Higgins is a downtown bistro, and one of the city's best restaurants. Again the emphasis is fresh, local and seasonal, so the menu boasts such delights as roasted autumn vegetable and farro salad with maple-spiced hazelnuts and balsamic vinaigrette, Lookout Point oysters with a cucumber and jalapeno granite, Magret and confit of duck, with cheddar polenta, pinot noir-poached pear and braised greens, Caramel apple trifle with pecan spice cake and bourbon cream ... and a fabulous wine list.

Connected to Higgins restaurant, a venue known for featuring local and sustainable dishes, Higgins Restaurant & Bar is a natural addition to one of the most upstanding restaurants in the city. With a cocktail list that has stood the test of time, its no wonder Higgins Restaurant & Bar has remained largely unchanged over the years.

most of the best has been posted but I do think dinner at Higgins is a Portland institute. A new favorite of mine which opened just about 1 1/2 yrs ago is Navarre, great for sharing!. At 750 ml is a cute little wine bar with great noshes and wines by the glass.

We recently tried Serratto in NW and had a great happy hour meal. I just had a beautiful duck-egg house-made pasta at Basta's, absolutely stunning. Plus, just one more, Nuestra Cocina over in SE.

DUCK, YOU SUCKER Higgins is on one side a tableclothed formality, and on the bar side a casual tavern old enough that the restroom seems to be made for elves—but on both sides, the service is some of the most impeccable in town without being fussy. But the bar side is the best side, and the generous-portioned happy hour is one reason: Eight dollars will get you a giant portion of drenched jalapeño-hot duck wings so rich they make chicken seem a game for fools, while a coffee mug-sized duck-liver mousse will sate a singleton all by itself. Meanwhile, the beer selection—from hundreds in bottles to a well-tended rotation of taps—is almost certainly the best fine-dining beer list in Portland, a distinction it's maintained for 30 years straight.

For a place that’s been around for a quarter-century, Higgins’s wood-gleaming cocoon of a bar, tucked behind the pioneering farm-to-table dining room, can still feel like a secret. In the darkened den, toothsome, flavor-packed risottos come topped with foraged chanterelles and frizzled leeks, and a hefty open-face sandwich groaning with house-smoked pastrami and sharp cheddar begs for a pint from the lengthy bar list. Abandon traditional food groups altogether to dive face-first into the vaunted charcuterie plate, a very large triumph of house-cured meat-craft and crisp garden pickles often grown, plucked, and preserved by the chef Greg Higgins himself.

Around the corner from Higgins, Portland’s original farm-to-table restaurant, chef Greg Higgins finally realized his long-held dream of opening a lunchtime food cart parked in a plaza outside the Oregon Historical Society; three days a week, Piggins is serving up a seriously juicy grass-fed burger alongside fresh produce from farmers in the Willamette Valley. Elsewhere, the best breakfast I had was at Café Olli in Northeast Portland, a new-ish all-day, worker-owned café where you can relax with a spicy cardamom bun (knowing the profits are going to the people behind the counter).

Broadway/Jefferson St. -- Frankly, I've only eaten in the dining room three times since Greg Higgins and Paul Mallory opened this palace of Pacific Northwest cuisine in 1994. I still prefer to dine in the bar, where I can get almost anything that the main dining room offers. I still go nuts over the open-face house-cured pastrami sandwich with aged white cheddar cheese, but my heart belongs to the Painted Hills ground sirloin beef hamburger on the homemade rosemary bun with housemade pickles and all the fixin's on the side.

Just up the hill from that market is Murata, a Japanese place I've been going to for decades now, and still one of my favorite restaurants of any kind in the USA. And in the same neighborhood is Higgins, an institution of the Pacific Northwest culinary philosophy and vision, and the place I drank a five-star vintage Barolo on my 21st birthday. It was in this ilk that lots of other places would later iterate, serving increasingly refined food absent the fine dining pageantry and pricing.

With an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients, this fun and fresh restaurant is perfect for a birthday dinner in Portland, with both a more formal cozy dining room and an adjoining casual vibe bar. For your celebration at Higgins try the whole pig plate with sausage, ribs and pork belly or opt for one of the vegetarian options like zucchini fritters or tofu tzatziki. Desserts abound, including an almond custard tart with plum sorbet and butterscotch pots de crème.

