Things To Do
Keeper Coffee Co
Keeper Coffee, our home away from home. It is our Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) ritual to walk up to Keeper Coffee for coffee and a pastry—alright fine we usually get more than one pastry. This place is sacred to us and if you want to start any of your days in Portland off with the coziest, kindest vibe, go here and thank us later.
Portland Cà Phê
Need an extra boost to power the busy wedding weekend? Portland Ca Phe is a Vietnamese coffee house that has never failed to make us wide eyed and bushy tailed for the rest of the day (sometimes even extending into the next day). In addition to their jet fuel, I mean coffee, they also have our favorite Bahn Mi in the city.
Slow Haste Coffee/Collector Bar
Slow haste coffee is inside Collector Bar, which is a great intimate spot for drinks tucked into a little unsuspecting corner on Glisan Street. This is a great spot for our latte connoisseurs to check out for something lightly sweet, unique, and incredibly satisfying. Collector Bar is also a great spot for a delicious cocktail to start or end your night.
Proud Mary Cafe
Whenever we have guests in town and they ask where our favorite brunch spot it, Proud Mary is top of the list. They're an Australian restaurant, but don't worry, there's no Vegemite to be seen on the menu. We always get our own savory dishes and then a ricotta hotcake to share. Do not pass up on the ricotta hotcake, it always hits the spot! For coffee snobs (we're talking no milk or fun syrups and can taste terroir kind of snob), this should be a non-negotiable stop!
Original Hotcake House
Now we're not saying you will need a hangover cure while you're in Portland, but hypothetically if you did, this is the best spot in Portland for a greasy spoon diner breakfast. Hungover or not, we frequent the Original Hotcake House with our pocket Yahtzee. While in most breakfast spots we get our own savory dish and split something sweet, here we each order our own hotcake without hesitation.
Holy Ghost
Holy Ghost is our number one, go-to bar in Portland. It is an easy walk from the house, and is connected to two of our favorite restaurants in Portland (28 Tigers and Pan Con Queso). They're technically a tequila bar, but they have an extensive seasonal cocktail menu with an assortment of NA options as well.
Pan Con Queso
Now this may be our hottest take, and could cause some blowback, but we believe this is Portland's best pizza spot. Yes, we've been to Ken's and Lovely's Fifty Fifty and Scotties and frankly every pizza spot folks have countered with, and this is still our favorite. Sage's go-to when it's available is the elote pizza and Dave consistently stands by the Con Todo with hot honey and a side of house made ranch.
Mediterranean Exploration Company
Ready to have your mind blown by the best pita, roasted eggplant dip, and lamb chops of your life? This is the place for you. We typically reserve this for celebratory dinners, but every once in a while we'll treat ourselves to a fancier date night.
Kayo's Ramen Bar
When Dave moved to Portland he thought he didn't like ramen. That changed when Sage introduced him to the magical TanTan ramen at Kayo. Perfect for warming the soul on chillier nights, but we've been known to drop in during warmer weather when we need a fix. Beyond the ramen, they have the best cheesecake in Portland, which is saying something from two people that really love cheesecake.
Xin Ding Dumpling House 鑫鼎轩 - Downtown Portland
This one is for all the dump lovers out there—we're talking big, juicy dumplings with meat, veggie, and soup filling options. Dave swears by their pork Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings and their crystal shrimp dumplings, and Sage is never upset with their spicy tofu buns and steamed vegetable dumplings. Leave room for their custard buns, but be careful as the custard filling is piping hot when it gets to the table!
Prost!
For a classic Portland Food Cart experience, head to Prost Marketplace. They have some of the best food carts in Portland alongside the legendary Prost! authentic German bier haus. Some of our favorites are Matts Barbecue, Koi Fusion, and Mole Mole Mexican Cuisine.
John's Marketplace - Powell
Also known as beer heaven, John's Marketplace has the most extensive beer selection we've ever experienced. They have a huge selection of cans/bottles to purchase as well as a large taplist to enjoy alongside food from one of the many food truck options on site. Our favorite food truck here is JoJo.
Jojo Food Truck
Jojo has arguably the best fried chicken sandwiches in Portland and an amazing Brussels sprout sandwich for those who prefer a vegetarian option. The real star of the show here is their loaded jojos. Don't pass up on their namesake—you'll be sorry!
Great Notion Brewing - Alberta
Have you ever wondered what a blueberry muffin in beer form tastes like? You're in luck! Great Notion is always pushing the limits on what beer can be, but the weirdest ones usually end up being our favorites. Their motto is to "Keep Beer Fun" and that's exactly what they do.
The Love Shack
The Love Shack gives more love than shack, and is a great spot when you have ~2 hours to chat over various tiny 'tinis and dim sum style bar snacks rolled out on a cart throughout your visit. These aren't your average bar snacks though—expect something more along the lines of mini lobster rolls, a flight of different types of fries, sake steamed clams, or brown butter roasted delicata squash. This is the ultimate girlfriend catchup spot (endorsed by Sage).
McMenamins Kennedy School Soaking Pool
We absolutely love the Kennedy School soaking pool and think it's a great bang for your buck. For only $10 you get an hour long soak, perfect for a post-run stretch out; chatting with friends over a crisp cider; or bringing a book to zone out the world.
Knot Springs
Feeling like you need a treat for your body and soul? Knot Springs is a little bit of a splurge, but it's well worth it for their seven step soak and sauna regiment. If you really want to come out feeling good as new, book a massage to enjoy after you soak + sauna for 90 minutes. Julie Townsend has said this is the best massage experience she's ever had, which is a tall order to fill!
