Ashland isn’t big like Portland, but it does have about 100 unique places to eat, from hole-in-the-walls where waitresses don’t judge a beer-chased breakfast to one-of-a-kind culinary experiences ripe for Instagram boasting.

Oregon Iron Chefs live here, as do culinary stars with kitchen experience in Chez Panisse-level dining as well as inventive self-starters who graduated from a food cart to a crowd-pleasing cafe.

What also makes Ashland unique: This is a theater town and an 8 p.m. curtain – with no late seating allowed – means a 6 p.m. arrival for a leisurely dinner is not unusual. Less time is needed if you’re already parked downtown for the evening and will walk from a speedier-paced restaurant to the theater.

Whether you have tickets to a show or you have all night to stage your own adventure, Ashland is packed with options. Innkeepers dedicated to pleasing repeat customers recommend casual to high-end dining, and everything in between. Locals have their favorites, too. Ask a foodie and you’ll discover every type of cuisine is executed here at all price levels.

FYI: There is no state sales tax in Oregon but the city of Ashland imposes a 5 percent tax on prepared food and nonalcoholic beverages.

Here are Ashland’s secret dining and drinking places, for fast food or to linger, on a budget or a splurge:

After theater

Ashland is small but it isn’t completely sleepy. There are places to go after theater curtains close. You might even see actors fresh out of costumes hanging out at Martino’s Restaurant & Lounge across from Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Angus Bowmer Theatre.

Here are six other places – most clustered around the downtown Plaza – to find night owls:

Brickroom at 35 N. Main St., on the second story of a historic building on the Plaza, attracts theater-goers wanting to deconstruct a play over well-considered cocktails, sports fans bellied up to the long bar for beef dip sandwiches and a rotating selection of craft beers, and couples cuddled in front of the fireplace with pretzel baguettes and white cheddar and parmesan fondue (541-708-6030, brickroomashland.com).

A couple doors toward East Main Street (Hwy. 99) is the hard-to-miss Oberon’s Restaurant & Bar, a Renaissance fair-inspired watering hole – think beer, ciders on tap, mead, craft cocktails – plus meat pies and original live music (45 N. Main St., 541-708-6652, oberonsashland.com).

Keep walking toward East Main Street to the red double doors topped by a painted Union Jack and head up the stairs to the legendary Black Sheep Pub & Restaurant at 51 N. Main St. Here, fish 'n' chips and other “late night British fayre” are part of the tradition for people watching thousands of parade-goers puddle around the Plaza on the Fourth of July and Halloween (541-482-6414, theblacksheep.com). Year round, locals show up for the eclectic mix of jalapeño corn pancakes, dart playing and Celtic music.

Standing Stone Brewing Company, a block south of North Main Street at 101 Oak St., is a large (can be loud), longstanding brewery with thin pizzas and pub grub made with fresh ingredients (541-482-2448, standingstonebrewing.com).

Stretch your legs and walk a third-of-a-mile south on East Main Street to Bird & Rye at 23 S. 2nd St., where former Oregon Iron Chef Neil Clooney conjures up Southern-style fried chicken and pimiento cheese hushpuppies worth the calories. Pair them with beer or rye whiskey (541-482-7437, facebook.com/birdandrye).

Omar’s Fresh Seafood and Steaks at 1380 Siskiyou Blvd. near Southern Oregon University, is an authentic flashback to the “Mad Men”-era of down-home steakhouses and cocktail lounges (541-482-1281, omarsrestaurant.com). Don’t want to drive over? Order via doordash.com.

Get in and out fast

Technically, you can order takeout and grab-and-go at most eateries, but these spots have earned a reputation for tasty food when the clock is ticking.

Most of the Mexican-style restaurants like downtown Taqueria Picaro (76 N. Pioneer St., 541-708-6565) are quick and so are the Asian-style Bento East (3 Granite St., 541-488-3582) and Happy Bowl near the SOU campus (1401 Siskiyou Blvd. #2304, 541-708-6588). Health-conscious North Indian cuisine Taj of Ashland is an easy walk from the Plaza to 31 Water St.(541-488-5900).

Flip at 92 N. Main St. off the Plaza (541-488-3547) serves up 100% chuck, grass-fed gourmet burgers topped with Rogue Creamery’s internationally renown cheese sandwiched between Mix Bakeshop’s French-style brioche buns and accompanied by a quenching Boylan natural soda.

Pangea at the south end of town has vegan and vegetarian soups plus paninis and big, gluten-free chicken wraps. Enjoy a rose lemonade or caffeine-free Egyptian licorice tea in a bohemian setting (272 E. Main St., call and order ahead in the summer, 541-552-1630).

