Portland, Oregon has an endless selection of amazing food places to eat at. From fancy restaurants to food trucks, there is no end in sight to the delicious food you will come across. Many of the places are very affordable and make it easy to keep your Portland trip on a budget. These are some of the best places to eat in Portland, Oregon.
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Where to Stay in Portland
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Portland hotels here! Also, check out this post with some of my favorite Portland hotels.
The following are some of the best hotels in Portland. *means it is one of my favorites!
- Hilton Portland Downtown
- The Duniway Portland*
- Hyatt Centric Downtown*
- AC Marriott Portland Downtown*
- Moxy Portland Downtown
- Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland
- Home2Suites Portland Airport
- Residence Inn Portland Airport
- Hyatt Place Portland Airport/Cascade Station
- Hampton Inn Portland East
Best Restaurants in Portland
Bete-Lukas Ethiopian
Cost: $$
Hours: Wed-Sun: 5pm-8pm
Favorite Dish: Misser Wot
Ethiopian food is not a well-known style of food in the United States. However, it should be! Bete-Lukas is a great place to introduce yourself to the cuisine. Ethiopian food usually contains tons of delicious spices and has a lot of vegetarian options. I recommend going with a larger group and getting a variety of dishes to share. Keep in mind that Ethiopian food is eaten with your hands! It is one of the more unique places to eat in Portland.
East India Co. Grill and Bar
Cost: $$
Hours: Tues-Sun: 5pm-9pm
Favorite Dish: Chicken Makhani
The East India Co. Grill and Bar has the best Indian food I could find and one of the best places to eat in Portland. Located conveniently downtown, it is an easy walk from Pioneer Square. All of the food was super flavorful, and they have a good assortment of dishes. This is another place to go with a group of friends and share dishes.
Farmhouse Kitchen Thai
Cost: $$
Locations in Portland: Portland Pearl District and Portland Hawthorne
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11am-2pm, 5pm-9pm (Friday 9:30pm), Sat-Sun: 12pm-9pm (Saturday 9:30pm)
Favorite Dish: Pad See Ew
Farmhouse Kitchen has a pretty extensive menu of Thai Cuisine. Not only is it delicious, but many of the dishes are also Instagram friendly (like the Volcanic Cup Noodles). No trip is complete without grabbing one of their Classic Thai Teas. It was easily the best Thai place to eat in Portland.
Hat Yai
Cost: $$
Hours: 11:30am-3pm, 4pm-9pm (Fri/Sat 10pm)
Favorite Dish: Fried Chicken or Roti Sets
Hai Yai boasts some fun and interesting Southern Thai dishes. They are most known for their fried chicken, curry, and roti sets. The best part is you can start with one thing and continuously add to your order from your phone! I recommend going with a group and splitting several of the dishes.
Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen
Cost: $$
Hours: 11am-2:30pm, 4pm-11pm
Favorite Dish: Banh Mi
Luc Lac is another terrific place in Downtown Portland to grab a quick bite to eat. You can preorder online or order at the window and eat at the outdoor tables. They have a great assortment of Vietnamese dishes from Pho to Banh Mi sandwiches. Do not forget to grab some cream cheese wontons. They also have some fun tea drinks.
Mucca Osteria
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon-Saturday: 5pm-10pm
Favorite Dish: Spaghettoni alla Gricia
Mucca Osteria is another amazing Italian place in Portland. They house makes all of their pasta and even sources some ingredients from Italy. It is conveniently located Downtown, so it is easy to walk to from Pioneer Square. Make sure to come with an empty stomach, as you will want several courses. It is easily one of the best places to eat in Portland.
Olympic Provisions
Cost: $$
Hours: Fri-Sun: Daily: 4pm-10pm, 11:30am-4pm
Favorite Dish: Bratwurst
Olympic Provisions is a popular Portland food option. They are known for their charcuterie boards and sausages and also serve some German classics, like schnitzel. They have several locations throughout the city including a food cart in Pioneer Square.
Original Pancake House
Cost: $$
Hours: Wed-Sun: 7am-3pm
Favorite Dish: Apple Pancakes
The Original Pancake House is the perfect spot for breakfast and people who love pancakes. A lot of the portions are huge so make sure to share with others. They are known for their apple pancakes and have a ton of other fun flavor options too. Although this is a chain, the original location is in Portland, thus making it one of the fun places to eat in Portland.
Por Que No?
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-10pm, Sun: 11am-9:30pm
Favorite Dish: Tacos
Por Que No is a great casual Mexican food place. They have an amazing outdoor patio. I loved that you order at a window and then they bring the food out to you. Make sure not to pass up on a margarita either. It is one of the best places to eat in Portland, due to its tacos.
