What makes Kann special?
Kann is chef Gregory Gourdet's live-fire Haitian restaurant in Southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood, about ten miles from Tigard via I-5, roughly 16 to 20 minutes by car. The acclaim is real and current: the James Beard Foundation named it Best New Restaurant in 2023, The World's 50 Best ranked it number 27 in North America for 2025, and The Oregonian has called it the region's best restaurant in both 2025 and 2026. The kitchen cooks over fire, pairing Haitian flavors with Pacific Northwest ingredients, and the entire menu is gluten-free and dairy-free, a discipline that never feels like a compromise. The room is moody and candlelit rather than loud, and the menu is a la carte and meant to be shared, so an evening unfolds slowly as dish after dish arrives for the table.
What to order or do
Order a few dishes and pass them around; the menu changes with the seasons, so treat it as a suggestion rather than a checklist. The Griyo, Haiti's national dish of twice-cooked pork with fried green plantains and pikliz, has been Kann's top seller since it opened. The Warm Plantain Brioche with epis butter and the Akra, crispy taro root fritters with remoulade, are the starters regulars reach for, and sides like legim and peanut creamed greens round out the spread. The smoked beef rib is the splurge and it is a big one, so plan around it. One month of reservations opens on the first of each month at noon and goes fast, so book early and go with friends who like to share.
Price range
Expect a splurge. The restaurant's own listings and reviewers land an average near $90 per person, with diners commonly reporting $75 to $125 with a drink and dessert, before tax and tip. The smoked beef rib alone can run past $100. It is a special-occasion table rather than a casual weeknight, and the reservation is part of the plan.
Plan an evening here
Kann
Live-fire Haitian · Buckman, Southeast Portland
548 SE Ash St, Portland, OR 97214
About these picks: every week this guide features one genuinely well-reviewed spot for a night out in the Tigard, Tualatin and Portland metro area. Hours, menus and prices change, so check the spot’s own site before you go, and make it the evening that fits your own plans, whoever you are spending it with.