Food and drink

Portland may seem small and white-bread at first glance, but there's a surprising amount of good and diverse cuisines on display in its restaurants. And while the Northwest is known for its salmon, berries, and mushrooms, don't be surprised to find good Mexican food and more Thai restaurants than you can shake a piece of lemongrass at. After (or during) dinner, don't forget to partake in one of Portland's two favorite drinks: coffee and beer (but probably not at the same time).

Food

Bars with good food

Hedge House (Citysearch) From the people who brought you the New Old Lompoc comes another outpost of tasty (which, in Oregon, means hoppy) beers. But that's not all — the beers can be consumed with tasty sandwiches and a superb Cobb salad (the salad that eats like a meal dropped on top of a salad). And you can eat on their porch, too. Huzzah!

3412 SE Division (503-235-2215); 11:30am–midnight daily

Lucky Labrador Brewing Company (official site, Citysearch) The food here isn't anything fancy, but it's accompanied by some great beers, so the end result is rather enjoyable. Which isn't to slag on their sandwiches — they're simple, but good. Ample seating inside and even more outside on the patio, which caters to dog lovers.

915 SE Hawthorne (503-236-3555); 11am–midnight Mon–Sat, noon–10pm Sun

Muu-Muu's (Citysearch) Is it a bar or a restaurant? Is the food Asianesque or just good pub grub? Well, yes. One thing is for sure: on this hip little stretch of 21st, one thing you probably won't see is a muumuu. Don't ask us why they named it that. This is one of those places where you can have a good dinner and then stick around for hours with the bar crowd. Maybe you're feeling lazy — it's okay.

612 NW 21st (503-223-8169); 11am–1am daily

The New Old Lompoc (Citysearch) Like its offshoot, the Hedge House, the Lompoc serves up a mighty fine brew — good enough that it appears at other bars not affiliated with the mini-chain. The food is good, too, in that pub-standards-done-well sort of way. Awful lotta muffaletta? Yes, sir. The deck out back is also really nice, if somewhat hidden.

1616 NW 23rd (503-225-1855); 4pm–1am daily, opens at 11am Mon–Fri

Slow Bar (Citysearch) If you're wondering, the service isn't bad here. Maybe they named it that out of some alignment with the slow food movement. Regardless, we almost always come here just to eat, even though the drinks are good and it's a cool, if loud, space. But the burger — the burger! It's not unusual for nearly everyone at the table to get the burger, which is among the city's best. But, let the reader understand, this isn't a greasy-spoon puck — it's definitely the kind of sandwich that's almost as high as it is wide, and if you're not going to order it medium-rare (or less!), you might enjoy another dish.

533 SE Grand (503-230-7767); 5pm–2:30am daily, opens at 11:30am Mon–Fri

Breakfast/brunch

Mother's Bistro & Bar (official site, Citysearch) Wonderful brunch, featuring typical fare and some down-home standards done up right. Todd always gets the eggs benedict (the best in town?), and Julia the biscuit breakfast. Other options may be just as tasty, but we'll never know. Great coffee too, from Stumptown.

409 SW 2nd (503-464-1122); brunch served from 7am–3pm Tue–Fri and 9am–3pm Sat and Sun

Original Pancake House (official site, Citysearch) Sure, you may have eaten at an Original Pancake House in your town, but this is the original Original Pancake House. It's a bit outside our normal travel range (you have to drive south on I-5 for a bit), but the pancakes compel us! The worst thing about this place is having to pick one thing to order. All the pancakes are wonderful (Todd usually vacillates between the 49er flapjacks and the coconut pancakes), but it's hard to deny the beauty of the Dutch baby popover when it comes out all puffed up. Anything with fresh fruit in it is recommended, and some of the best bacon in town is to be found here, too. There's a reason the James Beard Foundation designated it a regional landmark restaurant. I'm sayin'! Although you can expect a wait, you can sometimes get seated faster (if you're a small party) if you mention that you don't mind sitting at the community table.

8601 SW 24th, just off I-5 at the Barbur exit (503-246-9007); 7am–3pm Wed–Sun

Zell's Cafe (Citysearch) A regular for Saturday brunch for us, Zell's has great breakfast and lunch options in what might be described as "nice American" style. Todd almost always orders from the rather large specials board. And hey — free scones! Usually a wait, but always worth it.

