Portland is home to some of America’s most-acclaimed Thai restaurants, both past and present. But it’s also a town packed with dozens of good-to-excellent Thai spots that don’t require a special occasion or stretch the budget. Full Moon Thai is the Hollywood neighborhood’s anchor Thai destination, reliably delivering favorites like papaya salad, pad see ew, and a bounty of 10 different curries. Patrons dining in after 8 p.m. can enjoy the happy hour pricing: Most dishes are several dollars cheaper, and the already affordable house cocktails are just $8. Dine in the casual but warm dining room or in covered patio seating.

A 2022 addition to the neighborhood, the Shaku Bar is a labor of love from chef Matt Odama and former Trader Joe’s store managers Mark Tucker and Trent Brown. Taking over a former Wasabi Sushi location, the trio transformed the space into an inviting neighborhood bar with a food menu pulling inspiration from the Pacific Rim — think barbacoa tacos, noodle salads, and pork katsu sandwiches — and a lively cocktail menu. Shaku hosts musical acts on the patio, food pop-ups, fundraisers for causes including Planned Parenthood, and weekly trivia nights on Tuesdays.

Taking farm-to-table quite literally, Piccone’s Corner is a butcher shop, deli, and bar specializing in pork directly from owner Austin Piccone’s Wallow & Root Pasture Farm. Piccone’s offers one of the city’s most comprehensive butcher shops, along with a full bar and a kitchen offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The grain bowl with chorizo is a breakfast highlight, but for lunch, try a house-cured porchetta sandwich. When dinner rolls around, spring for the beef and lamb ragu Bolognese. Piccone’s has a handful of salads and other no-meat options, but vegans and vegetarians are advised to look elsewhere.

Sister restaurant to Northwest Portland’s Kung POW!, Shandong specializes in subtle flavors, generous portions, and house-made noodles drawn from the cuisine of the Shandong region of northeastern China. The decor is similarly understated, with seating at the small bar available during peak hours.

The name is Mandarin (translating as “midnight snack”), but Xiao Ye draws on a kaleidoscope of comfort food inspirations for its small but dynamic menu of self-described “first-generation American food.” Hailing from the suburbs east of L.A., owners Jolyn Chen and Louis Lin offer food that conjures a creative nostalgia, best exemplified by Jolyn’s Favorite Noodle, spaghetti coated in sesame, black vinegar, and chile sauce. Dishes range from tiny to hefty, allowing a dining party to tetris together a combination that maximizes sharing potential. The sparkling new dining room doesn’t have a bad seat, but the low bar facing the open kitchen is the most fun for diners seeking inspiration for midnight snacks of their own.

Portland is no stranger to Francophile bakeries and cafes, and Fleur De Lis has held down this critical role for Hollywood since 2005. Founded by baker Greg Mistell, the heart of Fleur De Lis is its bread made with the choicest flours and expertly baked with crisp, chewy crusts. Those breads — including baguettes, Parisiennes, and levain — elevate the cafe’s breakfast and lunch sandwiches. The pastries are excellent as well, with the croissants ranking among Portland’s best. Fleur De Lis’s large patio and dining room — once the Hollywood’s city library — are open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday.

Can a doughnut be truly transportive without butter, milk, or eggs? Vegan Doe Donuts, just around the corner from the Hollywood Theatre, will make converts of even the most skeptical. Oil frying provides plenty of indulgent mouthfeel, and the rotating bounty of creative flavors may include the earl-grey-and-vanilla Portland fog; a rhubarb, rose, and pink peppercorn; and the savory cheeseburger doughnut topped with a house-made pickle. The tiny Doe only offers outdoor picnic table seating and takeout.

In a neighborhood full of chain coffee and bustling cafes, the tiny Bitter Rose is a serene gem for neighborhood coffee lovers. Featuring a few tasty food treats from Sparrow and Farina Bakeries, the coffee and tea drinks here are the main draw, prepared by top-notch baristas. Sip beverages hot and cold inside the tasteful modern cafe or in limited outdoor seating seven days a week.

Best known as Portland’s premier cookbook store, the inviting Vivienne also offers cooking classes, new and consigned kitchenware, and a not-so-secret “secret bar” with natural wines by the glass or bottle and rotating savory and sweet food dishes, often pulled directly from the pages of the bounty of inspiring cookbooks on the shelves. Vivienne makes its home in the same building as the Hollywood Theatre and is a perfect pre-movie stop for weekend or early evening show.

Inheriting the light-filled former home of beloved vegan breakfast spot Nectar Cafe, the recently opened Sonder Bar is a neighborhood cocktail bar aspiring to be an oasis for audiophiles from across the city. From deep cuts from the bar’s in-house LP collection to high-demand DJ nights featuring legends like Tony Humphries, Sonder promises to be a destination for Portlanders who want their ears delighted as much as their palates. House cocktails include a caipirinha — Brazilian rum and lime — and a St. Germaine fizz.

The Portland sister to the original restaurant in Salem, Happy Bibimbap brings Korean comfort food and soju to the steps of Hollywood’s busy Max station. Encompassing Korean barbecue, sushi, ramen, hot pot, and much more, the food menu can be overwhelming, making it daunting for solo diners but ideal for larger parties with a diversity of tastes. The spacious dining room features a large sake bar, big-screen TVs playing the latest K-pop hits, and a baby grand piano for the musically inclined.

Now that venerable Korean restaurant Du Kuh Bee has departed from Beaverton, Hollywood relative the Bulgogi is the last remaining vestige of the DKB legacy. The restaurant’s hand-pulled noodles are the true draw here, finished in a wok with crunchy cabbage and carrot. But for those seeking something a little different, the restaurant’s rainbow of a bibimbap is another standout.