The Top 6 Up-and-Coming Food Influencers in Portland
Portland food influencers who punch above their follower count: 6 up-and-coming creators with up to 5 times the typical engagement of their size, and how to book a visit.
Most Portland-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers get about 8 likes and comments per 1,000 followers on a typical Reel.
- 1.
Michael, @micbanh41.7 - 2.
@chicknnick, @chicknnick39.4 - 3.
Yvette, @yvetteciao25.2 - 4.
Ross, @ouitsfood22.8 - 5.
Kimberlynn, @kimberlynn.pdx18.3 - 6.
Angeline, @ggfooodie13.9
1. Michael, @micbanh: new openings, desserts and cafes
new openings, desserts and cafes
- Engagement Strength
- 41.75x the typical Portland food account
- Followers
- 38,165
- Avg. views per Reel
- 58,937
- Reels, last 30 days
- 11+
Michael covers Portland-area restaurants and new openings, plus farm and festival trips around Oregon. Recent posts include the 14-seat omakase counter Sazanami in Beaverton, which reached 73,079 views, the $55 all-you-can-enjoy Balkan menu at Alma, which reached 30,664 views, and Dumont, an Indian ice cream shop new to Portland, which reached 77,111 views.
The strongest fit is a new opening, a dessert shop or a restaurant with a set-price format. The bio lists an email address.
2. @chicknnick: local favorites, sushi and sandwiches
local favorites, sushi and sandwiches
- Engagement Strength
- 39.45x the typical Portland food account
- Followers
- 11,809
- Avg. views per Reel
- 18,423
- Reels, last 30 days
- 5+
The account, run by a Portland native, covers local restaurants across Portland and out to Beaverton and Hillsboro. Recent posts include the chicken parm sandwich at the new Salami Mammi in Beaverton, which reached 68,561 views, brisket beef noodle soup at Luke's Noodle House in Beaverton, which reached 34,930 views, and sushi at Toshi, open since 1994.
The strongest fit is a long-running neighborhood restaurant, a sandwich shop or a sushi spot with loyal regulars. The bio lists an email address.
3. Yvette, @yvetteciao: Korean food, brunch and Beaverton
Korean food, brunch and Beaverton
- Engagement Strength
- 25.23x the typical Portland food account
- Followers
- 41,655
- Avg. views per Reel
- 39,154
- Reels, last 30 days
- 13+
Yvette covers Portland and Beaverton restaurants and also makes lattes at the Cafe Youngi pop-up. Recent posts include handmade pastas at Estes, which reached 144,330 views, Mexican brunch from Ancestro on North Williams, which reached 59,627 views, and $2.50 banh mi at Fubonn, which reached 64,986 views.
The strongest fit is a Korean or Asian restaurant, a brunch spot or a new place in Beaverton. The bio lists an email address.
4. Ross, @ouitsfood: coffee, chai and neighborhood spots
coffee, chai and neighborhood spots
- Engagement Strength
- 22.83x the typical Portland food account
- Followers
- 5,156
- Avg. views per Reel
- 4,214
- Reels, last 30 days
- 12+
Ross covers Portland-area cafes and casual restaurants, from Southeast Portland to Beaverton, Hillsboro and Gresham. Recent posts include Northern Vietnamese pho at Pho HaThanh in Southeast Portland, which reached 21,167 views, the Polish frank at Frank A Lot off Burnside, and modern chai at Fly Chai in Beaverton.
The strongest fit is a coffee shop, a tea bar or a small family-run restaurant. The bio lists an email address for work.
5. Kimberlynn, @kimberlynn.pdx: new openings, food carts and cocktails
new openings, food carts and cocktails
- Engagement Strength
- 18.32x the typical Portland food account
- Followers
- 34,316
- Avg. views per Reel
- 64,424
- Reels, last 30 days
- 17+
Kimberlynn covers new Portland spots along with Oregon day trips and European travel. Recent posts include the new Thai restaurant Hua Hin, which reached 22,768 views, the Yin Yang Burger cart at Core PDX, and Rhinestone, a neighborhood taco and cocktail spot.
The strongest fit is a new opening, a food cart or a bar with a strong look. The bio lists an email address.
6. Angeline, @ggfooodie: Filipino food, poke and dessert
Filipino food, poke and dessert
- Engagement Strength
- 13.92x the typical Portland food account
- Followers
- 19,191
- Avg. views per Reel
- 33,314
- Reels, last 30 days
- 9+
Angeline covers Portland and Beaverton food, with Filipino and Asian spots at the center and some home cooking mixed in. Recent posts include palabok from the Filipino food cart Krunchie Bliss in Hillsboro, corn kakigori at Soen, and opening day at OG Poke in Beaverton.
The strongest fit is a food cart, a dessert shop or an Asian restaurant with a seasonal item. The bio invites collaboration requests by email.
How to reach Portland food influencers and get a visit booked
Finding someone you want to work with is the start. You still need a reply, agreed terms, a visit on the calendar and the content afterward.
Find their business email, follow them and reach out
Look for the email button on their Instagram profile, a business-inquiries address in their bio or a contact page on their linked website. If they list a manager for collaborations, use that contact.
Follow the account and watch a few recent restaurant videos. Then email a specific invitation: which restaurant you run, where it is, what you would like them to try and what you are proposing in return. Mention a relevant post of theirs so they can see why you chose them.
Send a short DM pointing them to your email. If their profile asks businesses to DM rather than email, start there. The goal is to get the invitation seen through the channels they use for work.
Follow up and get your terms in writing
If you do not hear back, follow up after a few business days. If there is still no response, move on to another good fit. Stop if they decline.
Once they are interested, agree on the food credit, any cash fee, guest count, content they will produce and posting deadline. Include raw footage and commercial usage rights if you need them. Permission to advertise from the influencer's account is separate from permission to run their video from your restaurant's account.
Get those terms in writing before you book. A friendly yes does not tell you whether you are getting a Reel, a few Stories or any files you can use afterward.
Schedule the visit and tell your team what was agreed
Offer specific dates and service windows. Confirm the influencer's name, party size, arrival time, dining credit and who they should ask for when they arrive. Give your team the same information.
Send a reminder before the visit. If the date changes, update the booking and your team so the new plan is not buried in a DM.
Follow up until you have the content
After the visit, check the posting deadline, review anything that requires approval and collect the files you agreed on. Follow up if the content is late. Save the finished video, raw clips and written permissions together so you can actually use them later.
Keep track of the influencers whose content, attitude and follow-through you liked. Those are the people to invite back. You do not need to start a new search every month when you have relationships worth continuing.
Want local influencers without managing all that back-and-forth?
You can do this yourself. The work is keeping a dozen different conversations moving: who replied, who agreed to your terms, who needs a date, who rescheduled and who still owes you content.
Remy gets interested local influencers to apply to work with your restaurant on your terms. You approve the influencers and their content. Remy handles scheduling, reminders, rescheduling and content follow-up, and you keep the relationships so you can invite good people back.
Instead of chasing every person on a list, you can choose from influencers who have already applied to work with you.
Looking for another city? See our food influencer lists by city, including New York City, Boston and Las Vegas.
About the numbers
Engagement Strength is the likes and comments a typical recent Reel gets per 1,000 followers, using each account's newest Reels from the past 90 days. We screened 72 Portland-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers and checked each finalist for real Portland restaurant coverage. The typical account we screened scored 8. Data collected 2026-09-24.