Welcome to Part II of my recent favorites in Portland. Be sure to read Part I to be fully caught up! For more Portland recommendations, check out this recent post by Maxene’s Trail of Crumbs or the superstar restaurant-goer Pechluck.
Who Cares What Time It Is – Drinks + Happy Hour Snacks:
- The Solo Club: this new spot by the owner of Besaw’s is perhaps the most Instagrammable find in Portland with gorgeous colors, funky furniture and even two columns made of salt blocks. It’s like art deco, Havana and estate sale finds all blended together. But that’s not all the drinks are delicious and unique like the draft ginger cider with yuzu bitters or the sous-vide sangria (yes you read that right!). {NW Portland}
Photo courtesy: @TheSoloClub
- SE Wine Collective: this is Portlandia at its best – an urban winery featuring local wine makers and top-notch food. {SE Division}
- Cheese & Crack: drinks, tons of cheese options, housemade crackers AND soft serve ice cream. What more do you need in life?! {East Burnside}
Time for Dinner:
- Revelry: great cocktails, fun space and awesome Asian inspired food. Don’t miss the spicy fried chicken or the seaweed noodles with huge chunks of Dungeness crab in a red curry sauce. {NE MLK}
- LeChon: South American cuisine with flair, plus they’ve got a gorgeous patio. {Downtown}
- Ava Gene’s: this is my staple top restaurant in Portland with great pastas, bread and vegetable dishes will change your life on ordering a salad. {SE Division}
- Urdaneta: Spanish tapas for the win. It’s all good but the fideos are top notch. {NE Alberta}
Slurps Up – Ramen Joints: Let’s face it, in this city, Ramen is in a category of its own. As a sister city to Sapporo, we’ve got a lot of Japan love which means a lot of great ramen to choose from. As I am vegetarian, I know I have a different perspective on the ramen game but these places shouldn’t be discounted even for you meat eaters!
- Afuri: Two words: Truffle. Miso. Seriously this ramen is outrageously rich and creamy and I still cannot stop thinking about it. 8 month aged black bean miso, hojicha tea, local seasonal mushroom, truffle oil and beansprouts. It will change any impression you have of vegetarian ramen. Now keep in mind, Afuri is not your casual weeknight ramen but the upscale version in a gorgeously decorated space and spendy yet worth it menu items. {Inner SE}
- Kayo’s Ramen Bar: With about 10 unique broth options, all of which can be made either vegan or with a pork/chicken broth, this is the vegetarian ramen dream. Plus I love that you can get “no carb noodles” made with julienned zucchini and daikon when you’re really craving ramen but don’t want to get too crazy outside your diet. {North Williams}
Plan Ahead and Get Fancy – Prix Fixe Dinners:
- Roe: this may be Portland’s highest-end dining experience that is worth every penny. Incredibly prepared sushi and fish dishes and service that you rarely see in the city. They are shifting away from their back-room hidden locale on Division to the west side’s Morgan Building downtown. So they should be up and ready for reservations again soon! {Downtown}
- Mae: Southern hospitality with TONS of food like fried chicken, fluffy angel biscuits, pimento mac ‘n cheese and sweet tea. {NE Portland}
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