Bend fed my curiosity and my appetite on my quest to find great places to eat and drink in Bend. On my trip, I carried my camera from a downtown cocktail lounge to Korean dining, food carts, a brewery lawn, and a chocolate roastery. After decades of photographing and writing about travel, I still look for the people and places behind a good meal. These 13 Bend, Oregon, stops give you a taste of the city’s range and plenty of reasons to follow your appetite across town.
Start with breakfast and the market to eat and drink in Bend
This bright yellow food truck builds made-to-order breakfast burritos with eggs, hash browns, cheese, and fillings such as chorizo or carne asada. Its current address is 721 NE Third Street, beside the Campfire Hotel.
I took the plain burrito to go and passed on the salsa. Sometimes I just want to enjoy simple tastes in the morning.
Minnie’s serves cocktails, small plates, and breakfast in The Westman’s lobby, which occupies Bend’s former post office. The bar is named after Minnie Westman, a pioneering Oregon mail carrier whose story also inspired the hotel.
I chose breakfast at Minnie’s as a simple self-serve option that met my need for a quick bite to start the day.
The seasonal Wednesday market fills Brooks Alley with produce and other food from Central Oregon farmers and makers. This is a food market, so it offers a useful look at what grows and gets made around Bend.
I love seeing the colorful, fresh berries lined up ready for buyers to select the best. But they are all the best!
I saw something new–garlic scapes. When I asked the vendor how to serve them, she said to serve them just like garlic. Because I was traveling, I couldn’t take any home to try them.
Choose a casual lunch to eat and drink in Bend
Stacks Dinner and Delicatessen
In the Old Mill District, Stacks Dinner and Delicatessen brings a Pacific Northwest touch to the traditional deli. The kitchen cures and smokes meats and offers choices such as pastrami, corned beef, salmon lox, and salads; guests can eat inside, on the riverside patio, or take their food to go.
I ordered the corned beef sandwich, which was served with a crisp dill pickle and chips. The generous serving was bursting out of the bread and was enough to feed two people. I took half of the sandwich to eat later.
McMenamins Old St. Francis School
This former Catholic school now houses a pub, brewery, theater, and several bars. The Old St. Francis Pub serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with McMenamins ales brewed downstairs.
Unfortunately, I arrived too late for breakfast. However, they had the perfect snack available–hummus and warm pita bread. They also serve a small glass of beer, just 7 oz.
Read More: Taste local food and uncover California history on a Carlsbad food tour.
El Sancho serves Mexican street food at its Dekalb Avenue taco shop. It also runs a food cart at Crux Fermentation Project, giving taco fans two ways to work it into a Bend visit.
At the shop, I ordered the mushroom taco, candied yams sliced into medallions, and a sweet/tart limeade. These were good choices because I enjoyed them while looking at the distant mountains between bites.
At the cart in Crux, I savored the pork slider with a small beer. I’m glad I had another opportunity to eat El Sancho dishes.
Settle in for dinner
Hawkeye & Huckleberry calls itself a modern cowboy restaurant. Its menu features wood-fired cooking, beef and produce from the Malarkey family’s ranch in nearby Tumalo. Guests can dine inside, on a patio, or under a covered canvas tent.
We ate inside and shared the Summer Watermelon salad, warm Campfire Cornbread with the savory local honey butter, and Cowboy steaks grilled to our liking. When my steak was delivered, I forgot to photograph it! It was more than I could eat, and I had to take a doggie bag. I did save room, however, for the marionberry pie à la mode.
Chef Joe Kim and Laura Kim built Yoli around Korean flavors and Joe’s personal connection to the cuisine. The downtown restaurant offers Korean favorites and a dinner menu that gives the chef room for more contemporary dishes.
I ordered the Mushroom Juk, Oli (duck), and Marionberry Hotteok. After all, Bend is in the Pacific Northwest, which is known for marionberries. I paired these delicious rice dishes with a deep-red Tempranillo.
Read More: Explore Walla Walla’s restaurants, regional flavors, and wine-country dining.
Follow the food carts and the beer
Dogwood pairs seasonal cocktails and events with a courtyard of food carts in Bend’s Central District. The relocated Pine Shed gives the gathering place another story to tell.
This space was memorable because dogs are more than welcome. The casual atmosphere encourages conversations and relaxed interactions.
I sipped the Beetnik–a house-infused beet vodka, ginger, and lemon drink. Beets are one of my favorite vegetables, and how better to get the benefits of veggies inside an adult beverage?!
At Dogwood’s courtyard, The Dominican brings Dominican Republic dishes to Bend. Its menu includes La Bandera, carne frita, chicharrón, and tostones.
This was my first time trying Dominican cuisine. The portions were very generous, and I enjoyed the flavors, especially the La Bandera sample. Although I could have ordered from the American menu, I preferred the Dominican style, as many of their customers do.
Robert, who owns The Dominican with his wife, Trisha, joined me at the picnic table for a chat. When Trisha called, I got to know her, too. I came for their delicious food and left with two new friends.
Crux offers craft beer, other drinks, food, and a lawn with mountain and sunset views at its central Bend tasting room. El Sancho’s taco cart is one of the on-site food options.
After spending some time on the Crux lawn, I headed to the fire pit to keep warm. This venue is family-friendly and offers musical entertainment.
When I learned El Sancho had a food cart, I got a pork slider that was just the right size and was delicious.
Save room for cocktails and chocolate
Find San Simón down Tin Pan Alley in downtown Bend. The candlelit bar mixes cocktails with fresh-squeezed juice and house-made syrups, then rounds out the menu with small plates, cheese, and tinned seafood.
I learned that Blockbuster started in Dallas, Texas. Now, the last operating Blockbuster store in the world is in Bend. It is more than a novelty shop. It’s a physical survivor of a vanished retail culture. It’s now a cultural attraction, part functioning video store, part pop-culture museum, and part reflection of the advantages of local ownership.
San Simón created a drink with a nod to the last Blockbuster store, so, of course, I had to try it. I ordered The Last Blockbuster and enjoyed every last sip of the jalapeño-infused tequila, fresh lime, and Mexican grapefruit soda.
Read More: Discover craft cocktails and five dining hotspots in Great Falls, Montana.
Seahorse Chocolate makes small-batch chocolate from cacao beans in its Bend roastery. Its guided tour follows the bean-to-bar process, includes a tasting, and lets guests pour their own chocolate bar.
I took a tour focused on the roasting process and asked questions about the origins of the cacao beans. The tasting was distinctive between bars. What surprised me was the size of the processing plant and how they delivered this specialized product.
What I Liked Best
While I enjoyed every dining experience in Bend, the one that made the biggest impression on me was Yoli–Korean cuisine. It felt authentic and well represented, like the food served in Korea.
Know Before You Go to Eat and Drink in Bend
The Bend Farmers Market runs on Wednesdays during its seasonal schedule in Brooks Alley. Book a Seahorse Chocolate tour ahead of time, and check each restaurant’s current menu, hours, and reservation options before you go to eat and drink in Bend. Dogwood and Crux have changing food cart lineups, so confirm the cart you want to visit.
I was hosted at these destinations. However, all opinions are my own.