Pie + Vine, a refresh of the Italian cornerstone Pasta Piatti at 358 E. Main St., a block north of the Andrew Carnegie-funded 1909 Ashland library, is swarmed on theater nights especially by visiting high school students on a budget. But the staff can bake wood-fired pizzas and prepare pasta dishes pretty fast. The garden patio with strings of big lightbulbs beckons even on cold nights (541-488-5493).

If you’re entering Ashland at Interstate 5’s Exit 14, order at the counter of Luna Cafe + Mercantile in the Ashland Hills Hotel at 2525 Ashland St. and take your pick from an assortment of swanky 70s-style seating in the lounge areas, or head out to the deck overlooking the hotel’s 14 acres (541-482-8310, ashlandhillshotel.com).

The food may come out of the kitchen quickly, but hotel and café customers stay as long as they like, tapping into the high-speed Wi-Fi, watching sports games at the bar or just feeling retro groovy near the photo booth or inside the spinnable orange and white Eero Aarnio Ball Chair.

Places to linger

If Ashland had a royal throne it would be inside the lobby of the 1925 Ashland Springs Hotel, the city’s buttercream-colored landmark at 212 E. Main St. (888-795-4545, AshlandSpringsHotel.com). This is the epicenter of the Oregon Chocolate Festival and most of the compelling panel discussions during the Ashland Independent Film Festival.

Throughout the year, the storied hotel’s Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine is an elegant place to enjoy an hours-long lunch for two or a joyful dinner with a group of friends that extends into nightcaps (888-795-4545, LARKSAshland.com).

Another Neuman Hotel Group property – besides the Ashland Hills Hotel on the south side of the city -- is Lithia Springs Resort & Wine Garden, a mineral springs destination north of downtown with spa services and a wine tasting room (800-482-7128, 2165 W. Jackson Road, LithiaSpringsResort.com).

Cucina Biazzi, a cozy restaurant in a converted historic house with an inviting patio at 568 E. Main St., is known for its generous portions of flavorful Italian food. You can customize the prix fixe menu (541-488-3739).

Recommendations by innkeepers include Mas to savor 10 courses of foraged and wildcrafted delicacies, Amuse’s Northwest-French cuisine, sophisticated Peerless Restaurant & Bar, fabled New Sammy’s Cowboy Bistro and intimate Hither Coffee & Goods (Read the entire story)

Best places for tight budgets

Ask servers to clue you in on happy hours, free wine tasting, “locals” dinner specials and other discounts that can cut down the final total on the check.

If you want to decide a portion size, the well-liked, health-minded hot food bar at the Ashland Food Co-op allows you to scoop up as much or as little as you like or can afford (237 N. 1st St., 541-482-2237).

Martolli’s Hand-tossed Pizza sells whole pizzas or by the slice in two locations: On the Plaza (38 E. Main St., 541-482-1918) and next to Market of Choice, about two miles south, at 1469 Siskiyou Blvd. (541-482-1913).

Louie’s of Ashland on the Plaza is beloved for its friendly atmosphere and cheerful staff who don’t mind if you want to split a $6.99 “recession” classic burger with fries or order a “recession” glass of $3.99 (red or white) wine and a $2.75 dessert. There are also tasty vegetarian and gluten-free options. Arrive early for the poplar Tuesday Trivia from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (41 N. Main St., 541-482-9701).

Louie’s, Sesame Asian Kitchen, Greenleaf and many other restaurants alongside Ashland Creek offer al fresco dining. Wander past the umbrella-shaded tables on Calle Guanajuato on most weekends, and you’ll also see leather goods, fiber arts, jewelry and other items made by Lithia Artisans Market of Ashland’s artists and craftspeople.

Best places for early-risers

Portlanders can feel right at home waiting for breakfast at the crowd-pleasing Morning Glory Cafe at 1149 Siskiyou Blvd. (541-488-8636) across from the SOU campus or they can stay in the downtown Plaza and enjoy another pancake landmark: Brothe­r­s’ Restaurant at 95 N. Main St #2781 (541-482-9671).

Another early-morning Ashland institution is the Breadboard, a mile from the Plaza at 744 N. Main St. Satisfying comfort food includes Belgian waffles, gluten-free toast and sandwiches (541-488-0295).

Ruby’s of Ashland at 163 N. Pioneer St. has blossomed into a smooth operation with delicious breakfast burritos plus locally sourced vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free casual food. Diners cozy up in the two rooms or on the patio, which is popular in all types of weather (call ahead to order if you’re in a hurry: 541-488-7717).

And a footnote about beer

If you came to Oregon for fine craft beer, you’ll find it at Caldera Brewing Company near the I-5 or roll into downtown to the venerable Standing Stone Brewery or newer, patio-centric The Growler Guys (one of the very few chain businesses in the city). Craft beer-loving locals also gather at Gils and the RedZone Sports Bar N’ Grill.

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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