Alberta Market, a longstanding corner store with the expected bags of chips and sodas in the back coolers, is a fried chicken hotspot for those in the know. At the cash register, a hot case shows off juicy, crispy-fried wings available by the scoopful, particularly tasty with a side of not-too-dry jojos.

Bole is one of Portland’s most underrated Ethiopian restaurants, thanks to its surprisingly delicate injera and gently spiced wots. Vegetarians will find a number of exceptional options here, from the nuanced spice of the miser wot to the house-made ayib cheese. Like many Ethiopian restaurants, Bole offers combinations of stews and braises over injera, likely the best way to experience the restaurant.

Portland is home to countless phenomenal pizzerias, but this little cart on Alberta is no joke: A naturally leavened crust serves as the foundation for pies topped with curly Ezzo pepperonis or roasted mushrooms and Parmesan cream. Specials here are worth a perusal — past options have included a bacon-kimchi number and a butternut squash curry pie. Any pie should get a drizzle of the cart’s Calabrian chile crisp.

Pasture’s arrival on Alberta harkens back to the golden age of Portland’s hyper-local food movement in a way that feels wholly original and new. Chef Kei Ohdera and butcher HJ Schaible source meats and produce from ranchers and farmers based in Oregon, specifically those with a focus on regenerative agriculture. The dishes made from those ingredients, however, stand on their own as some of the city’s best: Lunches consist of sandwiches with rotating house meats, like tender pink pastrami or sumac-marinated duck with a wisp of smoke. Visitors can also take home some of the butcher shop’s meats, as well as assorted local jams and spreads.

Well into its second decade in the neighborhood, Swiss Hibiscus is easy to miss — even for longtime Alberta residents. Discreetly tucked away down 14th Avenue behind a ZoomCare is a tiny outpost of the Alps in Portland. Transplanted from the unlikely origin of Honolulu, the Hibiscus team lovingly prepare Swiss classics like emince Zurichoise, or pork in a mushroom cream sauce, and spaghettis Ticinese, Switzerland’s answer to Italy’s famous pasta dish. Other central European staples like wienerschnitzel and goulash also make appearances on the menu. Entrees come with rösti, vegan rösti, or spätzli. And of course, where better to indulge in cheesy fondue and a glass of wine on a cold Portland evening?

Wine nerds adore this subterranean bar from the team behind two of Portland’s buzziest labels (Ovum and Golden Cluster). Don’t expect an Oregon-heavy wine list, however: Sitting on a couch perched in a literal cave carved into the wall, visitors choose from glass pours of Georgian orange wine, beautifully executed gamay, and Pacific Northwestern wines made by the owners, among many others. Those looking for a surprise should opt for the Winesman’s Pick, an off-menu selection from Golden Cluster’s Jeff Vejr. The bar’s mulled wine is a nice pick on rainy days. Reservations are recommended.

Gumba serves expertly crafted bowls of pasta — topped with things like braised short rib or house burrata — alongside fry bread and mains like pork saltimbocca. Even after leaving their original cart behind, owners Robin Brassaw and Jesse Martinez have shown themselves to be two of the city’s finest chefs while retaining their sense of culinary whimsy. For example, meals should always finish with a slice of eggplant olive oil cake, dripping with coffee caramel.

Chef Kate Koo still stands behind the sushi counter at this sake bar and restaurant, slicing Hokkaido scallops or lightly searing pieces of bigeye tuna, and the sushi is just as mind-boggling as it was in the Great Before. Offerings often shift with what’s in season, but past visits have involved yuzu scallop rolls creamy with the most delicate oceanic note, dry-aged king salmon nigiri balancing its butteriness with the mystifying note of whitewater, and yellowtail sashimi with a bracing citrusy element that plays off the shiso it lies against. The best experience of the restaurant, however, is in its omakase, which shows off beautiful cuts of seasonal fish with fun yuzu koshos.

This food cart has a shockingly extensive menu, ranging from enchiladas blanketed in a trio of moles to lengua tacos on hand-made tortillas to plump chiles en nogada, all served on beautiful painted ceramics when you eat onsite. Mole is generally the move here, whether it’s a chicken quarter doused in pistachio-green mole verde or even a little mole-filled taco. It’s best to take your moles to the back patio at the adjacent Baerlic pod, which is encouraged by both businesses.

RJ Skillets is one of those quintessential Mexican American restaurants, serving fajita combination plates, chimichangas, and salsa-drenched enchiladas with churros and ice cream for dessert. The restaurant is an underrated brunch option on breakfast cafe-packed Alberta, as well, with dishes like fried egg-topped mole enchiladas, chilaquiles featuring house-made corn tortilla chips, chorizo omelets, and hearty breakfast burritos — plus pancakes and French toast for those seeking something sweeter.

The argument over which makes the better Alberta burrito, La Bonita or La Sirenita, is real. But La Bonita makes this list for its cheerful digs and well-priced burritos, especially the breakfast and chile relleno varieties. Plus, any burrito can arrive smothered in mole, which generally goes over exceptionally well.

The Alberta location of this fried chicken chain from Super Bowl regular Ndamukong Suh is the brand’s most established, with weekend brunch service and a full-blown cocktail menu. Visitors choose from regular, honey butter, or Nashville hot chicken in a variety of preparations — bone-in, tenders, sandwiches — paired with sides like mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. But the Alberta location also offers a wider selection of appetizers and accompaniments, including pimento cheese biscuits, deviled eggs topped with smoked trout roe, and a classic wedge salad. Brunches involve waffles topped with blueberry compote and strawberry mimosas.

This Indonesian restaurant specializes in the snacks and dishes found in the archipelago’s morning and evening markets, ranging from savory fritters like bala-bala, springy tapioca cakes, and domes of chicken and rice known as nasi tim. A highlight on the menu: lontong Cap Go Meh, a fragrant coconut-based soup loaded with jewels of rice dumplings, pickled vegetables, fried tofu and tempeh, and a sambal-saucy hard boiled egg.

The menu at this Alberta Vietnamese restaurant may be tiny, but each dish on the menu is a hit: gorgeous bowls of pho, either beefy or vegan; a glazed pork vermicelli bowl with a generous serving of nước chấm; and cơm gà, hunks of tender glazed chicken over rice and vegetables. The restaurant’s market includes snacks like shrimp chips and Pocky, and the cooler is stocked with basil seed drinks. Visit for dine-in, indoors or out.