At Nostrana, award-winning chef Cathy Whims crafts seasonal Italian delights—think wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, and savory cocktails—in a cozy lodge-like setting.
"The lauded and incredibly influential Italian destination from Portland luminary Cathy Whims remains as relevant as it was when it opened in 2005. Menus change daily, but most nights see diners crowded under the lanterns hanging from vaulted ceilings as plate after plate of shrimp-stacked bruschetta, buttery tomato sauce-coated gnocchi, and hearty entrees like wood oven-roasted Idaho trout head to the tables. Couples on dates slice the uncut pizzas with the provided scissors, and down glasses of bold Italian wines and bittersweet Negroni variations. Nostrana is inherently celebratory, a fixture in Portland’s upscale dining scene for its atmosphere, its service, and its food." - Eater Staff
"At long last, Nostrana has revived its pre-COVID late-night happy hour. From 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the celebrated Italian restaurant restaurant serves $10 margherita pizzas, $12 bowls of capellini in Marcella Hazan’s famed buttery tomato sauce, and $7 mini versions of the famed radicchio-based Insalata Nostrana. In terms of beverages, expect $10 glasses of wine, Negroni Sbagliato, and boozy punch, plus $39 bottles of wine." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Maya MacEvoy, Eater Staff
"On Thursdays, chef Cathy Whims observes the Roman tradition of gnocchi Thursday, swapping out Nostrana’s regular pasta dishes for hand-formed gnocchi specials. The soft, pillowy dumplings are comfort food at its finest, with variations including leek and pancetta, ragu di prosciutto, and saffron cream. Meatball fans should make a point to dine here on Mondays, when pork and chicken meatballs are served atop a bed of pasta or on wood-fired pizza." - Janey Wong
"Marda Stoliar of the International School of Baking helped develop the starter and dough for the pizzas at this vaunted Italian restaurant, which serves Neapolitan-esque pies topped with gaping-mouthed clams or kale-pistachio pesto. This restaurant is known for its seasonality, so some pies change fairly often; the funghi, however, remains on the menu in some form or another almost always, a layer of earthy mushrooms sitting under a pile of dressed, peppery arugula." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Rebecca Roland
"Before chicory Caesars were ubiquitous at Italian restaurants, chef Cathy Whims’s simple radicchio salad became one of the city’s most famous, replicated by food bloggers and recipe developers around the country. The bitterness of the chicory is balanced by a satisfyingly Parmigiano-cheesy dressing, with savory herbs like rosemary and sage balancing the acidity of the vinegar in the dressing. It’s best paired with the gnocchi in Marcella Hazan’s tomato-butter sauce, if available." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
