Central Oregon has a booming food cart community, with growing clusters of carts in Bend, Redmond and Sisters. Let us be your guide to good eats, with an interactive map to help you find whatever you crave.
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Core menu is shrinking as more specials are introduced
In Bend’s burgeoning dining world, one constant has been Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails. Since 2009, when owners Steve and Cheri Helt relocated to downtown Bend from Third Street, the fine-dining restaurant has been a model of consistency. To say Zydeco has been perfect would be
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Godzilla really shook up Tokyo’s urban landscape a few decades ago, when he and King Ghidorah, a three-headed dragon, thrashed things out on the silver screen. A mural of that epic battle in the shadow of Mount Fuji occupies one full wall of Bimbap, a
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When Chef David Touvell opened Chow in early 2008, it didn’t take much time for the breakfast-and-lunch cafe to establish itself at the vanguard of the local farm-to-fork movement. Eleven years later, the unpretentious eatery remains a model of sustainability for diners who support Central
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Popular Bend brewpub doubles capacity, improves menu
Since it opened in June 2012, Crux Fermentation Project has been among the most successful of Bend’s many brewpubs. But its popularity eclipsed the size of its tasting room. Its management team decided last year that it was high time to expand the former AAMCO
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The departure of an executive chef can be traumatic for a fine dining restaurant. When it happens twice in three months, a crisis is brewing. That’s what happened in 2018 at Red Martini Kitchen & Cocktails, one of a small handful of elite restaurants in
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Mexican eatery a fine dining choice at Cascade Village
El Rancho Grande is a family business. And that makes all the difference. Owners Rafael and Lorena Robles Rodriguez involve their entire family in every aspect of the restaurant, from the savory cuisine to the fine professional service, and their pride — as symbolized by
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I’m no Grinch — at least, I hope I’m not. But the thought of dining on green pancakes is as appealing to me as, well, green eggs and ham. Inspired by Dr. Seuss’ parsimonious Grinch character, IHOP’s seasonal menu will keep lime-hued flapjacks bursting from
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When the GoodLife Brewing Company opened its doors in mid-2011 in the Century Center complex on Bend’s west side, it really wasn’t set up for restaurant service. The beer was excellent. (It still is.) But without a deep fryer or a stove hood, the kitchen
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With youthful direction, Takoda’s is a proven success
Kyle Harbick has come a long way with Takoda’s Restaurant & Lounge since he and his younger cousin, Trey Harbick, opened the business on the west side of Sisters in 2011. Now 29, Kyle had little food-and-beverage experience when the Harbicks took over the former
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Restaurant offers food, drink and dancing in northeast Bend
If you’re a fan of country music artists like Blake Shelton, Tracy Lawrence and Lady Antebellum, there may be no better place in Central Oregon to be entertained than Maverick’s Country Bar & Grill. That’s especially true if you like to kick up your heels
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Ray Chan, the owner of China Doll in the Crossroads Plaza complex on Bend’s east side, is a charming man. He’s been in business for more than 18 years, so he’s clearly doing something right. He speaks proudly of a daughter who is attending a
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Not many years ago, it was hard for a vegetarian to get a good restaurant meal in Central Oregon. That’s no longer the case. More than a half-dozen cafes specialize in fare for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diners, and it is rare to find a
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Dump City expands its menu in a new permanent home
Dump City Dumplings owner Dan Butters wants his restaurant to be the “dumpling house of Bend.” For all practical purposes, it already owns that title. Butters and partner Keith Shayon, who established Dump City as a solo food cart in June 2010, elevated to a
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More than a decade after its early 2008 opening in a historic building in downtown Redmond, the original Brickhouse Steakhouse is still going strong. Lodged in the 1921 Davidson Meat Market building on Sixth Street — the structure was an insurance agency before it became
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The single most important factor for a successful seafood restaurant should always be: How fresh is the fish? Guaranteed freshness becomes more difficult for a restaurant as far inland as Bend. But the new Poke Row cafe in NorthWest Crossing is a step ahead of
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The owners of Bend’s new Best Western Premier Peppertree Inn, at Mt. Washington and Century drives, may have missed the boat in choosing the type of restaurant that now serves its clientele. Pizza and beer are not in short supply in Central Oregon. I can
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I can’t imagine that I will become a strict vegan. But I’m glad to know there are numerous options for my Central Oregon friends who do choose a plant-based diet. Not too many years ago, Bend did not have a single, dedicated vegetarian restaurant, let
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What’s this? A brewpub that doesn’t serve burgers and fries? One that, instead of pizza, offers pulled jackfruit and nori (seaweed) crisps? Chris “Tap” Mitchell, executive chef at Bend’s new Boneyard Beer Pub, explained: “Boneyard has always been a little different,” he said. “Why should