Sizzle Pie
Cost: $
Hours: 11am-12am
Favorite Dish: White Walker
Sizzle Pie is a fantastic place to grab a quick bite to eat when exploring Downtown Portland. It is in a convenient location next to Powell’s Bookstore. It is one of the best quick places to eat in Portland. Their slice specials change daily, so check the website for more information. You can opt to get it by the slice or order an entire pie. They also have vegan and vegetarian options.
Swank and Swine
Cost: $$
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 4pm-11pm, Fri-Sat: 4pm-12am
Favorite Dish: Malted Belgian Waffles
Swank and Swine is technically two restaurants in one that are right next door to each other. Swank is the fancier of the two, serving brunch on the weekends and nicely crafted breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All ingredients are locally sourced, and they serve several craft cocktails and a plethora of west coast wine. Swine is a much more laid-back atmosphere, with a moonshine and whiskey bar kept open late.
3 Doors Down Cafe
Cost: $$
Hours: Permanently closed
Favorite Dish: House Made Ziti with Vodka Cream Sauce
The 3 Doors Down Cafe is an adorable little, mostly Italian, cafe, with a ton of homemade dishes. All of their pasta is house-made and all of the ingredients are fresh. They also have an extensive wine and cocktail list, so it is a great place for happy hour as well. It might be one of my favorite Italian places to eat in Portland.
Other places that I have tried that are also amazing include the following:
- Mikiko Mochi Donuts
- Guero Tortas
- The 1905
- Urban German Wursthaus
- Pine State Biscuits
- Pollo Norte
- Cully Central
- Fried Egg I’m in Love
- Tanaka
- Han Oak
- Cheryls on 12th
Other places that have been recommended to me that I have not yet tried include Kinara Thai, Tope, El Gaucho, Sophia Mediterranean, Urban Farmer, Shalom Y’all, Fair Weather Cafe, Lauretta Jean’s, and Holy Trinity Barbecue.
The Best Food Trucks in Portland, Oregon
Portland is popular for having food truck “pods” across the city. Pods refer to a cluster of food trucks grouped together in a spot. Sometimes there are just a couple of trucks in a pod, others are a bit more extensive with over 20! Some of my favorite food trucks include Fried Egg I’m in Love and Bing Mi. You cannot visit Portland without eating at a food truck. You can check out a more extensive list of food truck pods here.
These are some of the best food truck pods I have visited so far and some of the best places to eat in Portland.
Barley Pod
Address: 6035 NE Halsey St
Types of Trucks: Large assortment: pizza, Asian, Latin…
The Barley Pod is one of my favorite food truck pods. It has an on-site brewery and a huge assortment of trucks. It also might be the largest assortment of food trucks I have been to. I had delicious Mediterranean food, but the Argentinian food truck looked amazing too.
Nob Hill Food Carts
Address: 1845 NW 23rd Pl.
Types of Trucks: Asian and Mexican
Nob Hill is another larger food truck pod with some unique options. One of my favorite options is Bing Mi, the Chinese crepe place. They are so good and not often found outside of China. The Indian and Thai carts are also really delicious.
Pioneer Square
Address: 701 SW 6th Ave
Types of Trucks: Breakfast, Olympic Provisions
Pioneer Square does not have the largest assortment of food trucks, but it is a convenient location to grab food or a snack downtown. I also like that they have a big area with tables. Sometimes there is even live music.
Pod 28
Address: 113 SE 28th Ave
Types of Trucks: Asian, Pizza, Tortas
Pod 28 spans a five-block radius when all its food trucks are open. It has been around for almost a decade and has several popular food trucks. Wolf and Bear, a Middle Eastern shawarma place, is a popular truck at this location.
Slabtown Food Carts
Address: Corner of NW 23rd Avenue & NW Roosevelt St.
Types of Trucks: Breakfast, Hawaiian, Mexican
There are only 5 trucks at the Slabtown Food Carts, but this is where you can find another “Fried Egg I’m in Love.” The Mexican and Hawaii carts are also quite good.
Third Avenue Food Truck Pod
Address: SW 3rd Ave & SW Harvey Milk St.
Types of Trucks: Mexican, Egypt, Asian
The Third Avenue Food Pod contains the famous Stretch the Noodle cart. This place is known for its fresh daily house-made noodles. What is nice about this location is it is close to downtown, and you can also grab food to eat along the waterfront.
The Best Distilleries in Portland
Portland has a ton of distilleries scattered near the Downtown area. This group is known as Distillery Row, one of the must-visit places in Portland. You can even get a passport to go tasting at all of the distilleries. The following are some of the awesome distilleries you can taste at.
Aria Portland Dry Gin
Cost: $10
Hours: Wed-Sun: 12pm-6pm
Aria only makes gin. A tasting here includes a cocktail flight of 6 different gin-based drinks.
Bull Run Distillery
Cost: $5-$10
Hours: Fri-Sun: 12pm-6pm
Bull Run Makes a lot of different styles of whiskey. A tasting includes 4-5 tastes of your choice.
