The Best Coffee Shops in Portland

,
A latte in a green mug, the corner of an open book next to it.

Who makes the best coffee in Portland? (Giulia Fiaoni / City Cast Portland)

Life as a coffee lover in Portland means constantly falling in love with new shops and struggling to pick a favorite, but that doesn’t mean we won’t try. Here are just a few of the best coffee shops in the city.

Deadstock Coffee

The Black-owned sneaker-themed café has been serving great coffee in Chinatown since 2017 and recently opened a second location in Beaverton. There’s no formal menu, so ask for your go-to drink or let the talented baristas guide you.

Carnelian Coffee

A fantastic place to challenge your palette with specialty drinks like a non-psychoactive CBD shot add-on or cold brew with chocolate and your milk of choice.

Dear Sandy

Coffee served at bars is sometimes an afterthought, but not at Dear Sandy. Caffeine is not just a means of energy here — the beans are roasted locally and served until midnight. Bonus points for the killer merch.

Exquisite Creatures

Emphasis on “exquisite,” including a great selection of plant-based pastries and a seasonal drink menu that never misses.

Keeper Coffee

This woman-owned shop sources its beans from Portland staple Coava Coffee and makes all of its delicious pastries in-house with local ingredients.

Proud Mary

Originally founded in Australia, Nolan and Shari Hirte opened their first location in the U.S. right here in Portland. The coffee selection is always evolving and the food is equally impressive.

Push x Pull

A journey that began with founder Christopher Bell roasting coffee in his apartment in 2012, Push x Pull opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 2022 and has evolved into a destination for experimental and natural coffees.

Guilder

Coffee veterans Ryan Willbur & Laila Ghambari took over Guilder and its sister café Juniors Roasted Coffee last year and have been carrying the torch of great coffee and immaculate vibes.

Which coffee shops did we miss? Email us with your favorites.

 

For this and similar articles, please visit the Portland City Cast Podcast

/by

Portland Art Museum Transformation

,

As the only major arts museum between Seattle and San Francisco—Portland Art Museum is a vital cultural resource serving as a civic cornerstone, educational resource, and beacon of inspiration for the people who live, work, and visit the city of Portland. It serves as a “cultural commons” drawing together local, regional, national, and global audiences to connect through the arts and engage with the stories and ideas shaping our world. Through the Connection Campaign, we are strengthening these ties by expanding our campus, growing our endowment, and investing in Downtown Portland—all made possible by our generous supporters.

Expansion & renovation

The Connection Campaign is completely transforming the Museum and creating a vital “cultural commons” in the heart of downtown Portland. Opening to the public in late 2025, the project adds 100,000 square feet of new or upgraded public and gallery space, provides increased access to our exhibitions and programs, offers new ways to experience the robust collection, and adds new amenities for diverse audiences.

This once-in-a-generation transformation affirms the Museum’s mission to connect people and art through experiences that broaden our perspectives. It also underscores Downtown Portland’s cultural and civic importance.

Architectural rendering of the new Rothko Pavilion as seen from the east/ Park Avenue side.

Transparency & access

A pillar of the Connection Campaign is reflecting shared community values of transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity.  The new Mark Rothko Pavilion, named in honor of the renowned artist who grew up in Portland, provides a central and welcoming “front door” to the Museum, featuring a glass facade opening onto a public plaza, an open main commons, and seamless connectivity between the Museum’s two historic buildings. When complete, all people, regardless of their individual capabilities, will enjoy ease of access throughout the Museum’s spaces.

Rendering of new two-floor sculpture gallery

New ways to engage with art

Visitors will encounter an entirely new Museum experience complete with reinstalled galleries; more intuitive pathways to encounter art; and more visibility for noteworthy collections. The Museum is fundamentally a center for arts education, which is why the capital project is complemented by efforts to permanently endow priorities like a new collection of Black Art & Experiences, as well as support for our important collection of Native American Art, which is the most visited collection by school tours.

Expanded public and gallery spaces will allow the Museum to expand Learning and Community Partnership spaces, improve classrooms, and broaden representation in the collection, including new acquisitions by a roster of renowned regional and international artists. We will also continue to expand and showcase media arts and storytelling throughout the Museum, especially in the Whitsell Auditorium and adjacent new media gallery.

Reflection & gathering

The Connection Campaign is enhancing the Museum experience with new spaces for gathering, learning, and rest. A state-of-the-art learning studio and a dedicated gallery for student and community artwork will give school groups and the community a place to gather and reflect on their tours and engage in hands-on activities related to their studies. The expanded café and store will offer a modern shopping and dining experience, while outdoor terraces with elevated views and accessible public plazas will offer beautiful areas for socializing and rest.

Securing the future of art

To enhance access, exhibitions, and programming at the Portland Art Museum, the Connection Campaign seeks to strengthen our endowment. Although our Museum excels in access, space, and collection size, our endowment provides just 16% of our operating budget—far below the 20-40% average of North American art museums. This funding gap leaves us vulnerable to changes in admissions, membership, and external support.

Growing our endowment is essential. Endowed funds are invested in perpetuity, generating income that sustains operations and programming. This financial stability helps weather economic fluctuations and unforeseen challenges. Endowment funds are put to work each year to support free and reduced access programs, community programs, curatorial leadership, and much more.

Architects

In consultation with Vinci Hamp Architects, the Museum is working with Hennebery Eddy Architects for the pre-design phase of the project. Vinci Hamp Architects, known for its work with museums and historic preservation, counts the Art Institute of Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and award-winning projects including the Illinois State Capitol, Chicago Tribune Tower, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio among its roster of clients.

Portland-based Hennebery Eddy Architects is an architecture, planning, and interior design studio with specialty focus in historic resources. Projects include the Pietro Belluschi-designed The Reserve building in downtown Portland, Yellowstone National Park Youth Campus, Oregon State’s Strand Agriculture Hall, and the Albina Vision Plan for NE and NW Portland.

