17 Incredible Restaurants in Ashland, OR You Need to Try
Ashland is a small town with a big appetite. Theatergoers come for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the restaurants around the Plaza, Main Street and the Railroad District have grown up around them, with pre-show menus and a surprising amount of serious cooking for a town of about 21,000 people.
This guide covers 17 places, from a nationally recognized tasting menu and Mesoamerican and Indonesian kitchens to Northern Italian pasta, Filipino plates, Chicago-style sandwiches and the breakfast spots locals line up for. Ratings and review counts come from each restaurant’s Google listing in October 2026.
MÄS
MÄS is a tasting menu restaurant at 141 Will Dodge Way in downtown Ashland, led by chef Josh Dorcak. It started in 2017 in the basement of a bakery and moved into its own space the following year. The cooking is Cascadian, meaning Pacific Northwest, with a strong Japanese influence. The New York Times named it one of the 50 best restaurants in America in 2022, and Dorcak was a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Google reviewers give MÄS 4.9 stars across more than 120 reviews, and the kitchen serves a multi-course tasting menu that changes with the seasons. Recent menus have featured dashi with nori butter, bluefin with shiso, lobster with truffle ponzu, duck with chanterelle mushrooms, and lamb with matsutake mushrooms, ending with a pawpaw dessert. Wine pairings and non-alcoholic pairings are available. There is one set menu and no substitutions.
Book through Tock, which takes prepaid reservations. You can sit at the chef’s counter, at one of two small dining room tables, or in a private room, and the meal runs about two to two and a half hours, so plan it as your whole evening rather than a pre-theater stop. The kitchen cannot make vegan, vegetarian or fully gluten-free menus. This is a splurge, so check Tock for open nights.
Address: 141 Will Dodge Way, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: masashland.com
Cocorico
Cocorico is a husband-and-wife restaurant at 15 North 1st Street, tucked off a side street in downtown Ashland. Chef Nat Borsi began cooking in his teens in France, spent three years in Bangkok, and worked in Tom Douglas’s Seattle restaurants before settling in Ashland. He calls the cooking “neo rustic,” modern Mediterranean food with French technique and Italian roots. The name is French for “cock-a-doodle-doo.”
With 4.9 stars from more than 300 Google reviews, Cocorico has earned a spot on Eater’s list of essential Ashland restaurants. Start with the grilled octopus, burrata or deviled eggs. For a main, try the house-made carbonara, the roasted chicken with mascarpone and peri-peri (a spicy chile sauce), or the lamb burger on Mix Bakeshop ciabatta. The marionberry pie with vanilla ice cream is the dessert to save room for.
Reservations go through Tock and are limited to parties of four or fewer, because the restaurant does not take larger groups. You can book the indoor dining room, the enclosed and heated patio, or a six-seat bar on the patio. Dinner starts at 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Prices are moderate for Ashland, and many dishes are marked gluten-free or can be made vegan. The site lists a late-winter vacation closure, so check dates.
Address: 15 N 1st St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: cocorico.kitchen
Osteria La Briccola
Osteria La Briccola is a family-run Italian restaurant at 18 Calle Guanajuato Way, in the downtown Plaza area. It opened in June 2021 on the second floor of a creek-front building, and the chef was born in Bologna. The restaurant describes its food as Northern Italian, and it makes its pasta fresh every day and its desserts from scratch.
La Briccola holds 4.7 stars across more than 500 Google reviews, and it lets you build your own pasta: pick a fresh shape, such as tagliatelle, pappardelle or potato gnocchi, then a sauce such as Bolognese, pesto or boscaiola (pancetta, peas and mushrooms in a light cream and tomato sauce). The specials have included tagliatelle with wild boar ragù, pappardelle with lamb ragù and pistachios, and a house beef lasagna. Panna cotta and tiramisù are the classic desserts.
Reserve through OpenTable, and note that this is a dinner-only restaurant. Check the hours before you go, because they vary by day and one weeknight has been a closed night. Pasta plates sit on the pricier side of casual, and the specials change every few days. There is a gluten-free pasta option, and the restaurant also takes online orders for takeout.
