The city of Bend has been a long-time favorite for vacationers looking for a thrilling escape. The city offers numerous attractions, including Sparks Lake, the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, and Tumalo Falls. Bend also features an impressive culinary scene, with multiple world-class restaurants serving diverse cuisine. Here’s an in-depth dining guide to Bend’s best restaurants.
Ultimate Dining Guide to Bends Best Restaurants
Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails
This beloved restaurant lies in downtown Bend, offering an exquisite Northwestern menu with a blend of Southwestern flair. Warm lighting creates a peaceful ambiance, promising a delightful dining experience. The menu features tasty starters, including steamed mussels & clams, house-smoked trout dip, and barbecue shrimp. The salad list offers citrus-marinated beets, Caesar salad, and winter chicories.
The main courses include winter mushroom risotto, steak frites, crispy braised half chicken, and barbecued baby back ribs. Pair your meal with a tasty side of Brussels sprouts, shoestring fries, mashed potatoes, or braised red cabbage. End your culinary journey with homemade carrot cake, flourless chocolate cake, or buttermilk beignets.
Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House
Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House has been a mainstay since 1988, serving excellent hand-crafted cuisine alongside an impressive list of beers. The restaurant’s dark wood tone confers a bold and luxurious feel, creating a subtly opulent ambiance. Begin your culinary experience with a small plate of chicken wings, artichoke cheese dip, or cajun fries. Alternatively, start with one of the salad options, including burrata, house, or Caesar salad.
Their pub favorites include fish & chips, mac & cheese, steak frites, and pan-seared coho salmon. If you’re a pizza enthusiast, choose the barbecue chicken, Meathead, goat, or forager. Enjoy tasty burgers and sandwiches, including the elk burger, Nashville chicken sandwich, and steak sandwich. Cap off your meal with peanut butter pie or sumptuous Bonta gelato.
McKay Cottage Restaurant
McKay Cottage Restaurant is renowned for its exquisite breakfast menu. This famous eatery lies in a 1916 bungalow with an outdoor tented seating section, creating a unique dining experience. The breakfast menu features numerous treats, including gourmet sandwiches, burritos, and biscuits & gravy. Other popular morning dishes include stuffed French toast, strawberry crepes, and buttermilk pancakes.
You may also choose from several Benedict and hash options, including Baja chicken hash stack, black butte benny, or classic Benedict. If you prefer a delightful morning pastry, choose from muffins, coffee cake, pecan sticky buns, or cinnamon rolls. The restaurant bakes fresh homemade items daily, ensuring wholesome treats. The apple-cranberry oat berry and cottage granola add to an already impressive breakfast list.
Fine Dining Experiences
Ariana
Ariana lies on Bend’s west side within an artisan bungalow, offering a simple yet graceful white and black decor. This famous eatery in the heart of Oregon delivers a unique culinary experience thanks to Chef Andres and Ariana’s ingenuity in utilizing local produce. The appetizer list includes Pacific Northwest oysters, Sicilian-style calamari, bone marrow, and carpaccio. If you prefer keeping things light, try one of the soup options, including beet, radicchio, and soup du jour.
Enjoy sumptuous pork, black cod, fillet mignon, rabbit, or lamb neck entrees. Pair your plate with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, or champagne. Other popular drinks include cocktails, beer, blended whiskey, brandy, and liqueurs, while iced tea, coffee, and soda pop make up the non-alcoholic list. Cap off your meal with a tasty dessert of fromage, chocolate, passion fruit, or Italian-inspired Mozza’s Budino.
Kanpai
Kanpai is Bend’s number-one go-to for the best sushi, serving locals and visitors for the last 11 years. The restaurant’s dark-themed setting creates a cozy, more enclosed ambiance while giving the space a more contemporary look. Start your culinary experience with a Kanpai or Sunomono salad, tofu, fried green beans, or broiled mussels. Next, try one of their specialty rolls, which include the Flying Kamikaze, Kanpai Roll, Hattori Hanzo, Tsunami, or Samurai.
Explore three delightful combination platters, including the Sashimi, Sushi, and Nigiri combos. The menu also features Japanese Wagyu, pork belly ramen, poke bowls, and four oyster options. Given the restaurant’s popularity, you’re highly encouraged to make reservations to avoid missing out on a table.
Bosa Food & Drink
Treat your taste buds to Bend’s finest Italian-French cuisine at Bosa Food & Drink. The restaurant features a blend of two-seater and four-seater tables alongside bar seating on a well-lit table, allowing for a solo dining experience. Start with an appetizer of grilled calamari, warm mixed olives, fried wild shrimp, or bosa meatballs. If you prefer a salad, try the gem lettuce or Insalata, which features radishes, turnips, and mixed greens.
Dishes from the grill include flat iron steak, pork chops, and bone-in ribeye. The Rotisserie offers a sumptuous half-natural chicken cooked with savory herbs, sauteed greens, and virgin olive oil. Pair your entree with black pearl mushrooms, whipped potatoes, or Italian-style greens. For your second course, explore seven pasta varieties, including Rigatoni, Fusilli, Agnolotti, and Gnocchetti Sardi.
Popular Street Food Spots
Chulitas
This famous food truck lies in Boneyard Pub in downtown Bend, offering delicious Mexican-themed foods. The Con Nachos y Todo is one of their favorite dishes, featuring chips served with black beans, salsa, onions, and spicy queso. Another beloved culinary delight is the Corn Esquites – a popular Mexican street food that incorporates corn served with cotija, lime, and chili powder served in a cup. Other fan favorites include the garlic shrimp street tacos and housemade Horchata.
Manzanita Grill
Manzanita Grill is one of Bend’s highest-rated food trucks, serving delicious tacos alongside numerous small bites. The grilled shrimp tacos come with jalapenos and delicious grilled onions, making them a must-try. The Nashville chicken sliders feature drumsticks marinated in honey, hot sauce, and buttermilk, fried to crispy perfection, and served with Sriracha honey aioli, promising an explosion of flavors.
Tacos Pihuamo
Tacos Pihuamo has quickly cemented its place as one of Bend’s best food trucks. They serve tasty street tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and combination plates. Their torta features a variety of meats, making it a favorite among locals, while the burrito Gigante is the go-to if you’re exceptionally starving.
For Something Sweet
Here are a few places worth checking out if you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. The Lemon Tree offers a list of freshly baked pastries, including chocolate flourless espresso torte, lemon-toasted coconut cake, and carrot cake. Bonta Natural Artisan Gelato serves tasty scoops of 18 hand-crafted Italian gelato flavors, including creamy caramel, French sea salt, and cardamom. Nancy P’s Cafe & Bakery is your one-stop shop for delicious pastries, including croissants, cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes, pies, and cakes.
Book Your Bend Vacation Rental Today
If you’re a food enthusiast looking for a riveting culinary escapade, Bend features numerous exquisite eateries, promising an exciting experience that will tickle your taste buds. Before setting out on your Bend vacation, book the city’s finest Bend holiday rentals with Bend Vacation Rentals. We offer multiple high-end vacation rentals in Bend, ranging from one-bed rentals to six-bed homes, allowing for a romantic getaway with your partner or a wholesome escape with family or friends. Our Bend Oregon vacation rentals feature top-notch amenities, including spacious living rooms, fully-stocked kitchens, comfortable bedrooms, modern bathrooms, and convenient locations, giving you proximity to the city’s best attractions. Contact us today to secure your Bend vacation rental early and prepare for the culinary experience of a lifetime. Don’t miss our pet-friendly Bend, Oregon vacation homes.
