Every year, Dan and I try to take a week-long vacation as a couple. For our 2017 trip, we decided to take a road trip through parts of Oregon and Washington!
Portland is a delicious foodie city! While we were there, we definitely ate our fill. A ton of places were walking distance (or a super quick Lyft) from our Airbnb in southeast Portland. If you have a bad meal in Portland, you're doing it wrong.
Fifty Licks Ice Cream
Everyone talks about Salt & Straw (and their line is out the door), but another spot with a line out the door that we found was Fifty Licks. Since it was in our Airbnb neighborhood, we ventured out for some scoops.
I loved the smell of them making fresh waffle cones! I got to see them making and shaping them as we waited in line. There was limited seating, but we got our cones for walking since it was a bit crazy in there at the time.
As for the ice cream? Buttery, fatty, deliciousness. Just how ice cream is supposed to taste! I'd highlight recommend it.
Cascade Brewing Barrel House
Just a quick (dark) pic from Cascade, because it's definitely worth mentioning. Dan is a huge fan of good sour beers, so Cascade was a must-visit for us in Portland. He liked the taproom, and they had a great selection. While we didn't eat there, it's close to a lot of restaurants and serves its own food, so you definitely should pop in for a visit.
We met up with my college buddy and his wife at one of their favorite Portland restaurants, Al-Amir. Serving Lebanese and Mediterranean fare, I had no idea we were in for a family-style feast! The food was fresh, aromatic, flavorful, and tasty. It's unassuming from the outside, but once you're in you feel like family for sure. Dan loves Lebanese food, especially lamb dishes. We really enjoyed our meal at Al-Amir.
One of the spots walking distance from our Airbnb (and highly recommended by our hosts) was Screen Door. YES YES YES. This place is a must! I'm a huge fan of breakfast foods and brunch, and this place was awesome. It was jam-packed with people too, always a good sign.
The food came in huge portions. It was decadent. I could eat there every day for a week and not get through all the things I wanted to try. Again, I'm a breakfast fanatic, and this menu was amazing. I went with the vanilla bean brioche French toast. I think Dan got the waffle with fried chicken. I loved every bite, and I'd love to come back here.
Blue Star Donuts
Here's another one where we went with a local reco over the iconic reco. We'd eaten Voodoo Doughnuts in Austin, so we figured we should try the place that locals told us was even better: Blue Star Donuts. These are seriously good doughnuts, but you'd be hard-pressed to finish more than one in a sitting! So much flavor and density! If you like a cake donut and foodie flavors, this place is for you.
Our one mistake? We had no idea the day we decided to get these donuts was National Donut Day. So basically it was perfect for Instagram, not perfect for lines. We chose one particular Blue Star donut shop based on it being the most residential, so our line wasn't so bad as others faced that day.
EastBurn was another spot walking distance from our Airbnb. We headed over looking for dinner, and this place also had a great list for beer and whiskey. I loved the super hipster cage chairs hanging on their stage as seating, but Dan and I weren't up for braving them. I totally have a fear that I'll sit in one and it'll fall and hurt my pride... and I might not be able to eat without making a mess! LOL
We made the mistake of ordering a delicious appetizer, meaning my (tasty) gut bomb of a sandwich was entirely too much food for me to finish, but boy was it flavorful. I think I got the brisket sandwich, but looking back I was too busy inhaling it to remember months back. I'm pretty sure it was the brisket, because a Korean inspired sauce is always my jam!
Do you have a favorite spot in Portland for great food and drink?
