Savoring the best rugelach in Portland down to the last crumb
Photo by Benjamin Olshin
Baked at 350º, it’s caramelized, buttery, and absolutely delicious.
Cookies?
Brownies?
Babka?
Nope, this is rugelach.
A classic for Jewish holidays spanning Hanukkah to Shavuot and a popular pastry for an occasional afternoon nosh, rugelach is a bite-sized pastry everyone must try.
Rugelach, pronounced ruh-guh-luh for a New Yorker inflection or roo-guh-luh (like arugula, without the a-) for the more common pronunciation, is a Jewish pastry originating from Poland. The word roughly translates to “little twists” in Yiddish, the traditional language of Ashkenazi Jews (Jews of Eastern European descent). The delicacy is traditionally made by filling dough with nuts, cinnamon, and chocolate, then shaping it into a crescent. See a video recipe here.
Portland’s Jewish food scene is not like that of New York or Los Angeles. However, there are some standout rugelach from shops ranging from vegetarian Jewish delis to cozy bakeries.
I picked up rugelach from three Portland bakeries and delis and reviewed each pastry on five factors: flakiness, caramelization, butteriness, depth of flavor, and value. Each factor was rated 1 through 10 with 10 being the highest possible rating for a total of 50 possible points.
You can order each of these rugelach now and for each restaurant, I provide contact information, location, and hours of operation adjusted for COVID-19.
First stop on my rugelach tour was Ben & Esther’s, “Portland’s only vegetarian deli,” on Sandy Boulevard in outer Northeast.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was that these rugelach were big, even massive! After unwrapping the rugelach from their plastic casing, I could see cinnamon sugar coating the pastries with very little caramelization (caramelization score of 5/10). When biting into them, the inside of the rugelach crumbled and the outside flaked off (flakiness score of 8/10). The filling of ground nuts, raisins, and chocolate was very coarse and had a smooth, buttery taste (butteriness score of 8/10). This rugelach was quite sweet and had a strong walnut taste (depth of flavor score of 10/10). As the rugelach was a bit pricey at $3.00 per pastry, I gave it a value score of 7/10. In total, Ben & Esther’s received a score of 38/50. This was a tasty rugelach, best for those looking for a simple yet delicious snack.
Ben and Esther’s is open Monday through Friday from 7 am to 3 pm at 6912 NW Sandy Boulevard. Takeout orders can be placed by calling (503) 477-5714.
Next, I ordered rugelach from VilleVelo, a bake shop in Portland’s Sabin neighborhood.
The caramelization on the rugelach was incredible, with the perfect amount of hardened chunks on the bottom and stickiness on the top (caramelization score of 10/10). There were delicious pieces of coarsely chopped walnuts and a sprinkling of salt on top. The rugelach was not very flaky (flakiness score of 5/10). The dough was smooth and buttery without being overwhelmingly so (butteriness score of 10/10). The rugelach had a very deep, nutty flavor with a strong raisin aftertaste (depth of flavor score of 10/10). In an interview with The Hollywood Star News, Jeff Horvitz, the owner, said that his team “strives to always put out a product that meets our high standards and tastes good, at a reasonable price.” This emphasis on high quality and affordable price rang true in my visit to the shop; Jeff generously offered me a 50% discount on the rugelach from $2.50/rugelach to $1.25/rugelach. With or without the discount, given how delicious these rugelach were, I gave it a value score of 10/10. Overall, VilleVelo received a total score of 45/50. This was an outstanding pastry. I’d recommend this to anybody interested in a traditional rugelach who likes juxtapositions of textures (crunch of the walnuts, stickiness of the top, and smoothness of the dough).
VilleVelo is closed on Monday and Tuesday and open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm. Takeout orders can be placed by calling (503) 522-9310.
My last stop was to Lauretta Jean’s on Southeast Division Street, “one of the city’s most beloved pie shops.”
As soon as I opened the box, I could smell the butteriness and noticed the perfectly caramelized tops of the pastries (caramelization score of 10/10). The rugelach had flakes of salt on top and the base consisted of melted sugar which was sticky to the touch. The rugelach were dense and had a strong, rich taste of cinnamon (depth of flavor score of 10/10). The dough flaked slightly when bitten into (flakiness score of 7/10) and had a buttery taste without overdoing it (butteriness score of 9/10). A pack of three rugelach cost $5.25 for an individual cost of $1.75/rugelach (value score of 9/10). In sum, Lauretta Jean’s received a total score of 45/50. Their rugelach was an incredible twist on the classic pastry, with great caramelization and depth of flavor.
Lauretta Jean’s is closed on Monday and Tuesday and open Wednesday through Friday from 4 pm to 10 pm and on the weekend from 12 pm to 10 pm. Takeout orders can be placed by calling (503) 235-3119.
Overall, Ben & Esther’s earned a score of 38/50, VilleVelo earned 45/50, and Lauretta Jean’s earned 45/50. VilleVelo and Lauretta Jean’s were tied for Portland’s best rugelach with Ben & Esther’s coming in as a close third. All three of these locations are locally run so if you are financially able, I highly recommend picking up some rugelach.
CatlinSpeak has written food reviews on xiao long bao and rugelach. Comment below what other food reviews you’d like to see!