Portland Perfection: Eat Your Heart Out
Portland is a city located in Oregon on the west coast of the United States. From Portland, you can get to the Mountain in an hour (Mt.Hood) or to the lovely beach! There is a saying written on one of the buildings and it is “Keep Portland Weird” and oh boy does it ring true. Portland has a very vibrant culture of it’s on that is unlike any other city I have been to. Local coffee roasters and breweries, doughnuts, and ice cream are all common things on a day in Portland.Coffee TimeLet’s talk about coffee. Of course, there is a Starbucks around almost every corner but that is not where you will find the hipster locals hanging out. Coffee in Portland is almost as vital as water. That’s what the city runs on. So, when visiting you must not go to a chain! A few of my favorites are Case Study, Stump Town, Insomnia / Dapper and Wise, Coava, and Albina Press. Those are just the ones I would frequent and enjoy the most but there are so many more than that! Just please for the love of god do not go to Starbucks!Doughnut CitySomething that goes perfectly with coffee is a nice fresh doughnut! When you think of Portland one of the most common things that comes up is Voodoo Doughnuts! Yes, they have all sorts of cool flavors and fun shapes but honestly… they are just average doughnuts. If you want incredible doughnuts, go to Blue Star! They are fresh and amazing! Blue star has flavor combinations that you would never even imagine plus there is more than just two locations! Unfortunately, some people still “must” go to Voodoo and if that is the case I recommend you going to the one on the east side of the river. That location is bigger there is less of a line and they have more seating.Portland BrunchBrunch is a staple for Portland a city that has a large nightlife with the most strip clubs per people. Along with bars and breweries all over the city. This means that breakfast is just not an option but brunch is always the way to go. Portland brunch ranges from a small hole in the walls like Swift Lounge to a drag show brunch every Sunday at Stag. You can even go as far as making your own pancakes at Slappy Cakes. Other brunch places are Screen Door, Mother's, Pine Street Biscuit, and Waffle Window. There are also so many more but expect a wait unless you go early because most places don't take reservations.Lunch Time Adventuring around Portland and you are hungry what do you do? Have no fear most likely right around the block there will be food carts with all types of food to choose from. Food carts are located all over the city. Some of them are not so great but some of them have the best tacos you will ever have. From pho to grilled cheese it can be found at a food cart. Food carts are perfect for daytime exploring snacks or late night drunken munchies.Dinner of ChampionsIf you are looking for a good place to do dinner Portland City Grill is fantastic, but can be spending. Happy hour though is one of my favorites in the city. Also starting at noon on Sunday’s they have all day happy hour! Departure and Andina are also a great place to eat with a fantastic. Portland also has some really good Mexican food such as Por Que No and Cha Cha Cha! Another really good dinner place is Le Bistro Montage. Montage is a Cajun-creole restaurant on the east side. This is one of my favorites because they have incredible mac and cheese; at the end, if you have leftovers they do tinfoil art wrapping. These are just a few of the incredible restaurants that Portland has to offer.Coffee And DrinksAfter a nice dinner getting drinks or coffee is typical in Portland. Although I love combining them even more; if you do too I would recommend going to Huber’s. Huber’s is one of the oldest bars in Portland and they serve the best Spanish coffee with a show! Church is also a great bar to go to and enjoy a nice drink. Dive bars are also semi-common in Portland. Suki’s is a semi-nice dive bar that has karaoke Wednesday through Saturday.ExtraHidden gems are all over the incredible city of Portland. For instance, Cheerful Tortious is a bar on the PSU campus. Every Thursday night they have dollar beer night with a three-dollar cover charge but after that certain beers are one-dollar a glass or five for a pitcher. Pro tip the pitcher is only about four glasses so it’s better to buy by the glass.Enjoy all that Portland has to offer!