Community

Among the groups and constituents who have been involved in feedback and approvals are the Museum Equity Team and Accessibility Advisory Committee, Portland’s City Council and Historic Landmarks Commission, elected officials, and many community and cultural organizations.

Construction

Mortenson has a deep history in the arts and culture community with its construction of hundreds of projects around the country, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Denver Art Museum, the Visual Arts Complex at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium, and the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis. Their Portland office employs nearly 150 people.

Urban Resources, Inc. is a Portland construction management company with experience in cultural, civic, and higher education projects, including the Japanese Garden expansion, The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, and The Crocker Art Museum expansion in Sacramento, CA.

 

For this and similar articles, please visit PortlandArtMuseum.org

/by

Javelina Just Became Portland’s Only Indigenous Restaurant

,

Co-owners Alexa and Nick Numkena-Anderson are serving fry bread tacos by day and non-colonial tasting menus by night.

A tostada-like dish topped with meat and vegetables.

Portland finally has an Indigenous restaurant. Javelina, which started as a pop-up in November 2023, opened as a permanent brick-and-mortar on January 23 at Lil’ Dame. By day, Javelina is a counter-service restaurant serving contemporary Native American dishes like fry bread alongside traditional foods like someviki, a.k.a. Hopi corn tamales. Starting February 8, Javelina will transform at night into Inɨ́sha, a multi-course dinner concept. Inɨ́sha will use only ingredients native to “Turtle Island” — the term many Indigenous groups use to refer to North America — provided by other Indigenous businesses wherever possible.

“Us offering Indigenous food as a whole is a very special experience,” says chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson, who co-owns Javelina with her husband, Nick Numkena-Anderson. “You can’t really go out and be like, ‘Let’s go have some Indigenous foods tonight for dinner.’” According to the couple, theirs will be the only Indigenous restaurant within about 180 miles (the closest is Off the Rez Cafe in Seattle).

Javelina’s daytime menu is similar to past pop-ups, drawing from Alexa’s roots growing up on the Yakama Reservation in Washington as an enrolled Hopi tribe member and a descendant of the Cree, Skokomish, and Yakama nations. Fry bread is the base for the “NDN” tacos topped with bison chili, and serves as the buns for the powwow beef burger with American cheese and shredded lettuce. Fry bread has a complicated history as a survival food for Indigenous people who were forcibly displaced from their homelands onto reservations. They lost access to their traditional foods and were forced to survive on government rations of non-native ingredients like flour. But for Alexa, it’s also a comfort food. She has fond memories of eating fry bread tacos from food vendors at powwows and making fry bread with her grandmother.

An Indigenous woman stands in front of a shelf full of ceramics, glassware, and other objects.
Chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson at Javelina.
 Carter Hiyama

Other dishes on Javelina’s menu center traditional Indigenous ingredients, such as tribal-caught salmon steamed in a corn husk with sunflower seed pesto. The blue corn someviki is topped with maple-roasted duck and a pasilla cacao sauce, tying in her Mexican heritage. Smoked salmon salad is served with Sonoran wheat berries, commonly grown in Nick’s home state of Arizona.

Nick handles the multi-faceted beverage program. There’s a whole menu of teas from Indigenous farms (including Sakari Farms near Bend), blending ingredients like blueberries, jasmine flowers, wild rose petals, and bachelor buttons, as well as coffee from Portland’s Native-owned Bison Coffeehouse. The non-alcoholic menu uses Indigenous ingredients including chokecherry, wild sumac, and prickly pear, while the cocktail menu, which uses spirits from Indigenous-owned distilleries, incorporates blue corn whiskey, gin with Pacific Northwest juniper, and highbush cranberry syrup.

Javelina’s nighttime concept, Inɨ́sha, translates to “my daughter” in the Yakama tribal language. Between courses, guests will be treated to Indigenous storytelling. It’s similar to Oraibi, the tasting menu concept the couple piloted at Kolectivo in December. Oraibi was a success, says Alexa, with some guests booking back-to-back seatings or coming from out of state. “I could see the excitement in their eyes as I’d drop off a plate,” she says.

A bowl of rice, meat, pickled onions, and vegetables.
The Sun Bowl at Javelina.
 Carter Hiyama
A bowl of soup.
Verde rabbit and wild rice soup.
 Carter Hiyama

Dinner launches on February 8 and will be served on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s available by ticketed reservation only and capped at 22 people per day across two seatings, with shareable courses designed to build community around food. The initial tasting menu will start off with a passed course of Makah Ozette potatoes, a long, narrow potato variety that the Makah tribe in Washington State has grown for over 200 years. “They’re like fingerlings, but not as bitter — they’re tender, a little nutty,” says Alexa. She tops them with duck fat, dandelion greens, and yellowfoot mushrooms.

In order to stay true to non-colonial Indigenous foodways, Inɨ́sha features only proteins native to North America, which means you won’t find beef, chicken, or pork here. Instead, the menu boasts the likes of elk, wild boar, goose, duck, and tribal-caught fish. Everything is free of gluten, dairy, soy, and cane sugar. The initial six-course menu incorporates elderberry-marinated elk shoulder, braised rabbit, manoomin (wild rice), and indigenous heirloom bean varieties including tepary beans and Rio Zape beans. It finishes with huckleberry pie with a sunflower seed crust, sided by maple cranberry sorbet.

A table at a restaurant with a collection of Native American art behind it.
The interior at Javelina.
 Carter Hiyama
A table at a restaurant next to a storefront window.
The interior at Javelina.
 Carter Hiyama

Ultimately, Alexa hopes the space will serve as a place of Indigenous pride and community. It’ll be decorated with Indigenous art, including beadwork and Hopi pottery. The air will be smudged with sage and sweetgrass, and Javelina plans to partner with the Native American Youth and Family Center and the Northwest Native Chamber to showcase Indigenous vendors, creating a market in the shipping container next to the restaurant.