1300 SE Morrison (503-239-0196); 8am–2pm daily, opens at 7am weekdays, closes at 3pm Sun

Burgers

Nob Hill Bar and Grill (official site, Citysearch) A decidedly unhip burger oasis in the middle of the land o' trendy. Tasty burgers (including some tasty artery- and gut-clogging variations) and cheap pints. Don't worry too much about the smokiness — if you were concerned about your health, you wouldn't eat here. Not often, at least. And besides, there's a hospital across the street!

937 NW 23rd (503-274-9616); 8am–2:30am daily

Cajun

Le Bistro Montage (official site, Citysearch) It's not clear that you could really call it Cajun food, but we almost always take out-of-town visitors here just for the fun of it. In a cavernous space under the Morrison bridge (listen to cars whiz by overhead as you wait for a seat, and you'll almost certainly have to wait), the Montage is full of long tables, which means you're likely to sit next to somebody who's not in your dinner party. Just say hi to them — they'll think it's funny. In keeping with the dramatic air of the place, the waiters can appear to be snooty ("Snooty?" "Snotty."), but it seems to be as much a part of their act as refilling your water glass from two feet up and yelling whenever someone orders oyster shooters. The favorite dishes (at least among us cheapskates) are the various "macs", which are actually more like rich pasta dishes than mac 'n' cheese. Todd likes the Spam mac. Honestly. Also of note are the drinks list (only two beers, but lots of wines, and unusual cocktails), and the way any leftovers are packaged in aluminum foil sculptures.

301 SE Morrison, underneath the Morrison bridge (503-234-1324); 11:30am–2pm Mon–Fri, 6pm–2am daily, open til 4am Fri and Sat

Cuban

Pambiche (Citysearch) We've never been to Cuba, but there's no reason to think this isn't authentic fare. And even if it isn't, dang, it's tasty! Entrees tend to come with lots of tasty side nibbles, but if you somehow don't fill up on dinner, you have to have dessert — just look in the dessert case! They make good cocktails here — notably the mojito, of course — and also have interesting Cuban sodas. There'll probably be a wait, and the space is small, but Cuba is a communist country, so this probably only adds to the authenticity of it all.

2811 NE Glisan (503-233-0511); 11am–10pm daily, open til midnight Fri and Sat

Comfort food

Mother's Bistro & Bar (official site, Citysearch) How home cooking would taste if your mom was a chef at a nice restaurant. That is, standards (including chicken 'n' dumplings and mac 'n' cheese) done up nicely, but without pretension. Each month features dishes from a "Mom of the Month". Nice cocktails. Also does an amazing brunch.

409 SW 2nd (503-464-1122); 7am–3pm and 5:30pm–10pm, open till 1 1am Fri and Sat, closed Sun for dinner and all day Mon

Crepes

What? Crepes get their own category? Yes, and we were almost as surprised as you.

Chez Machin (Citysearch) Fans of the Terminator film series may fear the rise of the machines, but nobody in their right mind would object if the Chez Machin took over the world, as long as that means tasty crepes for all. This cute little place is so adorably French it hurts. Savory and sweet crepes come highly recommended, especially the fresh fruit ones that appear only in summer. There's also a good selection of smoothies, salads, and (for those who don't eat their crepes for breakfast) beer and wine. Don't miss the deck seating in back.

3553 SE Hawthorne (503-736-9381); not sure of the hours and too lazy to call and find out

Java Vivace (Citysearch) As the name might imply, it's not just a creperie! But their crepes are tasty all the same. Given all they serve — coffee, beer, pastries, salads, sandwiches, and of course crepes — you could almost spend the whole day here. In fact, many of the students inside and outside on the deck seem intent on doing just that. Still, the cozy old house this restaurant occupies is large enough for everybody.

2287 NW Pettygrove (503-228-3667); 8:30am–midnight daily

Snow White House If you've never eaten at a cart, here's your reason to start. Rhyming couplets aside, the lady at the Snow White House makes mean crepes — savory and sweet. Sure, the lady who serves them up is a bit odd (for example, she also runs a restauarant called "Husky or Maltese Whatever" that's only open in the winter), but that — along with the numerous cartoon animals on the cart walls imploring you to "Come and eat!" — is just bonus color.

