Downtown
Taste
Experience Portland’s world-famous food cart scene at two bustling food cart pods (SW Fifth Avenue and Washington Street; SW Third Avenue and Harvey Milk Street) packed with international soup dumpling fix at Duck House Chinese Restaurant (1968 SW Fifth Ave.; duckhousepdx.com), serving Szechuan specialties in a casual spot near the Portland State University can campus. At Mexican café Revolución Coffee House (1432 SW Sixth Ave.; revolucioncoffeehouse.com), patrons pair masa-based champurrado or café de olla with empanadas and flan. Top Chef finalist Doug Adams Texas hometown at Bullard (813 SW Alder St.; bullardpdx.com), a Tex-Mex restaurant inside the gorgeous Woodlark Hotel. Spend your evening imbibing at Shift Drinks (1200 SW Morrison St.; shiftdrinkspdx.com), where it’s literally always happy hour.
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Tomboys reign supreme at Wildfang (404 SW 10th Ave.; wildfang.com), a gender- neutral clothing brand beloved by celebrities like Janelle Monae and Ilana Glazer. Creative folks also gather at Artistic Portland (318 SW Taylor St.; artisticportland.com), an arts and crafts co-op founded by a diverse group of local painters, sculptors and jewelers. For national brands, head to Pioneer Place (700 SW Fifth Ave.; pioneerplace.com), an upscale shopping mall featuring big names like Louis Vuitton, Zara and Apple.
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Founded in 1892, the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave.; portlandartmuseum.org) now houses more than 50,000 works, including an extensive collection of historical and contemporary Native art. Love a good show? Visit Portland’5 Centers for the Arts (portland5.com), a set of venues hosting more than 1,000 music, theater, dance and lecture performances every year. Underground club Al’s Den (303 SW 12th Ave; mcmenamins.com/alsden) awaits below the McMenamins Crystal Hotel with free nightly music and comedy sets.
Old Town Chinatown
Taste
Portland is famous for its many local roasters, but Deadstock Coffee (408 NW Couch St.; deadstockcoffee.com) stands apart from the pack with sneak- er-themed décor and specialty beverages like the Zero Chill, a mix of sweet tea and iced coffee. Enjoy the signature roast turkey and tableside Spanish coffee at 141-year-old Huber’s (411 SW Third Ave.; hubers.com), Portland’s oldest restaurant. Ready to feast? Food hall Pine Street Market (126 SW Second Ave.; pinestreetpdx.com) hosts nine iconic Portland eateries including Kim Jong Smokehouse and Salt & Straw’s Wiz Bang Bar – for your dining convenience. Savor classic Chinatown flavors with a meal of wonton noodle see soup and barbecue pork chow mein at Chen’s Good Taste (18 NW Fourth Ave.; chensgoodtaste.com).
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Beat your high score in Frogger, NBA Jam or Dance Dance Revolution at Portland’s favorite arcade bar, Ground Kontrol (115 NW Fifth Ave.; groundkontrol.com). Streetwear shop Produce Portland (140 NW Fourth Ave.; produceportland.com) redefines “gourmet goods” to mean stylish footwear. accessories. Similarly, adjacent Laundry (140 NW Fourth Ave.; laundrypdx.com) carries not washing machines, but the city’s best selection of vintage Trail Blazers gear and retro sports attire. Accent your new outfit with a Portland-themed hat, shirt or tote bag from Hello from Portland (514 NW Couch St.; hellofromportland.net).
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RuPaul who? Darcelle, the world’s oldest drag queen, has been performing at the eponymous Darcelle XV Showplace (208 NW Third Ave.; darcellexvcom) since 1967. For a more tranquil experience, contemplate the beautiful flora and architecture of Lan Su Chinese Garden (239 NW Everett St.; lansugarden.org), an authentic walled Chinese garden built by artisans from Suzhou. Learn more about Portland’s Chinese residents, past and present, at the engaging Portland Chinatown Museum (127 NW Third Ave.; portlandchinatownmuseum.org).
Pearl District
Taste
Can’t choose between deep dish and thin crust? The Star (1309 NW Hoyt St.; thestarportland.com) has you covered, offering two kinds of gourmet pizza as well as a full bar. The rooftop patio at 10 Barrel Brewing (1411 NW Flan- ders St.; 10barrel.com) is an excellent spot to sip local, women-brewed ales, such as the flagship Apocalypse IPA. Snack on your favorite Thai street foods at Khao San (1435 NW Flanders St.; khaosanpdx.com), where lucky patrons can eat in a custom tuk-tuk dining booth. Named after a Shakespearean forest, Arden (417 NW 10th Ave.; ardenpdx.com) focuses on highly seasonal Northwest ingredients from small producers.
