For those coming in from out of town, here’s a list of restaurants and shops that we feel might be helpful to you. The restaurants range all over the place in price, but nearly all the websites list the menus in detail. More restaurants will be added in time.
Key:
$ – (>$10 per entree)
$$ – ($10-15 per entree)
$$$ – ($15 – $25 per entree)
$$$$ – ($25+ per entree)
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Downtown:
Mama Mia Trattoria – $$ – 439 SW 2nd Ave. Fabulous italian cuisine. Gorgeous interior with dark red walls, giant mirrors with elaborate gold trim, and chandeliers everywhere. Very romantic!
Portland City Grill – $$$$ – 111 SW 5th Ave. Located on the 30th floor of the US Bank tower. If you want a window seat I would recommend making your reservations very early. Romantic.
The Heathman Restaurant – $$$$ – (adjacent to the Heathman Hotel) – 1001 SW Broadway. Elegant dining. Romantic.
Habibi Lebanese Cuisine – $ – 1012 SW Morrison.
Blue Hour – $$$$ – 250 NW 13th Ave. Mediterranean cuisine. Very chic interior.
Esan Thai – $ – 133 SW 2nd Ave. Best thai food in Portland ever! (in our opinion)
Hobo’s Restaurant – $$$ – 120 NW 3rd Ave. 19th Century building. Elegant dining atmosphere. Fabulous Food. GLBT friendly. It’s also the location of the Underground Shanghai Tunnel Tours, their website has more information. Romantic!
Jake’s Grill – $$$ – 611 SW 10th Ave, adjacent to the Governor Hotel. Upscale seafood/steak dining.
Old Towne Pizza – $$ – 226 NW Davis St. Totally worth mentioning on the list because aside from the pizza being phenomenal, the interior is a favorite of many. The building is late 19th Century, and all the furniture is antique. They usually play a good selection of music, and there are lots of nooks and crannies if you want to eat with a little more privacy. Typically it’s pretty dimly lit inside. Oh, and it’s extremely haunted. Their basement has an entrance to the old shanghai tunnels.
The Ringside Steakhouse – $$$$ – 2165 W Burnside. Very upscale dining, impeccable service. The food is absolutely amazing.
Al-Amir – $$ – 223 SW Stark Street. Middle Eastern fine dining.
Portobello – $$ – 1125 Se Division. *Vegan fine dining.
Fish Grotto – $$$ – 1035 SW Stark Stree. Fine dining. GLBT friendly. It’s also right around the corner from the Fez Ballroom.
Swagat Indian Cuisine – $$ – 2074 NW Lovejoy St. Really amazing food!!
Southpark Seafood – $$$ – 901 SW Salmon St. Fine dining.
Higgins – $$$ – 1239 SW Broadway. Fine Dining.
The Gilt Club – $$$ – 306 NW Broadway. Borderline fine dining. *Location of the very first episode of Portlandia.
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NE/SE Portland:
Amadeus Manor – $$$ – 2122 SE Sparrow St. Gorgeous mansion built in 1921, now turned restaurant, overlooking the Willamette River and downtown. Austrian food. Very romantic.
Casa Del Matador – $$ – 2424 E. Burnside. Tex-Mex. Really awesome decor with lots of dark/red tones and wrought iron everywhere. Expansive tequila menu and the food is excellent!
The Farm – $$ – 10 SE 7th Ave. *Vegetarian/Pescetarian.
Nicholas – $ – 3223 NE Broadway. Middle Eastern…Food is amazing and service is good.
Der Rheinlander – $$$ – 5035 NE Sandy Blvd. German fine dining.
Starky’s – $ – 2913 SE Stark St. Upscale GLBT friendly casual dining.
The Bye & Bye – $ – 1011 NE Alberta. *Vegan
Le Bistro Montage – $ – 301 SE Morrison St. Excellent cajun cuisine, and the alligator bites are quite fantastic! Open and serving food until 4am on Saturdays. 3 Blocks from the Melody Ballroom! Atmosphere is a little loud, so not recommended if you want a quiet romantic evening, but a perfect fit if you’re traveling with a group since the seating is communal. Has been one of the favorites among many in the local scene for years.
