Skip to main content1. Kachka
960 SE 11th Ave., 503-235-0059, kachkapdx.com. 4-9 pm Sunday-Thursday, 4-10 pm Friday-Saturday.
At America’s best Russian restaurant, chef Bonnie Morales has combined classic Continental food training with vigorous Russian dishes in homage to her own nostalgia for her parents’ Soviet memories. Whether you spring for the rich clay-pot rabbit—the dish doubles down on umami with porcini mushrooms tarted up with sour cherries—or follow the menu’s advice to cover as much of your table as possible with zakuski (small plates meant to accompany vodka drinking), don’t miss out on Kachka’s soup dumplings: tender delicacies in “fancy broth” made with beef shanks, pork and veal, scallion and cheese, sour cherry, or caviar.
2. Nak Won
4600 Watson Ave., Beaverton, 503-646-9382. 5-8:30 pm Monday-Saturday.
One of the area’s best Korean spots is back—finally. After a prolonged reopening process following the initial statewide pandemic lockdown, Nak Won has returned, now just a pot sticker’s throw from Old Town Beaverton’s impressive outdoor dining hall that features several Portland standouts. Despite the new neighbors, though, Nak Won remains the king of the ‘hood, serving authentic, tasty bites, along with the best soup names in town: Comfort Buttercup, When Miss Piggy Met Hot Potato, et al.
3. Xinh Xinh Vietnamese Bistro
970 SE Morrison St., 971-229-1492, xinhxinhbistro.com. 11 am-8 pm Monday-Tuesday and Thursday, 11 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday, 11:30 am-8 pm Sunday.
Inside a small strip of businesses on Southeast Morrison, Xinh Xinh is best known for its banh mi and soups, but the real ones know that the move is the crunchy salad. Served with a slightly sweetened fish sauce dressing, you’ll find yourself slurping down the grated cabbage, onion and carrots. Peanuts add even more crunch, while basil adds depth. It is an epic salad.
4. Sari Ramyun
2713 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-841-5149, sari.smartonlineorder.com. 11 am-8 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-9 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Typically, the phrase “ramyun” refers in Korea to instant noodles, the peninsular answer to Top Ramen. But chef Tommy Shin’s stall in the Zipper food court specializes in a chicken noodle soup—well, technically chicken and beef broth, with melt-in-your-mouth brisket slices floating on top. This is a heretical opinion, given the proximity of Basilisk, but Sari makes the best chicken in the Zipper.
5. Birrieria PDX
16544 SE Division St., 971-336-6804, birrieriapdxoregon.com. 11 am-10 pm Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 am-10 pm Saturday, 9:30 am-9 pm Sunday.
The birria boom has reached Portland, and this cart in deep Southeast is one of its main purveyors. Birria de res, like its sibling, barbacoa de res, has a long tradition in many parts of Mexico, but Birrieria PDX’s goes beyond classic applications to include a keto taco, made with crispy melted cheese instead of a tortilla, and birria ramen, the Japanese noodle soup made with the broth of the birria, resulting in something that tastes more like pho or Thai boat noodles.