Cart at the corner of SW 9th and Yamhill; definitely open during weekend daylight hours, we've never been at any other times

Desserts

Mio Gelato (Citysearch) When Todd went to Italy, his guidebook constantly reminded him of the best way to spot quality gelato — look at the banana flavor, and if it's bright yellow, leave. A duller color (you know, like the part of the banana that you eat) indicated natural, and therefore quality, ingredients. Mio Gelato was the first gelateria in Portland that passed this test for him. Accordingly, he gives it the thumbs up. Another favorite flavor is the coconut. But since you can get free samples, you figure out what you want.

25 NW 11th (503-226-8002); 9am–10pm daily, open til midnight Fri and Sat

Pix Pâtisserie (official site, Citysearch) Yes, Pix is doing the desserts for our reception, so you'll have some idea of what they do, but we won't blame you if you want to head back to the mothership to check it all out. A charming little space that is often crammed full of people, all trying to figure out which perfect, tiny confection they want (the crowds disappear magically later at night). In addition to the great desserts, Pix also has a great selection of beers and wines, making it a wonderful place to go after dinner.

3402 SE Division (503-232-4407); 10am–midnight daily, open til 2am Fri and Sat

Doughnuts

Voodoo Doughnut (official site, Citysearch) Ah, Voodoo! This place was a Portland institution from the moment it opened. It's difficult to summarize its quirkiness. To begin with, though, there are the doughnuts (which the owners are quite insistent about spelling correctly — "It's not a doo-nut," they say). Although famous nationally for their quirky doughnuts (maple bars with real bacon on them, several doughnuts that incorporate breakfast cereals, surprisingly large doughnuts, doughnuts in ... interesting shapes, and so on), there's no denying that these folks know how to make a tasty doughnut, regular or bizarre. Todd's favorite are the Dirt (vanilla frosting and pulverized Oreo cookies on top), its cousin the ODB (chocolate frosting, Oreos, and peanut butter), and the titular Voodoo (a doll-shaped raised doughnut with chocolate frosting, drawn-on eyes, and a pretzel "pin", which comes with or without raspberry "blood" filling). The fritters here are astoundingly good, and near-deadly if you get the Memphis Mafia version (a banana fritter with peanut butter and chocolate). The doughnuts are fresher and generally more "adventurous" in the evening, when Voodoo caters to the many local bars and their patrons with weakened judgments. Please note Voodoo's weird hours, which are attempted to be described below.

22 SW 3rd (503-241-4704); 10pm–10am Mon–Sat, opens at 8pm Thu–Sat, open until noon on "Fryday", closes at some unspecified wee hour Sat and Sun morning, the upshot of which is that it's open late every night except Sunday and open every weekday morning (this is referred to as the "complexicon of operations")

German

Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen (Citysearch) Less a restaurant and more a small European market and deli that sells tasty lunches, Edelweiss is still worth a visit, if only to relive your European experiences, or if you haven't traveled much, to have some. The lunch specials center around the wonderful sausages they make themselves. The sauerkraut and potato salad (German style, with vinegar and bits of bacon) are so tasty that I forgot I thought I didn't like such foods. Add to that an incredible wall of fridges holding hard-to-find European beers (including Polish, Slovenian, Latvian, Russian, and so on), and it's your own private Oktoberfest! The rest of the market is worth perusing, too, notably the candy aisle and its myriad chocolate forms. Don't forget to gape at the deli counter on your way out.

3119 SE 12th (503-238-4411); 9am–6pm Mon–Sat

Italian

La Terrazza (official site; Citysearch: SW Morrison, SW 3rd) A nice, bright spot for quick and simple Italian fare — a good place for lunch. Pastas are fresh and not too heavy, and the panini are tasty.