Address: 18 Calle Guanajuato, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: osterialabriccola.com
Tlalli
Tlalli is a Mesoamerican restaurant at 542 A Street in Ashland’s Railroad District, about a half mile south of the Plaza. The name is a Nahuatl word for earth, and the owners, who describe themselves as children of immigrants, cook Indigenous dishes from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize. Inside, the room is pink and jade green with Indigenous Chicano art, and a walled garden patio is heated for year-round dining.
Its 4.8-star rating from more than 200 Google reviews rests on handmade corn tortillas and slow-cooked sauces. Order the tacos de carnitas (braised pork with salsa verde), the mole poblano (a Puebla-style sauce of dried chiles and chocolate) served over duck confit, or the tapado de coco, an Afro-Guatemalan seafood stew in coconut broth. Start with the three ceviches and a tasting of house salsas with tostadas. The bar pours small-batch Mexican whiskey and gin.
Dinner is served Thursday through Monday evenings, and Tock takes reservations for parties of one to six. The restaurant says it is minutes from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Lithia Park, but it is a full dinner rather than a quick bite before a show. Plan on a nice dinner-out price. A 2025 report said reservations could book up weeks ahead, though walk-ins were usually seated.
Address: 542 A St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: tlalli.restaurant
Peerless
Peerless Restaurant & Bar is at 265 4th Street in Ashland’s Historic Railroad District, a few blocks from downtown and close to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Diners can sit in its dining rooms, at the bar, or out in the gardens and patios, and the garden is also a wedding venue. Chef and owner Harlan Brooks runs a produce-driven kitchen with a seasonal Pacific Northwest menu.
Peerless earns 4.5 stars from more than 300 Google reviews and changes its menu with the seasons. The fall menu includes duck liver parfait with cornbread waffles, ceviche mixto, ricotta cavatelli, and Oregon lamb shawarma with saffron spätzle (small dumplings), plus oysters on the half shell and a rosemary-butter ribeye. The cocktail list is long, with house creations such as the Gin Tonic, made with rosemary tonic and herbs from the restaurant’s garden.
Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m., with a happy hour from 4 to 5 p.m. in the bar. Tock takes reservations for the indoor rooms, the patios and a happy hour table. Tock rates it $$$, so expect a higher-priced dinner. Parking is on the street, and reservations are encouraged.
Address: 265 4th St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: peerlessrestaurant.com
Larks
Larks is the restaurant at the Ashland Springs Hotel, 212 East Main Street, in a building that dates to 1925. It has a warmly lit dining room and a historic 1920s bar that was shipped in one piece from San Francisco. Chef Franco Console cooks from scratch with Oregon farms, creameries and wineries in mind, and Wine Spectator has given the wine list an Award of Excellence five years in a row through 2026.
With a 4.4-star rating from more than 300 Google reviews, Larks specializes in home-style Northwest comfort food. The fried chicken with bacon pan gravy and buttermilk herb whipped potatoes is on both the dinner menu and the pre-theatre menu, along with the meatloaf. Look also for steamed clams, a cider-brined pork chop, and Rogue Creamery blue cheese, and finish with the warm butter cake with salted honey lavender ice cream.
Larks is a popular pre-show choice, about 0.2 mile from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival theaters. It offers a three-course pre-theatre menu paced to your curtain time, so tell the restaurant your show time when you book. Reserve on OpenTable or by phone, since reservations are strongly recommended. Dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday evenings, and sidewalk dining is available in season. Check hours before you go.
Address: 212 E Main St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: larksashland.com
Alchemy
Alchemy occupies the first floor of the Winchester Inn at 35 South 2nd Street, a Victorian house built in 1886 and turned into a boutique hotel in 1983. The restaurant’s website says it has been on that floor since the restaurant opened in 1983. It is less than two blocks from both the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Oregon Cabaret Theatre. The wine list has about 650 labels, and the bar stocks more than 350 spirits.