Freeland Spirits
Cost: $10-$20
Hours: Wed-Fri: 2pm-8pm, Sat-Sun: 12pm-8pm
Another gin distillery, you can opt to do a tasting flight of the gins, or you can get a mini cocktail flight.
New Deal Distillery
Cost: Free
Hours: 12pm-6pm
New Deal produces a wide variety of hard alcohol. From gin to vodka, whiskey, and unique liquors, New Deal has something for everyone.
Rolling River Spirits
Cost: $7-$10
Hours: Wed-Fri: 1pm-5:30pm, Sat: 1pm-5pm
Rolling River produces vodkas and aquavits in various styles and flavors. It is a smaller facility but there are some fun choices!
Westward Whiskey
Cost: $15
Hours: Mon: 12pm-7pm, Thurs-Sun: 12pm-8pm
Westward Whiskey is one of the first popular distilleries in Portland. They are known for their variety of whiskeys, aged for a variety of time. You can even find a location at the Portland Airport to grab a tasting or bottles before your flight.
The Best Coffee Shops in Portland
Coffee is a staple in Portland, especially independent coffee shops. Some of the coffee shops have a small menu. Others include light bites to eat as well. The following are some of my favorite shops I have found so far in Portland.
Black Rock
Black Rock is another chain coffee shop but has some amazing drinks for a fair price. These shops are a bit larger and also often serve light bites to eat as well. It is a great place to grab a light breakfast before heading out for the day.
Coava Coffee Roasters
Coava might be my favorite coffee shop in Portland. Their menu is super small but the coffee and flavors are amazing. What I love is that they use almond milk or oat milk. Each beverage is handcrafted and brewed fresh.
Dutch Bros
Another major chain, Dutch Bros is for those who like their coffee sugary sweet. They have an extensive menu and tons of fun seasonal drinks. Most of the locations are drive-through!
Java Man Coffee
Java Man Coffee is another small coffee shop located in Downtown Portland. Its convenient location makes it easy to grab a cup before heading out on a day of exploration. They have some fun flavors and drinks.
Stumptown
Stumptown is a Portland staple. It is one of the first smaller coffee shops, later turned into a chain in Portland. They are quite well known along the west coast and have expanded to several locations.
The Best Breweries in Portland
Breweries are another Portland staple. You cannot visit Portland without stopping in at least one brewery. The following are some of the more popular options to stop at and many also serve food.
Deschutes Brewery
Deschutes is another popular choice near Downtown Portland. What makes them unique is the fact the brewery building used to be an auto-body shop! They have a variety of beer and food to enjoy.
Rogue Estate Brewery
This brewery has a huge selection of beers and a fantastic outdoor patio area. It even has small fire pits when the weather is cooler. They also serve some pub-type food if you want some snacks with your beers.
10 Barrel Brewing
10 Barrel has an awesome tasting flight and yummy pizzas to go along with their beers. I liked that they have a variety of styles of beer and how it is easy to share a tasting flight. It is also located close to Downtown Portland.
Von Ebert Brewing
Von Ebert is conveniently located near downtown Portland. They have a ton of fun beers in the German, Belgian, and Czech styles. Light bites to eat are also available.
The Best Desserts to Eat in Portland
You cannot visit Portland without stopping at a few dessert places as well. Donuts are always a must in Portland. These are some of the best dessert places to eat in Portland.
Blue Star Donuts
Cost: $
Hours: 7am-5pm
You can’t go to Portland without stopping in at least one donut shop. Blue Star Donuts has a small selection of unique flavors, but they all pack a punch. My favorite was the Blueberry Bourbon Basil.
The Cookie Dough Cafe
Cost: $
Hours: Varies (See Website)
Nothing will satisfy your sweet tooth more than some edible cookie dough. They usually have about 10 different flavors. If cookie dough isn’t your thing, you can also opt to grab a cookie or ice cream.
Fifty Licks Ice Cream
Cost: $
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 3pm-10pm, Fri-Sat: 1pm-11pm, Sun: 1pm-10pm
Fifty Licks is another artisan ice cream parlor with some unique flavors. Toasted Milk, Matcha Mochi, and Lavender Salted Caramel are a few of the fun flavor options.
Salt and Straw
Cost: $
Hours: 11am-10:45pm
Salt and Straw is another homemade ice cream parlor that is a chain. However, they always have a ton of fun flavors, and you can even get half scoops too!
What’s the Scoop
Cost: $
Hours: Permanently closed
What’s the Scoop is a delicious artisan ice cream place. They have a rotating selection of unique flavors, such as Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Butterscotch Blondie.
Portland is for sure a destination for foodies and drink lovers. You can spend a month eating your way through the city and still not make a dent in the delicious restaurants. Looking for more great restaurants and coffee shops? Head to Vancouver, Washington for some more great spots. What are some of your favorite places to eat in Portland?
