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The Portland food scene has an eclectic and diverse range of must-try foods, with restaurants filled with inventive fusion dishes and traditional eats. Portland is a city where brunch thrives, has a pizza-centric culture, and is the home to many great donut shops. It’s also home to countless food carts and food cart pods that allow for so many different cultures to come together to showcase their cuisine and make Portland the great food city that it is.
This ultimate Portland Food Guide highlights some amazing Portland eateries, including my picks for the best places for brunch, great sit-down spots, must-try food carts, and sweet treats that can’t be missed!
Best Portland Brunch Spots
Portland has no shortage of brunch restaurants and Portlanders take brunch seriously! I’ve tried many different Portland brunch restaurants over the years and these are a few of my favorites:
Proud Mary Café
Website | 2012 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
This brunch-focused café serves up meals inspired by the owner’s Australian heritage and is located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Portland – the Alberta Arts District. On top of amazing brunch dishes, I also recommend getting a coffee here. Aussies do coffee well and I’m a big fan of their iced coffee here (it comes with ice cream)!
The menu at Proud Mary menu features a variety of farm-fresh style meals, including their beautiful Ricotta Hotcake. Sweet items aren’t normally my go-to for breakfast, but this hotcake is a delicious work of art. Components of this dish include poached pears, whipped yuzu cheesecake, coconut sesame crisp, matcha crumble, and earl grey & burnt cinnamon syrup.
If you’re looking for something savory, don’t sleep on the sausage roll with hot sauce – it’s the perfect companion to the hotcake. And their green shakshuka is on my wish list for my next visit!
What to Get: Ricotta pancakes, sausage rolls, and iced coffee
Pine State Biscuits
Website | Multiple locations
Pine State is one of my favorite brunch spots in all of Portland. If you like biscuits, this is the place to come! They’ve got savory biscuit sandwiches and biscuits and gravy (including vegetarian biscuits and gravy), along with hearty sides like fried green tomatoes and hash browns covered in melted cheese and mushrooms.
Biscuit sandwiches are piled high with delights like fried chicken (their most famous being The Reggie, which does have a vegetarian alternative) and pulled pork, and are often smothered in a thick blanket of gravy. Guilty pleasure!
What to Get: The Reggie; Veggie Biscuits & Gravy; Hash Ups
Gravy
Website | 3957 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227
Not only is the food at Gravy delish, they give you the most gigantic portions I’ve ever seen! It’s seriously enough for two or three whole meals. If you aren’t splitting food, you’re most likely going to have leftovers to take home with you.
Gravy makes hearty breakfast favorites like scrambles, corned beef hash, and biscuits and gravy. They also have perfect country potatoes! I also highly recommend the challah bread French toast for those who like the sweets.
What to Get: Challah French toast, biscuits & gravy, scrambles & corned beef hash
Tin Shed
Website | 1438 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Tin Shed is one of the first spots we visited in Portland for brunch, and it created a lasting impression on my ever-hungry stomach! This brunch spot is perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters alike, with hearty meals that include grits, biscuits and gravy, scrambles, and sausages. They even a small menu for your four-legged furry friends. It has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, and happens to be in my favorite neighborhood (the Alberta Arts District). You can’t go wrong here!
What to Get: Everything Naughty sampler (Carnivore & Herbivore options)
Jam on Hawthorne
Website | 2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
Jam on Hawthorne holds a special place in my heart because of all their delicious vegetarian and vegan options! Back in the day, I used to be a non-meat-eater and their flavorful egg or tofu scrambles always hit the spot. They’re even better when wrapped up into a burrito! My favorite is the Cheech & Chong with tempeh chorizo.
Jam also has plenty of options for meat eaters too and they make some delicious Bloody Marys, which are always welcomed after a lengthy wait in line.
What to Get: Killer Vegan Bloody Mary; Cheech & Chong Scramble
Screen Door (Eastside)
Website | 2337 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
Screen Door is a Southern-style restaurant located in the heart of the Kerns neighborhood. Menu items here bring the comfort of the South, with filling brunch mains like shrimp and grits, a fried catfish sandwich, and Cajun egg scramble. One of their most famous dishes, ever-present on their menu, is the Chicken & Waffles, with crunchy fried chicken atop a sweet potato waffle. I also highly recommend the cheddar grits as a side. Be prepared to walk off a few calories after indulging here!
Screen Door has two locations in the city – one in the Pearl District and one on the east side of the river.
