It’s no big secret: Southern Oregon is full of flavor — and plenty of award-winning restaurants. There are a lot of reasons to take a trip down south; food just might be at the top of the list. Enjoy these don’t-miss restaurants.

### Ashland

This pretty city known for arts and culture earns its accolades on the dinner table too. Come November, Ashland’s culinary talent takes center stage at the **Ashland Culinary Festival**, when 12 local chefs compete for Top Chef honor using local produce and a mysterious “secret key ingredient.” Guests cheer on their favorites, attend culinary workshops, take wine tours and sample dozens of tastemakers’ creations during the four-day festival. If you can’t make the festivities, catch the chefs at their restaurants year-round. Last year’s winner, Skye Elder, designs dishes at **Brickroom** of comfort food meets global cuisine, with standouts like ginseng panacea, crab-artichoke ravioli and veggie po’boys. Oregon’s bounty is also served at **MÄS**, where two-time Ashland Culinary Festival winner Josh Dorcak creates seasonal menus rooted in Cascadia flavors like salmon sashimi or elk with dandelion, potato and elderberry sauce.

A stone’s throw from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and next door to the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, **Hearsay Restaurant** is a showstopper on its own, with al fresco dining and farm-fresh ingredients. **Alchemy Restaurant & Bar**, located in The Winchester Inn, presents a rich menu including seared foi gras, filet mignon and stuffed quail with rabbit sausage wrapped black plum and goat cheese polenta. **Amuse **takes a Pacific Northwest twist on French cuisine, utilizing organic produce and meats for dishes like truffle-roasted game hen. Of course this being Southern Oregon wine country, each restaurant boasts a significant wine list too.

### Jacksonville

In the heart of Applegate Valley wine country, **Jacksonville Inn Dinner House** offers a list of more than 2,000 wines and the warm interior of the charming 19th century Jacksonville Inn is the perfect setting for a rich menu with offerings of wild mushrooms, rosemary grilled pork loin and hazelnut-stuffed chicken. Nestled next to the beautiful Britt Gardens, **Gogi’s Restaurant** is a fine dining experience with grassroots ingredients — much of the produce comes from the owners’ (who are also brothers) farm — with delicate flavors elevating hearty dishes like cider-brined pork chop and pancetta-wrapped lamb. For a more relaxed German dining experience, visit **The Schoolhaus Brewhaus**, located in a historic 1908 brick school building, with plenty of biergarten lawn games to keep you entertained post-meal.

### Medford

**Pomadori Bistro & Wine Bar** serves an Italian menu with decidedly Pacific Northwest leanings; pair dishes of gnocchi, scaloppini, chicken picata and pasta with a wine menu celebrating Southern Oregon — bold reds, crisp whites and drinkable rosés. A historic train station sets the scene for **Porters Restaurant**, where the menu honors Pacific Northwest staples like steelhead and oysters, steak and tenderloin, with its own unique flair.

### Klamath Falls

**The Ruddy Duck** at the Running Y Ranch has a contemporary and comfortable setting for hearty New American cuisine; look for fresh wild salmon, several grilled steak options and a savory burger menu. Come for the pasta, stay for extra scoops of gelato at **Italianna’s Ristorante & Gelateria **(and grab some shareable bruschetta and calamari in between). If you need another reason to visit the picturesque **Lake of the Woods**, the onsite restaurant satisfies homecooking cravings with flaky crust pot pies and fresh baked cobbler.

### Grants Pass

A wine bar first and foremost, **The Twisted Cork** is known for its large wine list and creative food menu. Savory dishes include Kahlua prawns, chroizo-stuffed mushrooms, macadamia-nut-crusted fish, pomegranate cinnamon flank steak and sticky toffee pudding. Take in breathtaking views of the Rogue River from a log cabin-style building at **Taprock Northwest Grill**, where heaping plates of Pacific Northwest cuisine aim to please. Dinner at **The Vine** is always divine, with farm-to-table food that includes sunflower salad and coffee-rub pot roast.

### Roseburg

At home in an elegant brick building in the heart of downtown, **Brix**’s warm and casual interior is a welcoming spot to enjoy a diverse menu; choose from steaks, seafood, burgers and pastas with a full bar, craft beer and a very respectable wine list. Whether it’s date night or you simply want to treat yourself, dinner at **True Kitchen + Bar** is a great choice; the “social” appetizers, like truffled mac, don’t have to be shared and the pistachio pesto primavera is photo-worthy. While it’s true **The Parrot House** is under renovation, we expect the charming restaurant, housed in a picturesque 1891 residence, will return soon to satisfy all your locavore cravings.