“I want it to be an educational space for people to learn about first foods,” says Alexa. “I’m really trying to create a cozy, welcoming environment here for Native people to enjoy. I’m doing this for you.”

Javelina is now open at 5425 NE 30th Ave.

 

For this and similar articles, please visit EaterPDX.com

/by

Oregon chefs, restaurants named among 2025 James Beard Awards semifinalists

,
Gregory Gourdet holds the medal he won — his third in three years — at the James Beard Awards in Chicago on June 10.

Portland chef Gregory Gourdet holds the medal he won — his third in three years — at the James Beard Awards in Chicago on June 10.Courtesy of the James Beard Foundation

 

Oregon chefs, restaurants, bars and a bakery were among the semifinalists named for the 2025 James Beard Awards in an announcement Wednesday.

Often called “the Oscars of the food world,” the Beard Awards aim to “recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to creating a culture where all can thrive.”

Leading the way Wednesday were two longtime Portland chefs with nominations in the prestigious Outstanding Chef category, Sarah Minnick of the pioneering North Portland pizzeria Lovely’s Fifty Fifty and two-time winner Gabriel Rucker (Rising Star Chef: 2011; Best Chef: Northwest, 2013) of East Burnside destination Le Pigeon.

The city also landed a spot in the Outstanding Restaurant category — the same award given to Portland’s Langbaan last year. This year, it’s Coquine’s turn to go up against the heavyweights from New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

In other national categories, Jinju Patisserie in North Portland received its second consecutive nomination as an Outstanding Bakery, Scotch Lodge in Southeast Portland was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar and Joel Gunderson of Heavenly Creatures in Northeast Portland appeared in the new Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service category.

But the awards aren’t all Portland-focused this year. For the regional Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific awards, chefs from Amity (Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra), Ashland (Joshua Dorcak, MÄS), Eugene (Isaiah Martinez, Yardy) and McMinnville (Sarah Schafer, Humble Spirit and Kari Shaughnessy, Hayward) will face off against Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro, which is moving to downtown Portland, and Thomas Pisha-Duffly of Northeast Portland’s Gado Gado.

The short list of award nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 2. Winners will be celebrated at the Beard awards ceremony on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

 

For this and similar articles, please visit OregonLive.com

/by

The Best Teahouses for Escaping Portland’s Winter Gloom

,

a dark wood bar with tea ware, at Fly Awake, Portland, Oregon

Portland stands out among U.S. cities for the many teahouses that offer gongfu tea, a Chinese style of service that translates as making tea with skill. This isn’t your old high British tea, served milky and sweet, with a side of cucumber sandwiches.

If you go, plan to sit down, take your time, and even talk to some strangers. Maybe you’ll make some friends and find a new favorite drink.

(Bonus: The gloomy winter weather makes it the perfect time to escape your home for a warm beverage. And tea is a great option if you’re missing bars while observing Dry January or otherwise not partaking.)

Gongfu tea can be a little like wine. The taste can range from a floral oolong to an earthy pu’er. (I’ve tasted peaches, steak, and forest floor for example.)

In a recent interview with the City Cast Portland podcast, local tea aficionado Percy Scoffern dished some tea on the local scene. Here are some of their favorite teahouses:

Enthea Teahouse

3533 SE Milwaukie Ave. (Brooklyn neighborhood)

Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 1 – 9 p.m.

Expect to leave your shoes at the door. They have slippers.

Weekly events:

  • Tea Bar Wednesdays, 2 – 6 p.m., $5 pots of tea brewed for you.
  • Speakteasy. Fridays, 7 – 10 p.m., $10 cover for all the tea you can drink and a conversation prompt that involves the whole teahouse.

Bardo Tea

2926 NE Killingsworth St. (Concordia neighborhood)

Hours: Closed Tuesdays, Noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. other days.

Bardo opened last year, and like all the other spots on this list has a unique space. One room is shoes-off, with seats on tatami mats.

Events: Bardo previously offered meditation over tea on Saturdays, and now have tea classes.

Fly Awake Tea House

909 N Beech St. (off North Mississippi Avenue)

Hours: Noon – 7 p.m. every day

My suggestion is you ask for a recommendation, based both on what you want it to taste like and how you want to feel. Drinking a cup of tea can feel really different than a cup of coffee, and there are major differences in the effects of different tea.

Also, you can get a tarot card reading. You may want to call ahead to see if it’s available when you’re visiting.

Yun Shui Teahouse

239 NW Everett St. (Old Town-Chinatown)

Hours: 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. every day

Visitors to Lan Su Chinese Garden can go for some good tea. The pandemic closed their previous shop. It reopened last year.

If you’re looking for more options or other styles of tea, check out these options:

  • Steven Smith has a teahouse and manufacturing at their Central Eastside location. Take your time over tea and check out their factory too.
  • Portal Tea (formerly Tea Cha Te) serves gongfu style but also more familiar options at its Northwest and Sellwood locations.
  • Behind the Museum Café serves Japanese-style teas.
  • Umami Café also serves Japanese-style tea for visitors to the Portland Japanese Garden.
  • Pip’s serves some amazing chai options. Bonus: there are warm doughnuts.
  • Plus, check out Eater Portland’s list of the best places for high British tea.

 

Listen to this Hey, Portland! Podcast here!

/by

Mother-son duo brings authentic Haitian cuisine to Rose City: ‘Put Haiti on the map’

,

Portland restaurant TapTap Cuisine, operated by Dieuson Alix and his mother, is sharing Haitian culture, one serving at a time.

While many celebrated New Year’s Day with champagne toasts, Portland’s newest Haitian restaurant marked the occasion by serving up a dish that symbolizes freedom and independence. Jan. 1, Haiti’s Independence Day, marks the birth of the world’s first free Black republic.