1022 SW Morrison (503-916-4388) and 933 SW 3rd (503-223-8200); 11am–8:30pm daily (later hours Sat and Sun, and at the location on SW 3rd)

Mexican

Visitors (especially those from Texas) may doubt that a city as far north as Portland can produce what they consider authentic Mexican food. As one raised in the Lone Star State, I can testify to the presence of good Mexican food. That said, if the place you're thinking of eating puts kale or garlic mashed potatoes in anything, leave immediately.

Ole Ole (Citysearch: SW Jefferson, E Burnside, NE Alberta) Cheap-but-good taqueria food. Burritos, tacos (of the meat-onions-cilantro variety, not Taco-Bell-style), and a few other tasty options (there's a reason one is called the exquisita, including the tortas. Great for lunch or a quick meal.

1203 SW Jefferson (503-478-0505), 2137 E Burnside (503-230-1132), and 1934 NE Alberta (503-493-4094); 10am–10pm daily

Cha! Cha! Cha! (Citysearch: NW Glisan, NE Broadway) Shares more in common with Ole Ole than a repetitive moniker — they used to be the same chain, and for the most part serve the same food. One tasty difference here is the sope, a thick, fried masa (corn) patty topped with various toppings.

1986 SW 6th (503-294-0677), 1208 NW Glisan (503-221-2111), and 2635 NE Broadway (503-288-1045); 10am–10pm daily (possibly later hours at the SW 6th location)

Pizza

Accuardi's Old Town Pizza (official site, Citysearch) Tasty pizza in a funky old building with lots of antique furniture and plenty of nooks. They also have good beers on tap. A Julia favorite.

226 NW Davis (503-222-9999); 11:30am–11pm, open till midnight Fri and Sat

Apizza Scholls (official site, Citysearch) Probably the best pizza in Portland. Pizzas are made in the Italian style (thin crust and just a few ingredients) out of fresh ingredients (they only make enough dough for each day, so they occasionally run out before they close) and then baked in extremely hot ovens. They can seem a bit strict about toppings (no more than three per pie, no substitutions on the house pies), but it's only out of love for good pizza. They also know how to make a caesar salad right. A little pricey, but so worth it.

4741 SE Hawthorne (503-233-1286); 5pm–10pm, Wed–Sun, or, as they note, "until we run out of dough"

Hot Lips Pizza (official site; Citysearch: SW 6th) Remarkable pizza by the slice or whole pie — the specials are often inventive and tasty. An emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients (they even make their own pepperoni), as well as an ecological bent (they deliver their pizzas in electric cars or by bicycle), so you can eat great pizza and save the dolphins (unless you get the dolphin pizza ... just kidding).

1909 SW 6th (503-224-0311), 721 NW 9th in the Ecotrust building (503-595-2342), and 2211 SE Hawthorne (503-234-9999); 11am–9pm, open till 10pm Fri and Sat

Sandwiches

Geraldi's (Citysearch) Lovers of Italian sandwiches in the East Coast style will appreciate this small shop downtown — the bread alone would make for a tasty sandwich. Todd's favorite is the "spicy". Even the owners are authentically imported from New York. Sadly only open for weekday lunch.

518 SW 4th (503-224-1865); 11am–3:30pm

Grand Central Baking Co. (official site, Citysearch: SE Hawthorne, NE Weidler) These people make great bread — it can be found in markets and restaurants all over town — and so it follows that they make a great sandwich as well. The specials are often inventive, but you can't really go wrong with anything on their bread. If you get the "brown bag special", you get a tasty cookie of your choice — and they're no slackers in the sweets department, as well. While you're waiting for your sandwich, you'll find yourself struggling over whether to buy one of the other tasty products on display in the case. It is, as they say, all good.

2230 SE Hawthorne (503-232-0575) and 1444 NE Weidler (503-288-2738); 7am–6pm daily, open til 8:30am Mon–Fri

Kornblatt's (Citysearch) We've never lived any of our time on the East coast, but as far as we can tell, this is a tasty deli like something from back East. Big, tasty sandwiches (reubens, corned beef, all that), free pickles, and other deli fare.

628 NW 23rd (503-242-0055); 8am–9pm daily, open til 10pm Fri and Sat

Sushi

Mio Sushi (Citysearch: NW Johnson, SE Hawthorne) One of the best sushi deals in town. Quality fish and a good selection of inventive rolls. Also has lots of tasty non-sushi dishes, so your squeamish friend can join you. Waits can be long on the weekend, especially at the NW Johnson location.

