Cover Story
Best of Central Oregon 2026
It is time, after a great deal of anticipation and hard work, to pull open the pages on this year’s Best of Central Oregon. It is a great honor to work on this project. This issue, more than any other in the year, requires an enormous amount of staff collaboration and dedication to produce a…
Best Local Brewer: Tonya Cornett — UPP Liquids
Precious little is handed to anyone in Central Oregon’s robust brewing scene that isn’t hard-won. In roughly two years, Tonya Cornett went from being laid off from the Canadian cannabis company that owns 10 Barrel Brewing, to winning a slew of awards for the beers she helped create as a co-owner at UPP Liquids, the…
Best Burrito: Los Jalapeños
When Gonzalo Morales opened Los Jalapeños on Greenwood Avenue, Bend’s population was somewhere around 30,000 people, the Old Mill District shopping center was still just an old mill, and the town’s first roundabout hadn’t even been built yet. That was 1995. The restaurant has been serving authentic Mexican fare ever since. “I’ve seen every change, ups and downs,” Morales said. Morales said at some point he won a “Best Of” award…
Best New Food Cart in Redmond: Top Dogs
Mustard, mayo and ketchup? Check! Bacon, grilled onions and peppers? Yes, please. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Wait, what? At Top Dogs, named 2026 Best New Food Cart for Redmond, there are big dogs, little dogs, chili dogs and the fan favorite, street dogs, which feature a bacon-wrap grilled dog topped with all the usual condiments, grilled onions and peppers — and the aforementioned Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. …
Best Nachos: Luckey’s Woodsman
Some masterpieces only come after years of dedication, practice and tinkering. Others are born out of pure necessity. That’s how Jackson Higdon describes the creation of his “mountain nachos,” which were voted the best nachos in Central Oregon by readers of the Source. Higdon started his mountain man-themed food truck, Luckey’s Woodsman, in the parking lot of the Sunrise Lodge at…
Best Sour Beer: Sea Plague
Tucked away in a quiet, shady block on Second Street in the Makers District, adventurous beer drinkers will find Funky Fauna, the home of truly unique brews, owned and operated by Michael Firth and Danielle Burns. The front of the house exudes a cool, dark vibe despite large windows that let in plenty of light.…
Best Lodging in Redmond: SCP Redmond Hotel + Best Happy Hour & Best Bar in Redmond: Wayfarer Club
On a recent hot Friday afternoon the Wayfarer Club in the cozy confines of the SCP Hotel in downtown Redmond is fairly packed, with only a few empty seats to be had. The happy clientele appeared to be a mix of hotel guests and locals, probably more of the latter. Smoky skies and an unhealthy…
Best Matcha: Little Cole Coffee Co.
With matcha gaining traction over coffee, especially among Gen Z, it was only a matter of time before this little ol’ paper’s readers’ poll got on board and added the powdered Japanese green tea beverage as an official category. Consider us caught up. The inaugural winner in our Best Matcha category is, like many local…
Best Radio Personality: Kris Arnold
Kris Arnold oozes cool. She’s rocking an all-black outfit and black sparkly slides, her blonde beachy waves shot through with vivid pink. She looks like she’d be right on point in front of the camera on a cool music show or fronting a rock band. But fortunately, for Central Oregonians, she’s quite happy behind the mic, playing a wide selection of rock from the past five decades as a DJ on 92/9 FM. It’s no…
Best Restaurant in Sisters: The Open Door
What makes The Open Door so special is that it never set out to be just a restaurant, or, in its unique case, just a gallery. The Open Door is really a sense of place and belonging. Walking into the patio on a bright summer morning, I admit, I felt extremely at peace. In 2000,…
Best Senior Living Community: Whispering Winds
The daily calendar at Whispering Winds Retirement Community is packed with a variety of activities including bingo, cardio drumming, birthday parties, chair volleyball, mimosas & watercolor class, bridge club, shopping trips, live music and so much more. Whispering Winds, which opened in 2003, has 148 residents and about 60 staff members. Source readers voted it Best Senior Living Community…
Best Nonprofit Serving Basic Needs: The Giving Plate
The Giving Plate started 16 years ago when Gary and Debra Kelso started a food bank with the hope of helping 500 local families. The nonprofit has been growing with its community ever since. Gregory Prestel joined The Giving Plate in April as the executive director. He emphasized that his new role reflected the efforts of everyone, especially those…
Best Shoe Store: Bend Shoe Co