At TapTap Cuisine in Northeast Portland, owner Dieuson Alix and his mother Daniella celebrated the historic day by serving Soup Joumou, a traditional squash soup that carries centuries of meaning.

“When slavery began in Haiti, we weren’t allowed to eat pumpkin. The masters were the only ones who could enjoy it,” Alix said. “But when we gained independence on Jan. 1, 1804, the best way to celebrate was by making Joumou. It symbolizes freedom, liberty and unity for Haitians.”

The restaurant’s name comes from one of Haiti’s transportation systems.

“In Haiti, we have a traditional taxi, a little bus or pickup truck we call Tap Tap,” Alix said. “The name comes from passengers tapping the back of the vehicle to signal the driver to stop.”

After arriving in America in 2016 on a student visa, Alix balanced learning English, working and playing soccer while earning a psychology degree at Bushnell University in Eugene.

In 2023, he opened a food cart on North Williams Avenue. Following months of planning and support from family and friends, he expanded to a brick-and-mortar location on Northeast Sandy Boulevard in October 2024.

For Alix, the venture is a tribute to his mother’s sacrifices in their hometown of Jacmel, Haiti, where he helped his single mother prepare meals that she would sell to support him and his two siblings.

“I saw the struggles my mom faced,” he said. “She would cook in big pots, then walk 60 to 70 miles a day to sell her food in the market. She worked tirelessly to provide for us.”

Despite the success of his restaurant, Alix continues to face challenges, including stereotypes perpetuated on social media. The comments, often offensive and rooted in misinformation, have deeply affected him.

“It hurts me to my soul,” Alix said. “As a migrant, as a Black man, you have to work harder than anyone else to make a seat for yourself. But one thing about us Haitians — we are resilient. We have tough skin.”

He recently deleted several offensive comments falsely claiming Haitians eat dogs and cats.

“Not too long ago, I had to delete up to 10 comments where people were saying, ‘Stop eating dogs, stop eating cats, save the cats,'” he said. “This is not a part of our culture. This is not who we are. We don’t eat dog. We don’t eat cat.”

Alix said Haitian immigrants contribute significantly to American society.

“We are nurses, doctors, journalists, business owners,” he said. “It’s very disturbing, but we have tough skin.”

His mother Daniella, who joined him in Oregon in February after immigration delays, spoke proudly in Haitian Creole: “I’m extremely proud of him choosing to share Haitian food with the Portland community and being proud of his culture.”

For Alix and his mother, it’s not just about building a restaurant, it’s about keeping Haiti’s spirit alive, one serving at a time. He said they’re committed to making the Haitian restaurant a welcoming space for both Portland’s Haitian community and those seeking to learn about the culture.

“Tap Tap means we’re moving forward,” Alix said. “We’re on a journey to a brighter future — not just for us, but for our community. For our culture. We want to put Haiti on the map.”

Both locations are open Tuesday through Sunday at various times available on Tap Tap’s social media pages.

 

For this and related articles, please visit KGW.com

/by

Where to Find Comfort Food in Portland

,

Pasta, Dumplings, and More!

Drown your sorrows in some saucy, slurpable pasta and oversized meatballs at Gabbiano’s. (Gabbiano’s)
For obvious reasons, I suspect we could all use some soul-warming nourishment to bolster our spirits right about now. We’ve compiled this list of fortifying options, including noodle soups, pizza, dumplings, pasta, soul food, and more, so you can get your comfort food fix. For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide.

PIZZA

Apizza Scholls
Serious Eats founder Ed Levine once dubbed this “Neo-Neapolitan” pizza destination “one of the top five pizzerias in America.”
Sunnyside

Ken’s Artisan Pizza
Grab a cheesy pie topped with Calabrian chiles and fennel sausage or mortadella and charred leeks at this wood-fired pizzeria, which was declaredList the “57th best” pizzeria in the world at the annual 50 Top Pizza award ceremony in Napoli in 2022. Add on a Caesar salad and a side of meatballs in tangy tomato sauce for a hearty, warming winter meal.
Kerns

Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty
Sarah Minnick’s acclaimed wood-fired pizzeria, which was featuredList on Chef’s Table: Pizza on Netflix, serves exquisite artisan pies with seasonally inspired toppings like squash and ricotta or chanterelle mushrooms.
Boise

Pizza Jerk
You’ll find offbeat combinations like the “Clam Jam” (made with a white wine cream sauce and clams) and the “It’s Always Sunny in Cully” (pepperoni, pineapple, Bunk Sandwiches hot peppers, basil, and honey) at this Connecticut-inspired pizza parlor with Portland punk rock sensibility. The menu also includes salads, beer, boozy slushies, soft serve ice cream, and Rice Krispie treats.
Downtown, Buckman, Cully

Pizza Thief
Darby Aldaco (a former executive chef at Nancy Silverton’s acclaimed Triple Beam Pizza) and Tony Pasquale run this pizzeria serving naturally leavened pies. Toppings run the gamut from local produce to house-made sausage. In addition to whole pizzas and slices, the menu also includes whole or by-the-slice focaccia, hand pies, and triple chocolate-hazelnut cookies.
Nob Hill, Northwest Industrial

Scottie’s Pizza Parlor
Brooklyn transplant Scottie Rivera produces some of the most sought-after pizza in Portland, using naturally leavened dough made with Pacific Northwest-grown wheat. Toppings range from Calabrian chilis to cilantro arugula pesto.
Hosford-Abernethy, Nob Hill

PASTA

Gabbiano’s
Ready for red sauce? This Italian American restaurant from David Sigal and Blake Foster, the duo behind the cocktail pop-up Zoo Bar, features chicken parmesan, mozzarella sticks, meatballs, duck marsala, sourdough ricotta gnocchi, lamb shank osso bucco, and other dishes that Carmela Soprano herself would approve of.
Concordia