Le Pigeon – $$$ – 738 E Burnside St. Outstanding french cuisine. Highly reputed restaurant in Portland. Dining room is small so reservations are highly encouraged.
Old Wives’ Tales – $ – 1300 E Burnside. *90% of menu is gluten-free. Multi-ethnic offering vegetarian, vegan, chicken, and seafood menus.
Khun Pic’s Bahn Thai – $$ – 3429 SE Belmont. Fine dining in a old victorian house.
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Roost – $$$ – 1403 SE Belmont.
Screen Door – $$ – 2337 E. Burnside. Southern cuisine.
Melt – $ – 716 NW 21st Ave.
Genie’s Café – $ – 1101 SE Division
Mother’s Bistro – $$ – 212 SW Stark St. Beautiful interior complete with huge antique chandeliers. Same owner as Mama Mia’s.
Vita Cafe – $ – 3023 NE Alberta. *Vegan/Vegetarian
Old Wives’ Tales – $ – 1300 E Burnside. Vegan/Vegetarian friendly. See info above in dinner section.
Cadillac Café – $$ – 1801 NE Broadway St
Wild Abandon – $$ – 2411 SE Belmont St
Hawthorne Street Café – $ – 3354 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Zell’s Café – $$ – 1300 SE Morrison St
Isabel – $$ – 330 NW 10th Ave
Jam on Hawthorne – $ – 2239 SE Hawthorne. *Vegan/Vegetarian options
Bread & Ink Café – $$ – 3610 SE Hawthorne
Cup & Saucer Café – $$ – 3746 N Mississippi. I recommend this location because the wait isn’t as long compared to their other locations. Food is fantastic! ________________________________________________________________________________
Wells & Verne – 8315 SE 13th, Portland 97202. Steampunk and Victorian goth attire galore!
Crossroads Trading Co. – (2 locations) SE Hawthorne and 128 NW 23rd Ave. Seriously one of the best second-hand stores in Portland. They carry nothing but designer clothes for men & women at really good prices…Prada, Gucci, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, BCBG, etc.
Paxton Gate – 4202 N. Mississippi. Best…shop…ever. Reminiscent of a 19th Century cabinet of curiosity, this shop has skulls of all kinds, taxidermied bats in glass display cases, books and oddities of all varities, specimens in glass tubes, etc.etc.etc.. Just go!
*Portlandia, Season 2, Episode 2 with Jeff Goldblum was filmed here.
Hollywood Vintage – Corner of NE 28th & Sandy. *Sponsors of the VMB 2014*
Flutter – 3948 N. Mississippi.
The Foundation – 4831 SE Division. CORSETS! (and they’re steel-boned) Excellent pricing! (And really hot vintage-style lingerie)
Costume Avenue – 12760 SW 1st St, Beaverton, 97005. Great if you’re looking to rent a period outfit for the ball.
SE Hawthorne Ave from the 29th to the 40th block is a favorite among locals to shop. There you will find stores like The Gold Door, Metro, Presence of Mind, Naked City, The Perfume House (noted to be the largest collection of fine perfumes in the world), The Herbe Shoppe (for that naturopath in all of us), The Red Light, Buffalo Exchange, The Monkey King, etc.
NW 23rd St starting from W Burnside going North is a great street full of interesting shops, also called “trendy 3rd” by the locals. Home to Lush bath and body, 3 Monkeys (great clothing/accessories/home decor), MAC store, New Renaissance Bookshop, Robot Piercing, Crossroads Trading Co., Gilt Jewelry, etc.
Avalon Antiques & Vintage Clothing – 410 SW Oak St
Really Good Stuff – 1322 SE Hawthorne. Portland’s most eclectic junk/antique store. A favorite of many for years.
Ray’s Ragtime – (vintage clothing) 1001 SW Morrison
Powell’s Books – 1005 W Burnside. Largest independently owned bookstore in the world that takes up a entire city block. Need we say more?
Spartacus Leathers – corner of SW 12th & Burnside.