G-Love is a vegetable-focused restaurant by Garrett Benedict located in Portland’s Slabtown neighborhood. Before moving to Portland, Garrett worked at the Michelin three-star Restaurant at Meadowood and the groundbreaking restaurant Ubuntu, which was the first vegetarian restaurant in the world to be awarded a Michelin star. “G-Love” was Garrett’s nickname growing up.

G-Love opened in 2019 and has become known for bold and bright flavors, a sunny ambiance and cheerful hospitality. Signature dishes include the Crusty Avocado (pictured right) and the Ensalada Bomba, which has 100 ingredients and is quite possibly Portland’s best salad.

G-Love is open for dinner daily and happy hour Sunday through Thursday.

More information: g-lovepdx.com

Photos by Sundae Cereal.

The Love Shack is new cocktail bar in Portland’s vibrant Slabtown neighborhood — the second venture of chef and restaurateur Garrett Benedict, who opened the vegetable-focused restaurant G-Love in 2019. Located at 1645 NW 21st Ave and adjacent to G-Love, The Love Shack opened in February 2024.

The interior is designed to transport guests to warmer climes, with a glittering Venetian gold plaster back bar and a hanging, palm-covered palapa floating over four cozy booths.

Central to the experience at The Love Shack is the service style: Servers navigate the space with sleek black steel bar carts, custom-designed by Garrett. The bar carts accommodate plates of snacks and drinks and are integral to facilitating a continuous cocktail party atmosphere with passed drinks and food.

The bingo-style menu includes Croissant Banh Mi (marinated pork, pickled carrot, cucumber, cilantro, sambal aioli), Oysters + Champagne for two (oysters on the half-shell, mignonette, mini champagne bottle), and a Milk Bun Reuben (pastrami, sauerkraut, swiss, rye spice) Larger plates are available as well, including Prime Rib a la Sparkles. The menu is a collaboration with Executive Chef Andrew Lee. Andrew, who shares a history of working with Garrett in San Francisco, and was part of the opening crew at G-Love, brings his Korean heritage and San Francisco culinary experience to the table.

More information:

Photos by Sundae Cereal.