Portland’s Best Restaurants and Bars, Spring 2025 | Eater Portland

"Restaurateur Nan Chaison is the prolific force behind not just two locations of Norah, but also as an owner at Mestizo, Phaya Thai Express, and Libre. Norah stands out for its plant-based, pan-Asian cuisine that feels like a party, colorful and bursting with spice and acidity. Vegan rangoons, pad thai nachos, and little soy curl larb croquettes atop cucumber slices make for a great opener to a meal, along with a mezcal margarita tinged pink with gochujang. On the main course menu, Chaison roasts a whole head of cauliflower and drapes it in rich red curry, tops fettuccine with silky lemongrass-coconut sauce and seasonal mushrooms, and stir-fries some of the best pad thai in town. The newer Alberta location also offers a few location-exclusive dishes, including chow mein made with crispy sheets of Vietnamese woven rice vermicelli, and Chiang Mai noodle soup specialty khao soi — which is hard enough to find anywhere in town, let alone a vegan version." - Katherine Chew Hamilton