What to Get: Chicken & Waffles and creamy cheddar grits
The Observatory
Website | 8115 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215
If you want a brunch spot that won’t have an hour-long wait, check out The Observatory in the east Portland neighborhood of Montavilla! At The Observatory, you’ll find a range of items like shrimp and grits, French toast, burgers, platters, and breakfast staples like biscuits and gravy and egg scrambles.
I’m a fan of their biscuits and gravy, which like most other brunch spots in Portland, can be ordered vegetarian with mushroom gravy and non-vegetarian with sausage gravy. This is a very rich dish, so I recommend doing the half order here. I added the vegetarian quinoa mushroom sausage to mine and it was a tasty, well-rounded meal that filled me right up.
There are also some really unique specialty cocktails here. I had a Bloody Mary on my visit, but they have some intriguing sparkling cocktails that sound great for brunch pairing!
What to Get: Biscuits & Gravy (add veggie sausage) and the Chipotle Elk Burger
Where to Eat in Portland (Not Brunch)
Pasture PDX
Website | 1413 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Sandwich lovers – Pasture PDX is the spot for you! Pasture PDX is a small butcher shop in the Alberta neighborhood that also makes some killer sandwiches. My pick: The O.G. pastrami made banh mi style with a chili oil slaw. These sandwiches are made with some of the best bread I’ve ever had, sourced from a local Portland bakery called Dos Hermanos. I can honestly say this is one of the best bites of food I’ve had in Portland!
What to Get: The O.G. Pastrami
Matt’s BBQ Tacos
Website | 2204 NE Alberta St STE 101, Portland, OR 97211
BBQ and tacos? Sign me up for this winning combination! Matt’s BBQ Tacos is an offshoot of the popular Matt’s BBQ food cart that shares space with Great Notion Brewery on Alberta (with a second location between Hawthorne & Division). This means you can add a third element to an already winning combination – beer!
You cannot go wrong with their savory and salty chopped beef brisket tacos, topped with guacamole and pickled onions (hot sauces are available too). The brisket meat is so tender and packed with smoky flavors, served on house-made lard-infused flour tortillas that are cooked to order. Taco perfection.
Eem
Website | 3808 N Williams Ave #127, Portland, OR 97227
Two Portland powerhouse chefs have come together to create a beautiful fusion spot in Portland, pairing BBQ and Thai to create some insanely flavorful dishes. The smoky BBQ meats of brisket burnt ends, pulled pork, and smoked lamb come from the mind of Matt Vicedomini of Matt’s BBQ, while the Thai creations are spawned from the likes of Earl Ninsom – owner of Portland’s Langbaan, Padee, and Hat Yai restaurants.
Never would I have thought to pair these two cuisines together but it works in the most wonderful way.
The popular White Curry with Brisket Burnt Ends drew me to Eem, and there was no disappointment here! The smoky, savory and fatty brisket pairs so well with this sweeter white curry. Even more flavorful is the Masaman Curry with Smoked Lamb. Your taste buds will be happy and you’ll be craving a return visit!
Eem also has a wide range of fun and colorful specialty cocktails developed by co-owner Eric Nelson that pair well with the flavors of BBQ and Thai.
What to Get: White Curry with Brisket, Masaman Curry with Smoked Lamb, and Brisket Fried Rice
PDX Sliders
Website | 1605 SE Bybee Blvd #5714, Portland, OR 97202
PDX Sliders is a restaurant dedicated to the humble burger where you can either get them in slider form or full-size burgers. I love getting the sliders since it makes it easy to try more than one burger option. My favorite pick is The Steel, layered with American cheese, bacon, caramelized onions & aioli on brioche. The flavors are classic and simple, and burgers are nice and juicy.
They do have veggie burger and portobello sliders for vegetarians as well.
What to Get: The Broadway, The Burnside & The Steel
Pambiche
Website | 2811 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232
Pambiche was my very first experience with Cuban food and it’s a cuisine that’s not only vibrant and colorful in appearance, but packed with flavor. Start your meal here with a few empanadas and dig into specialties like the Plato Cubano with slow roasted pork shoulder and congri rice.
A favorite item from my last visit was the garlic shrimp, which I don’t think is on the current menu. They do, however, have a red snapper dish with garlic mojo sauce that sounds equally delicious!
