Nguyen picks up bánh tráng nướng from a grill at a Berlu pandemic pop-up Christine Dong Strongest Pivot: Berluīerlu chef and owner Vince Nguyen has stayed light on his feet for almost two years. Overall, the atmosphere of the restaurant allows its diners a rare moment of care-free relaxation - especially when followed by boozy slushies, Jell-O shots, and succulent game hens with coconut sambal. However, some of the smartest design features at Oma’s were inspired by the necessities of COVID-19: The perimeter of the restaurant is surrounded by enclosed teal-and-indigo booths, which not only allows for distanced, secure outdoor dining during a pandemic it makes it some of the coolest sidewalk seating that can live on for years to come. It evokes this effortless warmth, welcoming to everyone, though every single design element is imbued with energy: the disco ball of a chef’s counter, the custom wallpaper covered in lionfish and coral, the retro light fixtures and hand-painted bathroom walls. Stepping into Oma’s Hideaway - which appears on Eater’s national best new restaurants list - feels like walking into a 20th Century house party hosted by the coolest people on the block. Smith / EPDX Best Restaurant Design: Oma’s Hideaway However, in this year’s Eater Awards, we honor culinary teams that not only brought something exciting to the figurative table in the Portland restaurant world, but also forced us to acknowledge the weaknesses, strengths, and potential improvements to the table as a whole. It is exceptionally difficult to slap superlatives on the chefs and restaurants that have emerged out of the last two years there have been so many people who have shown themselves to be leaders, creative and judicious minds battling bureaucratic, socioeconomic, and safety challenges and still producing something special. The culinary world is more nimble than it’s ever been, a response to the precarious health of the industry. Portland, as a city, has always been a place that has celebrated chefs in unexpected places - pop-ups, food carts, farmers market stands - but facing the existential threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has developed a fascinating balance of grit and whimsy, as chefs started Instagram pop-ups and commissary family meals, churned out new concepts with the tides of new safety restrictions and COVID-19 strains. We’ve lost countless legends, shifted our understanding of what a restaurant looks like, seen line cooks and unemployed home cooks start their own businesses. After two years, the shape of the Portland food world has changed completely.

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