I’m still dreaming about these 10 Bend meals

After a year of eating my way around town, these dishes surprised me with big flavor, creativity, and pure crave-worthiness.

My family and I are about to tuck into reuben strombolis, meat-lovers pizza, and pork belly udon noodles at Sunriver Brewing Company’s eastside pub when a boisterous guy from Spokane at a table behind us tells his friends what we’re all thinking. 

“I love coming to Bend,” he says. “There’s so much good food here.” 

He’s not wrong. Bend has evolved from a town with one or two standout restaurants (looking at you, Ariana and Merenda, may you rest in peace) into a place with dozens of genuinely good places to eat—pretty impressive for a city our size. No, we’re not New York or Paris, but what made Spokane Guy say that? Was it tacos from El Sancho? Wagyu sogogi at Yoli? Barbecue shrimp at Zydeco Kitchen? Or the deceptively simple Southern Buddha Bowl at Little Red Kitchen?

We’ll never know. But as we slide into a new year, his comment got me thinking about the meals of 2025 that were so good that I could eat them for all of 2026, too. I think you’ll love them, too. Here’s what I recommend. 

Wandering Ranchero’s Tex-Mex breakfast tacos

The Wandering Ranchero food cart near the Box Factory serves Houston-style Tex-Mex breakfast tacos that make your taste buds belt out a high-pitched grito. Chefs Laura and Will enrich their Sonoran-flour tortillas with duck fat, making them extra supple and flavorful. Load them up with egg, Oaxaca cheese, onion, cilantro, and green chile chorizo and—¡ay, ay, ay! Don’t miss the jalapeño-bacon-cheddar cornbread waffle, “all dressed up” with pickled pepper mash, smoked sea salt, and a fried egg.

Filet mignon with bourbon bacon jam at Mt. Bachelor

After ski season, Mt. Bachelor’s slopes turn into hiking and biking trails, and Pine Marten Lodge becomes one of the most memorable dinner destinations around. One day last summer, my family and I took a scenic chairlift ride up to 7,800 feet, where sweeping views of the Three Sisters, lava fields, and a melting sunset framed an outstanding meal. Highlights included crisp Dungeness crab arancini, burrata with pesto and hot honey, and the showstopper: petit filet mignon with thick bourbon bacon jam. Adventure and indulgence, perfectly paired, and I’m still full.

French onion soup at Hawkeye & Huckleberry

Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, led by Top Chef finalist Brian Malarkey, is Bend’s splashiest steakhouse but it was a not-obvious item on the happy hour menu that left me spellbound—a French onion soup that Malarkey’s right hand chef, Carlos Anthony, needs 24 hours to make. It starts with a supremely decadent bone broth made from locally raised cows finished on a diet of hemp and barley. Next come onions slowly caramelized for 12 hours. Add some cheese and a crouton brushed with a tallow infused brown butter, all served in a sizzling enameled skillet, and you’re in for a rich, gooey, deeply savory droolfest. “You can taste the love in it,” Anthony told me. I recommend you show up early—at 4 p.m.—when you can get a table without a reservation.

Chicken shawarma special at Pizza Mondo

Tim’s Year of the Pizza—a.k.a. my quest to eat at least one slice from nearly every pizza place in Bend—yielded delicious, belt-loosening results. Standouts included Abe Capanna’s Detroit-style “janimal,” the hot honey pepperoni pan pizza from Kitchen Window, almost anything from Pinkie G’s Pizzeria, and especially the mortadella pistachio pie from Ken’s Artisan Pizza. Pizzas at 10 Barrel Brewing, Jackson’s Corner, Worthy Brewing, and Sunriver Brewing all earned thumbs up, too. But! The best single slice I ate came from Bend’s grande dame of pie, Pizza Mondo: a Chicken Shawarma special inspired by owner Steve Koch’s former Mediterranean restaurant, Kebaba. Topped with garlic-roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions, arugula, and creamy garlic yogurt sauce, it’s a limited-time slice worth chasing.

Lamb tajine at Papillion

Papillion stands alone in Bend for its Moroccan cooking—comforting, aromatic, and deeply layered. Chef Kamal Bekkari and his wife, Miki, lean into North African, Arab, and Mediterranean traditions with a menu I’m still thinking about. The braised lamb shank, cooked in a classic conical tajine with berber spices, prunes, apricots, farro, fennel, and almonds, left my wife and me practically dizzy. I would plan to come hungry and split the Chlada Khamsa mezze platter, too, with its creamy humus, smoky zaalouk, and a tangy, spicy, roasted red pepper-walnut-pomegranate molasses dip. My wife declared it the single best meal she ate all year and I won date night.

Philly steak dip at Broken Top Bottle Shop

Broken Top Bottle Shop & Ale Cafe is equal parts bar, bottle shop, and neighborhood hangout, with a beer list as thoughtful as its food. My wife and I returned after years away and quickly remembered why it stands out. The mac ’n’ cheese was great but my wife’s Philly Steak Dip stole the show. Think house-smoked steak and portobellos, caramelized onions, provolone, garlic aioli, and a Big Ed’s bun, pressed panini-style and served with au jus. Only later did I learn the sandwich had been featured on an episode of America’s Best Restaurants. What a great sneaker spot. 

Noodle bowls at Spork, Dang’s, and Galley

This one’s a three-way tie. For more than a decade, Spork has ruled with its Spicy Pork Noodles—funky, sweet, spicy, and salty, topped with herbs, fried wontons, garlic, shallots, and nuoc cham. In 2025, I branched out. Galley Far East Cuisine, opened by Krid “Kris” Sathirawongwan and Sureeporn “Kate” Tattumle after years at Dear Mom Cafe, wowed me with Bangkok-style “pink noodles” colored by fermented red bean curd. It’s tangy, playful, and deeply comforting. Dang’s Vietnamese Restaurant earned its spot with Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong: crispy egg rolls, grilled pork, vermicelli, and big, bold flavor I could eat every day. 

Bonus: The best beer of 2025!

Cicerones, look away. The best beer I drank in 2025 was Poncho Picante, a collaboration between Terranaut Brewing and the Midtown Yacht Club. Imagine Mexican chocolate s’mores in beer form: a dark and malty brown ale stuffed with graham crackers, cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon, and ancho, guajillo, and arbol chiles. Not sweet. Not bitter. Just outstanding—and very limited. Get it while you can.