Nodoguro
| Nodoguro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2014 |
| Owner(s) | Ryan and Elena Roadhouse |
| Food type | Japanese |
| City | Portland |
| State | Oregon |
| Country | United States |
| Website | nodoguropdx |
Nodoguro is a Japanese restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1][2][3][4] The fine dining restaurant started as a pop-up in 2014, then moved into the Genoa Building in southeast Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood in 2016. Nodoguro announced plans to relocate to the Morgan Building in downtown Portland in 2025.
Description
[edit]The fine dining restaurant Nodoguro serves Japanese cuisine in Portland, Oregon.[5] According to Eater Portland, "Nodoguro's ephemeral tasting menus have taken inspiration from Japanese record bars, pop culture, Spanish culinary traditions, and seasonal Oregon vegetables, with additional one-off events like sake dinners and handroll nights."[6]
The menu has included abalone, katsuobushi-scented jellied broth over Dungeness crab, sake, sushi, uni risotto,[6] and miso butter cookies.[6][7] The restaurant has also served somen noodles with a raw oyster in a ginger broth, Japanese eggplant poached in miso with duck, and wagyu steak.[8]
History
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Ryan and Elena Roadhouse are the owners of Nodoguro,[5][9] which started as a pop-up restaurant in 2014.[10] In 2016, the business moved into the Genoa Building on Belmont Street in southeast Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood.[11][12][13]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nodoguro pivoted by offering bento-style take-out,[14] but ended up closing. The business reopened in the northeast Portland part of the Kerns neighborhood in 2022.[15][16][17][18]
In January 2025, the business announced plans to relocate to the Morgan Building in downtown Portland, in the space previously occupied by Roe and Tercet.[15] The Roadhouses hope to open in the new location on Valentine's Day (February 14).[5]
Nodoguro has sourced fished from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market.[19]
Reception
[edit]Nodoguro was named Restaurant of the Year by Portland Monthly in 2015.[20] In his 2018 review for The Oregonian, Michael Rusell said, "The through line here is outstanding food. If you can afford the $195 per person price -- Portland's most expensive recurring meal -- the SupaHardcore nights are among the most singular dining experiences in Portland, a modern take on kaiseki more likely to exist in a much larger city."[8]
In 2018, Eater Portland's Mattie John Bamman wrote, "If you're looking for upscale, mindbogglingly imaginative sushi, this is the place... Its several-course dinners in a minimalist, almost intimidatingly serene space, juxtaposed with small plates like uni risotto as comforting as Kraft mac and cheese, make Nodoguro both playful and completely serious at the same time. If Bamboo is Portland's most famous sushi, Nodoguro is the most modern and refined."[6] The website's Seiji Nanbu and Janey Wong included Nodoguro in a 2024 list of the best sushi restaurants in the Portland metropolitan area.[6]
In 2015-2020, 2024, and 2025 Nodoguro earned Ryan Roadhouse a nomination in the Best Chefs: Northwest and Pacific category of the James Beard Foundation Awards.[21][citation needed]
See also
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References
[edit]- ^ Russell, Michael (February 17, 2023). "Wherever it roams, Nodoguro remains Portland's best restaurant (review)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Nodoguro". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Russell, Michael (August 3, 2019). "Portland's Nodoguro is one of America's most exclusive Japanese restaurants (2019 review)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Wong, Janey (November 23, 2022). "Nationally Celebrated Omakase Restaurant Nodoguro Opens in a New Home". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Prime downtown spot to be home to hot Portland restaurant: report". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Nanbu, Seiji (August 26, 2019). "The Best Sushi Restaurants in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Nodoguro is Portland's most exclusive Japanese restaurant - oregonlive.com". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Russell, Michael (July 17, 2018). "Portland's best sushi 'by appointment only' at Nodoguro (restaurant review)". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Nodoguro Relocating to Stray Birds Space in NE Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ Russell, Michael (April 27, 2021). "Nodoguro, one of America's finest Japanese restaurants, will not reopen in its current SE Portland home". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "High-End Portland Sushi Restaurant Nodoguro Will Not Reopen at Its Current Location". Willamette Week. April 29, 2021. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Bamman, Mattie John (May 24, 2016). "Peek Inside the New Nodoguro, A Modern, Japanese Dining Den". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ Bamman, Mattie John (March 2, 2016). "Sushi Sensation Nodoguro Secures Lease in Iconic Genoa Restaurant Space". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Nodoguro Slims Its High-End Japanese Tasting Menu Down to Bento Size". Willamette Week. April 9, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Russell, Michael (January 9, 2025). "Nodoguro restaurant to move into downtown Portland's former Roe, Tercet space". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "How Nodoguro, Maurice, and Scottie's Pizza Parlor Made Their Big Comebacks". Portland Monthly. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Russell, Michael (November 9, 2022). "Nodoguro, Portland's finest Japanese restaurant, has found a new home". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "Nodoguro's Elaborate, Multicourse Dinners Will Return Following a Pandemic Pause". Willamette Week. May 20, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ Russell, Michael (February 17, 2023). "Portland's best sushi: Our critic's picks for cheap chirashi, opulent omakase and everything in between". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Portland Monthly's Restaurant of the Year: Nodoguro". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Vermillion, Allecia (January 24, 2024). "These Are Seattle's 2024 James Beard Semifinalists". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.