If somebody asked you what the best food city in the USA was, you’d probably guess LA or New York. But even though those cities have some incredible food on offer, you should consider a trip to Portland, Oregon if you want something truly special.
This hipster city has been named the best food city in the USA by The Washington Post due to its amazing local food, beer and coffee scene. Here’s a quick guide to some of the very best restaurants in Portland, aka ‘The Greatest Food City in the USA.
Understand
Portland hasn’t been given the attention that it deserves as a great food destination and an amazing overall tourist destination but that is starting to change. There are more regular flights from the UK available, so many people are just starting to discover the delights on offer in this incredible city. If you are planning a foodie trip to the USA, here’s where to start.
The Best Casual Dining Restaurants in Portland, Oregon
Portland is filled with so many amazing restaurants and sometimes, the best thing to do is take a wander around and see what you can find. However, there are some great places that you don’t want to miss.
Gracie’s Apizza
Finding a good pizza place is always a great way to gauge the food culture in a city, and Gracie’s Apizza embodies the focus on local, high-quality ingredients that is so important to the Portland food scene. Not only do they make their own incredible sourdough bases, they even make their own cheese to top it with too. After finishing one of their delicious, unique pizzas, you can enjoy some of their homemade ice cream.
Address: 8737 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203, United States
Matt’s BBQ
The USA is known for its BBQ food and you usually expect to find the best stuff in places like Texas, but Portland is a contender these days. Matt’s BBQ is an incredible Texas-style food cart that always has a huge queue outside. Expect melt in the mouth brisket and delicious ribs, with all of the decadent sides you could ask for.
Address: 4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217, United States
Nong’s Khao Man Gai
Khao Man Gai is a popular street food in Thailand, but you rarely see it in the states or anywhere else. This incredible chicken and rice dish was one of the only things sold at the original Nong’s Khao Man Gai street food cart but now that they’ve expanded into more locations, you get a bigger menu. You can still visit the original cart if you like too. If you’re a big fan of Thai food, this is an absolute must.
Address: 609 SE Ankeny St C, Portland, OR 97214, United States
Toro Bravo Traditional Spanish
If you’re looking for traditional Spanish food, you’re not going to find it at Toro Bravo. But if you want an incredible menu of innovative dishes inspired by Spanish cuisine, you’re in the right place. You can’t book a table and it’s always very popular, so you’ll have to get in early if you want to try this one.
Address: 2379 SE 46th Ave, Portland, OR 97215, United States
How to Get to Portland, Oregon from the UK
If you are heading to Portland in the summer, you should be able to find flights from Heathrow to Portland International Airport, usually via Amsterdam or Minneapolis. These flights are seasonal, so if you are going any other time of year, you’ll have to look into the different indirect options. Many people fly into Seattle airport and then get the train through to Portland, which is fairly straightforward. You can get a non-stop flight to Seattle, so you may prefer this option anyway if you don’t like the idea of changing.
Before you head to the USA, you always need to check the visa situation. Every UK citizen travelling to the states needs to put in an ESTA application instead of applying for a visa. This is a quicker application that you can do online before you leave. You only need to pay a small fee and it doesn’t take long to get sorted, so do it sooner rather than later. Doing this before you arrive will save you a lot of hassle at the airport.
Where to Stay in Portland, Oregon
Portland is quite a big city with a few great areas to stay, so finding the right location can be tough for first time visitors.
If you have never been to the city before and you want to do some sightseeing, Downtown is probably the best area to look at. It’s where you’ll find a lot of great street markets and museums etc. However, if you are mainly going for the food, you might decide to stay elsewhere.
Hawthorne is a great district if you’re looking for trendy eateries, delicious craft beer places, and some of the best coffee shops in the USA. It’s also the cheapest district, so it’s ideal if you are travelling on a budget or you just want to save more money to spend on amazing food.
Nob Hill is also a great location for foodies, but you’ll find more of the upscale restaurants rather than the hipster street food places here, so it depends what kind of thing you like. It’s more family orientated than some of the other places and there are some great shopping districts too
The Central Eastside is the place to stay if you are interested in the nightlife, and you’ll find some great bistros in the area too.
How to Get Around Portland
Portland is known for having great public transport links and getting around is easy, so regardless of where you stay, you won’t miss out on anything that you want to see.
These are just some of the many incredible restaurants to visit while you’re in Portland. Once you visit, you’ll see why it was named the best food city in the USA.