Gumba
Fried chicken and fresh handmade pasta in the same place is a comfort food dream come true, and it’s also a reality thanks to this Northeast food cart.
Vernon

MAC’D
The childhood classic mac and cheese gets souped up with extras like bacon, pesto, and hot Cheetos at this fast-casual takeout window. You can go for a pre-set bowl like the “Goddess” (melted jack and garlic) or the “Hellapeño” (honey jalapeño), or build your own creation.
Westmoreland

Pastificio d’Oro
Chase Dopson and Maggie Irwin’s handmade pasta pop-up-turned-restaurant takes its cues from the Piedmont region of Itality, serving regional specialties like squash-stuffed tortelli and tagliatelle with ragu in addition to antipasti, dessert, and wine.
St. Johns

DUMPLINGS

Bao Bao
Nothing says comfort like a pile of pillowy dumplings, like the traditional Chinese ones from this popular steamed bun and dumpling house.
East Burnside

Duck House Chinese Restaurant
This former taproom turned Szechuan Chinese joint has become famous citywide for their delectable, must-have xiao long bao (steamed buns), wontons, and dumplings—seriously, if you’re not eating their delicious lamb dumplings ($11.95) at this very moment, you need to make some serious life corrections. But neither should you sleep on their more standard Szechuan fare, in particular their Mongolian beef. I love this stuff. Spicy, marinated beef tossed in an array of peppers and grilled onions, this dish is a meaty, mouth-rockin’ pleasure from start to finish. (And smart diners swing by for their great lunch specials in order to beat the lines that form every night for dinner.) To make matters even better, their fantastic service is always on point, so… I’m sorry, but what are you waiting for? WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Downtown

Kachka
No one does Eastern European comfort food quite like chef Bonnie Morales’s nationally acclaimed Kachka. The restaurant has plenty of options to warm your soul from within, including pelmeni, vareniki, rabbit in a clay pot, and more.
Buckman

Mama Chow’s Kitchen
This food cart favorite dispenses pan-fried chicken dumplings and a restorative wonton soup.
Downtown

XLB
This fast-casual counter-serve joint is a favorite for soup dumplings, baozi (yeast-leavened buns stuffed with fillings), wok-fried noodles, popcorn chicken, and other Chinese comfort food.
Boise

SOUTHERN FOOD

Delta Cafe
The iconic soul food destination is a prime spot for homestyle favorites like po’ boys, fried chicken, pulled pork, chicken and waffles, mac and cheese, and more.
Woodstock

Miss Delta
This down-home Southern joint was opened by Delta Cafe owners Anastasia Corya and Anton Pace in 2007, along with cooks Jennifer Hazzard and Chuck Westmoreland, serving up soulful favorites like hush puppies, gumbo, po’boys, jambalaya, fried chicken, and “trashy mac” in a variety of flavors.
Boise

Trap Kitchen PDX
Malachi (aka “Chef Spank”) and his best friend Roberto (aka “Sous Chef News”), members of rival gangs, partnered up to create the “underground culinary sensation” Trap Kitchen, a wildly popular Compton-based pop-up and catering company that counts Kendrick Lamar and SZA among its fans. The business’s Portland outpost features the brand’s signature “pineapple boats” with jasmine rice-filled pineapples and meat, as well as craveable dishes like seafood gumbo, oxtails, enchilada pie, Cajun alfredo pasta, pastrami sandwiches, garlic fries, four-cheese mac and cheese, and the popular “Marth and Snoop” (blueberry waffles and fried chicken).
Old Town-Chinatown

NOODLE SOUPS

Afuri / Afuri Ramen + Dumpling
This much-buzzed-about Tokyo ramen chain has locations in BeavertonList , Old Town-Chinatown, and SlabtownList . The spot is famous for its specialty, a bright, well-balanced yuzu shio ramen, but its creamy sesame tantanmen, available with a rich tonkotsu or vegan hazelnut broth, is equally worth a try.
Beaverton, Buckman, Old Town-Chinatown

Butterfly Belly Asian Cuisine
Though they’re most proud of their bone broth beef pho—their bone broth is cooked for 48-hours to get all that delicious flavor—Butterfly Belly is also an underground hit with gluten-free eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Butterfly advertises a dedicated gluten-free menu, and their menu is vast—everything from sweet potato fries to Vietnamese fusion tofu tacos! If you’re a meat-eater, I heartily recommend their OMG Pho, which comes with delicious cuts of brisket and steak. The broth is everything they promised and more. But their Garden Pho, with its shiitake mushroom broth, is also a major crowd-pleaser and they pack the bowl with plenty of veggies. SUZETTE SMITH
Pearl District 

Gado Gado
The menu at Thomas and Mariah Pisha-Duffly’s acclaimed Indonesian-Chinese restaurant is full of deeply fortifying dishes like chicken and leek dumplings, bakso noodle soup with pork meatballs and wonton noodles, and Sumatran-style beef rendang (a rich, spicy beef stew).
Hollywood

Kayo’s Ramen Bar
Warm up with an order of this authentic ramen bar’s signature tan tan (a Japanese take on dan-dan noodles, a spicy, creamy Sichuan specialty or any of their other ramen dishes.
Boise

Mugen Noodle Bar
Have your very own Tampopo moment and warm up with a bowl of steaming ramen from this family-owned noodle bar, which specializes in tori paitan broth (similar to a chicken-based version of the popular creamy pork broth tonkotsu).
Tigard

Pho Oregon
Sate your craving for aromatic broth and slurpable noodles at this pho restaurant, often cited as one of the best in the state.
Madison, Beaverton

