Issues & publish dates
Bend & Redmond · Central Oregon

Locals Swear By

Where Bend and Redmond actually love to eat, and who they trust with their homes. A free weekly list, ranked from real local reviews. Nobody pays to be on it.

Read Issue #2: The taco edition →Recommend a local
About

What we do, and why

When you're hungry, or the furnace quits on a cold night, you shouldn't have to dig through a dozen tabs to figure out who's actually good. So every week we do that homework for you.

What we do

  • We pull the current Google rating and review count for hundreds of restaurants and trade businesses in Bend and Redmond.
  • We rank them with a weighted score. A spot needs a lot of reviews for its rating to count fully, so a place with a handful of 5-stars can't jump ahead of one that's held a 4.9 with hundreds of customers.
  • We re-check everything each week and show you what moved.
  • Each issue has the top 5 restaurants in each town, the best-reviewed pro in each trade, a couple of hidden gems and a feature list you vote on.

Why we do it

The best recommendations usually come from neighbors, not ads. This is meant to be that neighbor, the one who's done the homework.

Nobody pays to be included. No business can buy a spot on the list, and none ever will.

It's about celebrating the good ones. We only publish who locals love. You won't find a worst-of list here.

Your picks matter. When you recommend someone, we check their numbers, and the best picks get featured with your first name and town, only with your OK.

We're starting in Bend and Redmond and expanding across Oregon from here.

Latest issue

Issue #2 is out

Issue #2 cover: Bend and Redmond's best tacos, ranked
The taco edition · Published Oct 28, 2026

Bend & Redmond's best tacos, ranked.

  • Both top 5s held for a second week
  • A new top pick in Bend pest control
  • El ChangoLeon climbs to #6 in Redmond
  • Two new hidden gems
Tacos PihuamoBend · ★ 4.9 · 872 reviews
La Bonita BrunchRedmond · ★ 5.0 · 188 reviews
Alebrije CrosscutBend gem · ★ 5.0 · 23
Burger WildRedmond gem · ★ 4.8 · 53
Read Issue #2 →

Published Wednesday, Oct 28, 2026 · Ratings via Google as of Oct 27, 2026.

Archive

Every issue

  1. 02Issue #2 · The taco editionPublished Oct 28, 2026 · Ratings as of Oct 27 · Best tacos & Mexican food, what changed, top 5s, trades, hidden gemsRead →
  2. 01Issue #1 · The first listPublished Oct 19, 2026 · Ratings as of Oct 18 · Top 5 restaurants, top trades, hidden gems, hobby picksRead →
Recommend a local

Who should make the list?

The best tips we get come from neighbors. Tell us who you swear by and we'll check their numbers for an upcoming issue.

1

Comment or DM

DM us on Instagram at @localsswearby, or comment on a post on our Facebook Page, Locals Swear By.

2

Name the spot

The restaurant, food truck, plumber, mechanic or roofer, plus the town.

3

Tell us why

The best picks get featured in an issue with your first name and town, only if you say it's OK.

DM @localsswearby on Instagram →
No business pays to be included, ever