What to Get: Camarones al Ajillo plate; Empanadas; Plato Cubano
Khao Niew
Website | 4579 NE Cully Blvd, Portland, OR 97218
Khao Niew is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Portland! If you’ve never had Lao cuisine, you have to give it a try. There are a lot of similarities to Thai food (they are neighboring countries) but they have their own signature dishes as well.
Khao Niew introduced me to the wonderful world of Nam Khao – a crispy rice dish seasoned with lime juice and herbs, served with romaine lettuce leaves to create your own wraps. You can either get it with pork or you can get the vegetarian version – I’ve tried both and they are both so very good. Their chicken Larb Gai is also insanely flavorful, loaded with lime juice and herbs! And if you like your food spicy, they know how to make you breathe fire.
What to Get: Nam Khao (crispy rice “salad”), Larb Gai & spicy noodles
Bollywood Theater
Website | 2039 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Indian food is a favorite cuisine of mine and Bollywood Theater delivers bold flavors in a casual setting! There are also tons of vegetarian-friendly items to choose from, like the Aloo Tikki potato patties or the refreshing Bhel Puri with potatoes and tons of veggies. For meat eaters, choose anything cooked in their delicious vindaloo sauce for a flavor-packed meal.
What to Get: Aloo Tikki (if available), Vada Pav & Bhel Puri
Nong’s Khao Man Gai
Website | SE & Downtown Locations
From humble food cart beginnings to two brick and mortar shops, Chef Nong and Nong’s Khao Man Gai are a Portland success story.
Nong’s signature dish is Khao Man Gai – a Thai take on the Hainanese dish of poached chicken served over rice with a side of soup. What makes this dish truly special is Nong’s signature sauce packed with aromatics of ginger and garlic. You’re going to want to promptly pour that goodness all over the chicken! You can even get this sauce in bottles to go (or order online from afar). This is a protein-packed, guilt-free meal that’s worth a visit!
What to Get: Khao Man Gai, Chicken & Peanut Sauce, and Thai Pork & Rice
Han Oak
Website | 511 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
Han Oak provides diners with a truly memorable experience, serving elevated Korean food in the Kerns neighborhood. While the menu does change, we had the pleasure of experiencing the Gimbap Party – a set menu with a take on deconstructed Gimbap/Kimbap.
The Gimbap Party kicks off with assorted banchan and a corned beef appetizer, followed by the Gimbap where you build your own hand rolls with meats, veggies, nori, rice, and an assortment of sauces. It’s a such fun and interactive way to eat! Our meal finished off with bing-soo – a Korean shaved ice dessert that was a light and refreshing way to end the meal.
The ambiance here is also spot on for a date night or small intimate dining group where you’ll just want to linger for hours.
Important: Reservations are required and you’ll want to make them as far in advance as possible. They open spots up 28 days in advance.
What to Get: Gimbap Party, veggie & pork dumplings (extra cost) and the bing-soo dessert
Apizza Scholls
Website | 4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
If following in the steps of Anthony Bourdain is on your agenda as a foodie, you’ll want to make sure you stop in at Apizza Scholls! I visited this pizza spot with a group of Bourdain fans organized by my fellow blogger friend Valerie at Eat Like Bourdain to check this one off my bucket list. I can confirm the pizza is delicious, with the Amatriciana (one of the pizzas Uncle Tony ate) and the Meatball & Onion being my favorites. They also have a really good Caesar as a pizza pre-game!
What to Get: Amatriciana and Meatball & Onion pizzas
Urdaneta
Website | 3033 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Urdaneta is a small, cozy spot in the Alberta neighborhood serving up unique Spanish/Basque-style tapas and pintxos. Dining here will give you all the feels of enjoying a meal at a restaurant in Spain without having to fly across the Atlantic.
I highly recommend the “All the Pintxos” option, which is an assortment of all of the pintxos (Basque small bites) offered on the menu. And of course, you can’t leave without trying their Basque cheesecake. As someone who isn’t typically a cheesecake fan, I love the lighter and fluffier consistency of this version. It’s not to be missed!
What to Get: All the Pintxos, a glass of cava, and the Basque cheesecake
Por Que No
Website | 4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
Mexican food is a top contender for my all-time favorite cuisine so it’s no question why we made our way to Por Que No. They make a killer tamale plate, have delicious margaritas and tacos, and their guac and chips are the perfect snack.
What to Get: Tamale plate, guac & chips and any of the tacos!
Tamale Boy
Website | Multiple locations in Greater Portland
Tamale Boy is a Mexican restaurant with several location in Portland specializing in, as their name would indicate, tamales. While their main focus is tamales, they do also serve seasonal tacos and flautas and even have a Sunday brunch!