Birdie Time Pub and Mini Golf
Did we mention we like friendly competition? Pretty much any night we do find ourselves out on the town, we find ourselves ending our night here to settle a score (especially with Mr. Dzubay). They're known for their wacky putt putt course, but they also have other games if you're really looking to get lost in a night full of fun.
Milwaukie Bowl
Milwaukie Bowl has become one of our favorite local legends. This place takes three things seriously: bowling, mozzarella sticks, and mullets. We truly believe Milwaukie Bowl could be the solution we've all been looking for to bring our divided nation together.
International Rose Test Garden
You're coming to the Rose City at the perfect time to enjoy the International Portland Rose Garden during their peak bloom period, so why not take advantage of the timing? Located in beautiful Washington Park, the International Rose Test Garden boasts more than 10,000 individual rose bushes, in bloom from late May through October and representing over 610 different rose varieties.
Lower MacLeay Trail
If you want to be immersed in nature without having to leave the city, try the Lower Macleay Park to Pittock Mansion trail. It's a steady uphill to the old historic Pittock Mansion, but you'd never guess you're in the city throughout the hike as you're surrounded by trees and even walk alongside a river for part of the trail. Be careful passing the witches castle on your way, there have been *spooky* reports of unusual encounters and sightings in and around the castle.
Angel's Rest Trailhead
Trying to get a little sappy while also getting a workout in? Go on the first hike Sage and Dave did together (which is also the spot they got engaged), Angels Rest! We love its proximity to the city, making it easy to make it out there for sunrise and be back in time for pancakes.
McNeil Point Trail #600M
For the more experienced hikers that are looking for something a little more challenging with seriously cool views throughout, we recommend McNeil Point (and by we, we mean Sage as Dave may have been misled on the distance/elevation gain on this hike with only one water bottle in 95 degree temperatures and may still have some less than positive feelings about that experience).
Saddle Mountain Trailhead
Saddle Mountain is one of our favorite hikes to do at sunrise, especially when we want to follow it up with a day at the Oregon coast. This trail offers a 1,634-foot rise in elevation over 2.4 miles, which is not for the weak, but the reward at the top of seeing the Oregon coast along with Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams. Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Rainer makes it completely worth it. We recommend heading out to Cannon Beach afterwards to enjoy some coast time, and then visiting Public Coast for a tasty brewski + lunch on your way back to Portland.
Timberline Lodge
Timberline Lodge is great for seasoned adventurers and movie buffs alike. We feel so fortunate to live within an hour of Timberline which has the longest winter season on Mt. Hood, typically running from mid-November through late May. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, there are plenty of hiking trails near the lodge as well as great hot chocolate in the lodge. Did we mention they have two sweet St. Bernard pups as their Mascots—Heidi and Bruno—that roam around the lodge throughout the day? What more could you ask for?
The Gorge White House
Hood River is known as the wind surfing capital of the world to outsiders, but to Oregonians we also know it for its plentiful fruit loop filled with orchards and berry crops of all sorts. The Gorge White House has it all, from farm fresh fruit to fresh cut flowers to homemade hard ciders. They also have an onsite food program so you can enjoy a nice lunch on their beautiful lawn or in the taphouse.
Public Coast Brewing Co
If you do find yourself out at the Oregon Coast, we highly recommend Public Coast for lunch or dinner. Not only does the interior provide a history lesson on Oregon's decision to remain one of the only true public coastlines in America—all 363 miles of the Oregon coast is free and open to everyone—it also has amazing burgers, beer, NA sodas, and fermented tea to give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings before heading back to Portland.
Fort George Brewery
If you decide to visit the "Graveyard of the Pacific"—the loving nickname given to Astoria, OR due to the treacherous waters and ever-changing sandbank patterns at the entrance of the Pacific Ocean to/from the Columbia River—make sure to stop at Fort George for a stout that will blow your mind. Fort George hosts a "Festival of the Dark Arts" every February, boasting wild and unusual stouts to help Oregonians through the dark days of PNW winters. They also serve fantastic pizza upstairs along with tasty pub food downstairs. We like to camp close by and treat ourselves to Fort George one of the nights, grabbing a growler on the way out for camping libations the rest of the weekend.
Résonance | Carlton Tasting Room
Résonance sits in one of our favorite parts of the North Valley wine country with a relaxing atmosphere, stunning views, and an impressive spread of wines to try. Sage loves their cement barreled Chardonnay, as well as many of their estate pinot noirs. An additional bonus of Résonance is that their founding winery, Maison Louis Jadot, is located in Burgundy, France, and often has wines available to taste at the Résonance tasting room. Our favorite thing about Résonance is its close proximity to Pizza Capo, the best spot for a bite to eat after wine tasting.
White Rose Estate Winery
Looking for a wine country excursion that also transports you to hobbit town? Look no further! White Rose has a small but mighty tasting room with some of our favorite pinot noirs in Oregon (reservation required).
Soter Vineyards Tasting Room, by reservation
But wait, didn't Sage work at a vineyard when she was a young whipper snapper during her college/grad school years all the way into her late 20s? Why yes, yes she did, at Soter Vineyards during its prime. If you want to take a walk down memory lane with great wine to pair, make the visit to Mineral Springs Ranch and see it for yourself (reservation required).