7 Best Restaurants in Southern Oregon, Oregon

Set inside a stylishly adapted former gas station, this airy and contemporary café serves exceptional espresso and tea drinks, from cardamom-rose lattes to sweetly spicy chais. The pork belly egg sandwich makes a deliciously savory start to the day. 

Set in a minimalist downtown space with bare floors, a vaulted painted-white timber ceiling, and bounteous floral arrangements, Hither serves as an inviting coffeehouse and café by day, featuring heavenly pastries and artfully composed egg dishes and tartines. Or at lunchtime enjoy an Italian sandwich (with Olympic Provisions meats) and a glass of natural wine on the pleasant side patio.

Sustainability is the name of the game at this lively breakfast and lunch café in downtown Grants Pass, with a cozy dining room of colorfully painted tables and mismatched chairs, and a large adjacent patio with picnic tables and lush landscaping. The kitchen sources from local farms and purveyors to create beer-battered fried chicken and waffles, kale Caesar salads, and line-caught-fish tacos with seasonal slaw and homemade salsa.

Established by a couple of young graduates of Oregon Institute of Technology, this welcoming café on a hillside near campus serves a range of coffee drinks, bagels, salads, and bowls throughout the day. In the evening, Brevada transitions into a neighborhood pub, where you can sip local beer and wine, nosh on cheese and meat boards, and mingle with locals. 

This cute roadhouse-style building a few miles northwest of downtown Medford has made a name for itself serving absurdly large, decadently topped, and deliciously crafted burgers. Unusual toppings like huckleberry-marinated onions, candied pecans, and raspberry-chipotle sauce make for some strangely compelling flavor combinations; veggie burgers are offered, too. Although potentially a dinner option, keep in mind that Jaspers closes between 6 and 8 pm, depending on the night of week.

The fair-trade, organic beans used in the espresso drinks at Noble Coffee Roasting, in the hip Railroad District, are among the best in town. The spacious, high-ceilinged dining room is a comfy and attractive place to socialize or get work done while you sip and munch.

In this unassuming deli tucked into a small shopping center across the street from Southern Oregon University, you'll find some of the biggest and tastiest sandwiches in the state—they've been featured on TV's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Owner Melissa McMillan bases her menu on the Italian-style sandwiches of Chicago, where she's from, and unless you're absolutely starving, it's not a bad idea to order a half or share a whole with a friend. There are additional branches in Portland and Lebanon.