Best Restaurants in Bend
From cuisine of the low country to the top of haute cuisine, Bend has some of the best examples of all types of food. We have had a fine dining restaurant and a taco shop earn rave reviews from the New York Times. And we have had a chef chosen to cook at the James Beard House in New York and a chef who has been nominated three times for the James Beard Best Chef in the Northwest.
Here we will explore some of the best in Bend. Find our Top 5 lists of the restaurants in Bend, Oregon. Including best breakfast, lunch, dinner, food carts & more to satisfy your cravings.
Here we will explore some of the best in Bend. Find our Top 5 lists of the restaurants in Bend, Oregon. Including best breakfast, lunch, dinner, food carts & more to satisfy your cravings.
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Top 5 Restaurants for Dinner
Our list of Top 5 Restaurants in Bend for Dinner is a wildly varied one. From the James Beard awarded Ariana’s, to the Cajun inspired Zydeco Kitchen and Cocktails.
Ariana’s
Located in a craftsman bungalow on the Westside of Bend you’ll find Ariana. This world-class restaurant nestled in the heart of Central Oregon has become known for Chef Andres and Ariana Fernandez’ fresh perspectives on classic Mediterranean dishes. Known for utilizing the bounty of culinary products available in the northwest as well as local farmers and purveyors in Central Oregon. An extensive wine list highlights selections from Oregon and Washington. Their signature cocktails make use of distinctive spirits and liqueurs. The James Beard Foundation liked the food enough to invite the Fernadezes to cook in NY at the James Beard House.
Noi Thai
Beautifully appointed interior, excellent Thai food and plenty of private spaces to have an intimate dinner, this is not your typical Thai joint. This menu features all the light delicate menu items that have made Thai food so popular. Only Noi has raised the level quite a few bars. With perfectly blended spices, they can really bring the heat but never without a good reason.
Bos Taurus
Executive chef George Morris serves Cedar River Angus steaks from Arizona, 7X Ranch Wagyu steaks from Colorado, Allen Brothers steaks from Chicago, Bavette cuts from Australia. There are also A5 Wagyu strip loins direct from Hokkaido and Miyazaki, Japan, so rich that two ounces maybe all a diner needs.
5 fusion
Set in a cool, sophisticated space, 5 Fusion offers excellent sushi and eclectic dishes from the countryside. Chef Joe Kim has been nominated 3 times for the James Beard award for best Chef in the Northwest. He has put together a menu where you will have a hard time getting out of the appetizer plates. If you do get out, we recommend the Wagyu Steak or the Shogun Sushi Roll.
Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails
Located in the heart of downtown Bend, Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails offers fine Northwestern cuisine with a Southern twist from the esteemed Chef Steve Helt. Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails focuses on quality, hormone and pesticide free organic ingredients. They also offer a full Gluten-Free menu for their guests. We highly recommend the Redfish (Blackend if you like spicy).
Top 5 Breakfast
Chow
This is where you go if you would like a delicious breakfast from off the beaten path. Specializing in locally sourced ingredients and inventive recipes, Chow puts a lovely twist on almost every menu item. Come here for breakfast and you will probably be back for lunch.
Victorian Cafe
After purchasing The Vic in 2002 John Nolan decided to completely reinvent the idea of a breakfast restaurant and worked hard to create a diverse menu that successfully fuses classic breakfast fare with new, creative food combinations and unique flavors. In 2004 "The Vic Experience" was complete when the integration of a full bar introduced award-winning bloody marys and the legendary "Manmosa" crafted with Victorian Cafe private label champagne. Today The Vic remains an institution in Central Oregon for locals and visitors alike, winning "Best Breakfast" over 13 times, and accumulating many awards for the signature Proud Mary Bloody Mary.
Mckay Cottage
McKay Cottage in Bend, Oregon is a casual neighborhood breakfast and lunch restaurant nestled in a preserved 1916 historic craftsman bungalow. The Cottage is the former home of Bend Oregon pioneers Clyde and Olive McKay. Try the Chorizo Benny with housemade pork chorizo.
McKay Cottage is now home to Bend's best creative comfort food, serving award-winning breakfast and lunch every day. For the past eleven years in a row McKay Cottage has been voted by locals as the Best Breakfast in Central Oregon!
McKay Cottage is now home to Bend's best creative comfort food, serving award-winning breakfast and lunch every day. For the past eleven years in a row McKay Cottage has been voted by locals as the Best Breakfast in Central Oregon!
Lemon Tree
Lemon Tree is a newcomer to the Bend breakfast scene. And they arrived with a bang. Fresh off luxury yachts where they provided gourmet meals to guests, Chef Jaclyn Perez and Betsy McDonald are committed to serving the exotic flavours they experienced while traveling the world.
Sparrow Bakery
If you love banana bread this is the place that will ruin all other banana breads for you. If you love croissants they have a phenomenal bacon breakfast sandwich on an other worldly croissant. But if you haven’t had one yet, it is the ocean roll that will bring you back to Sparrow Bakery time after time. A layer of cardamom, sugar, and vanilla is incorporated into a roll of their croissant dough and baked to perfection. You will agree. Many go in sceptical and all come out devotional.
Top Food Carts
Scoutpost
Named best food cart in Bend in 2018, this cart does not disappoint. Open for breakfast and lunch, every single review for the Scoutpost food cart on their Facebook page is for 5 stars. If you’re reading this at breakfast time, you need to go there right now and get donut holes. And the Chicken and Waffles. Located in the food cart pod next to Spoken Moto, Scoutpost uses a clay oven to make flatbread sandwiches, salads, roasted chicken and pastries using ingredients sourced from local farms.