Teague Hatfield has owned the Birkenstock-Bend Shoe Co store on NW Wall Street for a decade. That store has a long history in downtown Bend, originally opening in 1976. Hatfield and co-owner Tori Oshel opened the eastside location off NE Highway 20 in the Forum Shopping Center four years ago. Together, the stores have 26 employees. “We’re a classic comfort shoe store,” said Hatfield, who has…
Best Chiropractor: Wellness Doctor
Wellness Doctor’s win of Best Chiropractor comes in a very timely matter – the business just celebrated its 20th birthday. When I popped in to talk to the founder of Wellness Doctor, Jason Kremer, he was called from his office by a friendly yell down the hallway, “Hey Dr.K!” This pretty much sums up the atmosphere within…
Best Mediterranean and Best Falafel: Kefi Fast Fresh Mediterranean
When Nick Stanitsas opened a new Greek joint in a north Bend shopping center, his goal was to be voted Best Mediterranean restaurant in the Source’s annual readers poll. Today, as he looks to sell the restaurant, Stanitsas can confidently say he achieved what he set out to do and then some: Kefi Fast Fresh Mediterranean has won the Best Mediterranean category five years in a row. …
Best Lunch in Sunriver: Josie K’s Deli & Kitchen
Josie K’s Deli & Kitchen is a family affair through and through. April Potesta and her sister, Lindsay Morris, own the restaurant, which is named after one of their grandmothers. “We wanted this all to be loosely based off of our family — our menus, our family recipes. We’re an Italian family so we have a whole bunch of grandmas with a whole bunch of…
Best Local Home Builder & Best Restoration/Remodel: Sierra James Construction
Source readers voted Sierra James Construction the Best of Central Oregon in two categories this year. The Restoration team has also taken top honors the past few years. “I’m proud of our teams and proud of our growth. We’re going into our 10th year,” says Charley Roberts, partner and chief financial officer of Sierra James Construction. His business partner is Jesse Rowden. The company has more than 200 projects currently underway and about 60 employees. The…
Best Nonprofit Serving Animal Welfare: Humane Society of Central Oregon & Best Local Fundraiser: Tuxes & Tails & Best Thrift Store: HSCO Thrift Store
The Humane Society of Central Oregon has a long history of winning multiple “Best of Central Oregon” categories, which shelter managers say is a tribute to the public. “This community cares so deeply about animals and I am just astounded every time the community shows up in so many ways. We see that by people coming in to adopt animals. We see it…
Best Local Artist: Megan Marie Myers
When Megan Marie Myers relocated from Portland to Bend in 2015, it was hard for most Bendites not to notice. Not that Myers cuts an outsize public persona — she’d rather be ultra-running in the Cascade foothills with Smokey, her border collie. Instead, her playful art, reminiscent of children’s book illustrations and vintage Saturday morning…
Best Coffee Shop in Redmond: Tite Knot Craft Coffee
Stepping into the slice of tranquility created by the owners of Tite Knot Craft Coffee in downtown Redmond, visitors can sit quietly inside or enjoy the lush, grassy garden area outside. The coffee shop opened in 2021 during the pandemic, so customers were forced to order outside at a cart parked behind the building. That turned out to be an unexpected…
Best Bike Shop: Pine Mountain Sports
Even though he only bought Pine Mountain Sports in June, Rafe Lehner says he regularly notices longtime customers who walk into the west side Bend bike shop. And they recognize him. Lehner worked at Pine Mountain in 2013, shortly before opening Mountain View Cycles in downtown Hood River the following year. Lehner, who co-owns Pine…
Best Fitness Studio: Altius Pole Studio
Emily Aygun totally understands that people might not know what to expect when they walk into Altius Pole Studio, named the 2026 Best Fitness Studio in the Source readers’ poll. She recalls feeling the exact same way when she attended her first pole-dancing class. It was a moment that changed her life. A mathematics major at San Jose…
Best Local Band: Not Your Ex Lover
Voted Best Local Band by Source readers, Not Your Ex Lover describes itself as a “Latina, femme, (mostly) queer, ALL GRRL rock band based in Bend, Oregon.” The band also offers the following: “Their music tells the story of love and heartbreak with a grunge-pop vibe — and lots of sparkle. The band was formed…
Best Architect Firm: Crabtree Architecture + Design
Best Architect Firm is a new category in our Best of Central Oregon readers’ poll for 2026, and based on Central Oregon’s explosive growth — and the wealth of beautiful new buildings that come with that growth — the category definitely faced some stiff competition. You might not know Crabtree Architecture + Design by name,…