2271 NW Johnson (503-221-1469) and 3962 SE Hawthorne (503-230-6981); 11:30am–10pm, or so

Vietnamese

Green Papaya (Citysearch) Upscale Vietnamese food, great drinks, and a nice decor, all sitting on the nexus of light rail — what more could you want? While they do a fine pho here, I'm constantly surprised at how good everything else on the menu is. And it's all served up so cutely! They're also well-renowned for their drinks, which they also serve at the bar whose entrance is on 11th. I don't know why this place isn't packed more often, even if one of their waiters can be a bit odd at times.

1135 SW Morrison (503-248-2112); 11am–2:30pm and 4pm–10pm daily, open later on weekends

Pho Van Bistro (Citysearch) If you're like us, then most of your encounters with Vietnamese food have taken the form of cheap but wonderful bowls of noodles and/or soup — and the Pho Van folks serve food like that in their location out on SE 82nd. But this place is a bit more upscale (as befits its sitting in the heart of the Pearl District) and surprisingly lacking in the titular pho. Instead, you'll find wonderful, fresh dishes which never fail to delight. Besides, the place is just cute. Don't overlook their drinks, which include really good exotic smoothies (avocado, soursop, etc.).

1012 NW Glisan (503-248-2172); 11am–3pm and 5pm–10pm, Mon–Sat

Drink

Beer

Hedge House (Citysearch) It's a simple formula, but why mess with it: locally brewed beers (extra hops, please), a large patio, and ... um, you. Good enough for us. The happy hours (all weekend?!) are just the icing on the cake.

3412 SE Division (503-235-2215); 11:30am–midnight daily

Horse Brass Pub (official site, Citysearch) A beer-lover's mecca! This English-style pub serves up a great selection of beers for people who really like beer — their weekly draft specials alone are unique and diverse enough to suffice, and then there's a whole other list of their regular beers! In addition to the many (did we mention wonderful?) beers, they also serve a limited selection of Brit-ish food (fish and chips, Scotch eggs, bangers, and things of that ilk) that are surprisingly good. They also have a number of dart boards, which are fun even if you only know one darts game (like Todd and Julia). All told, a great place to hang out, talk, and have a pint or two. They also have a full bar (and an impressive selection of scotches for those types, you know who you are).

4534 SE Belmont (503-232-2202); 11am–2am daily

Lucky Labrador Brewing Company (official site, Citysearch) More of the beers that Portland is known for. That tends to mean hops, so make sure and ask for a sample if you're not sure you're into that whole "bitter" thing. Strangely, their Hawthorne's Best Bitter is one of the less bitter beers. Plenty of room inside this cavernous space, but if the weather is nice, join all the dog owners and their pets outside on the patio.

915 SE Hawthorne (503-236-3555); 11am–midnight Mon–Sat, noon–10pm Sun

The New Old Lompoc (Citysearch) Quality Northwest microbrewing far from the madding crowds of NW 23rd. Their best and most renowned beers are the hoppiest (such as the C-Note, which has four different types of hops), but they make beers for the rest of ya as well. Sipping a beer on their patio (out back) at the end of a long day is a Good Thing. Happy "hour" appears to last all weekend — don't ask why, just smile. Full bar, too.

1616 NW 23rd (503-225-1855); 4pm–1am daily, opens at 11am Mon–Fri

Rogue Ales Public House (official site, Citysearch) Oh. My. Goodness. These people make such good beers, I would almost cry, except for fear of screwing up the wonderful beer by getting tears in it. The ambience is fine at this outpost of the Rogue brewing company (and refreshingly unaffected by its much hipper surroundings), and there are some decent eats, but let's be honest — you come here for the beer. And such beer! There are dozens of offerings, and it'll take you a while just to read through all their descriptions, but you probably won't go wrong. Beer nerds can also enjoy the ridiculous amount of scientific description that each beer entry has.