Rose VL  and Ha VL
Former Portland Mercury restaurant critic Andrea Damewood calls these sister restaurants “definitively the best places to eat soup in Portland.” She writes, “James Beard-nominated Rose VL throws down the three best soups on its menu each Saturday: the super rare cao lau, a memorable Mi Quang, and a chicken curry noodle that won’t quit. Cao lau, which is technically dry noodles served with a side of broth, is shamefully unheard of in the US; because this specialty from the central Vietnam city of Hoi An heaps crispy pork bites, crackers, chicken, and all the fresh herbs over tapioca noodles for a truly wonderful bite. The turmeric noodles and curry noodle are also served at Ha VL, but you should just go to Rose VL every Saturday for the rest of your life.” She also recommends the crabflake noodle soup at Ha VL, writing, “If you haven’t been to Ha VL, start with this unusual thick-brothed baby filled with udon-thick rice noodles, crab flakes, straw mushrooms, quail eggs, shrimp, and shredded pork meatloaf. It’s among their finest soups, and certainly one you won’t find anywhere else (other than Rose VL on Thursdays).”
Foster-Powell, Jade District

XinhXinh Vietnamese Bistro
XinhXinh’s beef pho forced me back into a wholly human state. My main rave is their broth, which bursts with wonderful aromatic spices. There’s more cinnamon and star anise than in other pho I’ve tasted, but XinhXinh really makes it work—it’s not overpowering, just lovely and unique. Their vegetables game is likewise strong (although I did order extra veggies), with mushrooms, broccoli, and bok choy all making it into my bowl. SUZETTE SMITH
Buckman

SOUPS

Nak Won
Beaverton is home to many excellent Korean restaurants, but this hole-in-the-wall, beloved for its free banchan and generous portions, is consistently named as a standout. For extra comfort, try the oddly satisfying “Saving Private Ryan Canned Goods” military stew (a Korean soup with Spam, sausage, bacon, ramen, tofu, and vegetables), the fiery red kimchi stew, sundubu jjigae, beef bone broth soup, spicy seafood noodle stew, or the “Comfort Buttercup” (beef rib soup).
Beaverton

Portland Kettle
This counter-serve cafe is on a mission to “nourish Portland one home-cooked meal at a time” and does just that with dishes like cheese tortelloni with pesto, tater tot casserole, chicken noodle soup, chili, gumbo, and pastrami sandwiches.
Downtown

MISCELLANEOUS

Gravy
This beloved breakfast spot serves hefty portions of pancakes, oatmeal, challah French toast, chicken fried steak, salmon hash, and other diner-style favorites.
Mississippi

Papa Haydn
The longtime Portland mainstay has substantial classics like French onion soup, chili, croque monsieur, house-made fettuccine with mushrooms and cream sauce, and more. Save room for some sweets from their famous display case for dessert.
Nob Hill, Westmoreland

GrindWitTryz
The buzzworthy Hawaiian-Filipino restaurant, beloved for its Oahu-style cuisine, serves “ono” (delicious) dishes like katsu-breaded ahi, kalbi short ribs, and meat jun (marinated beef battered in egg and fried).
Cully

The Rambler
This North Portland tavern has a menu of filling gastropub fare, including poutine, smoked brisket chili, Frito pie, mac and cheese, and smash burgers.
Boise

VEGAN

Mirisata
This hit Sri Lankan restaurant is entirely BIPOC worker-owned and serves an all-vegan menu. One of the most popular dishes is a rice and curry plate with a variety of curries served over banana leaves. They also have a vegan version of kottu roti (a famous Sri Lankan street food typically made with godhamba roti and vegetables, egg and/or meat, and spice), made with meatless Chick’n or polos (jackfruit).
Buckman

Mis Tacones
After moving to Portland, Los Angeles transplants Carlos Reynoso and Polo Abram Bañuelos began making vegan tacos inspired by California street food. Their pop-up-turned-restaurant Mis Tacones serves up plant-based tacos, tortas, papas nachos, and Cali burritos, with hand-pressed tortillas and plenty of panache. Inspired by the Oakland restaurant Gay4U Vegan Eats, Reynoso and Bañuelos also offer free food to trans people of color upon request.
Vernon

Off the Griddle
The menu at this vegan brunch spot is full of craveable, stick-to-your-ribs fare, such as biscuits and gravy, nacho fries, jackfruit brisket sandwiches, mac and cheese, waffles, and a “brunch wrap supreme” made with house-made vegan chorizo and cheese sauce.
Mt. Scott-Arleta

 

For this and related articles, please visit PortlandMercury

/by

Couple Who Spent $20 Million—and 4 Years—Creating a Portland ‘Party Palace’ List Extraordinary Mansion for $25 Million

,

Couple Who Spent $20 Million—and 4 Years—Creating a Portland ‘Party Palace’ List Extraordinary Mansion for $25 Million

Acouple who spent a jaw-dropping $20 million—and four years—renovating their Portland, OR, mansion to turn it into a “party palace” have now listed the incredible property for $25 million.

The high-flying price makes it Portland’s most expensive home listing.

Software executive Stephen Marsh and his wife, Mary, purchased the staggering estate in 2017 for a little over $4 million, according to the Wall Street Journal, which described the home as a “party palace.”

The couple, who have decided to relocate to Florida, spent years on an extensive renovation that included not only a detailed restoration of its Tudor Revival bones, but also the installation of a number of entertainment amenities.

Those include a 2,100-square-foot ballroom and an indoor pool, as well as a basketball court.

This $25 million estate in Portland, OR, is the city’s most expensive listing.

(Realtor.com)

The four-year renovation included an expanded foyer.

(Realtor.com)

Crown moldings and millwork along with leaded-glass windows add to the home’s grandeur.

(Realtor.com)

Windows were added in the kitchen to maximize views.

(Realtor.com)

JHL Design and Green Gables Design and Restoration completed the four-year renovation of the 25,568-square-foot home, which was originally designed in 1930 by architect Roscoe D. Hemenway.

The original homeowner was George Phelps Berkey, according to the listing. It was later owned by real estate developer and philanthropist Harry Mittleman.

The 3.3-acre property in the affluent West Hills area features views of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens, in addition to the city skyline.

