There’s a reason that Portland’s food scene gets a lot of praise for its Pacific Northwestern dishes. From buttery, cedar-planked salmon to wild savory mushroom bakes, the city offers a high density of fresh ingredients that reflect the surrounding land and waterways. A handful of new Portland restaurants are adding depth to these dishes by bringing European influences into the kitchen, backed by chefs trained in old-world know-how.
It’s not hard to find a traditional Italian trattoria, French bistro, or Spanish tapas bar in town. But as a new resident of the Rose City, I also want to give my time to eateries that simultaneously represent the PNW’s unique signature. Luckily, the eclectic city melds the two together nicely, and there are four stand-out new locales that reflect both Mediterranean and Pacific Northwestern flavors in every bite.
Each spot on this list offers more than spectacular plates but radiates well-designed ambiance worth your time, preferably with company. Here’s what you need to know about each new-to-Portland culinary destination, alongside my personal food and drink selections.
Hey Luigi Cocktail & Pasta Bar
- Location: 2175 NW Raleigh St. Portland, OR 97210
- Hours: Tues–Thurs: 3:00 PM – 9:30 PM, Fri–Sat: 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Best for: High-energy happy hours in close quarters with friends
Visiting Hey Luigi feels like a stroll down the cobbled streets of Italy before you even enter, as the locale, opened by Top Chef alum Gabriel Pascuzzi, is located right off the cozy Slabtown Pedestrian Way. This intimate spot’s staff comes with deeper Italian roots than the European-style plaza it sits in. Chef Pascuzzi’s grandfather immigrated from Italy to Portland in the 1930s, bringing his wisdom of flavorful Calabrian foods to the states and into the family line.
The restaurant opened in October 2025, guided by both European and Pacific Northwestern principles of sourcing the freshest local ingredients possible, apparent through crisp colorful ingredients. From flavor-packed anchovy toast to pillowy burrata di Puglia, every dish felt like an artistic spin on a working-class Southern Italian meal.
For more substantial dishes, try the pasta, imported from Italy and adorned with intense red sauces and homemade pestos. Their pizza menu boasts crushed tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, and prosciutto toppings, fired in a wood oven for added depth. The cocktail menu is organized from zero-proof to strong pours, with Italian infusions like strega liqueur, aged balsamic, and olive oil-washed gin.
Hey Luigi’s happy hour currently runs Tuesday through Thursday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 PM to close. I mention this because the pasta bar pairs well with its big brother across the street, Bistecca, which you can book before or after enjoying Luigi’s lighter bites. This sophisticated steakhouse offers dry-aged meats with a Tuscan twist and is also curated by Chef Gabriel Pascuzzi.
Vya
- Location: 959 SE Division St. #200, Portland, OR 97214
- Hours: Wed–Thurs: 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM, Fri–Sat: 4:30 PM to 11:00 PM
- Best for: Celebratory groups and special occasions
Vya debuted in March 2026, and I booked my seat in its first week. I was prepared for a hiccup or two visiting so early on. Instead, I marveled at the confident, attentive staff that transformed my meal into a warm, conversational experience. Vya offers tapas-style plates alongside paella entrees, mindfully coursed over the span of your visit. And every bite I tried was as or more delectable than those I’ve had in Spanish taverns.
The small plates are sharable, meaning you can essentially taste the whole menu with another guest. I nearly skipped the jamón croquettes thinking, if you’ve had one, you’ve had them all. Thankfully, my server Maya nudged me to put an order in, completely worth it. These aren’t microwaved cheesy bites but pillowy, lightly fried flavor bombs full of gooey aioli, whipped mahón, and cured ham.
Another favorite was the artfully presented octopus carpaccio, topped with dollops of trout roe and a coating of Meyer lemon that brought a bright tenderness to each bite. Paella was my culminating dish. You have a choice between the Valencia mixta (shellfish and chicken-based) or the vegan paella. My mixta dish was well-infused with fragrant saffron and baked to perfection, with a moist rice center boasting crispy edges.
The agave-based Esmerelda cocktail had a velvety mouthfeel and full flavor, yet felt light and effortless on the sip. There’s an onsite bar that’s as beautiful as it is well-stocked, and I could see myself returning for drinks and bites for a more casual, social experience.
The lofted dining room is adorned with floral wallpapers, cloud-like lighting fixtures, and plants that transform the space into a lush oasis. While it feels like a tapas bar, modern decorations and local ingredients firmly plant it in the PNW culinary scene.
