Diners Drive-Ins and Dives from SF to Portland

May 14, 2008 8:09 PM

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives road trip from SF to Portland (farther if needs be).

So I am a big fan of the aforementioned show, I love the idea of taking a road trip/traveling to random dive/diner restaurants. I would love to take a road trip from SF to Portland all the while hitting some great diners/dives.

I found some good posts about west coast road trips (1, 2, 3, and 4) but I feel my question is a bit more specific. If anyone can even recommend diners/dive between SF and Portland that would be perfect.

posted by sir_rubixalot to food & drink (8 comments total)

When you get to Portland you can't miss The Original Hotcake House, preferably at 2:30am. Have a strawberry milkshake and some hashbrowns. I grew up on hashbrowns in the South(Waffle House reprazent!), and these beat them.
posted by mnology at 8:58 PM on May 14

There's always the funky Rice Hill ice cream place between Roseburg and Eugene on I-5, at the RIce Hill exit (exit, curve around under the interstate to the West side, I think the sign just says "drive in". It's the Soup Nazi of Drive Ins. Fabulous ice cream, great malts, huge servings, and good drive in food like burgers. A huge list of rules, though, that I find hilarious-and then, after you step left after ordering to wait at the next window, you can read the two or three packed printed pages of rationalizations for their rules. "Why we don't have public restrooms" "Why you can't have free ice water"....fabulous.
posted by purenitrous at 10:13 PM on May 14

Ascholls (sp?) pizza in Portland. Voodoo donuts in portland. There is this awesome place for vietnamese sandwishes in SF...they were in esquire's best sandwiches across america.
posted by hal_c_on at 11:01 PM on May 14

When you get to Portland you can't miss The Original Hotcake House

The Original Hotcake House may be an institution, but it's revolting. Skip it unless you want to eat terrible, greasy food surrounded by junkies and tweakers. (If you do go, be sure to take care stepping over the bodies on the sidewalk outside the place-- they're often surrounded by puddles of various excretions, up to and including vomit, blood, and shit. For reals. The first time I went there I got blood on my shoes. It didn't make the hash browns taste any less rancid.)

But not to despair-- Portland really does have a hell of a lot of good places along the same lines.

Instead, go to Fullers, one of the last true classic diners left in the Disneyfied "Pearl District." All counter seating, very good food (dude-- they bake their own damn bread), and great, friendly service.

Or go to Byways, which is more of a diner-about-being-a-diner than an actual diner (if you know what I mean) but makes up for it with genuinely great food at very reasonable prices.

Or get burgers at Stanich's, an old school dive bar on NE Fremont with surprisingly good food, or the Skyline Restaurant, a former drive-in in the West Hills which miraculously has retained almost all of its original charm, or the Hollywood Burger Bar, which is every bit as classic and awesome as its name.

Most of all, though, just use Roadfood. It's pretty much what the producers of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives use for their research (yes, I know people who have worked on the show). Get one of the books, too. They're worth it, and in literally tens of thousands of miles of road trips with those books, they have never, not once, steered me wrong.
posted by dersins at 12:44 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

Wow.. Thanks dersins!

hal_c_on, which place is that? I work near Civic Center in SF and there is a great place called Saigon Sandwiches that has GREAT Vietnamese sandwiches, if a bit shady. :)
posted by sir_rubixalot at 10:27 AM on May 15

From Esquire:

"Bánh Mì
Saigon Sandwich Shop, San Francisco

A culinary legacy of imperialism: French baguette and Vietnamese barbecued pork, sprinkled with shredded carrots, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro. (560 Larkin Street; 415-474-5698)"

Yeah, thats it!
posted by sir_rubixalot at 10:29 AM on May 15

If you go up 101 (and you should - the redwoods are amazing), stop in Orick and visit The Palms for lunch and pie. Or just pie. Or pie for lunch, with a slice of pie.
posted by kristi at 10:42 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

Morning Glory in Ashland. Be sure to get pancakes or waffles because of the (1) butter with candied lemon zest and (2) homemade marionberry compote. OMFG.
posted by neuron at 10:29 PM on May 15