Dining & Drinking

Dining

Portlanders love food, and you are sure to love the food of Portland. Whether you are in the mood for bar grub, a vegetarian feast, or are out late and want some incredible food cart chow, Portland has you covered.

Farmers Markets: Fresh, locally grown food is preferred by professional and home chefs alike. Portland farmers markets are open March through December on various days of the week throughout the city.

Food Carts: Portland was recently rated as #1 in the WORLD by US News and World Reports for its street food. Unlike some cities where food carts are associated with mediocre food and low standards, in Portland they are a godsend. With over 200 food carts scattered across the city, you will have a harder time choosing between gourmet waffle sandwiches, vegetarian bento, poutine, barbeque, burritos, and just about anything else you can imagine coming on a paper plate (compostable, of course). Many food carts sharing close quarters are known as a pod.  Hours vary, from the coffee carts that open at 6:00 a.m. to the late night pods that are usually open until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. Check out www.foodcartsportland.com for details.

Happy Hour: Another tradition in Portland is happy hour, which is defined differently by almost every restaurant. So whether you want to grab an early dinner or are looking for a late night out, you should search out a restaurant with happy hour. We can’t agree on a favorite happy hour guide, so just use a search engine or download a Portland Happy Hour app for your phone.

Beer, Wine, and Liquor

All right, it’s drink time, and you’ve come to the right place. With more than 100 breweries, over two dozen distilleries, and almost 400 wineries in Oregon, we aren’t going to go dry anytime soon.

Wine: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are planted in all directions in Portland; you could spend weeks driving around to all them. That’s fine if you have the time, but if you don’t, then fortunately you can find Oregon wines in restaurants and tasting rooms all around town.

Breweries: Portland=Beer. ‘Nuff said. You’ll find craft breweries dotted throughout the city, and their products on tap in just about every local pub. A higher percentage of craft beer is sold in Portland than anywhere else in North America (40% versus less than 5%). For a few recommendations check out the 107IST partners, or go right to the source with the Oregon Brewers Guild.

Distilleries: Tours of distilleries are a just another part of reality in Portland. You can sample pear brandy or spruce gin while learning about the distilling process.  You can check out the distilleries website for details on their tours, or head over to Southeast Portland and go on a walking tour of Distillery Row.