1. Yardy Rum Bar, 837 Lincoln St., 458-240-7564,YardyRumBar.com.

2. Cafe Soriah, 384 W. 13th Ave., 541-342-4410, Soriah.com.

3. Nelson’s in the Whit, 400 Blair Blvd., 541-844-8404, NelsonsintheWhit.net.

It’s been quite a year for Yardy Rum Bar, a casual-style restaurant — Yardy was named one of 50 best restaurants in the U.S. by The New York Times in September.

Yardy started as a pop-up in 2020 before becoming a food cart. It then moved into its current location in January 2024.

Isaiah Martinez, chef and owner of Yardy, uses ingredients from the Pacific Northwest to cultivate dishes inspired by his Caribbean culture.

The menu ranges from salads to fish and chicken dishes and to vegan and gluten free options. Martinez says there’s recently been buzz about its jerked beet salad. 

“We get really good local beets,” he says. “We roast them then we peel them. Then we smoke them for four hours then we make a spiced beet salad and that’s become on Reddit this insane conversation about a beet salad that we make.” 

Martinez says Yardy is focused on trying to create food that is healthy and impressive. But the most popular dish, he says, is the chicken. 
Martinez says he hopes to open another restaurant that he can do “virtually anything in.” “So (a) more modulated kitchen,” he says. “Then I can cook from island to island everyday. Right now we are focusing on what we’re focusing on because of our space.”