1339 NW Flanders (503-222-5910); 11am–11pm daily, open til midnight Mon–Thu, open til 1am Fri and Sat

Coffee

Pied Cow (Citysearch) Portland seems to have lots of funky old houses that sell coffee and assorted goodies, and the Pied Cow seems is one of the preeminent ones. They have a food menu (including some decent desserts), and the coffee is good, too, but the other items on the menu and the ambience set the Pied Cow apart. Kava, hookah pipes, and an impressive beer list mean that everyone can self-medicate in their own fashion, all under the watchful eye of one of Portland's tackier painting collections (the one maritime painting in the bathroom is Todd's favorite). The patio area, hidden behind tall hedges, is like a garden oasis in the middle of the city. Fun.

3244 SE Belmont (503-230-4866); 4pm–1am Tue–Sat, open til 1am Fri and Sat.

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House (Citysearch) If the word "funky" had been in prominent use in the first half of last century, we're sure they would have used it to describe this cute 'n' weird spot, even though we don't think it's that old. Coffee and desserts are the offerings here, although arguably ambience is really what's for sale. Occupying the better chunk of a house that is completely unmarked from the outside, this place just has the air of old-time magic in it. Features a live piano player a lot of the time. The bathroom is also interesting.

707 SE 12 (503-232-2640); 7pm–midnight daily, open til 1am Fri and Sat.

Stumptown Coffee (official site; Citysearch: SW 3rd, SE Belmont, SE Division) Literally our second home, given the amount of time we spend on their couches (there is one around the corner from Todd's work, and one a few blocks away from our new home). If there is better coffee in the world, we don't know about it. Stumptown serves expertly pulled espresso drinks and remarkable French-press coffees, all of which they roast themselves. They also have a selection of teas and some other things to drink and nibble on. The SW 3rd cafe also has an impressive selection of beers, most of them of the fancy European variety. Hot or cold, stimulant or depressant — they have it all, and it's all so tasty! This is the first place Todd learned to love the unadulterated double espresso, and he recommends you try it as well — small, creamy and intensely flavorful, it is unlike what most places pass off as espresso. But don't ignore the super deal (and Julia's favorite) that is the $1 cup (plus free refill) of French-press coffee — the exotic coffees they serve up change by the day and hour and often have surprising flavor overtones beyond just "coffee". Free WiFi, too!

128 SW 3rd (503-295-6144), 3356 SE Belmont (503-232-8889), and 3377 SE Division (503-230-7797); 7am–9pm, Division cafe closes at 6pm.

General bars

The Blue Monk (official site, Citysearch) Good bar, great beer list, some food. A nice, laid-back location to have a surprisingly good beer and ponder the age-old question, "Who is the loneliest monk?" Full food menu as well, jazz downstairs.

211 SW Ankeny (503-220-4001); 8pm–2:30am daily, opens at 4pm Tue–Sat

Brazen Bean (Citysearch) The Brazen Bean is rather infamous among our friends — many a Friday happy hour was spent trying to find a table in this crowded space, and then enjoying the cheap and marvelous martinis. And when we say martinis, we don't just mean gin or vodka and an olive (although something like that is available, of course) — we're talking about creative cocktails often involving unusual ingredients (caperberries, sake, various house-distilled liquors). Tasty stuff. They serve other things besides martinis, it seems, but we wouldn't know about it.

2075 NW Glisan (503-294-0636); 5pm–midnight daily, open til 1am Fri and Sat

Shanghai Tunnel (Citysearch) This bar doesn't seem like much on the ground floor, because it isn't. Most of the action (including the bar) is downstairs, although in summer the seating out on the sidewalk is popular (just make sure you know which bar's chairs you're sitting in, as several bars have outdoor tables on this street). The Shanghai is a funky spot whose Oriental-ish aura exudes from the walls, lanterns, and the surprisingly good food menu. Good beers, good drinks, and a decent happy hour as well (we've been known to have a few $1 PBRs in our time). It's unclear if this spot was ever actually part of the infamous Portland "shanghai" tunnels (where unsuspecting folk were lured in, trapped or drugged, and found themselves the next day working on a ship bound perhaps for Shanghai), but the bar's basement murkiness certainly seems sinister enough.

211 SW Ankeny (503-220-4001); 8pm–2:30am daily, opens at 4pm Tue–Sat