Alchemy’s 4.5-star rating comes from more than 500 Google reviews, and it is a fine dining restaurant with a seasonal menu. Recent dishes include steak tartare with bagna càuda (a warm garlic and anchovy sauce), wild mushroom fettuccine with truffle, filet mignon with black garlic jus, duck confit with huckleberry jus, and scallops with saffron vanilla cream. Almost half the wine list is from Oregon, and it has won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 2006.
Reservations are recommended, through OpenTable or by phone, but walk-ins are welcome, and garden seating is held for walk-ins when the weather cooperates. Dinner starts at 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and the bar opens at 4 daily. If you have a show, book by 6 p.m. and mention it, because dinner usually takes at least two hours. Dinner mains are on the pricey side.
Address: 35 S 2nd St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: alchemyashland.com
Blue Toba
Blue Toba is an Indonesian restaurant at 145 East Main Street, across from the Varsity Theatre. It is named for Lake Toba on Sumatra, where chef and owner Birong Hutabarat is from, and the owners say it was the first Indonesian restaurant in Oregon. It began as a food truck, spent eight years in a tiny strip-mall space, appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and then moved to its downtown home.
Blue Toba has 4.6 stars from more than 190 Google reviews, and chef Birong’s specialty is rendang, a rich beef curry cooked for five hours with coconut milk and 19 spices until the sauce is mostly absorbed. Also try opor, a mild Javanese curry with no chili, ayam bakar (Sumatran grilled chicken), and the corn fritters called bakwan jagung. Add a spoonful of house-made sambal, a chili sauce, to taste, and finish with the black rice pudding.
Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday, with lunch specials from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a happy hour Thursday through Saturday in the bar. Reservations are taken only for parties of five or more, by phone during business hours, so smaller groups should arrive early. The bar sits at the front with a smaller menu, and the dining room is behind it. Many dishes are gluten-free or vegan.
Address: 145 E Main St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: bluetoba.com
Harana Cafe
Harana Cafe is a small, family-owned Filipino restaurant at 116 Lithia Way, led by a mother-and-son team. It calls itself a casual hole-in-the-wall, and it pairs traditional recipes with a modern touch, natural wines, handcrafted cocktails and seasonal specials. The menu is built for sharing, and it recommends ordering several plates for the table.
With 4.8 stars from more than 110 Google reviews, Harana rewards a group order. Look for lumpia (pork spring rolls), pork BBQ with banana ketchup, chicken adobo braised in soy and coconut, sisig (pork belly with onions, jalapeño and a soft egg, topped with chicharrón, or crispy pork skin), and kare-kare, braised beef in peanut sauce. Sinigang, a sour tamarind broth, is the comforting pick. For a first visit, the Harana for Two combo brings chicken adobo, lumpia, atchara (pickled green papaya) and jasmine rice.
Seating is limited, so arrive right when the kitchen opens for the best chance at a walk-in table. Reservations are now available through the website, and groups of six or more should send a request at least 48 hours ahead. Dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday evenings, according to the site. A corkage fee applies if you bring your own wine. Check hours before you go.
Address: 116 Lithia Way, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: haranacafe.com
Gils
Gils is a casual taproom at 175 North Pioneer Street, built around a numbered tap list that runs to number 23. The pours include lagers, IPAs, stouts, sours, ciders, kombucha and root beer, and there is a short wine list. There is an outdoor patio.
Gils holds 4.7 stars from more than 200 Google reviews and backs up the beer with a compact menu. The grinder, the Cubano (a pressed Cuban-style sandwich) and the chicken cheesesteak are the sandwiches to try, and the wings come in several sizes for sharing. Nachos, a pretzel, a rice bowl, and fish and shrimp tacos round it out. Specials rotate, and a hot mulled wine, Glühwein, was on the October list.
You order at the counter, and the bar does not take reservations. Ask the staff for a recommendation or a taste before you commit to a full pour. Food prices are low compared with the sit-down restaurants on this list, which makes it an easy stop before a show or after dinner elsewhere. Check hours before you go, because listings show it closing in the evening.
