Portland, Oregon
The food alone makes Portland, Oregon worth the visit. Everywhere, small and innovative restaurants use local ingredients and traditional food preparation techniques to create some of the best, and most unpretentious food. Portland also boasts an amazing selection of ethnic food, which are often prepared and/or presented with a modern spin.
Tusk
Tusk is a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern hybrid restaurant serving fanciful cocktails, and plates that are great to share. The ambiance is airy and inviting, and they also have a great outdoor patio. Come with a group so you can share a little taste of everything on this veggie-forward menu.
Cheese & Crack Snack Shop
Cheese & Crack serves frozé, cheese plates, and soft serve. You really need nothing more for a fun and delicious time out with friends.
Broder
One place that I have dined at twice now is Broder- a Swedish restaurant that offers Scandinavian comfort food. The brunch at Broder is particularly notable. An example of one classic lunch item that they offer is smörgåsbord, or a open-faced sandwich. Smör, or schmere, and brød, or bread, already give insight as to what this traditional Scandanavian sandwich consists of. The toppings vary widely, depending on the regional cuisine. Being a seafood lover visiting the Pacific Northwest, I knew I had to try the lox, or cured salmon smörgåsbord. The sandwich is served on rugbrød, which is a thinly-sliced and dark brown rye bread. The bread has a nutty and seedy taste, as it is packed with a variety of different textures, typically consisting of rye kernels, sunflower seeds, linseeds and/or pumpkin seeds. Broder also offers baked goodies and coffee, typical for a fika, or Swedish coffee break.
For a hearty breakfast, you can order the two soft baked eggs, served in the cutest, square-shaped cast iron pan, with walnut toast and a side of potatoes and cream. For something sweeter, try the Æbleskiver or "Pancake Puffs", which are spherical donuts dusted in powdered sugar and served with a side of both lemon curd and lingonberry jam. Köttbullar, or Swedish meatballs, brought to popularity in the U.S. thanks to furniture-retailing giant Ikea, are another option. These meatballs come served with a sherry cream and lingonberry jam. Nobody said this food was easy on the waist line, but it is definitely tasty and as is the case with me, worth visiting over and over.
50 Licks
There are so many ice cream places in Portland, but 50 Licks is one worth visiting. They handmake their waffle cones, and have the most scrumptious dairy-free and dairy-full summer flavors, such as coconut lemon saffron (vegan), brownie vs. blondie, and mango sticky rice (vegan)/
Bollywood Theater
Bollywood Theater is Portland's take on Indian street food, and I’m here for it. Inspired by the Bollywood culture of Mumbai, the interior of this spacious eatery was decorated from ceiling to floor. In the back there is a little market where one can purchase treats imported from India. Here we each tasted the vada pav: a spicy potato dumpling dipped in chickpea batter, fried, and served on a bun with 3 different chutneys. Nicknamed "the poor man's burger of Mumbai", I relished this tasty dining stop.
Nong’s Khao Man Gai
The food at Nong’s take me back to when I traveled in Thailand for 3 weeks and ate chicken and rice with broth nearly every single day. That being said, there are plenty of other vegetarian and vegan options.
Blue Star Donuts
These are the most hyped donuts of all time. They are not my favorite donuts of all time, but a trip to Portland would be incomplete without swinging by one of their many locations in the city and picking up a few of Blue Star’s donuts. The blueberry bourbon basil is a long time fan favorite.
Pok Pok
(Note: Pok Pok is indefinitely at the time of this update on 8/1/21) Perhaps the most internationally acclaimed and beloved restaurant in Portland, Pok Pok serves Thai food. Chef and owner Andy Ricker opened the Pok Pok in 2005, after being inspired by his time in Northern Thailand and in particular, Chiang Mai. For that reason, the food here is much different than the Thai food most people from the US are acquainted with. Instead of curries and pad thai, Pok Pok is known for dishes like these spicy chicken wings.
