Portland, OR

When most people think of Portland, images of rain, hipsters, and bicycles, the city has actually become quite a food mecca. With over 650 active food trucks in the city limits, a plethora of specialized restaurants, and a major focus on farm to table/sourcing locally, Portland is one of the largest food-tourism destinations in the country. In fact, tourists spend more money on food than any other activity.[1] This coupled with the fact that you can get incredibly high quality meals for quite a low price means that we are serving up a serious amount of grub. Portland has this odd thing where people really try and one up one another by creating something ultra specialized that you probably have never heard of (it’s a part of the hipster culture, right)? The beautiful thing about this is that most of these creations are absolutely fantastic and don’t completely bomb. Fortunately you can get quite high-end meals for not that high-end of a price. In fact, even the highest end restaurants will set you back under $80/person with alcohol. There is a lot of great food to be had in the low-mid range, though.

Contributors residing here:

• mattdev

General

• The Observatory
  • Location: Montavilla
  • Dish you recommend: The veggie burger (with bacon on top)
  • Comments: Honestly, their veggie burger is significantly better than their regular burger. Hence the popularity of ordering it and getting it with bacon on top.
  • Price range: Low ($5-14)

• Tasty n Sons
  • Location: NoPo
  • Dish you recommend: John’s Breakfast, Bacon wrapped dates
  • Comments: Interesting tapas-style breakfast format. Be prepared to wait in line.
  • Price range: Mid-range ($16-40)

Food Carts

The city is home to over 650 food carts. This number was rapidly growing for quite awhile, but eventually slowed and has hovered at this number for about a year now. Carts offer delicious, gourmet meals at a substantially lower price than restaurants due to reduced operating costs. The problem is that food carts often close or change locations, so finding them can be a bit of a pain. Here are a few of mattdev's personal recommendations.

• Cackalack’s Hot Chicken Shack
• Lardo
• Pyro Pizza
• Sok Sab Bai
• The Swamp Shack
• Built to Grill
• PBJ’s
• 808 Grinds
• Off the Griddle

French

• St. Jack
  • Location: Clinton
  • Dish you recommend: Frogs Legs, French Fries, Onion Tarte
  • Comments: It’s like being in Lyon! The quality of this food is incredibly high and while it is on the semi-pricy side, it is fantastic. Where else can you get a pan-fried deboned pigs foot stuffed with sweetbreads? Cocktails are amazing as well because they have one of the best mixologists in the city managing their bar.
  • Price range: Mid-range ($16-40)

Italian/Pizza

• Nostrana
  • Location: NE Portland
  • Dish you recommend: PIZZA
  • Comments: Cathy Whims makes some of the best pizza I’ve ever had and at ~$12/pie, they won’t break the bank. Their entrees are also fantastic and they have a superb wine list.
  • Price range: Mid-range ($16-40)

Mexican and Central/South American

• Santa Cruz
  • Location: St. Johns
  • Dish you recommend: Chicken burrito, fish taco, lengua, carnitas, anything really.
  • Comments: This place is probably the best Mexican food I’ve had outside of Mexico. Prices are absolutely ridiculous for the quantity of food that you get. $4 for a football sized burrito? Hell yes!
  • Price range: Low ($5-14)

Vietnamese

• Jade Teahouse
  • Location: Selwood
  • Dish you recommend: Stir-fried eggplant, salad rolls.
  • Comments: The prices are also ridiculously low for the quality of the food you’re getting here. Lots of southeast Asian dishes at an incredibly low price.
  • Price range: Low ($5-14)

Vegetarian

Eateries that pride themselves on being totally or at least mostly vegetarian focused go here. While many Indian places could fit as well they should stay in Indian.