Barrio
If you are running out of time and can’t fit in a trip to Barrio’s restaurant, they have a food cart to give you a taste. They have all the usual suspects; tacos, burritos, quesadillas, all prepared in the elevated Barrio way. But the dish you don’t want to miss is the Oaxacan burger served with Wagyu Beef.
A la Carte
This is where the perfect fry went when McDonalds changed their fry recipe. Paired with steak, poutine, gorgonzola and bacon, and so many more choices, these fries are the best you’ll have this year unless you’re going to Paris.
Top 5 Lunch Spots
Jackson’s Corner
One of the best chefs in Bend turns out inventive and delicious meals here. From Bend’s best steak sandwich to outstanding pasta dishes, this is a place you can go knowing that when you leave you will be full and very happy.
Active Culture
Active Culture is a lively, counter service café founded on the belief that healthy food can taste amazing! They strive to serve simple, fresh, wholesome ingredients crafted into great-tasting dishes that nourish your body. This is the one for the vegans in your group.
The Village Baker
Maker of quite possibly the best loaf of bread on the planet, the Striata and some butter can turn almost any bowl of soup into a transcendent experience. Dip it in a tomato sauce that’s been cooking all afternoon and you’ll change your religion. And while the Striata has graced the tables of more than a few of Bend’s best restaurants, it’s the Black Butte Porter that makes the best sandwich. Paired with turkey or roast beef, this moist and slightly sweet loaf, flavored with Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter beer gives you a real tour of Central Oregon flavors.
Mother's Juice Cafe
On the lighter side, Mother's serves a wide variety of healthy smoothies, juices, salads and sandwiches. Ingredients, sourced responsibly, are always fresh. And the service is always delivered with a smile.
Poke Row
Poke Row is a poke bar where you can design your own dish. Start with Sushi-grade fish or alternative protein and then go from there, the focus is on fresh and healthy food, in a cozy, casual environment. Poke Row was founded by the passionate team behind Bend’s award-winning 5 Fusion and Sushi Bar. 5 Fusion owner Lilian Chu, and Justin Chu were inspired by the rise of poke on the mainland, and saw an irresistible opportunity to bring a bit of authentic Hawaiian flavor to the High Desert.
Top 5 Brewpubs
Dechutes Brewery & Bone Yard
Deschutes is the one that started it all. Almost every beer on tap here is known across the country and brings home the lion's share of awards. As good as the beer is, try the wings and you'll see why the Deschutes Brewery is also known for its food. But now Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Inversion IPA and Obsidian Stout are joined by Bone Yard’s famous RPM and their transcendent steak sandwich. This joining of Bend’s two best breweries should prove to deliver the taste you're looking to satisfy.
Sunriver Brewing
Like all our best breweries in town this brewpub has won its fair share of awards for both its food and beer. We like it for the outside deck and the excellent food. Let your server pair your ale with your food, you won’t be disappointed.
Crux Fermentation Project
Crux is housed in a former AAMCO Transmission Shop and inspired by its location right in the heart of Bend, Oregon. The brewery is one-of-a-kind, built for non-traditional brewing methods like decoction mashing, open fermentation, and barrel aging as well as for leveraging the limitless possibilities that wild yeast strains and experimental hops present. The food’s good too.
10 Barrel Brewing
10 Barrel serves great food and ale. So great that Budweiser felt compelled to buy them and promise not to change a thing. As far as the folks around here are concerned, they have kept their word. Blessed with two of Bend’s best locations and two of Bend’s best fire pits, this brewpub has been responsibly rocking it before and during the pandemic.
Worthy Brewing
Worthy Brewing, a solar powered brewery located in Bend, Oregon, was founded in 2012 by Roger Worthington. Worthy first opened its doors in February 2013. They brew a full portfolio of delicious craft beers and operate two full-time pubs – the original location on the east side of Bend, and Taps and Tacos downtown.
Top 5 Mid-Priced Diners
Spork
The spicy fried chicken has an asian bent and it will have you from the first bite. This is the dish you will talk about with your friends when you get back home. Don’t get us wrong, all the other dishes put out by the kitchen at Spork are best in class. It’s just that almost every table has at least one spicy fried chicken on it. This restaurant has been a hit since it was a food cart. The difference is now you can eat inside (or on the front patio if you prefer).
Kanpai
Excellent sushi prepared by excellent sushi chefs in a fun, vibrant atmosphere. This is what you can expect when you step into Kanpai Sushi and Cocktails. Start with one of their house-made concoctions and you will be on the right path to a wonderful evening. There is no wrong choice on this menu so this is a quality sushi restaurant where you can be a bit adventurous.
Barrio
Barrio Is a latin-inspired restaurant serving lunch, dinner and happy hour in downtown Bend, Oregon. Here, you'll find bold, flavorful food, craft cocktails, daily specials and friendly, approachable service. Paella is one of the dishes they have perfected and it’s the perfect dish to share amongst friends. Pair it with a tall cool glass of sangria or a perfect margarita and you’ve got the making of an epic evening.
Monkless
You might be wondering why we put a brew pub in the Top 5 Mid-Priced restaurant list. Especially since this Brew Pub won The best beer of the Year in 2018 from USA Beer Ratings and won Best Mid-Size Brewpub and Best Mid-Size Brewpub Brewer Awards in 2020 at the Great American Beer Festival. Carbonnade Flamande, a traditional Belgian stew of bier braised beef, onions and garlic served over buttered egg noodles is why we put this on the list. Their other menu items, including a classic Belgian Mussels and Frites, are top drawer, but the Flamande makes Monkless a destination worth visiting.
Wild Rose
You almost can’t get further from Thailand than Bend, Oregon but that hasn’t stopped this lovely vacation town from getting an outstanding Thai Restaurant. Located in the heart of downtown, Wild Rose offers an eclectic mix of northern Thai food drawing from a menu of family recipes.