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1. Dolly Olive
527 SW 12th Ave., 503-719-6921, dollyolivepdx.com. 11 am-3 pm and 5-9 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-3 pm and 5-10 pm Friday-Saturday.
This month, The Wall Street Journal declared we’re “becoming a nation of early birds,” and it’s hard to argue with that point since Portland’s nightlife has never really rebounded from the pandemic. If we are all turning in earlier these days, might as well make the most of lunch, a meal that’s never been as leisurely as brunch nor as elegant as dinner, yet you can apply both of those adjectives to the midday meal experience at downtown’s Dolly Olive. Lunch service began in May and includes items that would suit just about anyone’s tastes, from a farro salad to a slow-roasted rosemary prosciutto-and-Gruyère panini to a crispy chicken confit. You can even pretend you’re at a fancy dinner and order a salted caramel cannoli for dessert—a move we highly recommend.
2. Higgins Piggins
On the Oregon Historical Society terrace at 1200 SW Park Ave., 503-222-9070, higginspiggins.com. One of downtown’s most charming pandemic patios is back open for the summer season. Higgins Piggins returned to the South Park Blocks in early June, and this year’s iteration pays tribute to Venice’s backstreet locals bars known as bacari: cozy, simple inns that typically serve wine and small plates built around seasonal ingredients. At Piggins, you can expect a Pacific Northwest take, with a menu that includes artisan cheeses, charcuterie, salads, and cicchetti—snacks like tea service-sized sandwiches.
3. Câche Câche
1015 SE Stark St. 5-10 pm Wednesday-Saturday, 1-8 pm Sunday.
Câche Câche, a raw seafood bar from Kurt Huffman’s ChefStable and St. Jack chef John Denison, is Portland’s newest and neatest oceanic idyll. The new place is aptly named after the French term for “hide-and-seek” since it’s hard to find and there is no phone number or website. The search is worth it for the lobster roll alone, though, which might cause a Mainer’s eyes to grow misty. Three ounces of meat are lightly dressed with a tarragon-infused aioli and then stuffed into a cuboid cut from a crustless Dos Hermanos Pullman loaf. Everyone must order this; sharing is a bad idea.
4. Chelo
Located inside Dame, 2930 NE Killingsworth St., chelopdx.com. 5-9 pm Monday-Wednesday.
Chef Luna Contreras’ cooking has made appearances all over the city, and she’s received acclaim at every turn. Sometimes, Contreras flits about so quickly it can be hard to catch her. But from now until mid-August, you can find her playful, vegetable-forward take on traditional Mexican street foods inside Dame restaurant. Order a few items that likely won’t carry over to a smaller-plate version of Chelo that will open in a new location later this year, like the incredible chuleta de puerco, a bone-in pork chop, served with hot housemade tortillas, a super-tasty fire-roasted tomato salsa quemada and brothy beans, cooked to perfection.
5. Tusk
2448 E Burnside St., 503-894-8082, tuskpdx.com. 5-9 pm Monday-Thursday, 5-10 pm Friday, 10 am-2 pm and 5-10 pm Saturday, 10 am-2 pm Sunday.
At long last, brunch is making a comeback after the pandemic wiped out the weekend tradition. Our favorite chickpea palace, Tusk, is the latest to reintroduce the midday meal. Diners with a sweet tooth will want to order pastry chef Tara Lewis’ baharat roll frosted with pistachio farmer cheese, or the cardamom doughnut with tahini pastry cream and rhubarb jam. Brunchgoers who require sunny yolks with their mimosas should look to the shakshuka verde or lamb poutine, which can be topped with an egg, of course.