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Caribbean flavors are reminiscent of Little Havana
Cuban is not a style of cuisine widely known in the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes described as traditional Caribbean cooking with Spanish and African influences, it has footholds in the United States in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami and in suburban New York, where political
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When Karen McCormack sold Palmer’s Cafe in September 2016, her immensely popular Bend restaurant of 15 years, she did so because the commute from her new home in La Pine had become tedious and sometimes dangerous in winter. Within a few months, however, she had
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What is it with all the “J” bar-and-grills in downtown Bend? There’s JC’s, J-Dub’s and the M&J. And now, adding to the confusion, the J&J Bar and Grill opened July 4 in the former Summit Saloon space on Oregon Avenue. I’m not a fan. Not
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Limited but wide-ranging menu offers exotic choices
Worthy Brewing likes to frame itself as a rebel in the world of craft brewing. Hanging on the walls of its new Taps & Tacos bar, an intimate cantina on Brooks Street alley in downtown Bend, are arrest photos of about 20 celebrities, retouched in
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It’s always disappointing when slipshod service gets in the way of an otherwise satisfactory meal. That was our recent dinner experience at Geno’s Italian Grill in Redmond. I believe the service problems were an exception. On a subsequent luncheon visit, I was well attended by
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When Portland’s River Pig Saloon expanded into Bend in May, it expected to serve the Old Mill District primarily as a neighborhood watering hole, not as a restaurant. Locals quickly discovered that the food was good, reasonably priced and a slight detour from what may
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Box Factory eatery supports athletes with the environment
As anyone who reads this weekly column knows, I am not a vegan. Neither am I a vegetarian, nor do I follow a gluten-free or any other special diet. I am an omnivore. But I have no issue with enjoying a vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free
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More than just a bakery, Foxtail thrives in its new location
Sweet and savory. That balance is what makes the newly reborn Foxtail Bakeshop & Kitchen a success. The sweet is owner Nickol Hayden-Cady, who has built a career as an executive pastry chef. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, she
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Events at restaurant beckon foodies from near and far
Perhaps the most beautiful place to enjoy a meal in Central Oregon is on the fishing dock beside deep, glacial Suttle Lake. We’re not talking about a picnic. We’re talking gourmet big-city fare paired with fine wines, served family-style to as many as 40 guests
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Bend cafe serves meals with an international flair
Good food is good food, regardless of whether it’s served on land or sea. At downtown Bend’s Lemon Tree restaurant, diners get the best of two chefs experienced in both. Focused on all-day brunch recipes, inspired by years in the galleys of international cruising vessels,
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Modern “gastropub” occupies the former High Tides space
They make quite a pair, do the taciturn Gene Soto and the effusive Sanda Costello. As friends and business partners, they complement each other well. Their company of three years, Bowtie Catering, has earned notice as one of the busiest and most successful in Central
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After 20 years, Mexican restaurant opens a new east-side space
Twenty years is a long time for a restaurant to succeed in one location, especially in leased space tucked into a corner of a back-street building complex without prominent signage to attract drop-in business. El Caporal has survived and thrived — so much so that
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International menu earns local and national attention
In its five brick-and-mortar years on Bend’s west side, Spork has earned a reputation for its eclectic international menu — nurtured by locally sourced ingredients — and praise that has extended beyond Central Oregon and into national media. Much of the credit for its continued
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It’s impressive for a night club and cocktail lounge, regardless of the location, to persist for 17 years. The dynamics of the music and beverage industries tend to roll with the fickle behavior of patrons, who aren’t the same people in their 40s as they
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If you liked the menu at Currents, the fine-dining restaurant at Bend’s Riverhouse hotel, when it opened two years ago, you may be even more pleased. A Pacific Northwest-themed bill of fare has been enhanced with the arrival of new executive chef Michael Stanton. Formerly
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“Bronx Born” is not just a name. Thomas Schiffer was born and raised in the New York city borough of the Bronx. It’s where he got his first job making pizzas when he was 13. He took his skills with him when he moved to
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After 23 years in business, restaurant is still going strong
When I last reviewed Toomie’s Thai Cuisine seven years ago, I deemed the restaurant overpriced, especially during the dinner hour. That’s no longer true. Thai restaurants have come and gone since 2011, but Toomie’s — which burst upon the Central Oregon dining scene in 1995
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Sisters restaurant focuses on locally sourced ingredients
