{"id":18638,"date":"2026-09-18T19:54:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/18638\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T19:54:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:54:56","slug":"portland-dining-month-is-back-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/18638\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland Dining Month is Back in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ForkPhoto credit: Fork and Spoon.<\/p>\n

As the headline says, Portland Dining Month is back in 2026. Over 100 restaurants are offering an exclusive, limited-time, three-course prix-fixe\u00a0menu (that\u2019s a lot of hyphens). And as indicated, it lasts for a month\u2014the entire month of March. Here are some of the details for you to know before March 1<\/p>\n

Portland Dining Month, Hiatus, Ticket to Dine<\/p>\n

From what I can tell, the concept of a month-long dining campaign started in Portland in 2009 as Portland Dining Month. It began as a three course mean (appetizer, main, dessert) at a set price.<\/p>\n

Portland Dining Month, 2009 to 2020: In 2009 it started out at $25 for three courses. In 2013 it increased to $29, in 2018 to $33; back to $29 in 2019, and returning to $33 in 2020.<\/p>\n

It was created as June event, and in 2014 they moved it to March as a way to encourage folks to go out and support our local restaurants during a traditionally more challenging time for dining (the cooler season).<\/p>\n

COVID, 2021 to 2022: Portland Dining Month was cancelled for two years in a row due to pandemic-related concerns.<\/p>\n

Ticket to Dine, 2023 to 2025: This was a different dining campaign, still helmed by Travel Portland. It did not use the prix-fixe structure but implemented special dishes and a kind of passport.<\/p>\n

Portland Dining Month, 2026: Promoted as returning after a five-year hiatus, the prix-fixe meal is back at the over 100 restaurants that are participating. Travel Portland is the sponsor.<\/p>\n

New Price Points in 2026<\/p>\n

This is something I haven\u2019t seen often at all: two price points for the prix-fixe meal. They are $35 and $55. Some restaurants offer just one of the menus, and some offer both.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a truly random sampling of restaurants offering the different price points, so you can see how they\u2019ve set it up: <\/p>\n

The Kinds of Restaurants You\u2019ll Find<\/p>\n

Looking at the list, most of the restaurants fall where you might expect in Portland: on the east side of the river between the Willamette and I-205, but there are a number on the inner west side, too.<\/p>\n

Looking at the type of cuisines available, you\u2019ve got Japanese, French, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Iraqi, Burmese, Italian, Filipino, Russian, Ukrainian, Lebanese, Indonesian, German, and more. There are pizzerias, sushi joints, ramen houses, barbecue spots, bistros, taverns, trattorias, desserts cafes, brunch spots, wine bars, and beyond.<\/p>\n

This is a nice quote from the press release and I wanted to include it here:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really good to bring\u00a0Portland\u00a0Dining\u00a0Month\u00a0back for the first time since 2020,\u201d said Kurt Huffman, managing partner at\u00a0ChefStable\u00a0and chair of the board of directors at Travel\u00a0Portland. \u201cOne of the things that makes\u00a0Portland\u00a0so special is our culinary community, and not just the\u00a0food, but the people who make it happen.\u201d <\/p>\n

He added, \u201cSo whether it\u2019s visiting your favorite neighborhood spot or stepping out to a restaurant that\u2019s been on your list for months,\u00a0Portland\u00a0Dining\u00a0Month\u00a0is the perfect opportunity to support the businesses that bring so much life to our city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

How To Figure Out Where To Eat During Portland Dining Month<\/p>\n

The easiest way is to go to places you love, already know where they are located, and are comfortable there. This is a beautiful thing. But if you want to expand your eating repertoire, go to someplace new, and get out of your proverbial comfort zone, a campaign like Portland Dining Month is perfect for that.<\/p>\n

And the two-tier pricing is designed \u201cto meet guests where they are,\u201d according to the press release.<\/p>\n

The Website: Nice Job<\/p>\n

Hats off to the folks who designed the Portland Dining Month website. It\u2019s functional and useful in a way that can truly help you figure how to structure your dining month.<\/p>\n

First, there\u2019s a nice map for visual seekers, right there on the homepage. <\/p>\n

You can take that map and tour it, but you can also narrow things down with the checkboxes to the left: modify by vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, as well as if you want to find just the $35 menus, the $55 menus, or both. Hit filter, and it will give you a map with the parameters you indicate. It will also display the entries for each of those restaurants, just under the map. <\/p>\n

You can also type in a keyword to find the restaurants that cater to that. I typed in \u201cpizza\u201d and it showed me the places that offer pizza. <\/p>\n

And you can click the button on the right above the ticker that\u2019s above the map that says \u201cSurprise Me!\u201d for a random suggestion. I absolutely love this!<\/p>\n

Portland\u00a0Dining\u00a0Month Kickoff<\/p>\n

Judith and I attended the Portland Dining Month kickoff media event on Monday night, and had a chance to taste some things, connect with local food media folks, and get to know the campaign a little better. Here are some photos from that. <\/p>\n

\"InsalataInsalata Nostrana closeup. So simple, so crazy delicious. <\/p>\n

My favorite was\u2014no surprise\u2014the Nostrana Salad. <\/p>\n

Truly the most beautiful was the boccone dolce from Papa Haydn.<\/p>\n

\"Boccone<\/p>\n

Everything was really good. Click to enlarge.<\/p>\n

\"InsideThe space.<\/p>\n

\"DrinkMenu<\/p>\n

\"AdditionalMore seating<\/p>\n

\"Tonight'sMocktail<\/p>\n

\"GetFlash tattoo bus.<\/p>\n

\"ClamClam chowder from Pal\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"ThreeTuna nigiri from Afuri.<\/p>\n

\"DeliciousPizza from The Turning Peel.<\/p>\n

\"MoreMore Insalatas Nostrana.<\/p>\n

\"AllBoccone Dolce from Papa Haydn.<\/p>\n

You can find a full list of participating\u00a0restaurants\u00a0and their special menus, as well as the map tool, on the Portland\u00a0Dining\u00a0Month website. The organizers are starting to get active on social media, too, so head to their Instagram to keep up with them there. <\/p>\n

While COVID sucked the life out of things for a couple of years, and Ticket to Dine had a fresh approach, it is clear that folks are pretty chuffed at the return of Portland Dining Month. I hope you\u2019ll take this opportunity to check out some old favorites and some impending new faves, too.<\/p>\n

Portland Dining Month
March 1 to 31, 2026
Location: Throughout the City of Portland
Portland Dining Month website | Instagram<\/p>\n

The following two tabs change content below.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"identicon\"<\/p>\n

Bridgetown Bites is edited and published by Meg Cotner in Portland, Oregon. She loves avocados, fresh produce, NA drinks, and cats.<\/p>\n

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