my pdx recs

so. you’re planning a visit to portland? first of all, i am 100% jealous (!!!!!), but most importantly, you’re making the 100% right decision.

i’ve been asked many times about my recommendations for places to eat and things to do in the portland area by friends, or on the behalf of friends of friends. it’s quite a hefty list to send somebody through text, so i figured it’d probably be most beneficial to put it all down on a post!
i’m going to try my best to organize this, and to be honest, this probably won’t be the final draft of my pdx recs, so until there’s a part two, these places the current go-to, must-see, gotta-eat-at, places:

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restaurants–

brunch:
warning–the brunch game here in pdx is strong. real strong. so go early, earlier than you think you need to. as in brunch might mean more of going in for an early, heavy breakfast. consider yourself warned!

1. screen door — must. order. their. chicken. and. waffles.
2. sweedeedee — this place is close to the airport, so please, feel free to stop by this cute little restaurant on your way to/from it! this spot is known and loved by locals and not tourists, so you know this is the real deal.
   
3. mother’s bistro — this place is good for all meals of the day, honestly.
4. tasty n alder — this place was the closest to me, and i walked here all the time with my visitors. my go-to dish was their pork + polenta!
   
   
5. broder nord — honestly, probably my favorite brunch spot! scandinavian breakfast is booommmbb.
6. jam on hawthorne — love their lavender mimosas! huge portions, happy bellies here only. 
7. bijou cafe — super close to the waterfront and the stumptown in that area. always go for their specials of the day!
8. cheryl’s on 12th — free beignets during brunch. mmmmm, and their fried rice is real good. the only place where i would eat their fried rice for brunch! oh oh oh, and their croque madame.
   
   
9. pine state biscuits — the best biscuits your taste buds have ever encountered. they also have a stand at the farmers market on the PSU campus! 

lunch/dinner:

1. grassa — hand crafted pasta like no other. the best pasta i’ve ever had, and it’s close to powell’s if you’re in that area. it’s also on the same block as blue star donuts, and down the streeth from cheryl’s!
2. luc lac — closer to the willamette, a modern vietnamese place that was pleasantly surprising.
3. pok pok — i crave their fish sauce chicken wings every, single, day. if you’re not down to wait for a table (the wait takes 5ever), go across the street to the whiskey soda lounge. they’re affiliated with pok pok, and you can also order the wings there, too.
   
4. por que no — who doesn’t love mexican food?!
5. tilt — their burgers + fries. amazeballs. but mostly their fries, they’re fried in some amazing batter. and their salads are hooooge. 
6. pine street market — an indoor marketplace with lots of good food! feel free to look up their site to see what restaurants are set up there, they switch around here and there. 
7. tusk — if you’re feeling fancy. 
8. olympia provision — if you’re feeling fancy for good meat. great meat.
   
9. saburos — sushi heaven.
10. andina — novoperuvian cuisine. try to pronounce that first, then head over to try out their food. 
11. noble rot — rooftop restaurant with lovely food, lovely drinks, and a lovely view. i actually came here for dinner right after my graduation!
12. kachka — russian food like no other! just please go. 
13. ataula — their sangrias 100%. and then order everything else.
    
    
14. nong’s khao man gai — they have a food cart in downtown on SW alder + taylor, but their storefront is in SE. a perfect meal for a cold day; comfort food.
15. little bird — happy hour burger and oysters! yes!
16. waffle window — waffles for the savory or sweet at heart.
    

afternoon nibbles:

1. vivienne — a sweet little coffee shop with all the aesthetics and really delicious oatmeal. 
2. breken kitchen — breakfast, light mini snacks/meals, and coffee. always have coffee.
3. cheese and crack snack shop — cheez.
4. chizu — more cheeeeez. 
5. kure — a healthy spot. my roommate and i would always crave this before church, it was super close to it and we would make an excuse on sunday as a way to treat ourselves. my go-to: the extra mile!

dessert:

1. 23 hoyt — loveliest cakes.
2. salt & straw — i always scream for ice scream. they rotate seasonal, monthly flavors, check their site for them! but one of my favorite classics is pear and blue cheese. sounds weird, i know, but promise me you’ll at least try a sample? you get unlimited samples, so it won’t be a waste of one!
   
