Saturday, September 10, 2016

Places to Visit in Portland

Hello! Time for a round up of places I love in Portland! My sister in law and her boyfriend just recently came to visit and had a couple of days to themselves while Dan and I were stuck at work. I decided to come up with a pretty comprehensive list of my favorite things to do if you are new to Portland. Obviously you can't do all of them (unless you had at least a full week out here), but I figured I'd put different options in case the weather was bad one day or if you just weren't feeling a certain type of food.

Things to do

Places to eat
  • Bamboo Sushi- a bit pricey, but very tasty and high quality.
  • Serratto- Upscale Mediterranean (I love the ambiance and food here).
  • Salt & Straw Ice Cream- usually a long line after dinner when its warm but so very worth it. They let you sample the flavors so you get to try lots of different kinds.


  • 23 Hoyt- Pacific NW Food (try the donuts with caramel sauce!)
  • Tasty & Alder- Long wait but delicious. One tip- the bar is seat yourself, so if you wait around by the bar you can sometimes get a spot faster than putting your name in.


  • Jam on Hawthorne- Brunch wait less than Tasty and it has an extensive menu. A great place to people watch.
  • Pine State Biscuits (can get these at farmers market).
  • Blue Star Donuts-- there may be a line, but I think they are better than Voodoo.
  • Ken’s Artisan Bakery- for lunch or a coffee and pastry.
  • Hot Lips- casual pizza place with cool toppings.
  • Pok Pok- thai food that has a long wait but you can put your name in and wait at the whiskey lounge across the street or get it to go. Get their fish sauce wings!


  • Irving Street Kitchen- comfort food. Great for brunch or dinner.
  • Verdigris- great for brunch, small, in North Portland.
  • St Honore Bakery- fast and delicious brunch.
  • Screen door- Fried chicken!

Places to drink
  • Heart Coffee
  • Courier Coffee
  • Coava Coffee
  • Coffeehouse Northwest


  • Kure- smoothies
  • Green leaf- smoothies
  • 10 Barrel- Brew Pub
  • Deschutes- Brew Pub
  • The Commons Brewery
  • HUB
  • Old Town Brewery (MLK)
  • Portland Cider Company


  • Cascade Brewing- Sour Beers
  • Green Dragon- has board games
  • Ground Kontrol- Arcade Bar
  • Lucky Lab
  • Vault Martini (love the drinks here!)
  • Barlow/ Picnic house (restaurant attached)


Places to hang out
  • Pine Street Market- has multiple food vendors


  • Any of the gardens I listed above
  • Coffee shops!
  • The Fields Park (on NW Overton and NW 11th Avenue)- stop by Ovation Coffee & Tea and get a pistachio latte)


  • Walk Division St
  • Walk Hawthorne St
  • Food Carts (multiple pods- alder & 10th, 32nd & Hawthorne, etc)

Hopefully this can be useful to anyone who will be traveling to Portland soon! There are tons of amazing places here, but I figured have some of my favorites listed out could help guide those who want to brainstorm and plan ahead a bit.