1
Bangers & Brews (Westside)
Family restaurant. The name pretty much gives away the plot.
Welcome
Hey neighbor 👋
Welcome to the very first issue of Locals Swear By. The idea is simple: when you're hungry, or your water heater picks a fight with you at 10 p.m., you shouldn't have to dig through 40 browser tabs to find out where Central Oregon actually goes. So every week we look at real local reviews and boil them down to a short list you can trust.
How the rankings work: we start with each business's Google rating and review count, then use a weighted score. That way a spot with a handful of 5-star reviews doesn't automatically beat one that's earned a 4.8 from thousands of people. The more reviews a place has, the more its own rating counts. With only a few reviews, it gets pulled toward the local average until it's proven itself. Rankings update every week, so nobody gets to coast.
Nobody paid to be on this list, and nobody can. Let's eat.
🍴 Restaurants · Bend
Bend's Top 5 Restaurants
2
Tekka Tiger
Asian restaurant up on N Hwy 97, and a perfect 5.0 so far.
3
Da Nang
Vietnamese restaurant on SW Simpson.
4
Kitchen Window Sourdough Pizza
Sourdough pizza, as promised on the sign.
5
Funky Fauna Artisan Ales
Brewery making artisan ales on NE 2nd St.
Just missed the cut: Idle Hands Pizza Co. @ The Pantry (4.9 · 136) and Terranaut Beer (4.9 · 128). Bend, you are not short on pizza or beer.
Ratings via Google, as of Oct 18, 2026
🍴 Restaurants · Redmond
Redmond's Top 5 Restaurants
1
La Bonita Brunch
Burrito restaurant on NW 6th St, with a flawless 5.0 across nearly 200 reviews. That's tough to do.
2
PSALM @ 122
Southeast Asian restaurant on SW 5th St.
3
Jonny's Joint
A local restaurant that Redmond clearly likes a lot.
4
Richard's Sliders
The name says sliders. We trust the name.
5
Regios Cafe
Cafe. With 464 reviews, it has the biggest crowd in Redmond's top five.
Just missed the cut: El Imperio (4.9 · 120) and El ChangoLeon Mexican food (5.0 · 61).
Ratings via Google, as of Oct 18, 2026
🔧 Trades · Bend
Bend's Top Trades
The best-reviewed pro in each category. One thing to know: trade ratings bunch up between 4.8 and 5.0. So in this section, review volume decides most of the ranking. A 5.0 from 795 customers is a different animal than a 5.0 from 21.
Plumber
Deschutes Plumbing Company
Pest control
Alpine Pest Management
HVAC
Pyramid Heating & Cooling
Handyman
Songster Handyman Services
House painter
West Rivers Painting
Roofing
High Ridge Roofing & Gutters
Landscaping / lawn
Cool Dad Lawn and Landscape
Auto repair
Zenith Automotive
Remodeling / general contractor
Branch Brothers Construction
Electrician
Elite Electric
House cleaning
Tidy Village Natural Cleaning
Ratings via Google, as of Oct 18, 2026
🔧 Trades · Redmond
Redmond's Top Trades
Handyman
Rez The Builder
House cleaning
A+ Cleaning & Sanitation
Electrician
Amped Electric
Pest control
Dan's Pest Control
Plumber
Faherty's Plumbing & Construction Services
HVAC
Three Peaks Heating and Cooling
Roofing
River City Roofing Bend/Redmond
General contractor
High Road Construction
Landscaping
Central Oregon Landscaping
House painter
Paint Pro's Central Oregon
Auto repair
GN Tire & Service
Photo finish: Redmond's HVAC spot was basically a tie. All Year Heating and Cooling (5.0 · 70) came in a hair behind Three Peaks. Either way, your furnace is in good hands this winter.
Ratings via Google, as of Oct 18, 2026
💎 Under the radar
Hidden Gems
Gems are spots with a near-perfect score that haven't been discovered by the masses yet.
Bend
Chonie's Pizza (Van Henion Brewing location)
Pizza restaurant out on Plateau Dr. It has a perfect 5.0 from its first few dozen reviewers. Go before everyone else does.
Redmond
Good Friend
Gluten-free restaurant. That's good news for anyone who's tired of asking "is this safe for me?"
Ratings via Google, as of Oct 18, 2026
🎿 Off the clock
Locals' Hobby Picks
Starter list · not ranked yetFall in Central Oregon means you get one last paddle and one last round of golf, and then you start checking the snow report every morning. This section isn't ranked from reviews yet. Think of it as a starter list of real, local spots for your off-hours. We confirmed every business on its own website on Oct 18, 2026.
Bend
Pine Mountain Sports
📍 SW Century Dr.
Ski and snowboard rentals and tuning, plus bikes. Mt. Bachelor says Opening Day is slated for Dec. 4, 2026 (conditions permitting), so now's the time to get your edges sharpened, before everybody else remembers.
Bend Rock Gym
📍 SE Centennial Ct.
Three indoor climbing gyms off one parking lot, with ropes, auto-belays and bouldering. Day passes and rental gear are available.
Fly & Field Outfitters
📍 SW Century Dr.
A fly shop and guide service. They say their Lower Deschutes trips run through steelhead season in November.
Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe
📍 SW Industrial Way
The main store is open year-round and rents paddleboards, kayaks and canoes on the Deschutes near the Old Mill. Bring a jacket. It's October.
Synergy Ceramics
📍 NE Division St.
A ceramics studio and gallery with multi-week wheel-throwing classes for adults. Something to do with your hands while you wait on the snow.
Redmond & nearby
Trinity Bikes
📍 SW Parkway Dr.
Bike sales, rentals and repairs. They call themselves “the bicycle hub of Redmond.”
Juniper Golf Course
📍 SW Elkhorn Ave.
A publicly owned course. Check their course-conditions page before you go, because October frost delays are real.
Love Bird Yoga
📍 SW 6th St.
A family-owned yoga studio downtown.
Redpoint Climbing
📍 Terrebonne
A climbing gear shop (with coffee and local beer) just up the road near Smith Rock.
Got a hobby spot we should add? Drop it in the comments or DM us on Instagram @localsswearby. We'd like to rank this list from local reviews in a future issue.
🗳️ Your turn
Vote for next week
Which list should we tackle in Issue #2?
- 🌮 Best tacos & Mexican food
- ☕ Best breakfast & brunch
- 🍺 Best brewpubs
- 🚗 Best auto repair
- 🎿 Best ski, bike & outdoor shops
Just drop your pick in the comments or DM us on Instagram @localsswearby. While you're at it, tell us your go-to spot: the place you send every out-of-town guest, or the plumber whose number you'd never delete. We read every comment and DM, and your picks help shape what we cover.
Know someone who just moved here? Or who's still asking the neighborhood Facebook group for a roofer? Share this page. Word of mouth is the whole point of this thing.
From Trent
Thanks for reading Issue #1. I started Locals Swear By because the best recommendations I've ever gotten came from neighbors, not ads. This newsletter is meant to be that neighbor, the one who has done the homework. It'll stay free and stay independent, and it'll get better every week with your help. See you next Sunday.
— Trent Van Dyke, Founder
Follow along on Instagram: @localsswearby
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