“It not only overlooks the city, you can [also] see the elephants in the [city] zoo,” says listing agent Terry Sprague, of Luxe Forbes Global Properties.

Built for bashes

The eight-bedroom mansion has been “thoughtfully curated to honor its storied provenance” the listing notes. It offers a comfortable and elevated space for both family living and large-scale entertaining.

The show-stopping 2,100-square-foot basketball court/ballroom includes a prep kitchen and bathrooms, along with retractable lights that showcase the space for sports or special events.

The massive primary suite comes with a sitting area and a private balcony.

Views are maximized with added windows in the kitchen, according to the Journal. Finishes such as crown moldings and wood paneling are a nod to its historic design. Modern touches include bold colors and wallpaper.

“Of all the historical homes I’ve represented, this is the most expertly classic and respectful, tasteful reimagination of a historical home I’ve ever seen,” Sprague notes.

The redone residence “is very approachable from a living point of view, [and] has a sense of casualness and comfort,” he adds. “It’s just refined.”

Wood paneling and light fixtures mix historic with modern.

(Realtor.com)

Retractable lighting and a catering kitchen turn this basketball court into a ballroom.

(Realtor.com)

A Prohibition-era party room in the basement is now a home theater.

(Realtor.com)

The billiard room is another fun space in the basement.

(Realtor.com)

The indoor pool is “incredible.”

(Realtor.com)

Historic meets modern

The listing agent notes that the renovation maintained the spirit of the original vision while modernizing the spaces at an equally high level.

One improvement is the flow of the interior spaces.

“They simplified some of the floor plan. It’s such a very large house; just moving through the house was a little bit complicated before,” Sprague says. “Without really changing architecture and design, they made the flow of the house much simpler and welcoming.”

Another highlight is the indoor pool, with exposed beams and a vaulted ceiling, plus a changing room, sitting area, and fireplace, which Sprague calls “incredible.”

Other highlights include a billiard room and a lower-level home theater. The basement also features a wine cellar, tasting room, and wet bar.

“We like having parties,” Stephen Marsh told the Journal. “Any chance to entertain, we take advantage.”

 

For this and related articles, please visit Realtor.com

/by

Bird Alliance of Oregon Purchases 12.5 Acres on NE 82nd to Build New Wildlife Hospital and Nature Sanctuary

,

PORTLAND, Ore. — Bird Alliance of Oregon is excited to announce the purchase of 12.5 acres of open space on NE 82nd Avenue (2800 NE 82nd Ave) to build a new wildlife hospital and better serve the community. The organization plans to build its new Wildlife Care Center and restore the land to create a nature sanctuary, complete with nature trails and park space for public use, educational programs, host several collaborative projects, and wildlife viewing opportunities.

Bird Alliance of Oregon evaluated over one hundred sites to find a location that meets the strict criteria necessary to house a wildlife hospital in an increasingly crowded region. The 82nd Avenue property is a large developable site that’s easily accessible to the community by foot, car, and public transportation, and yet also big enough to provide necessary isolation for animal housing and treating wild animals.

Bird Alliance of Oregon Staff

“Since the 1930s, residents have relied on the Wildlife Care Center—the busiest rehabilitation center in the region—to treat injured and orphaned native wildlife and educate the public on how to humanely resolve human/animal conflicts,” said Stuart Wells, Executive Director of Bird Alliance of Oregon. “The Center is open 365 days a year and has provided over 100,000 native birds and other wildlife with a second chance at life in the wild. However, the current Wildlife Care Center, located on NW Cornell Road, is too small for our dedicated wildlife rehabilitation team to meet ever-increasing demand, and is inaccessible by public transit. The region needs a larger, more technologically advanced center to provide our wildlife patients with modern care and treatment. We are excited to have found the Care Center a new home.”

Bird Alliance of Oregon expects the new building will more than double the size of the current Center and will provide capacity to treat more than 6,000 animals a year, helping to better respond to large influxes of patients during breeding season and extreme weather events. The site’s location on one of the city’s main arteries will make it easier to access for a larger number of people, making it more feasible for community members to bring animals in need of treatment and connect to the educational resources.

The site, like many other undeveloped urban plots, is a former landfill, used as a rock quarry and later filled with rubble from the construction of I-205. Bird Alliance of Oregon has advocated for decades on policies to remediate brownfield sites like this one and put them back to productive use. Now, the organization will be part of the solution by turning this open space into a destination that truly benefits the community, the local environment, and the region’s wildlife.

“We are so excited to join the NE 82nd community,” said Debbie Elliott, President of the Bird of Alliance of Oregon Board of Directors. “For decades we’ve worked with East Portland partners and community members on issues like climate resilience, increasing the urban tree canopy, peacefully coexisting with wildlife, and increasing access to nature. Now, we  have the opportunity to work as neighbors alongside this vibrant and caring community.”

“The 82nd Avenue Coalition is thrilled about the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s purchase of the property across 82nd Avenue from McDaniel High School,” shared Zachary Lauritzen, 82nd Avenue Coalition Manager. “Their vision of trails, parks, and other community projects all connecting to a new wildlife hospital directly aligns with our goals of a green, activated, and vibrant 82nd Avenue. We welcome the Bird Alliance of Oregon to 82nd Avenue and are excited about the community services it will provide to the corridor and beyond.”

Bird Alliance of Oregon is excited to already have projects with community partners in the works. Thanks to a grant from the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF), APANO, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and Bird Alliance of Oregon are working together to install a two-acre community solar array on a sloped section of the south end of the property. The solar array will help offset utility costs for around 200 low income community members for the next twenty years as well as power the new Wildlife Care Center, providing tangible community benefits to local residents and the environment. Bird Alliance of Oregon received a separate PCEF grant to restore native habitat across the property, including planting hundreds of native trees, and pollinator habitat underneath and around the solar panels, making the space beneficial for both people and wildlife.

