The 10 Pacific Northwest Restaurants Outside Portland Any Local Foodie Has To try

So you're a foodie who has eaten everywhere in Portland, crossing off every spot on our annual list of the city's top 50?

Awesome! Now have you had the ribs at Stateside in Seattle?

There's a lot of great food in this region, including a lot of things that Portland simply cannot match. Take Seattle's JuneBaby, which comes from a French Laundry alum and really has no peer among Southern spots in Portland. Or ultra-fresh seafood at Local Ocean in Newport, which comes straight off the boats in the harbor you're overlooking.

Here are 10 must-visit spots for Portland foodies traveling around the region.

Junebaby

2122 NE 65th St., Seattle, 206-257-4470, junebabyseattle.com.

French Laundry alum Edouardo Jordan's upscale Southern spot is a little more polished than its Portland peers, making food that's as graceful as it is rich. The pikliz-topped pulled pork sandwiches is a standout, as is the umami-dense mac 'n' cheese with camembert.

Stateside
300 E Pike St., #1200, Seattle, 206-557-7273, statesideseattle.com.

This wildly creative Asian fusion spot in Seattle's Capitol Hill district has several showstoppers, including spicy goat curry, Hunan-style ribs crusted in chili pods and cumin and a shell-cupped coconut cocktail with rum, lime leaf and galangal. Stateside strikes the perfect balance of fun and sophistication.

Ruddick/Wood
720 E 1st St., Newberg, 503-487-6133, ruddickwood.com.

This Newberg bar and bistro is a hipster answer to Nick's—the party is in the hidden back-room tavern where you'll find crazy good deviled eggs with salmon roe and a simple burger. The wine-by-the-glass menu has the new cool kids, like Johan Vineyards pet-nat of pinot and Martin Woods gamay noir.

Luis's Taqueria
523 N Front St., Woodburn, 503-981-8437, luisstaqueria.com.

We've eaten our way around Woodburn, home to the state's best Mexican, and we've come around to the conventional wisdom. President Obama was right to eat at this mammoth taqueria, which makes lick-em-up salsas and smokey and wonderful barbacoa.

Nick's Italian Cafe
521 NE 3rd St., McMinnville, 503-434-4471, nicksitaliancafe.com.

Don't enter through the front like a rookie. To understand why 40-year-old Nick's is a Beard-awarded classic, enter a green-trimmed door at the end of a back alley to eat pizza, pasta and pork sausage with old men in a cushy-boothed pool hall that's the valley's best wine hang. Hot tip: Always drink the house Nick's pinot, made by local wine legend Michael Stevenson.

Beppe & Gianni's Trattoria
1646 E. 19th Ave., Eugene, 541-683-6661, beppeandgiannis.net.

Classic red sauce Italian is the order of the day at this long-time Duckland standard. If you stop in after a game or to feed your starving student, ask about the ravioli di giorno and be sure to leave room for a supersized dessert.

Albatross & Co.

225 14th St., Astoria, 503-742-3091, albatrossandcompany.com.

At this rustic cocktail spot you'll find former Portland chef Eric Bechard—co-owner of sister restaurant Thistle in McMinnville—serving inspired twists on comfort fare like Dungeness-topped deviled eggs and clam-gravy oyster "poutine."

Local Ocean
213 SE Bay Blvd., Newport, 541-574-7959, localocean.net.

This dockside seafood spot is stocked by some of the boats you'll watch come and go from the big glass windows. Weekend dinner waits can stretch for hours. It's worth it for seafood of unparalleled freshness and with a little Latin flair. Get the tuna mignon, and raid the to-go counter on your way out.

Sorella
526 NW Coast St., Newport, 541-265-4055, sorellanyebeach.com.

Chef Justin Wills runs the Oregon coast's fanciest restaurant, Depoe Bay's Beck. In Newport's hipster district, Nye Beach, he shows his casual side at this excellent Italian spot with outstanding handmade tagliatelle, very nice pizzas and excellent cocktails.

Zydeco
919 NW Bond St., Bend, 541-312-2899, zydecokitchen.com.

This Cajunish kitchen in downtown Bend makes scratch classics like jambalaya and pulled pork, plus variations like a fried fish sandwich battered with potato chips and a truffled mac and cheese. We highly recommend the Cuban sandwich made with capicola.