Food

American

A good spot to start the day is the East Park Café and Coffeehouse (110 E. Park St., 541/956-7675, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Sun.), adjacent to a riverside park and with lots of outdoor seating. Breakfast burritos and omelets are morning food, and for lunch and afternoon snacking there are sandwiches and Tex-Mex specialties ($5–14).

Aficionados of the old-time soda fountain will appreciate the Grants Pass Pharmacy (414 SW 6th St., 541/476-4262). Decent sandwiches ($7), sodas, and milk shakes are featured. Local old-timers meet here every afternoon, and it’s the kids’ first stop after school.

The Wild River Brewing and Pizza Company (595 NE F St., 541/471-7487, lunch and dinner daily, $8–16) features wood-fired pizza ($16–24 for a large), pastas, burgers, and sandwiches as well as microbrew beers.

The Laughing Clam (121 SW G St., 541/479-1110, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat., $7–27) is an old bar and grill that has been transformed into a lively family-friendly tavern with good sandwiches, pasta, and steaks. The name might suggest this is a seafood house, which it’s not, though a few fish dishes are offered.

Another old-time bar made young again, the Circle J (241 SW G St., 541/479-8080, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Sat., $8–12) is a redbrick cubbyhole with eclectic and funky decor and a hip and lively clientele. The specialties are pizza, burgers, and sandwiches with sweet potato fries, all washed down with microbrews.

Further down G Street is The Brewery (509 SW G St., 541/479-9850, lunch Tues.–Fri. and Sun., dinner Tues.–Sun., $12–29), another piece of Grants Pass [1] history. The city’s first brewery started here in 1886 (the current building dates to 1902), and it’s once again serving up fine food, drinks, and high spirits. The focus of the menu is steaks and prime rib, though lamb, pasta, and meatloaf are also available.

The G Street Bar and Grill (125 SE G St., 541/956-5427, 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Tues.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–midnight Fri., noon–midnight Sat., 4–8:30 p.m. Sun., $13–20) offers a very wide selection of choices in a historic storefront. The emphasis is on casual, affordable fine dining, with menu selections ranging from steaks, pastas, and burgers to grilled salmon with orange beurre blanc. In addition, the G Street also shares space with Shiki Sushi, one of the city’s top Japanese restaurants, so you can mix and match sushi and hand rolls with your steaks and ribs.

With marvelous views, Taprock Northwest Grill (971 SE 6th St., 541/955-5998, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat., $9–26) occupies a very handsome log-built dining room with spacious decks overlooking the river from between the downtown bridges. The menu is ambitious, offering steakhouse selections and an array of fresh fish and seafood plus rotisserie chicken and chicken pot pie.

Sunshine Natural Foods (128 SW H St., 541/474-5044, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.) has a café, a salad bar, a juice bar, and an organic food market plus a full line of food supplements and vitamins.

Mexican

There are a number of good Mexican restaurants in Grants Pass [1], and our favorite is El Paraiso (201 E. Park St., 541/474-1506, 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat.), which, in addition to traditional Mexican food, offers a number of seafood dishes such as Camarones la Diable, shrimp sautéed with garlic, chili, mushrooms, and Mexican spices.

Asian

Thai Barbecue (428 SW 6th St., 541/476-4304, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Sat., $6–12) is a good spot for curry, noodles, and other traditional dishes, plus a large selection of grilled meats and seafood.

A top spot for fine dining is Aja (118 NW E St., 541/471-1228, 5–9 p.m. Tues.–Sat., $13–21), a tiny white-linen-and-crystal bistro that serves superior Pacific Rim cuisine. The menu changes frequently but highlights flavors from Southeast Asia, China, and Japan in a variety of dishes—the various spring rolls, always with intriguing dipping sauces, are a treat, as are other favorites such as crispy-skinned lemon chicken and lamb ragout in ginger-hoisin broth. Aja is labor of love operated by a husband-and-wife team, so reservations are suggested.

Northwest Cuisine

Miranda Mae’s Café and Martini Bar (218 SW G St., 541/955-0549, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Tues.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri., 5–10 p.m. Sat., $16–23) manages to be many things at once: a bakery, a café, and a jazz piano bar with cocktails. At night, this sleek little dining room fills with nicely dressed diners who enjoy such well-prepared dishes as grilled salmon with maple pecan butter or zinfandel-roasted pork tenderloin.

International

Another swank G Street dining room is Blondie’s Bistro (226 SW G St., 541/479-0420, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Sat.–Sun., $15–25). The international menu includes touches of Indian food such as masala-spiced rack of lamb, and Italian food such as chicken marsala or Tuscan grilled shrimp with white beans and wilted greens.

Across the river, River’s Edge (1936 Rogue River Hwy., 541/479-3938, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 4–9 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 4–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat., $12–36) has a dining room that also overlooks the Rogue. Here the menu has a faint Pacific Rim and coastal Mexican orientation, with dishes like macadamia nut–crusted halibut with creamy saffron ginger sauce or tenderloin beef with wasabi aioli.