Pam Wavrin believes in the “Great Grandma Standard.” The co-owner of Sisters’ Depot Café (with her husband, Chris) still remembers childhood visits to her great-grandmother’s house, where she was greeted by the aroma of fresh bread baking in the oven. That loaf, Wavrin recalls, was
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Established in 2003, The Blacksmith continues to deliver
When The Blacksmith Restaurant was established in Bend in 2003 by a young Texas chef named Gavin McMichael, it almost singlehandedly propelled the entire Central Oregon restaurant scene to a new level of recognition. Within a few months after its opening, The Blacksmith had been
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It was just last month that I received an email from a reader who wrote in praise of his local watering hole, the South Side Pub. His words were enough to inspire me to visit: “It is truly a locals and blue-collar sort of place
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Authentic Middle Eastern flavor on Bend’s west side
To speak of Middle Eastern cuisine is to say a mouthful. So when a server at Kebaba, on Bend’s west side, described the restaurant’s cuisine as Turkish, he was doing the establishment a disservice. He was partially correct, of course. But Turkey is only a
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Is there a better time of year to be a TV sports fan than late March and early April? I think not. College basketball is wrapping up March Madness as the pro teams approach their playoff season. Major league baseball has just launched its 2018
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5 Fusion’s Joe Kim finds culinary magic in simplicity
Joe Kim may be Bend’s most honored chef, but he is not one to rest on his considerable laurels. Kim is a chef who never wants to stop learning. At every opportunity, he expands his knowledge by working for a week or two at nationally
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In a town without much authentic Chinese cuisine, Chan’s of Bend has a lot to recommend it. For one, the portions are more than generous. For another, its cooks understand the balancing concepts of “fan” and “tsai,” which together are said to bring harmony and
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Popular Cork Cellars now serves bistro-style meals
Make no mistake: Cork Cellars is still Sisters’ premier wine bar. But the wine retailer, which has had several homes since it was established in 2005, now has a full menu, not just olives and panini. Now at the west end of downtown Sisters, on
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After my first visit to the Cascade West Grub & Alehouse, I was convinced that I’d be telling readers to come for the ales and forget the grub. I’m glad I made a second visit. When the menu is strictly from the deep fryer, as
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Serving the unique cuisine of Europe’s Iberian Peninsula
My dining companion thought she didn’t like octopus. She thought it was rubbery or chewy. She thought it had a musty flavor. Then, she stole a bite of my grilled octopus at Sintra. It was a revelation. One bite led to two, and three. The
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Bend restaurant offers vegan, low-carb and paleo meals
Even with its healthy, outdoor sports-oriented lifestyle and its numerous yoga studios, Bend isn’t a community that particularly caters to vegetarian or vegan diets, let alone paleo and ketogenic (high-fat, low-carbohydrate) food preferences. Owner-chef Elaina Love and her Pure Joy Kitchen could soon change that
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Crooked River Ranch isn’t a place you’d pass through driving from here to there. You’ve got to want to go there. That’s part of the charm of the rustic rural golf community. Home to about 5,000 people, it is about 7½ miles west of U.S.
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Regional variations are common in national diets. Chinese and Indian cuisines, to name but two, have a distinct range of styles. The same is true in Italy, Spain, France and even the United States. So it should come as no surprise that Thai cuisine also
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“Dakine,” is a Hawaiian Pidgin word with no real meaning, but with scores of partial meanings. “Where did I leave my glasses?” might be answered, “Over in ‘dakine.’” “Bring me ‘dakine’” could be a request for a whatchamacallit. Instead of, “You’re the man!” you might
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After ownership change, Palmer’s Cafe still draws locals
Palmer’s Cafe is probably no longer “Bend’s best-kept secret,” as the east-side establishment likes to promote itself. After 20 years of business, attached to a small residential motel on Greenwood Avenue, Palmer’s is well known for its simple but well-prepared breakfasts and lunches. Truth be
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If there’s one thing that Roberto Cardeñas appreciates as much as fine food, it’s good music. So when the owner and executive chef of Islas Rio, a popular Mexican restaurant in Sisters, cast his eyes upon a spot that soon could be regarded as the
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As long as the food is good, nothing will stop me from returning to a brewpub that offers excellent service and a fun atmosphere. That’s what keeps me coming back to Silver Moon Brewing. No, it’s not the beers, although they make a difference, too.
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The best thing about enjoying dinners in the Bend Golf & Country Club’s Cascade Room is knowing that chef Darrin Hauser is cooking for you. After 11 years at the Awbrey Glen Golf Club, Oregon native Hauser came across town last summer to take over
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Hard work, positive attitude brought Pho Viet owner to Oregon
In just under seven years in business, Pho Viet & Café has transformed itself from an exotic outpost to an integral and beloved piece of Central Oregon’s varied restaurant scene. Bend’s very first Vietnamese restaurant helped to make “pho” a household word for scores of
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