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1. ASSEMBLY BREWING
2934 NE Alberta St., assemblybrewingco.com. 11 am-10 pm daily.
The first Black-owned brewery in the state just opened its second location this week, meaning more Portlanders can munch some of the best Detroit-style pizzas in town. Assembly Brewing is named in honor of the auto factory assembly lines that have powered co-founder and brewer George Johnson’s hometown of Detroit for decades. Customers at the new Alberta Street location can expect whole square pies, five by-the-slice options (including one for vegans), salads and Parmesan-coated breadsticks. Drink offerings include eight taps for Assembly beer, locally made hard cider, wine, and a handful of cocktails and spirits. Assembly serves what might be the most authentic Detroit-style pies in the area thanks to Johnson’s training with late award-winning pie baker Shawn Randazzo and development of a proprietary dough recipe, which results in a thicker than normal crust with exceptional crunch.
2. PURE GREEN
7117 SE Milwaukie Ave., 503-272-1960, @puregreenportland. 7 am–9 pm daily.
The West Coast’s first location of the New York-founded juice bar opened in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood in December. Pure Green offers smoothies that are a hefty 20 ounces and cost about $10 a pop. The Tropical Breeze and Pure Piña Colada flavors both had tasty Hawaiian vibes but without that shock of refined sugar you might get at other smoothie chains. Additional menu options include cold-pressed juices, made-to-order oatmeal bowls, and avocado toast with bread from gluten-free bakery Bastion down the street. The inviting space includes a large community table, outdoor seating and two-tops with tons of outlets, but it’s worth holding out for one of the four hanging rattan chairs.
3. JEJU
626 SE Main St., 503-502-2038, jejupdx.com. 5–11:30 pm Wednesday–Saturday.
The owners of Han Oak and Toki have brought us Jeju, a twist on Korean barbecue that makes it less about an all-you-can-eat munch fest cooked yourself at the table and turns it into a considered affair. In assuming the former Renata space, a grand buildout in inner Southeast, the Jeju team inherited the Italian restaurant’s wood-fired oven and have put it to excellent use. A seat at the bar near the oven provides a front-row view of crispy rice bowls and meat dishes sliding in and out, as well as additional warmth from the hot fire. We’re nuts for the banchan, mandu dumplings and the ssam platter. Skirt steak, rib-eye, pork coppa and housemade sausage are served sliced, ready to be tucked into lettuce or chicory, slathered with ssam-jang, and topped with herbs before stuffing the packet into your mouth whole.
4. SALVADOR MOLLY’S
1523 SW Sunset Blvd., 503-293-1790, salvadormollyspdx.com. 11:30 am–9 pm Tuesday–Sunday.
You can learn a lot about a person in a very short time after they bite into the Great Balls of Fire at Salvador Molly’s. These are the almighty fried habanero orbs of cheese that look innocuous enough sitting in a calm pool of devilishly, um, stimulating habanero sauce on a bright piece of Fiestaware and come three or five to an order. It starts with a nice innocent crunch, followed by a watery eye or two (bonus if there’s runny mascara). They’ll laugh it off at first. “Well, that was surprisingly kicky,” they’ll blubber. Or maybe they’re the type who licks their fingers clean of all the molten goodness and goes in for another—i.e., a keeper.
5. L’ORANGE
2005 SE 11th Ave., 503-880-5682, lorangepdx.com. 5–10 pm Monday-Saturday.
Behind an easy-to-miss orange door in a 1905 home lies one of Portland’s best new restaurants. L’Orange feels cozy and well suited for a bohemian dinner party thanks to its fantastical wallpapers, white lace curtains, and colors of each room. Meanwhile, the menu is focused and hyperseasonal and—perhaps most importantly—won’t break the bank. You can work your way through much of it if you’re willing to share. On our visits, we were impressed with a deviously indulgent riff on French onion soup with a gravylike broth and Gruyère cheese skirt, the Lyonnaise salad with smoky pork morsels, and the supremely underrated sturgeon that was kissed by smoke and served over a bed of vegetables.