The purchase of this property completes a 10+ year search for a location to build a new Wildlife Care Center (WCC). Countless staff, board, volunteers, and donors, some of whom are no longer with us, helped make this dream a reality. “We wouldn’t have this property without the tireless efforts of Bob Sallinger, Bird Alliance of Oregon’s former Conservation and WCC Director,” shared Micah Meskel, Assistant Director of Urban Conservation. “Bob was the Wildlife Care Center’s visionary, biggest advocate, and the driving force behind our efforts to build a new hospital. We also want to recognize Deb Sheaffer, our former veterinarian who helped shape the Wildlife Care Center’s work, and McKenzie Joslin Snyder, our former wildlife rehabilitator who cared for thousands of patients. While Bob, Deb, and McKenzie are no longer with us, we know that their legacy will live on in the tens of thousands of animals that fly free because of their work.”

This will be Bird Alliance of Oregon’s second Portland metro area location. We will continue to operate from our statewide headquarters in Northwest Portland, a beloved 172-acre wildlife sanctuary on NW Cornell Road. Bird Alliance of Oregon also stewards a 91-acre wildlife sanctuary in Sandy, OR that hosts overnight education programs, and a 314-acre wildlife sanctuary on the central Oregon coast.

 

For this and related articles, please visit the Bird Alliance of Oregon

/by

You Must Visit These 9 Awesome Places In Oregon This Winter

,

Discover a variety of fun and unique winter activities to enjoy in Oregon, from horse-drawn carriage rides to cosmic tubing.

No matter how you feel about the cold weather, there’s no denying that Oregon can be a pretty fun place to be during the winter months. From epic snow tubing hills to magical horse-drawn carriage rides, there are plenty of delightful winter adventures in the Beaver State. So don’t fret about the cold weather; instead, plan some winter activities in Oregon this season!

1. Enjoy a charming horse-drawn carriage ride through the snow.

A horse-drawn sleigh carries three people through a snowy landscape by a river, surrounded by trees and winter scenery.
Facebook/Sunriver Resort

Have you ever dreamt of dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh? Your dream can become a reality at Sunriver Stables. This delightful winter adventure will take you past the Deschutes River and through snow-covered meadows and picturesque forests. For details and more information, click here.

2. Take a ride down an epic snow tubing hill.

A snowy hill at night with colorful lights, featuring people tubing down the slopes.
Facebook/Cosmic Tubing

The world’s only cosmic tubing hill is at Mt. Hood Skibowl, and you’ll definitely want to visit. Cosmic tubing nights feature more than 600,000 LED lights, laser light shows, black lights, a DJ, and more. This is one winter adventure the whole family can enjoy. For more information, click here.

3. Go on a river walk.

Colorful fireworks burst in the night sky over a city skyline, reflecting on the water below.
Abhishek Dan/Google Local

Oregon in winter has no shortage of beautiful hikes and picture-perfect trails, from the high desert to the Oregon Coast, the lush forests to the bustling cities. While a city hike might not be the first thing that comes to mind when planning your next Beaver State adventure, it really should. Portland, in fact, is home to one of the best river walks in the country; and the beautiful Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is positively perfect in the wintertime!

4. Go on a dog sledding adventure.

A dog sled team travels through a snowy forest, with a musher guiding the sled behind them. Sunlight filters through trees.
Facebook/Oregon Trail of Dreams

Experience an exhilarating winter wonderland adventure this holiday season at the Oregon Trail of Dreams on Mount Bachelor. This dog sled ride will take you past magical, snowy landscapes. For details and directions click here.

5. Spend the night at the enchanting Timberline Lodge.

A snow-covered lodge with vehicles parked in front, surrounded by a winter landscape under a clear blue sky.
Facebook/Timberline Lodge & Ski Area

The historic Timberline Lodge is a positively magical winter retreat. This breathtaking mountain resort is a National Historic Landmark and was even featured in the movie The Shining. With world-class ski runs just outside your door, this is the perfect launchpad for your winter in Oregon adventures. For details and directions, click here.

6. See all the holiday lights.

A serene pond at night, illuminated by colorful lights reflecting on the water, surrounded by vibrant foliage.
Facebook/Friends of Shore Acres

From the Christmas Festival of Lights in The Grotto to the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights, there are countless dazzling holiday light displays scattered all across Oregon. A night at one of these enchanting displays is sure to be enjoyed by the whole family.

7. Visit a reindeer farm.

A group of deer with antlers stands in a snowy forest, surrounded by evergreen trees.
Facebook/TImberview Farm

The North Pole isn’t the only place you can find reindeer! Visit Timberview Farms in Springfield for a fun day with Santa’s reindeer. For details and directions, click here.

8. Spend an afternoon playing in the snow.

A snowy landscape with people tubing and playing in the snow, surrounded by tall evergreen trees and a cozy cabin.
Flickr/Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington

You don’t have to visit a fancy lodge to have fun in the snow; Southern Oregon’s Table Mountain Winter Play Area is the perfect place for you and your family to while away a wintry afternoon. This park has an epic snow hill for snow tubing and sledding, and you can roast up some marshmallows over one of the nearby fire pits. For details and directions, click here.

9. Recharge by doing some relaxing

A serene spa room with two massage tables, illuminated by warm lights and a salt wall in the background.
Facebook/Zama Massage

From forest bathing and axe throwing to floating tea rooms and salt caves, there are lots of ways to relax and recharge here in Oregon! Portland’s Zama Massage is not your average spa. Here, visitors can indulge in salt cave therapy. This unique and relaxing experience is said to be a deeply healing practice and is perfect for curing those winter blues. For more information, click here.

How many of these winter day trips in Oregon have you done before? Will you add any things to do in Oregon in the winter to your bucket list? Take a look at these 11 spots in Oregon to explore this winter. Share your thoughts and experiences with us!

For this and related articles, please visit Only in Oregon

/by