Going Out No. 1: No Saint
A neighborhood pizza spot that feels like more.
Welcome! This is the “Going Out” edition of Riley’s Recs, where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Every Sunday, I also share “Staying In” recipe recommendations for your week. What I should write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. Enjoy!
Meal: Dinner
Price for two including tip: $135
To eat: roasted nantes carrots, pear and sausage pizza, and tiramisu.
To drink: cheapest bottle of white wine
Every year on my birthday, I go to Ken’s Artisan Pizza. My birthday is in August and when the temperature climbs, the staff at Ken’s roll open the large glass windows to let the cool evening air in and the heat of the pizza oven out. When I go with my family, I order a Negroni or a bottle of chilled rose, the Caesar salad and a couple of pizzas, and settle in for a long, meandering dinner.
This year, I don’t think I’m going to Ken’s. I’d rather go to No Saint.
Ken’s Artisan Pizza no longer has “it” for me. The word is out so there’s always a long wait. Ever since the founder Ken Forkish sold the restaurant, it’s lost some of its charm. I feel like it’s a loud pub and not the sweet, breezy spot I used to enjoy.
No Saint is all of the things I love and miss about Ken’s except for the fact that Ken’s Artisan truly does serve the best tasting pizza I’ve ever had. It cannot be beat. Not by Apizza Scholls. Not by Lovely’s Fifty Fifty. And, yes, not even by No Saint.
But, despite the slight knock, I have fallen in love with No Saint. Housed on the corner of NE Killingsworth and 16th in the spot formerly occupied by Handsome Pizza, No Saint is a treat. It has the feel of a neighborhood spot but with the quality of a well-regarded restaurant.
The space is centered around a roaring pizza oven. From pretty much every angle, you can see the cooks assembling the dough and toppings as they dance to whatever tasteful, upbeat music is on the overhead speakers.
There’s outdoor seating, about a dozen 4-tops, and two group seating arrangements near the front windows that are definitely strategically positioned to sell the vibes to passersby. You can’t see people enjoying a bottle of wine and pizza and laughing over candlelight and not think to yourself “I want to go to there.”
If you go for dinner, you’ll be greeted by one of the wait staff, each of whom are extremely kind and have perfected the art of witty hospitality banter (It’s also not uncommon for co-owner Gabriella Casabianca to be posted up at the host stand).
You’ll be walked through a menu that includes red and white-sauced pizzas, baked pasta, salads, and a few grilled vegetable dishes. Everything features locally sourced ingredients, meaning you should definitely order a salad or roasted vegetable to start. Everything I’ve eaten has contained the perfect balance of acidity, fat, and crunch. I particularly recommend the escarole and pistachio butter salad and the roasted nantes carrots. I would eat these every day for lunch if I could.
Much like their salads, the pizzas rotate based on seasonality, although there’s always the option of plain with pepperoni or sausage. Each pizza feeds about 2-3 people, and there’s typically about eight options to choose from. There’s the pepperoni supreme option for the heavy carnivore in your group, but I’ve found that the lighter, vegetable-focused pies are where No Saint shines. (It’s worth noting that there’s a vegan pizza, too, but I can’t speak to how that compares to other places in town like Virtuous Pie.)
No Saint does not strike me as the place you want to order a cocktail.* Choose from their extensive wine list or order a beer or something NA. If you are itching for a cocktail, make a stop before or after at Expatriate down the street.
Do not under any circumstances skip dessert. Montelupo’s tiramisu is now surpassed by the leaning tower of ladyfingers and cream at No Saint. I’ve also heard great things about their Campari cake but TBH I have a great recipe for making that at home. You’ll want to order dessert, not only because it’s delicious, but because you won’t be ready to go. You’ll still have wine in your bottle or the sun will just be setting. So stay. Order the tiramisu.
My only real complaint about No Saint is that it’s only open Thursday to Sunday. Although they have expanded to offering a lunch service, I still find myself Googling their hours on a random Wednesday and being disappointed. For now, I’m hoping this tightly controlled schedule and menu allows them to stay in the neighborhood for a long, long time. Or at least until my birthday.
*Correction: No Saint does not have a cocktail list. Instead, they have a carefully crafted wine program, which is a clear reflection of co-owner Gabriella Casabianca’s experience running pop-ups at the natural wine bar Dame and developing the wine programs at Sweedeedee and Han Oak. Order a glass! Order a bottle! Ask for a rec. They know what they’re talking about.