Oun Lido’s

"Portland might be known for its cobblestone streets and lobster, but there’s a large Cambodian American community that started to arrive in the late 1970s. And Oun Lido's, from the crew behind Công Tử Bột, is serving the most interesting Cambodian food in the city right now. The spicy, tender lemongrass beef skewers and deeply flavorful twice-fried lemon chicken are the standouts, as are the noodle dishes like the mi goreng, a stir-fry with frilly egg noodles and a sweet soy curry sauce. They’re a counter-service spot, and only takeout at the moment, but that just means you should bring your spread (with a refreshing coconut limeade) and post up at nearby Tommy’s Park to enjoy it all." - Alana Dao

From Esquire’s 2024 Best Restaurants: Oun Lido’s is a joint venture from Bounahcree “Bones” Kim, a thirty-four-year-old Cambodian American, and Vien Dobui, who runs Công Tử Bột, Portland’s best Vietnamese restaurant. Using Maine’s rightfully lauded ingredients, cooking in a space that’s still in the process of being built out, and tapping into hazy, precious memories of childhood, Bones turns out plates that brilliantly synthesize Cambodian and Cantonese flavors. Baptized in pungent homemade prahok, a Cambodian fish sauce, his beef salad topped with toasted rice powder is a salty-sweet-crunchy-meaty mouth party. The skin on the fried hot lemon chicken is as glassy as the water of Casco Bay. The mee kathung, another Khmer staple, made with broad rice noodles, is tangled with braised beef and served with an unusually rich five-spice gravy. It tastes like home, no matter where home is or what language one uses to describe it.