Discovering Portland

I’m thrilled to say I’ve finally visited Portland! I recently spent a long weekend discovering the beautiful Oregon city and I’ll I can say is, I can’t wait to go back! With literally endless options of restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and more it’s easy to see why Portland has become a major foodie city.

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While the list of things to do/see/eat/drink in Portland is looong I was able to check off quite a few during my stay.

Eat.

Woodsman’s Tavern – an easy choice as my amazing cousin is one of the talents behind the kitchen. My friends and I enjoyed a yummy brunch and the chill (hipster) Portland vibe here. Bonus: Stumptown Coffee Roasters is right next door, in case you needed an extra caffeine kick.

Voodoo Doughnuts – some may scorn me for this but I was not overly impressed by Voodoo. Sure they get points for creativity but I’ve personally had better quality and better tasting doughnuts elsewhere. As one of my friends put it “It’s like someone got high and threw a bunch of crap on a doughnut.” I’m sure you’ll form your own opinion if you try them but next time I’m trying out Blue Star Donuts instead. By the way, remember when I made baked pumpkin doughnuts?? It’s about that time of year to bust out the pumpkin again! 😉

Screen Door – a recommendation from our Uber driver and such a good decision. Go early and hungry, as the line can get big but the food portions are bigger! TIP: try the praline bacon! And if ordering the chicken and waffles get the small size, trust me.

Salt and Straw – ICE CREAM!! Enough said, but really, you should try one (or two, or three) of their deliciously unique flavors.

That crazy praline bacon from Screen Door.

Drink.

Breweries, breweries, breweries. Portland has 60+ breweries, apparently more than any other city in the world! So even the pickiest of beer drinkers can find something they like. Here are the few we stopped by, plus a few other notable locations…

Deschutes Brewery – one of the more popular and busy breweries. If you’re not in a hurry stay and grab a meal here. Along with popular brews they also serve quality pub style food.

Base Camp Brewing Co. – my personal favorite. I only had the S’more Stout here but it was certainly my favorite drink of the weekend. Not only was the toasted marshmallow on the side a great snack but the aroma of it made the entire tasting experience of the stout that much more elevated. Highly recommend! The easy going outdoorsy decor suited me well also. With tons of amazing photos covering the walls that just increased my wanderlust for the Pacific Northwest.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House – another popular choice, especially if you like sours. They have a huge selection of sour beer that all come in taster sizes, so you can sample many. Did not have the best experience with the staff here…they could use some work on their customer service and attitudes.

Commons Brewery – this place needs more table and chairs! Many customers but not many places for them to enjoy their beer. Check out the Cheese Annex in the same location, fondue was on point!

Bartini – fantastic happy hour. Endless martini options.

Stumptown Coffee – didn’t make it to one of their actual locations but their coffee is served in almost every restaurant we went too. Typically I prefer to take my coffee with creamer and a sweetener but I drank their coffee black, just saying. Chocolate cold brew is worth a try, it’s like chocolate milk with caffeine.

Heart Coffee Roasters – my friend Thalia and I dropped by quickly to grab a much needed jolt but so glad we did. A beautifully bright interior, friendly staff, and good lattes. I could see myself settling in and staying for a while. Next time…

Some pretty fun people!

Explore.

Waterfalls – travel about 30 min east of the city and you’ll find yourself in the land of waterfalls. Some of the smaller falls are visible from the road, while others require short to moderate hikes into the lush scenery. Go early, the road and falls get crowded! Multnomah Falls is by far the most popular and iconic. If headed to that particular fall try to go on a weekday or first thing on a weekend morning or except no parking and a line of traffic.

Japanese Gardens – somewhat of a last minute decision to go to but so happy we decided to wander through this gem. Walk around the tranquil gardens and take in all the natural beauty surrounding you.

Pearl District – a main hub of activity in the city. Great shops, restaurants, festivals, and of course the famous Powell’s City of Books. A bit overwhelming to me at first sight, since Powell’s takes up an entire city block and is 4 stories high, but it truly is a book lovers dream.