Your Portland Guide to Coffee, Food and Nature
Last month I spent a long weekend visiting a friend who moved to Portland more than a year ago. As I reflected on my trip, I realized it’s summed up by 3 things. This guide focuses on just that - the best the city and the surrounding areas have to offer in coffee, food, and nature.
Coffee
This is the big one; Portland has a very established coffee scene. As a coffee lover, I made about three caffeine stops a day. It was truly heavenly. I didn’t have a bad cup of espresso the entire weekend.
In Northwest Portland, I loved the iced matcha latte with oat milk from and the atmosphere of Queue Coffee. It’s a modern coffee shop offering dine-in and takeout.
On Sunday morning in northwest, we started our day at The Clearing Café. This relaxed coffeehouse also didn’t disappoint. It offers indoor and outdoor seating with light meals.
Also, while roaming the beautiful Alberta Arts District, we enjoyed an iced coffee on the patio rooftop of The Radio Room while the sun set. The scene was magical.
On a day trip to Hood River, just over an hour drive from Portland, after a chilly hike in the Columbia River Gorge, we stopped at Doppio Coffee. Doppio is a stylish coffeehouse with light fare and an outdoor patio. I had one of its seasonal fall lattes and it was delicious!
Food
Portland is home to the best ice cream I’ve ever had (seriously, my taste buds screamed)! It is a must to stop at Salt & Straw in the northwest neighborhood. It’s known for its ice cream concoctions, mixing ingredients in a way the ice cream scene has never seen before. It’s no surprise the line trickled out into the street.
We also stopped for a brunch at River Pig Saloon. We ended up at the sports bar because we wanted to catch a football game, but the food and mimosas left us raving about the place. The menu offered a perfect balance of greasy, bar food and classic brunch staples.
Our favorite stop of the day was Paymaster Lounge, a low-key bar with a large, covered patio, a game room, and pub food. The drinks were excellently mixed and the late-night food menu didn’t disappoint.
On our day trip to Hood River, we also ate at Double Mountain Brewery where I drank a delicious hard cider and ate a personal pizza.
Nature
We made our way to the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River on my last day in Oregon. There were countless hikes to choose from, but we spent 1.5 hours visiting Horsetail Falls.
When you arrive at the trailhead, you are instantly greeted by the lower falls. Within 0.5 miles of your hike, you reach the upper falls. Here you can walk behind the waterfall. This is a kid-friendly, easy hike.
We continued on the trail and stumbled across the middle Oneonta Falls. This was our favorite site of the day! The sun was shining over the gorge creating multiple rainbows over the falls.
After our hike, we drove on to Hood River. This cute city overlooks the Columbia River offering the perfect park to walk the shore while gazing over at the state of Washington. Not to mention, the shopping, brews, food, and coffee that Hood River offers makes a day spent there go by quick.
Hopefully this guide provides inspiration for your next trip to Portland. If you stop at any of these locations, tag me on Instagram @thisboundlesslife. I’d love to see your adventures!
