Blaze of Love's Portland Favorites

In case many of you missed Channing Frye's post about his "favorites" you should run over there and see where he likes to hang out on off days.  He actually has a pretty solid list of places to hang out or grab a bite to eat in Portland and I tend to agree with many of his choices.  Of course, I'm not going to tell you all that I eat at Lucier on a regular basis because you all know I'd be lying through my teeth.

His post did give us some inspiration to also talk about our favorite spots in Portland though!  These are the places you might catch us watching a Blazers road game, grabbing a pint with friends, or sucking down some of our favorite wings.  This list will be updated as time goes on as our favorites are always changing and new hot spots seem to like to pop up!

Best Pub
 
New Old Lompoc (1616 NW 23rd Ave) - If there is one place in Portland I would consider myself a regular, it would be the "Lompoc".  By far our favorite pub to grab a bite and a great beer.  Although it's on NW 23rd, don't be frightened.  I recommend the "Brewer's Club" for food and either a Condor Pale or an LSD to drink.  You head to this place on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon and you'll likely see our whole crew enjoying life.  If you haven't already, please check this place out soon.

Best Road Game Spots

Grand Central Restaurant and Bowling (808 SE Morrison St) - I watch games here only because they have a ton of HD LCDs that are viewable from any seat in the house (and it doesn't hurt that a buddy of mine is the bartender).  I advise that you sit at the bar rather than a booth since the service from the wait staff is awful.  Otherwise, great beer selection, cocktail list and the food is actually not too bad (I recommend the cobb salad.)  And if bowling is your gig, you can't beat couches, a dark setting and great music blown up on projection screens.

Best Wings

Morrison Hotel  (719 SE Morrison St.) -  The name screams "the Doors" and that's exactly why we took our first visit to this quaint little bar just a couple of months ago.  It's dark, yet comforting and you won't be overwhelmed by a ton of stuck up hipsters.  The bartenders are incredibly friendly and of course the wings are a "must have."  Morrison Hotel does it real by giving you the full wing instead of those previously split mini things.  The sauce is your classic buffalo sauce and they serve up blue cheese which is a must.  (BoL never goes ranch.)  And did we mention that the beer list is absurd?  A front-to-back 12x36in menu of worldly adventures to stop the burning of that fiery wing sauce.

Best Beer Selection...Ever

John's Market (3535 SW Multnomah Blvd) - If you consider yourself a "serious" beer drinker and haven't been to John's then your status as a hops connoisseur has taken an immediate step backwards.  This is the mothership of bottle beer or kegs-to-go.  The first time I walked into this palace, I literally fainted; I had heard the rumors, but they were actually true.  I'm sure you could walk into John's once a week for the rest of your life and never try every type of beer they carry.  Oh and we didn't even mention the wine selection.

Best Breakfast

O'Connors (7850 SW Capitol Hwy) - Seeing as we're from Montana, this place really struck a cord with us.  Their motto is "A place where Montanans meet the world" or something like that so we were instantly partial.  They serve up a cajun infused breakfast that comes with plenty of Portland flare.  The Hangtown Fry is to die for as long as you can handle fried oysters in the morning and the cajun bloodie mary will burn your mouth but leave you more than satisfied.  The daily specials are always worth a look and the wait staff is friendly enough.  You'll never be dissatisfied. 

Fuller's (136 NW 9th Ave) - You may recognize this one from Channing's list but is worth another mention.  If you want the classic breakfast, then Fuller's is exactly where you need to go.  Old style diner seating with super fast service (has to be with the lines) makes this place a instant classic in my book.  Stumbled on it one day with my brother and have been a regular ever since.

Best McMenamin's

Fulton Pub (618 SW Nebraska St) - I'm a little embarrassed to say that I frequent a McMenamin's but this place is actually worth it.  It doesn't feel like one of those tourist trap McMenamin's as it sits in a nice SW/Corbett neighborhood and is always filled with locals.  They serve up basically the same food as the rest, but it's the atmosphere that makes this our favorite.  Great staff and the old regulars always bellied up to the bar are enough to keep us coming back.  Oh, and their cajun fries come with a little extra seasoning.

Best Burger

Slow Bar (533 SE Grand Ave) - As much as it pains me to say this, the Slow Bar does have one of the best damn burgers you'll ever have.  If you can handle the posh hipsters and attitude from the servers, then please go try this burger.  The "Slow Burger" is made with Strawberry Mountain beef, aged gruyere, little onion rings and butter lettuce.  My mouth is actually watering right now.  But like I said, enter with caution before the mullets and skinny jeans attack.

Best Sushi

Ooki (11211 SE 82nd Ave) - That address may scare you somewhat since it is a Clackamas one, but trust me on this, there is no better sushi in all of Portland.  You can all go to SinJu or Masu East, but I'll be at my little gem down deep SE.  Freshest seafood at the most reasonable prices in town plus great service and the place is rarely overly packed.

More to come!  I'll try to throw in some pictures when I get the chance too.

What are your favorite spots?  I'd love to hear about them!

______________________________________________________________________ Make sure to follow us on Twitter and subscribe to Blaze of Love for instant updates!

Related Articles