feels like inside this warm, tile-heavy room on Division Street. It shines brightest on seasonal plates like grilled asparagus with palm hearts and bacon in a pumpkin-seed vinaigrette.
The American Local
3003 SE Division St., 503-954-2687, theamericanlocal.com. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. $$.
American Local evolved into a fine gastropub of Asian-accented comforts, with a great American-cheese burger backed up by skewers, seasonal salads and the occasional wonderful surprise like a cod collar topped with shiso and fried onions.
Southeast Wine Collective
2425 SE 35th Place, 503-208-2061, sewinecollective.com. Dinner daily, lunch weekends. $$.
This working urban winery is a clubhouse for the Oregon progressive wine scene. Great wine is made in back, but food in the tiny tasting room threatens to steal the show, with a crispy prosciutto-topped deviled egg so voluminous you're forced to deconstruct it in sheer wonderment.
Woodsman Tavern
4537 SE Division St., 971-373-8264, woodsmantavern.com. Dinner daily. Breakfast, lunch and dinner weekends. $$.
Debuting as a rustic chic supperhouse with serious culinary ambitions, the Woodsman abandoned its roasted whole trout to become a clubhouse for owner Duane Sorenson, who founded Stumptown Coffee next door. The hangout version has fried chicken artfully presented in a paper bucket and a killer double cheeseburger.
La Moule
2500 SE Clinton St., 971-339-2822, lamoulepdx.com. Dinner and late night daily, Sunday brunch. $$$.
At this casual sister of swanky French spot St. Jack, the long copper bar fills at early and late happy hours, when $12 gets you a bowl of plump, pillowy mussels swimming in broth rich with chile and tarragon, plus a tangle of frites.
Jacqueline
2039 SE Clinton St., 503-327-8637, jacquelinepdx.com. 5-10 pm Tuesday-Saturday. $$-$$$.
Jacqueline is currently the best answer to an age-old visitors' question: "Where should I go in Portland for a really good seafood dinner that's not sushi?" Portland has always been more a river town than a coastal one, but until recently you'd have to send your guests to one of the mid-tier fish halls downtown. Now, head down to the year-old Jacqueline on Southeast Clinton Street, which has evolved into Portland's best home for seafood. (READ THE FULL LISTING HERE.)
Broder
2508 SE Clinton St., 503-736-3333, broderpdx.com. 8 am-3 2508 SE Clinton St., 503-736-3333, broderpdx.com. 8 am-3 pm daily. $$.
Broder is now a borderline chain of stylish Scandinavian bruncheries. You'd probably never notice given the personal service and excellent food. A midsummer visit to the original cafe at the idyllic intersection of Southeast Clinton Street and Everything Portland Was in 2006 Avenue showed that the formula still works well and they haven't slipped on the small details, offering a little cup of warm, frothy milk with your coffee and playing Weezer's Blue Album all the way through from the kitchen. (READ FULL LISTING HERE.)