Tamale Boy serves both Oaxacan and Norteno tamales and I recommend trying both to compare styles. Oaxacan tamales are more moist (in my opinion) and cooked in banana leaf. The Norteno are typically more common, with a firmer masa steamed in corn husk. Both taste amazing!
What to Eat: Oaxacan and Norteno tamales (vegetales and rajas both are delish!)
Ranch Pizza
Website | Multiple locations in Greater Portland
If Sicilian-style square pie is your jam, you’ll want to hit up one of the Ranch Pizza locations when in Portland! It is by far one of the best square pies I’ve had (similar to Detroit-style pizza). With a crispy crust loaded with delicious toppings (especially those ‘roni cups), you will be in pizza heaven. We modified the #4 and added pepperoni since they were out of sausage on the day we visited (this is a popular pizza)! Also on this pizza is aged mozzarella, red sauce, ricotta, Calabrian chilies, pecorino romano, and basil. So much yum.
What to Get: #4 with Pepperoni!
Stammtisch
Website | 401 NE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
On the hunt for hearty German food in Portland? Stammtisch is a phenomenal pick! Whether you want a plate full of sausages or unique dishes like Maultaschen (pasta filled with leek fondue, topped with Brussels sprouts or green beans & mushrooms in white wine sauce), Stammtisch is a vibe. Not only do they have great food, it’s just a fun spot with a great beer bar.
What to Get: Maultaschen; “Wurst” Sausage Sampler
Mota y Limon
Website | 722 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
This little family-run Mexican food stall, located in the indoor Morrison Market, has some stellar birria tacos! Tortillas are handmade daily, which is a sign that this is the perfect place to get your tacos in Portland. I haven’t tried other meats here, but I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed with the birria!
Must-Try Portland Food Carts
Food carts, in my opinion, are one of the best parts of the Portland food scene. Across the city, you’ll find numerous food cart pods with sometimes dozens of different food carts to choose from! Food carts make it much easier for restauranteurs to operate, leading to an incredibly diverse food landscape here.
Mole Mole
Website | 2231-2237 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
This little food cart knows how to make a good looking plate of Mexican food, especially when their meals are served on vibrant painted plates for those dining in. Mole Mole is known for their mole sauces, of which they have three options to choose from: mole rosa, poblano, and verde. I’ve tried all three and my favorite is definitely the mole verde paired with carnitas. If you want to sample them all, get the mole enchilada sampler plate where you can pair three different meats with the moles.
Tip: the mole rosa and poblano are both on the sweeter side, so if you prefer something a little more savory, stick with the mole verde.
While the moles are good, the shining star here is the cochinita pibil meat. I tried it in taco form, but you better believe next time I’m here, I’m getting a giant cochinita pibil burrito smothered in mole verde!
Mole Mole is located in the Alberta neighborhood right next door to Baerlic Brewing. With limited seating in front of the food cart, Baerlic opens their doors to Mole Mole customers to have a seat as long as there’s an accompanying beer purchase. What goes better with Mexican food than a flight of cold beers?
What to Get: Mole Verde with Carnitas & Cochinita Pibil tacos
Pelmeni Pelmeni
Website | 1080 SE Madison St, Portland, OR 97214
Pelmeni Pelmeni is a food cart located in the Hawthorne Asylum food cart pod dishing up little Slavic dumplings. Choose from chicken or beef pelmeni for meat eaters, and sweet cheese or potato vareniki for veggies. The savory pelmeni and vareniki come topped with sour cream, dill, green onion, and a tomato sauce, which perfectly enhance the flavors of the dumplings. The Sweet cheese comes with sour cream, fruit jam, and sweetened condensed milk. They also serve a fermented fruit drink called Kvass, which you’ll like if you’re a fan of drinks like kombucha.
What to Get: Chicken Pelmeni & Kvass
El Pilon
Website | 431 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204
If you like Colombian food (or if you’ve never tried it), you’ll want to check out this cart at the Midtown Beer Garden in downtown Portland. El Pilon’s menu focuses on Latin American favorites like arepas, patacones (fried plantains topped with meat), and empanadas. I highly recommend the chicken arepa, which comes fully stuffed with melted cheese and tasty shredded chicken. It might look and sound simple, but I’m dreaming of going back to order more of these little pockets of deliciousness!
