L'Échelle (restaurant)
Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
L'Échelle is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1][2] It opened in August 2024, as the final project of American chef Naomi Pomeroy, who died in July 2024.[3]
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| L'Échelle | |
|---|---|
| |
 The restaurant's exterior, 2025 | |
 Interactive map of L'Échelle | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Food type | French |
| Location | 4537 Southeast Division Street, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′19″N 122°36′55″W |
| Website | lechellepdx |
Description
The French-inspired[4] restaurant L'Échelle, which translates to "the ladder" in French and is named after the Prince song "The Ladder",[4] operates on Division Street in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood.[5][6] According to Eater Portland, L'Échelle serves "lighter versions of French bistro food" with locally sourced ingredients. The menu has included country-style rabbit pate, chicken schnitzel with chickpea panisse, and bread from Cafe Olli with shallot butter.[7] The restaurant does not take reservations and has open seating.[8]
History
Luke Dirks opened L'Échelle on August 15, 2024, near the intended future space that previously housed The Woodsman Tavern.[9][10] L'Échelle's launch was impacted by the death of chef Naomi Pomeroy, who died on July 13, 2024. L'Échelle began operating as a casual and "experimental" pop-up bistro, and planned to become a full service restaurant in 2025.[7] As of late 2024, Dirks was fundraising for a permanent space.[11]
Mika Paredes was announced as the executive chef in February 2025.[12][13] The restaurant began operating again on May 28, 2025.[14]
Reception
Janey Wong of Eater Portland said of dining at the temporary location: "Sitting in the garden where the pop-up is held with a glass of wine in hand, it almost felt like I was dining al fresco in Europe instead of right off Division Street."[15] The website's Zoe Baillargeon included the business in a 2025 list of Portland's best new restaurants and food carts.[16] The business ranked number 34 in Resy's 2025 list of the nation's top 100 dining destinations.[17][18] Hannah Wallace included the business in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 list of Portland's 23 best restaurants.[19] L'Echelle was named Restaurant of the Year by The Oregonian.[20] The newspaper's Michael Russell also included the business in a 2025 list of Portland's ten best new restaurants.[21] He included the French onion soup in The Oregonian's list of Portland's 25 best dishes of 2025.[22] Alex Frane included the business in Portland Monthly's 2025 list of restaurant opening that defined the city in 2025.[23]
