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Eating
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As in Seattle, Portland's Pacific Northwest cuisine is a mix of international cooking styles and fresh regional produce, and the city offers many excellent
dining
options for all palates and pocketbooks. Downtown, the Pearl District and Northwest Portland have swank cocktail bars, sedate bistros, brewpubs and Pacific-fusion and vegan-friendly restaurants, while Hawthorne Boulevard has the best inexpensive grub and ethnic restaurants. Downtown also has an abundance of
food carts
that crank out Mexican food, Italian panini, vegetarian Indian cuisine, and rice-bowl bentos - typically cheap and tasty fare.
Bangkok Kitchen 2534 SE Belmont St tel 503/236-7349. Forget the higher-priced joints downtown (two miles west of here): this dreary-looking spot has Portland's best - and cheapest - Thai food. And if you don't like the ugly red-vinyl booths or kitschy decor, just order take-out. Bombay Cricket Club 1925 Hawthorne Blvd tel 503/231-0740. Not just another excellent Indian restaurant, the Cricket Club also adds a Muslim-inspired middle eastern element to the usual fare. A mile west of the main Hawthorne scene. Brasserie Montmartre 626 SW Park Ave tel 503/224-5552. The city's most popular French bistro, with tasty pasta and free live jazz on most evenings. The favorite lunching spot for shoppers at nearby Nordstrom. Dot's Cafe 2521 SE Clinton St tel 503/235-0203. In the center of the small-but-hip Clinton district, a cheap late-night spot decked out in primo garage-sale decor, offering the classic bacon cheese-burger, vegan burritos and the best grilled-cheese sandwich in Portland. Higgins 1239 SW Broadway tel 503/222-9070. One of the city's finest restaurants, where fresh Northwest cuisine and scrumptious desserts are served in cozy quarters just south of the city's main attractions. Jake's Famous Crawfish 401 SW 12th Ave tel 503/226-1419. Portland's landmark restaurant for over a hundred years. A staggering choice of fresh fish, including Columbia River Sturgeon, Depot Bay Dungeness Crab, and spicy crawfish cakes. The innocuous-sounding "Bag of Chocolate" is an infamously delicious, gut-busting dessert. McCormick and Schmick's 235 SW 1st Ave at Oak St tel 503/224-7522. Excellent fish restaurant, with fresh nightly specials and a lively oyster bar with a happening singles scene. Entrees around $15. Oba 555 NW 12th Ave tel 503/228-6161. Flashy, Nuevo Latino eatery in the Pearl District that fuses flavors from all over Latin America to create food you won't find anywhere else in Portland. Papa Haydn 701 NW 23rd Ave, Northwest Portland tel 503/223-7317. Expect at least a half-hour wait for a table at this upscale eatery on weekend nights - worth it for a taste of the hundred-odd desserts on the menu, with the best on view behind glass. Toney Bento 1423 SE 37th Ave tel 503/234-4441. A lively Hawthorne spot with giant bowls of tasty, inexpensive noodle concoctions, and delicious sushi - made by a master first-generation chef.
Wildwood
1221 NW 21st Ave tel 503/248-9663. Trendy Northwest Portland restaurant with a warm interior, friendly staff and imaginative food. Fresh local ingredients rule. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United States,
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