   
3. blue star donuts — big, dense, rich donuts of all flavors. the apple fritter is a must. oh, and lemon poppyseed too. but then again, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
   
   
4. pip’s donuts —  mini donuts, but in the best flippin way. 
5. ken’s artisan bakery — when you’re craving all the baked goods. 
6. eb & bean — fancy frozen yogurt, but it’s not too fancy because you want to keep going back for more. i think i might actually prefer this over salt & straw (eep!)
7. lauretta jean’s — pie!
8. 180 — churros r lyfe
9. cacao drinking chocolate — everyone’s got to drink some chocolate. get their trio deal.
   
   

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coffee–

1. coava
2. heart coffee
   
3. stumptown
4. barista
5. tea bar — this place is a bit more tea and milk tea and boba and all that jazz.
   
   
6. sister’s
   
7. good coffee
8. lovejoy bakers

**go to all of these places! you can’t get too much coffee! 

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breweries/drinks–

1. departure — all the way up on the rooftop of a building smack in downtown.
2. multnomah whiskey library
3. 10 barrel
4. base camp
5. deschutes
   
6. fat head
7. church
8. bailey’s tap room
   
9. kask
10. enso winery — they also serve portland sparkling sangria (canned brand). mmmm.

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sight-seeing–

1. multnomah falls + hike — most tourists stop here to take pics, walk up to the bridge to take another picture, and leave. but the hike takes you all the way to the top of the falls, and is completely worth your time.
   
   
2. international rose test garden — roses everywhere! + it’s free!
3. waterfront — the saturday (and sunday) market is there most of the year, but close during the winter months. and with the view of the willamette, it’s the best place to be. 
4. pittock mansion — free to walk around, but you gotta pay some $$ if you wanna go inside. but no need, just walk around to the back to get the best view of mt hood. 
5. NW 23rd — night life + some of the best restaurants and cutest shops!
6. forrest park — you’re gonna get lost here because all that’s around you will turn into a forrest wonderland. 
7. laurelhurst park — with a view of trees and water like you never saw before.
8. cathedral park — right next to my favorite bridge of all of portland: st. john’s. 
9. sauvie island — an island just north-ish of pdx, where they have pumpkin festivities in the fall, the best place for summer beach picnics along the water, and a lovely nursery that i’m dying to go back to!
10. canon beach — not quite in portland or the surrounding area, but one of my favorite places along the coast. 
11. astoria — kindergarten cop, anyone? 
12. hoyt arboretum — right near pittock mansion!
13. mt. hood — ah, the infamous mt. hood. the view of all views. 

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misc–

1. powell’s city of books — biggest new and used bookstore in the world.
   
   
2. movie at the living room theaters — where you sit in comfy individual couches and next to low tables and eat delicious foods and drink yummy drinks while watching movies. 
3. brewery tour — if you still haven’t drank enough. 
4. aerial tram — this goes to and from two different campuses of the oregon health and science university (OHSU). $5/person if you’re not an employee there!
5. pips & bounce — a ping pong social club.
6. ground kontrol classic arcade — if you’re into arcades, its place with old school games where you can play and enjoy sipping on some dranks. 
7. mills end park — the world’s tiniest park. what even constitutes as a park..?
8. saturday market on waterfront — ahh. where i always want to be in the summer. all the food, clothes, gadgets, home-made goods, accessories, and henna tattoos. oh, and live music!

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it’s a lot of stuff, but it’s all good stuff. i have posted so many pics over the past two years i lived there (some of which you can probably find on this blog), and these are just the snidbits to get you excited! i’m looking forward to refining this list, but in the meantime, i hope this is enough to give you a head start on what to do and where to go.
have extra fun for me, and get ready to start planning for your next trip back 🙂

Tags: oregon, pacific northwest, pnw, portland, recommendations, to-do, travel, vacation, visiting