Address: 175 N Pioneer St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: gilsofashland.co
Sammich
Sammich is a Chicago Italian-style sandwich shop at 424 Bridge Street, and the Ashland shop is where the business began in 2013. Founder Melissa McMillan later launched a Pastrami Zombie food truck and a Portland shop, but the original keeps its menu rooted in Chicago and in house-smoked meats. The shop also pours beer on tap and uses local bakeries for its bread.
Sammich holds 4.4 stars from more than 800 Google reviews. Start with the Chicago Italian beef, served with sweet peppers, giardiniera (a Chicago-style pickled vegetable relish) and beef juice on a baguette. Also try the Pastrami Zombie, house-smoked pastrami on rye with Swiss and slaw, the Timbo, a Chicago-style cheesesteak, and the Porkstrami. The tuna melt and the eggplant Melanzane are lighter options.
Sammich is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., so it is a lunch and early-dinner stop, and it closes on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Order on the website for pickup, or use DoorDash for delivery. The menu includes vegetarian and gluten-free options, such as the Barbo, an avocado and pepperoncini sandwich on sourdough.
Address: 424 Bridge St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: sammichrestaurants.com
Xerxes Mediterranean Grill
Xerxes Mediterranean Grill is a casual spot at 1729 Siskiyou Boulevard built around naan wraps. Gyros, tandoori-oven chicken and falafel are rolled in naan with tzatziki and vegetables, and the same fillings go over cilantro rice in bowls or basmati rice on platters. It leans toward takeout, with online ordering for pickup or delivery.
With 4.7 stars from more than 400 Google reviews, Xerxes serves some of the lowest-priced meals on this list. Order the gyro wrap, made with lamb and beef and tzatziki, or the falafel wrap, with hummus, falafel and tahini. The Bomb adds extra meat and fries inside the wrap, and the Xerxes Sampler brings hummus, tzatziki, falafel, grilled vegetables and garlic naan with feta. The Greek fries and baklava are easy add-ons.
Hours run through early evening, and listings disagree on which days it is open, so check before you go. Wraps and bowls cost less than most sit-down dinners on this list, and there are plenty of vegetarian choices, including falafel, hummus, lentil soup and a vegetarian platter. If you are heading to a show, order ahead for pickup. Directory listings mention outdoor tables.
Address: 1729 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: xerxes-mediterranean-gril.square.site
Morning Glory Cafe
Morning Glory is a breakfast and brunch restaurant at 1149 Siskiyou Boulevard that opened in 1997. Its founder closed it in November 2020, and it reopened in February 2021 under new owners who kept the recipes and most of the kitchen staff. The menu is built on omelettes, French toast, pancakes, waffles and, more recently, crepes, and the site says its three cooks have more than 60 years of combined experience with these dishes.
Morning Glory has 4.6 stars from more than 1,000 Google reviews and a long menu of sweet and savory plates. Try the lemon ricotta stuffed French toast, the Classic crepe with Nutella, strawberries and graham cracker crumble, or the Au Gratin crepe with potatoes, Gruyère and bacon. Savory options include the smoked pork breakfast burrito, the house-smoked salmon scramble, and crispy risotto and kale cakes with poached eggs.
The restaurant does not take reservations, and it is open Thursday through Monday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday, so plan around that. Expect a wait, especially on weekends. Takeout is offered only when the kitchen has room, since guests in the dining room come first. A 20 percent gratuity is added for parties of six or more.
Address: 1149 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: morninggloryashland.com
The Breadboard
The Breadboard is a bright, family-friendly breakfast and lunch restaurant at 744 North Main Street, about a quarter mile from the Ashland Plaza. It seats 66 inside, with booths, tables and counter seats, and it has picnic tables out back where dogs are welcome. A deck with a view of Grizzly Peak and the hills around the Rogue Valley opens each June.
