Desserts and Treats
Got a sweet tooth? Visit Voodoo Doughnut’s original storefront, where you can try off-the-wall varieties topped with Captain Crunch cereal or bacon. Then compare them to the gourmet take on deep-fried dough at Blue Star Donuts with flavors like blueberry-basil-bourbon and horchata. If you’re not too sugared out, bite into a made-to-order churro at 180 Xurros, which you can also dip in their lemon curd or hot chocolate.
Wailua Shave Ice blends the best of Hawaii — the refreshing shave ice tradition — with Portland — fresh fruit and collaborations with local chefs. For something toastier, see how 1927 S’mores has elevated the time-old campfire favorite.
Food Carts
Portland has long been a darling of the food cart scene, and for good reason. If you want mouth-watering and affordable cooking, wander among the Carts on the Square or Ankeny Square, where trucks set up every day.
With so many options to choose from, you can always find a new taste to try.
Lunch
Feeling indecisive? Pine Street Market was built for you. With multiple eateries — including Marukin Ramen, Kure Juice Bar, Checkerboard Pizza and Bless Your Heart Burger — you don’t have to limit yourself to just one cuisine. Roots Food District at Pioneer Place is similarly diverse. Pull up a chair at Burger Fi, Raising Cane’s, Dairy Hill or Yardhouse to fuel your shopping. Similarly, the Portland Food Hall is home to five different eateries showcasing the unique flavors of PDX.
For other downtown lunch options, head to Mother’s Bistro, a longtime Portland favorite that serves comfort food like your mom used to make (if your mom also happened to be a Restaurant of the Year Award-winning chef). Fogo de Chao takes your taste buds further afield with its Brazilian steak and all-you-can-eat meat carved next to your table. BAES Fried Chicken uses a laser focus to perfect the one main dish it serves (you guessed it, fried chicken) alongside coleslaw, corn and collards.
Happy Hour
Cheers — it’s time for happy hour! For drink and food specials every day, you can’t beat these Downtown Portland happy hour spots.
Saucebox serves discounted drinks (including a special that rotates daily) as well as bar food favorites with a pan-Asian twist. Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen offers nearly 20 small plates for just $3 apiece, including gluten-free and vegetarian options. And you can stretch Clyde Common’s hearty happy hour portions to a full meal, especially if you’re a full-blooded carnivore. (Think ribeye skewers, pork ribs and fried chicken drumsticks — yum.)
Fine Dining
For a memorable, high-end meal, you can’t go wrong in Downtown Portland. Departure is famous not only for its Asian cuisine, including a chef’s tasting menu that covers all its signature dishes, but also for its rooftop dining and breathtaking views of the Portland skyline. Bullard combines Texas hospitality with ingredients from the Pacific Northwest that welcomes diners with open arms — and generous portions.
Southpark Seafood has put together a menu inspired by the ocean as well as the best of what nearby farms have to offer. Its sustainable seafood, including the city’s largest selection of oysters, is always fresh — and delicious. Jackrabbit, the New American restaurant within the Duniway hotel, takes a different approach to sustainability: It aims to use every edible part of the animal in its house-cured meats and dishes designed to share.
Drinks
You’ll want to raise a glass to the many noteworthy bars in Downtown Portland. When you head to Huber’s, Portland’s oldest restaurant, you’ll want to order a Spanish coffee — made tableside with just the right amount of flair. Cozy and intimate, The Green Room specializes in cocktails and light bites from The Whiskey Library upstairs.
Pepe Le Moko pours classic as well as creative house cocktails, and its domed ceiling makes you feel as if you’ve stumbled across a secret hidden gem. Another one-of-a-kind bar: Abigail Hall. Its craft cocktails (with memorable names like Fallen Fruit and Reverse Giraffe) are as instagrammable as its art deco interior.
For a casual and ultimately Portland place to drink, Bailey’s Taproom pours from 26 rotating taps. It focuses on Oregon beer and offbeat brews; it also welcomes outside food, so get some bites to go along with your beer.
Coffee
In case you haven’t heard, Portland is way serious about its coffee. Never Coffee is a colorful, playful café that serves unconventional lattes (like one made with hops and another with saffron). The sleek wood-on-white aesthetic of Upper Left Roasters leaves all your attention to focus on their house-roasted coffee. The industrial vibe at 40LBS Coffee makes you feel as if you’re inside one of Portland’s 14 bridges, and it specializes in drinks and pastries sourced from PDX.
At Stumptown Coffee Roasters, you can get your caffeine fix and art fix, since this downtown location also acts as a gallery for Northwest artists. Listen to whatever vinyl they’re spinning at Courier Coffee Roasters while you wait for your single-origin pour over. And Heart Coffee Roasters sources much of its beans directly from growers — and you can definitely taste the love Heart pours into its coffee.
