Where to Eat After Hitting the Slopes in Central Oregon

Bend Brewing Company

written by Julie Leefeatured photo courtesy of Bend Brewing Company

Idyllic powder snow conditions will likely land you in Central Oregon to shred Bachelor this winter. Here are some favorite restaurants to hit, after you hit the slopes.*

Bend Brewing Company

Bend Brewing Company

It’s saying something that Bend Brewing Company is the second oldest brew pub in Bend, given that there are more breweries per capita in Bend than in anywhere else on the entire planet, maybe all planets. Located smack in the heart of downtown Bend, you can practically ski there from Bachelor on a particularly snowy day. Its pub menu offers the salty and fried snacks one craves immediately after the ski boots come off: coconut breaded shrimp, chicken wings and calamari. For those still clinging to the dust of New Year’s resolutions, try the sriracha seasoned cauliflower or Mahi fish tacos. Then wipe off that dust and chug an Elk Lake IPA. There’s always next year.

1019 NW Brooks St., Bend | bendbrewingco.com


Bangers & Brews Sausage House

Yes, there’s a theme here; Central Oregon and frosty beers fit together like Trump and Kellyanne Conway. If you love a great dawg to go with your ice cold brew like most people, Bangers & Brews Sausage House in Bend is your new hang. It’s all about the sausage, from the traditional type such as bratwurst and chicken apple to the adventurous such as duck bacon with jalapeño cilantro and wild boar with garlic—all available with a tall list of topping and sauce choices. Our fave is a Deschutes Pine Drop IPA sausage with skinny fries that will make you anything but skinny, and a cold Deschutes brew to wash it all down.

1288 SW Simpson Ave. Ste-A, Bend | facebook.com/bangersandbrews


El Sancho

With two locations in Bend, El Sancho is the place to throw down some delicious street tacos after slicing the slopes. The original locale for El Sancho was a scrappy (literally) food shack, one of Bend’s original carts, located in a liquidator lot. Fast forward to present, and the food cart has relocated to prime real estate at Crux Fermentation Project and gone brick and mortar with a headquarters in NE Bend. What’s on deck? Addictive tacos: carnitas, barbacoa, mushroom for the veggie-heads and lengua (seared cow tongue) for the daring. Get some beer goggles on with a few Off Leash IPAs and the lengua tacos may become your new favorite tongue treat in Central Oregon.

335 NE Dekalb Ave., Bend | elsanchobend.com


Latigo

Traveling through or staying in Sisters this winter? There is a new destination hot spot to check out: Latigo. Artisan dining at its finest, Latigo offers mouthwatering, seasonally rotating dishes like seared duck breast with cider brined apples and rack of lamb with pomegranate & apple gastrique. The pan seared, wild caught prawns with Dungeness crab risotto hits the sweet spot for seafood-hungry travelers. In a refined yet rustic setting, this is a great place for a post-slope romantic meal.

370 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters | latigosisters.com


Christie’s Kitchen

Remember a time when things were a little more simple and you count on a great meal without all the fuss? That’s Christie’s Kitchen in Redmond. A terrific, hearty breakfast can be had here, from a bone-in ham & eggs plate that will impress your table neighbors to a breaded pork cutlet with eggs and country gravy. The lunch hour brings heaped-up burgers and a sizzling steak salad. Vegan and gluten free options are available and, if you want to treat yourself, get the daily special pie, with the flakiest homemade crust you’ve ever had and a side of ice cream.

614 NW Cedar Ave, Redmond | christies-kitchen.net


*Snow Bunny Bonus: Be sure to head to Bend on January 13th for the 5th annual High Gravity Extravaganza at McMenamins’ Old St. Francis School, where you can sip more than twenty-five high gravity IPAs, stouts and ciders from around the region while relaxing fireside.

Speaking of beer, here’s a look at the history of Oregon beer, and the culture that surrounds us today.

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