The Breadboard’s 4.6-star rating comes from more than 1,100 Google reviews, and the kitchen promises big portions and made-from-scratch food. Order the Mountain Man country-style breakfast, the Home Fry Meal, or the Magic Mushroom omelette. The house potatoes, called homers (home fries), come with most egg plates. Biscuits and gravy, the Ashland Scramble and a rotating weekly pancake special are good alternatives, and gluten-free pancakes are now available.
The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast is served all day, along with a lunch menu of sandwiches, salads and grill items. There is plenty of parking and there are bike racks. You can also order to go. The site promises large portions, good prices and fast service.
Address: 744 N Main St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: breadboardashland.com
Brothers’ Restaurant
Brothers’ is a breakfast and lunch spot at 95 North Main Street in downtown Ashland, between Granite and Church streets. Its website says it has been serving the town since 1976, and much of the menu is made in house, including biscuits, scones, potato pancakes and cheese blintzes. The restaurant says it uses regional sources and serves organic products and hormone-free chicken and beef.
With 4.5 stars from more than 700 Google reviews, Brothers’ leans on eggs, with a dozen specialty omelettes and a build-your-own option. Try the huevos rancheros, the wild salmon scramble, or the lox and bagel plate. The housemade cheese blintzes (thin crepes filled with cottage cheese, cream cheese and lemon) and the biscuits and gravy are other choices, and there is corned beef hash for a heartier plate.
Brothers’ is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and both breakfast and lunch are served all day. You can dine in, take out or order delivery. Prices sit at the low end for a downtown sit-down meal, and parking is on the street. Check hours before a holiday.
Address: 95 N Main St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: brothersrestaurant.net
Vida Baking
Vida Baking is a bakery and café at 149 North Pioneer Street that runs an entirely gluten-free kitchen with a Brazilian focus. Its signature is pão de queijo, the Brazilian cheese bread made with cassava flour, which also serves as the base for its sandwiches. The shop has a small, naturally lit interior and a patio with yellow umbrellas, and a four-hour public parking lot is across the street.
Vida earns 4.8 stars from more than 600 Google reviews for a breakfast and lunch menu built on cheese bread. Try a pão de queijo sandwich, such as the pulled pork or the pressed Cuban, a savory cheese-bread waffle with roasted grapes and ricotta, or the quiche with a daily filling. The açaí bowls, the Brazilian carrot muffin and the “Life Changing” bread and toast are on the featured list. Coffee, mimosas and regional wines are served too.
Because everything is made without gluten, celiac and gluten-free visitors can order anything on the menu. You can also order online for pickup or delivery, which helps when there is a line. The website lists hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so this is a morning and lunch stop. Dogs are welcome on the patio. Check hours before you go.
Address: 149 N Pioneer St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: vidabaking.com
Mix Bakeshop
Mix Bakeshop is a French-style café and bakery at 57 North Main Street that has been open since 2006. Bakers work in an open kitchen where you can watch pastries being made, and the shop serves Stumptown coffee and house-made ice cream from organic Straus Creamery dairy. The space is set up for studying or meeting friends.
Mix has 4.7 stars from more than 800 Google reviews, and it is a pastry and ice cream stop. The shop’s website highlights the caramel pecan bun, made from croissant dough with orange zest and a caramel and pecan glaze, and the lemon meringue tart, with fresh lemon curd and a toasted meringue. Ice cream comes in a hand-rolled cone or a compostable cup, and the coffee is made by baristas trained by Stumptown.
The website lists the shop as open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. into the evening, so it works for breakfast, an afternoon coffee or ice cream after dinner. Local restaurants use its bread, including Peerless and Cocorico. The shop is right on Main Street downtown. Check hours before you go, because they have been listed differently by different sources.
Address: 57 N Main St, Ashland, OR 97520
Website: mixashland.com
Final Thoughts
In Ashland, timing is everything. If you have theater tickets, book a pre-show dinner close to the theaters and tell the restaurant your curtain time, and save the long tasting menus for a night off. Several kitchens close two days a week, so check hours before you go.
Planning the rest of your visit? See our guide to the best things to do in Ashland, OR.
Main photo, from left: Casey Lee, Eaters Collective and Jaqueline Pelzer / Unsplash