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Browse beautiful paintings and sculptures for sale at PDX Contemporary Art (925 NW Flanders St.; pdxcontemporaryart.com). If the sun is shining, enjoy the public art and the playful pups and tots at Jamison Square (810 NW 11th Ave.; portlandparks.org), the Pearl District’s oldest park.
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Explore more than 1 million tomes at the world’s largest independent new and used bookstore, Powell’s City of Books (1005 W Burnside St.; powells.com), which sprawls over an entire city block. Sustainability meets technology at Nau (304 NW 11th Ave; nau.com), a local clothing brand specializing in durable and eco-friendly performance wear. Stylish threads also abound at Lizard Lounge (1323 NW Irving St.; lizardloungepdx.com), a local boutique stocked with snazzy button-ups, blazers, boots and more.
Northwest Portland
Taste
Brunch institution Besaw’s (1545 NW 21st Ave.; besaws.com) scored Oregon’s first post-Prohibition liquor license in 1933 and continues to serve stiff drinks and crowd-pleasing eats to this day, just a few blocks from its original Jocation. Tucked into a historic Victorian house, Southern- inspired eatery The Waiting Room (2327 NW Kearney St.; thewaitingroompdx.com) specializes in decadent meals of oysters, champagne and Louisiana-style fried chicken. Chef Deepak Kaul showcases his family’s favorite Indian soul food recipes at Bhuna (704 NW 21st Ave.; bhunarestaurant.com), a popular pop-up turned brick-and- mortar restaurant. Sip your way through exclusive, hyperlocal beers at Breakside Brewery (1570 NW 2 Ave.; breakside.com), an industrial-chic restaurant and brewery with 16 ales on tap.
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Arthouse theater Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave.; cinema21.com) is a favorite destination for film festivals, indie and foreign language films and appearances by acclaimed filmmakers, For live-action entertainment, head to the 95-seat black box CoHo Theatre (2257 NW Raleigh St.; cohoproductions.org) to find bold and intimate theatrical productions. Or, spend the day outside exploring Lower Macleay Park (W 29th Ave, and Upshur St.), where paths lead to miles of trails in Portland’s vast Forest Park.
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From Lower Macleay Park, hike 2.8 miles (4,5 km) along Lower Macleay Trail to the historic Pittock Mansion (3229 NW Pittock Dr.; pittockmansion.org), built in 1914 as the home of newspaper baron Henry Pittock and now converted into a public museum. (Pittock Mansion also accessible by car.) Fashion lovers flock to Betsy & Iya (1777 NW 24th Ave: betsyandiya.com) to peruse statement necklaces, colorful rings and the shop’s signature Bridge Cuff collection. Local styles are also on full display at Folly (1005 NW 16th Ave: follypdx.com), a boutique with an extensive house line as well as pieces by other West Coast designers.
Mississippi
Taste
Enjoy local ales on tap at Ecliptic Brewing (825N Cook St.; eclipticbrewing.com), an astronomy-themed brewpub from Oregon craft brew- ing star John Harris. Get the party started at all-vegan tiki bar No Bones Beach Club (3928 N Mississippi Ave.; nobonesbeachclub.com), where shots are taken through shark-shaped straws with Swedish fish chasers. Next door, classy Quaintrelle (3936 N Mississippi Ave.; quaintrelle.co) wows patrons with seasonal, vegetable-focused dishes and nuanced cocktails. Watch dinner take shape before your eyes at Radar (3951 N Mississippi Ave.; radarpdx.com), a tiny restaurant and bar with a completely open kitchen.
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Online sensation Sock Dreams (3962 N Mississippi Ave.; sockdreams.com) has its world headquarters on Mississippi. Hoof it into their store for socks of all stripes: sexy, silly and, of course, soft. Home store Flutter (3948 N Mississippi Ave.; flutterpdx.com) offers “a delightful disarray” of vintage items, like birdcages, mirrors and curios, as well as jewelry and fragrances.
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Brighten your day at Portland’s iconic light bulb shop, Sunlan Lighting (3901 N Mississippi Ave.; sunlanlighting.com), which has attracted visitors from around the globe for more than 30 years.
More To see in Portland
