Mission Delicious in Portland, Oregon

WHERE TO EAT IN PORTLAND

Ava Gene’s: This place was AWESOME. I would go back and eat there every night. It’s better than Locanda, my favorite Italian restaurant in SF. It was ranked #5 in top new restaurants in the country when it launched. The cauliflower salad, calamari fritto misto, pasta with tripe and panna cotta were all delicious. Reservation recommended.

Ava Gene's in Portland | Sabrina Ko Ava Gene’s (Sabrina Ko)

 

Castagna: Fancy restaurant. I think we had like 15 courses (chef’s tasting menu) but they were all delicious and very innovative, bursting with flavor. I think this is more molecular gastronomy but not crazy. Reservation recommended.

Castagna in Portland | Sabrina Ko Castagna (Sabrina Ko)

 

Pok Pok: Andy Ricker might be the hottest chef in food right now after opening a restaurant in NY, he’s also popping up on all the different foodie newsletters after releasing his cookbook. People go for the chicken wings, which were delicious. And the beef salad was awesome too and when they say hot, they do mean hot. My mouth was on fire.

Pok Pok Wings in Portland Pok Pok Wings (Krista)

 

Blue Star Donuts: Best donuts I’ve ever had. I think the passionfruit cacao nib and the blackberry compote with peanut butter powder were my faves. Nothing in SF comes close in my opinion.

Blue Star Donuts by John Pastor, on Flickr Blue Star Donuts (John Pastor)

 

Nong’s Khao Man Gai: A food truck that serves chicken and rice (Hainan chicken). It was delicious, but go early if you want to get your chicken and rice topped with fried chicken skin. And I really recommend that you do.

Khao Man Gai Khao Man Gai (Ron Dollete)

 

Salt & Straw: Thrillist recently ranked this as one of the top ice cream places in the country, but behind Bi-rite and Humphrey Slocombe. There are multiple locations and the line is always long. Personally I like Humphrey Slocombe better but Salt & Straw had a pear and blue cheese ice cream reminiscent of the one served at our wedding. They have some very unique flavors.

Salt & Straw in Portland | Sabrina Ko Salt & Straw in Portland (Sabrina Ko)

 

WHERE TO DRINK IN PORTLAND

Multnomah Whiskey Library: 1700 bottles of whiskey line the walls. It’s a beautiful setting like an old library. Definitely not a dive bar. Closed some nights and the wait time can be long. You can put your name on the list and they’ll call you, but reservation is recommended.

Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland Multnomah Whiskey Library (Morgan Davis)

 

Heart Coffee: Excellent coffee in downtown, near Blue Star Donuts.

Heart Roasters - Portland Heart Roasters (Michael Allen Smith)

 

Stumptown: And of course, no trip to Portland would be complete without coffee from the iconic Stumptown.

Stumptown in Portland Stumptown (Christopher Michel)

If you have recommendations for Portland, please share them in the comments. I’ll be sure to check them out on my next trip.

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