L’Orange
- Location: 2005 SE 11th Ave. Portland, OR 97214
- Hours: Mon–Sat: 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Best for: Romantic date nights in an intimate yet stylish century-old rehabbed home
L’Orange debuted in Southeast Portland in 2023, but the ambitious team has been innovating the French-inspired restaurant over the past few years, ushering in a new scene known as “Old Portland” that blends European and Pacific Northwestern traditions with effortless artistry.
The bright, second-floor dining room is perched in a century-old, rehabbed building that was the previous site of a telegram office and butcher’s shop. Lavish wallpapers, hanging Le Creuset lids, and intimate colorful rooms meld nicely with its historic bones.
It’s rare to feel the layers of history in Portland’s relatively new, industrial-feeling culinary scene. In L’Orange, there’s a sense that you’ve been invited to an intimate dinner party. Chef Joel Stocks’ dishes are elevated yet rooted in home cooking, what one would expect in the French countryside.
Born and raised in Oregon, Stocks has been familiar with the state’s terroir and merroir since his formative years. His menu rotating menu pairs his roots with additional experience at Mirazur and Restaurant Arzak, blending PNW, French, and Spanish influences into each bite.
Co-owner and beverage director Jeff Vejr’s wine list represents dozens of grapes uncommonly grown in Oregon’s AVAs, including sips from his Golden Cluster winery. In March 2026, Vejr opened Buvons, a fine-bubbles bar, and L’Orange supplements the cozy spot with select dishes.
I started my meal with a bright, well-herbed steelhead tartare topped with a fluffy papadum wafer. Next was the rabbit confit pasta with pillowy gnocchetti dough, made aromatic with pollen and fennel accents. For the main course, the rich black cod steals the show, grilled and perched atop a generous portion of barley, morels, and smoked mussels.
The meal concluded with a slice of the signature L’Orange cake, bruleed to perfection and topped with cardamom frosting. Each ingredient feels like a bridge between Western Mediterranean and Pacific Northwestern lineage, showing how the two regions have a kindred spirit.
Lansdowne
- Location: 1639 NW Marshall St. Portland, OR 97209
- Hours: Wed–Sat: 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Best for: Slow meals and lengthy conversations over a fixed dinner course and beverage pairing
Lansdowne, once a pop-up in the Kerns neighborhood, now sits in Portland’s trendy Pearl District as of March 2026. The spacious brick-laden dining room is all about warm lighting, comfortable seating, centered around an open kitchen that adds energy to the atmosphere. At first glance, it’s on par with most Portland New American dining rooms. But its roots extend into the old world, bringing European sensibilities to each plate and glass.
Chef Martin Pfeifer focuses on seasonal, hyper-local ingredients, a nod to Northwestern foraging and farming traditions. European features enter the picture with French Marennes-Oléron-style oysters and beef tartare. Larger plates display Italian characteristics with butternut squash cappellacci and pork and fennel fagiolini.
I opted for the six-course tasting menu, introducing me to their albacore, scallop, and grilled maitake bites. The main event is a savory cut of New York strip adorned with aged tallow and a rich Bordelaise sauce, just large enough a portion to fill me yet leave room for dessert (which is currently a fermented chocolate cake).
You can supplement their fixed menu with an additional wine tasting. Beverage manager Owen Perry thoughtfully curates a conversation between each dish and glass with low-intervention, old-world heritage varietals.
Martin Pfeifer and Owen Perry bring more than logistics to the locale—their culinary choices are rooted deeply in local and European lineage. Perry mentioned that they not only live in the conceptual realm of the restaurant, but were hands-on with the construction of the dining room itself. Lansdowne is a labor of love, from each design element to every sprig placed on a plate.
New Portland restaurants bring the Old Portland concept front and center
I think it’s worth adding at least one of these new Portland restaurants to your Portland travel plan next time you’re in the city, perhaps trying more if you’re a local. Not only will your taste buds thank you, but you’ll be a part of history in the making, as each of these culinary destinations aims to be a part of the longstanding community rather than a flash in the pan.
Rather than choosing a personal favorite, I choose to honor each restaurant’s diversity. While each brings European cuisine to the west, personal interpretations add a unique dimension to each restaurant’s roster. I could see myself revisiting the communal-style Lansdowne with a larger group or enlisting Vya or L’Orange for a romantic date night. Hey Luigi is all about an effortless high-end happy hour with friends.
Each stamps a distinct identity on its dishes and walls yet shares a common thread—a commitment to combining the time-tested, sustainable traditions of the Pacific Northwest with millennia-old European wisdom.
