Portland, Oregon food stops

Just read Cristina Sciarra's query from four years ago about where to eat in Portland and have taken notes. But I wonder whether there are new places to try (breakfast, lunch, dinner, particular food trucks, markets, shops, etc.)? I will be there for just a few days in late January and early February, concentrating primarily on downtown and the NW area, including the Pearl District. Any and all thoughts much appreciated!

calendargirl
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5 Comments

hardlikearmour January 5, 2017
Downtown & the Pearl area:
Tasty n Alder -- really tasty brunch food. http://www.tastynalder.com/
Grassa & Lardo (& Beer Belly) -- same owner, same building -- sandwiches at Lardo & fresh pasta at Grassa. For some reason Grassa is not typically busy at lunch time, but is busy at supper. If you want something lighter than a sandwich at Lardo you can also order any sandwich as a salad. http://grassapdx.com/ http://lardosandwiches.com/
Blue Star -- yes to the lemon poppyseed old fashioned, also the passion fruit cacao nib & the orange cake http://www.bluestardonuts.com/
Maurice -- lunch, pastries, and especially dessert http://www.mauricepdx.com/
Pepe le Moko and/or Teardrop Lounge -- top notch cocktails. http://pepelemokopdx.com/ http://www.teardroplounge.com/
Cacao -- decadent sipping chocolate especially if served as a pour over Salt and Straw olive oil ice cream https://cacaodrinkchocolate.com/
Chizu -- If you love cheese they have a fantastic cheese selection served in a sushi restaurant style. Choose how much to spend and go omakase; you won't be disappointed. http://chizubar.com/
Headwaters at the Heathman -- if you can get reservations for the Russian Tea service you should go for it. http://www.headwaterspdx.com/russian-tea/
Wiz Bang Bar in the Pine Street Market -- soft serve from the Salt & Straw folks http://saltandstraw.com/wizbangbar/
Toast, croissant, or a loaf of bread from Trifecta Annex in the Pine Street Market: http://www.trifectapdx.com/annex/
You may as well walk through Union Way, and since you're in there stop in at Quin Candy http://quincandy.com/
World foods is an upscale food market. I just read something about their home-made chocolate halvah. http://www.worldfoodsportland.com/
Made Here PDX is a little shop featuring locally made goods, and it's right across the street from Powell's: https://madeherepdx.com/
North of West is also local made goods: https://www.shopnorthofwest.com/

NW 23rd area:
Ataula -- delicious Spanish & Catalan food http://www.ataulapdx.com/
St. Jack -- French food & delicious happy hour http://stjackpdx.com/
There is a branch of Grassa on NW 23rd, as well.
the Meadow -- shop specializing in salt, chocolate, and bitters http://themeadow.com/
New Seasons market -- grocery with a good selection of locally made products https://www.newseasonsmarket.com/our-stores/slabtown/

Barista is top notch for coffee -- there are branches in the Pearl and Nob Hill (NW 23rd)
PSU farmer's market is open year round on Saturdays -- http://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/our-markets/psu/

If you cross the river there are some options to consider:
Kachka -- Russian food, good happy hour, order some dumplings: http://kachkapdx.com/
Revelry -- Don't pass up the fried chicken: http://www.relayrestaurantgroup.com/restaurants/revelry/
Jacobsen Salt (and Bee Local Honey) -- http://jacobsensalt.com/pages/contact-us
Steven Smith Tea -- get a flight or a tea latte: https://www.smithtea.com/pages/retail

A couple of good resources are eaterpdx & portland monthly -- that's generally how I learn about what's new in town RE: food.
Feel free to message me if you want any more info.
 
BerryBaby January 5, 2017
Screen Door for their chicken and waffles! HUGE portion and enough for two. The line is always long on the weekend but worth it. So many wonderful places to visit. The food trucks are amazing. They use to have a walking tour of the food carts where you sample many of them. I'm sure the information is online somewhere. Too bad you won't be here in the spring and summer. All the gardens are so beautiful, Japanese Gardens, Rose Garden (I'd still go there, just to see the fantastic view of the city and Mount Hood), the Pittock Mansion, all beautiful. You will have a great time! BB
 
ChefJune January 5, 2017
OMG, if you love Japanese food, don't miss Tanuki! My friend Janis Martin makes the most amazing food.
 
jstew52 January 5, 2017
Re: markets- in NW I like New Seasons, Zupan's and Elephants for fun browsing. The Farmer's Mkt near PSU is also fantastic (sat). Good bakeries and pizza in the area as well. And they love to brunch in PDX.
 
HWilder January 5, 2017
Blue Star Donuts-much better than Voodoo Donuts, and if they have it, get the lemon poppyseed. It may not sound exciting, but it was the best donut I have ever had. EVER.

Barista coffee- fantastic coffee, and there is a location in the Alberta so you can grab coffee to drink while you are waiting in line to get breakfast at Pine State Biscuits. (Because there will be one) I love their Chatfield-fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, and apple butter on a biscuit.

Yama Sushi & Sake Bar in the pearl district has fantastic sushi. My husband is actually having dinner there tonight while in Portland on a business trip and sending me droolworthy pictures of his food.

Pok Pok was mentioned in the previous posts and it's wonderful! And also conveniently located close to one of Salt and Straw's location, the amazing ice cream shop with flavors like lemon cookie and ricotta or champagne and pear sorbet.

If you want to go a little south the Sapphire Hotel is a cocktail bar that used to be a brothel back in the 1900s. They have an extensive and very fun cocktail menu and if you need something to nibble on the food is good too.

If you need a break from the bustle, I also highly recommend stopping by the Lan Su Chinese Gardens. It is calm, quiet, and a great respite when you are having tourist burnout.
 
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