Portland is a city full of people who are very into whatever they’re into, whether that’s biking, beer, neck tattoos, or roses. We LOVEto eat and drink, thankfully Portland has great food. Our food trucks are famous and you can get any cuisine in the world you want. Whiffies fried pies are kind of legendary. The food carts tend to be grouped together into zoned areas called pods, with bathrooms and tables. There’s an app for our food carts, if you have an Android or iPhone.
Many Portland restaurants don’t take reservations, sadly, so expect a bit of a wait. Our servers are often sullen hipsters who don’t give very good service. Don’t take this personally. You’ll forget about it when you taste your food. Aside from Yelp and the like, check out Portland Food and Drink for guides to eating in Portland.
Near the Fling hotel:
Clyde Common has wonderful cocktails and food, and it’s located five blocks away. It’s a “European style tavern,” whatever that means.
El Gaucho is an excellent steakhouse nearby, if you haven’t spent all of your money on plants and tax-free shopping. We include this one in case you need a special place to thank your sweetie for tagging along on the Fling.
Sizzle Pie is right across the street from Powell’s and serves pizza by the slice. They are open until 4am for the party animals.
LucLac Vietnamese Kitchen is an incredible value for really delicious food. Personal favorites are the banh mi, salad rolls, and the pho, but it’s all good. Portions are big and easily sharable.
Portland City Grill is located on the 30th floor of “Big Pink,” the US Bankcorp Tower. Come here for the incredible view of the Willamette River and a happy hour snack.
Little Bird Bistro is a wonderful French restaurant run by Gabriel Rucker (twice a James Beard award winner). You can also zip across the river and visit Le Pigeon.
Tasty n Alder speaking of James Beard winners, visit John Gorham’s latest tapas restaurant. Their food is meant to be shared family style but that has never stopped us from ordering a bunch of stuff and eating it all ourselves.
“But I spent all my money getting here!” we can hear you saying. Good thing for you Portland has a bottomless supply of inexpensive, delicious food. Check out the Willamette Week Cheap Eats guide or check out the hundreds of foodcarts we have distributed around the city. Some of the largest pods are located at SW 9th and Alder, SW 3rd and Washington, and SW 5th and Stark.
A few treats outside of downtown:
· Pok Pok on SE 33rd/Division serving thai street food. The owner, Andy Ricker, just opened a branch in NYC and he’s gotten a lot of buzz. The gulf prawns are amazing. The wait for dinner tends to be an hour and a half so either hit them for lunch or have a snack before you head over there and then get a cocktail across the street at Whiskey Soda Lounge.
· Toro Bravo on NE Russell. This was John Gorham’s (see Tasty n Alder above) first restaurant. Go with a group and try one of everything. Right next door, up the stairs, is a great little bar called Secret Society. It’s cozy, dark, and they serve absinthe. It feels like you’re drinking in your professor’s study. The wait can get up to 2.5 hours for a table, so we usually put our name in at 5:30 or 6 then go do something else for a while. They’ll call you when you’re table is getting near to ready.
· Screen Door does wonderful Southern comfort food. All of their sides are seasonal, locally sourced, and organic.
· Le Bistro Montage. We all refer to it as “the montage.” This is a loud, funny, fun place. They have three different kinds of fancy mac and cheese (get the Spold, you won’t regret it) and they wrap your leftovers into foil animals. They seat you communally at big tables, so talk to your neighbors and enjoy the spectacle.
Coffee:
People get very opinionated about coffee in Portland and you know what? It’s all good. You can go anywhere in town and get a very good cup of coffee. Some local roasters include:
Beer:
Like coffee, we have an incredible number of people creating amazing beer in Portland. You’ll also see people voluntarily drinking Pabst, to be ironic. The Fling hotel is a short streetcar ride from the Brewery Blocks. A few beereries of note:
· Deschutes Brewery is a fun brewery with great food AND an extensive gluten-free menu (the kitchen is separate so celiacs can eat here).
· Tug Boat Brewing is a cozy little bar that offers lots of beers, zero pretension, and board games.
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