Imagine that you’ve stepped inside a Parisian bistro when you enter the moody, wood-paneled barroom at Higgins (1239 SW Broadway). James Beard Award-winner Greg Higgins launched his namesake eatery in 1994, incorporating the finest ingredients and sources from the Pacific Northwest. His menu reflects the richness of the region: plump and perfectly cooked Totten Inlet mussels, gazpacho garnished with Oregon bay shrimp, duck confit, and salmon caught off the coast.

The scene: A long-established upscale venue, Higgins Restaurant & Bar is the place to go for local and sustainably-sourced Pacific Northwest cuisine. Here charming floor-to-ceiling windows create a bright and airy atmosphere in the twin dining rooms, separated by a semi-open kitchen that provides a show with dinner. The artfully crafted menu is a true reflection of the region’s diverse agricultural seasons and the delicious bounty provided by Willamette Valley.

The final standard bearer for Portland’s farm-to-table revolution, Higgins would be a civic treasure even if it weren’t so consistently good. But whether you’re bellying up for a burger and a beer at the bar or meeting family for a leisurely meal in the three-level dining room, the kitchen can still deliver as it has for nearly 30 years. Last summer, the duck-cherry terrine and duck liver moussette could teach a few things to most Portland charcuterie boards.

Polished woods and subtle colors enliven the dining rooms in this historic building. An open kitchen provides a glimpse of efficient, almost choreographed preparation, led by the chef, an expert in Northwest cuisine. Local, organic and seasonal meats and produce provide a base for intuitive flavor combinations, such as seared halibut with spring vegetable stew and cheddar-green onion spoonbread.

Address: 1239 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205Phone:+1 (503) 222-9070Website:higginsportland.comDetails: $$$, Pacific Northwest restaurant (US). Higgins Restaurant And Bar in Portland is a comfortable and welcoming establishment that delivers a special and delicious dining experience. The restaurant’s commitment to sustainable food practices is reflected in their interesting menu choices.

Modeled on classic French bistros, the two story Higgins Restaurant and Bar features primarily French cuisine with a hint of Pacific Northwest and European influences. Executive Chef and Owner Greg Higgins emphasizes fresh ingredients from local, sustainable farms in each dish on the menu. In addition to the main dining rooms, there is a bistro and bar located on the lower level.

I’ve tasted my share of mussels, but the bowl I ate at Higgins – a landmark in Portland’s downtown dining scene – had to be some of plumpest and most succulent I’ve had anywhere. Why are they so yummy?. While many mussels hails fro PEI (Prince Edward Island), these are Totten Inlet mussels from the Puget Sound in Washington State and they were so darn good.

Higgins Restaurant and Bar has been serving Portland diners with classic, farm-to-table, country dishes – with an emphasis on its fresh, sustainable, locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients – since 1994. Stop in and try their chilled asparagus appetizer, the Spanish potaje, or the “Pepper Pot” seafood stew. Grab an almond tart for dessert.

Farm-fresh produce cooked alongside exquisite seafood guarantees a hearty meal to wolf down. After you’ve started with some oysters, try one of the best-selling main course dishes - the Alsatian-style “Choucroute Garnie”, served with boudin blanc sausages and sauerkraut. Now you’re talking American produce served in European style.

Downtown, check out Higgins Restaurant, which has earned four stars out of 513 reviews on Yelp. Treat yourself at the French and New American spot by heading over to 1239 Southwest Broadway. Rigatoni, seafood stew and Dungeness crab are some of the menu items.

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (839 reviews)- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)- Type of cuisine: American- Price: $$$$- Address: 1239 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205-2915- Read more on Tripadvisor

They run the full gamut — Portland institutions like Huber’s and Fuller’s Coffee Shop, new places like Sunrice, expensive spots like Higgins, cheaper eats like Love Belizean, and restaurants like Arden that improved over time.

Its long time reputation for quality local food and fine service was obvious. The highlights for me were actually appetizers. I had octopus which was fresh from the port of Garibaldi, about 1 1/4 away.

1239 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205Phone: 503-222-9070 Visit Website. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Higgins Restaurant (@higginspdx)