From food cart pods to roasteries, craft breweries to donut shops, Portland is famous for its food scene.
The birthplace of renowned chef James Beard, whose namesake awards now regularly recognize local restaurants and bars, it’s a city full of foodies, gourmands, and epicurean enthusiasts. While there are plenty of enticing reasons to visit, from roaming the International Rose Test Garden to browsing the stacks at Powell's, many come just for the food.
I should know; one of the reasons I moved here was for the food scene. It’s now been over five years, and my list of favorite restaurants and food carts just keeps growing.
While this is a fairly compact city, a helpful trick to eating your way through Portland can be sticking to one area per day. This leaves more time for noms and less time traveling.
Here’s how I, as a Portlander, would go about having a three-day getaway centered around eating and drinking.
In this article
Day 1
Home to some of Portland’s most famous restaurants like Voodoo Donuts and Huber’s Cafe (the oldest eatery in the city), the downtown area is a great first place to begin your Portland foodie foray.
Grab a black sesame cream latte from Less and More to sip as you stroll over to Pioneer Courthouse Square for a breakfast sandwich from Fried Egg I’m In Love; the sausage-and-pesto Yolko Ono is a favorite.
Of course, you'll want to try the aforementioned Voodoo Doughnuts. It’s a bit touristy as it’s appeared on many TV shows, but it's also a classic and famous for good reason. If you can brave the lines, it’s worth the wait to try some of its signature creations like the maple bacon bar and the raspberry-filled voodoo donut.
Next, work up an appetite again by wandering the streets of downtown and the Pearl District neighborhood, where you’ll find the famous Powell’s bookstore, as well as the Portland Art Museum and the Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
Once sufficiently hungry, head to the Midtown Beer Garden food cart pod, which is a grouping of food trucks and carts where you can sample a bunch of different cuisines and dishes at once. It’s one of downtown’s most popular options for its abundant seating and dining options, like a jiang bing from Bing Mi or a pork katsu sandwich from Tokyo Sando. You'll also be well positioned to walk up to Northwest 23rd, a major shopping and dining thoroughfare, to browse; and if you get peckish, nab an ice cream from Salt & Straw.
When happy hour rolls around, amble over to Freeland Spirits, which is a women-owned craft distillery and a good spot for cocktails. If you’re more into beer, Breakside Brewery is known for its IPAs.
After a day of casual fare, go high-key for dinner at Takibi, a design-driven Japanese joint serving wood-fired miso black cod or seasonal omakase spreads. Another good option is the housemade pasta at Grassa, which also serves a pork belly mac and cheese that’s always a crowdpleaser.
Day 2
Today, turn your attention to Portland’s northeast quadrant, an area filled with historic, artsy districts like Alberta. And if you avoided Voodoo for being too touristy, try Pip’s instead, which is a beloved local favorite known for miniature carnival-style donuts and housemade chai.
Or, for a more substantial breakfast, try the corncakes at Sweedeedee, which is a charming cafe that always draws a brunch crowd.
Just stay hungry for lunch and the chance to choose between the diverse array of cuisines on offer in Portland. In this part of town you'll find soul food from Kee’s #Loaded Kitchen, Hawaiian plates from GrindWitTryz, and a Tulip Shop Tavern smashburger, which all offer something different for a wide range of palates.
For happy hour, roll up to Radio Room, which has a patio that can’t be beaten when the weather is nice. While sipping a drink, mull over dinner at either Eem for Thai BBQ (get the white curry with brisket burnt ends, widely considered one of the best dishes in town) or Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, a nationally recognized pizzeria that highlights ingredients from Oregon farms. They’re both guaranteed hits.
Day 3
Now it’s time to take on East Portland, which is home to some of the city’s best food streets like Hawthorne, Division, Burnside, and Belmont. Kick off the day with a coffee from Never Coffee, a cafe and roastery known for its unique lattes and Insta-friendly interiors, or tea from Smith Teamaker, an artisanal tea company founded by Steven Smith, the force behind several major tea brands including Tazo Tea.
This is also a good area to get to know Portland’s baked goods offerings, from croissants to breakfast sandwiches to concha rolls, at spots like Tabor Bread, Bialy Bird, and Dos Hermanos.
Lunch can take any number of forms: tortas from Mexican street eats spot Güero, Russian and Ukrainian dishes like varenki dumplings at Kachka, or a pick-your-own-meal at the Hawthorne Asylum Food Cart Pod, which has over 20 different food trucks to choose from.
When happy hour calls, try the cider made from locally grown apples at Bauman’s on Oak, and then to celebrate your last night in town, go big at kann, an award-winning restaurant that fuses chef Gregory Gourdet’s Haitian heritage with seasonal Pacific Northwest ingredients and live-fire cooking techniques.
Finally, cap the night with a beer and fried chicken from Reel M Inn, one of the city’s best dives, or a restorative coffee and dessert in the ethereal Rimsky-Korsakoffee House, a historic home transformed into a late-night haunt that’s been a staple since the 1980s.
The Shortcut
Portland, Oregon, is well-known for its culinary offerings, particularly craft coffee and beer, food carts, and multicultural fusion fare.
With so much ground to cover, it’s best to focus on one particular part of the city for each day.
Aim to try a range of cuisines and styles of dining, from food trucks and dive bars to upscale eateries and elegant cocktail bars.
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