What to Get: Chicken Arepa
Burmese Delight
Website | 1080 SE Madison St, Portland, OR 97214
Bringing a taste of Burma to Portland, is the Burmese Delight food cart located in the Hawthorne Asylum food cart pod. I visited here on a food tour and got to sample their Shan noodle salad – a delicious noodle dish made of rice noodles with curried chicken, cilantro, cabbage, carrots, and green onion. It’s a light, refreshing, and super tasty dish!
If you’ve never had Burmese food before, I also recommend trying the tea leaf salad and potato and beef curry. Burmese food has influence from neighboring countries like Thailand and India, but with it’s own unique flavor. It’s a must-try in my opinion.
What to Get: Shan Noodle Salad
Smaaken
Website | 1080 SE Madison St, Portland, OR 97214
For a sweet treat, stop in at the Smaaken food cart at Hawthorne Asylum and order The Bavarian Queen – a waffle sandwich with strawberry jam, lemon-vanilla Bavarian cream (the best part!) and fresh whipped cream. Get your savory fix at other carts in this pod, and end on a sweet note here.
Smaaken also serves savory waffle sandwiches and has vegan and gluten-free options.
What to Get: The Bavarian Queen
Must-Try Portland Sweets
Salt & Straw
Website | Multiple Locations
Salt & Straw originated in Portland and actually first started out as a food cart in the Alberta neighborhood! They are now a growing franchise, but you’ve got to visit one of their brick and mortar locations when in Portland. Their ice cream is creamy and delicious and always have funky seasonal flavors that are worth a try. My absolute favorite is the more traditional sea salt with caramel ribbons!
What to Get: Sea salt with caramel ribbons and their seasonal marionberry-habanero
Voodoo Doughnut
Website | 22 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
Voodoo might be a little gimmicky but you’ve gotta go at least once. It’s an institution! They have a lot of fun and weird donut creations, all of which are fully loaded with sugar. I have tried some crazy creations, from the Maple Blazer Blunt to the NSFW Cock and Balls. We even tried the Old Dirty Bastard, which was one of the donuts that Anthony Bourdain ate on his visit! I personally recommend sticking to the more simple items to avoid the sugary overload.
What to Get: Maple Bacon Bar; Cock and Balls (yes, you read that right); Voodoo Doll
Bluestar Donuts
Website | Multiple Locations
Blue Star is the other main player in the Portland donut scene and edges out Voodoo for me, being that they use better quality ingredients. They also have a more modern take on donut flavors, like passion fruit with cocoa nibs and blueberry bourbon basil. There are several locations throughout Portland to get your donut fix, and even a kiosk at the airport
What to Get: Passion fruit with cacao nibs
Kulfi
Website | 5009 NE 15th Ave, Portland, OR 97211
Kulfi is a unique frozen treat hailing from South Asia, namely India and Pakistan, made with sweetened milk that is slow cooked. It’s delicious! At Kulfi in Portland, you can get all sorts of fun flavors in ice pop form, ranging from traditional malai, rose, and mango lassi to flavor combos inspired by other cultures!
I went with the cookies and cream (which is vanilla kulfi with Oreos) and had them make it s’mores style – dipped in milk chocolate and smothered with toasted marshmallow fluff and graham cracker crumbs. A sweet and delicious treat!
What to Get: Cookies and cream s’mores style
Foodie Wish List
Every foodie has a wish list right? To be honest, my Portland restaurant wish list is endless. You should see the pins on my Google map! Here are just some of restaurants and food carts I have on my “hit list” for next visit:
- Kaan – A Haitian restaurant by Top Chef alum Gregory Gourdet
- Canard – French-inspired spot with duck-heavy bar food and steam burgers
- Guero – for Mexican tortas
- Jinju Patisserie – for beautiful pastries
- Kachka – A cozy spot with Russian favorites
- Bake on the Run – A highly-rated Guyanese Food cart
- Ken’s Artisan Pizza – One of Portland’s best-rated pizza joints
- Langbaan – Thai fine dining with a set menu
- Pips Original Chai & Donuts – for tiny donuts and a flight of chai
- Ox – for Argentine-inspired cuisine
Now the question is – where are you eating when you visit Portland next?! Hopefully this Portland food guide gave you some good ideas.
And if you can’t decide where to start, why not give a food tour a try? I went on the Food Carts, Pods and Patios tour with Lost Plate Portland and it was the perfect sampling of so many places I never thought to try.
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