Portland for a weekend bromance
June 22, 2012 2:15 PM   Subscribe

Heading to Portland, OR for the first time! Super excited, and could use your help with our special-snowflake travel needs.

We are two dudes who live in SF but aren't from SF. We're going to Portland for the Sounders-Timbers game on Sunday, so we are sports fans, but not bros or jocks.

Things we like: microbrew, dive bars, eating fine meats and cheeses, vintage shops.

Our budget is solidly middle class, but we don't like snooty environments. Hipster-friendly, but we mix well with all types.

Where should we go?? We'll be in town tonight through Monday morning.
posted by thebergfather to Travel & Transportation around Portland, OR (11 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
if you like bourbon, go to Branch

they have awesome microbrew-bourbon pairing recommendations and yummy food (the duckfat french fries are TOO DIE!!!!)
posted by supermedusa at 2:23 PM on June 22, 2012


Do you have a hotel yet? If not, I recommend the White Eagle Saloon as awesomely cheap. The other McMenamins joint look cool too, but that's the only one I've been to.
posted by maryr at 2:31 PM on June 22, 2012


eating fine meats and cheeses
Steve's Cheese Bar is what you want.
posted by medeine at 2:36 PM on June 22, 2012


Dinner at Podnah's followed by ice cream at Salt and Straw.
posted by vespabelle at 2:52 PM on June 22, 2012


Microbrews: Bailey's Taproom

Fine meats and cheeses: Cheese Bar (they also have good beer)
posted by DrGirlfriend at 3:04 PM on June 22, 2012


Following up on Salt and Straw, there's a new Indian restaurant right next door called Bollywood Theater that focuses on street food. Inexpensive and delicious.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 3:06 PM on June 22, 2012


The Rogue brewery is great, and if you like sour beers, there is another called Cascade Brewing that specializes in them. They carry a few other things but their speciality is lambics, etc. (and don't think that means sweet fruity girly beer, necessarily)
posted by slow graffiti at 3:40 PM on June 22, 2012


And I forgot Deschutes! I had an excellent tasting flight and dinner there.
posted by slow graffiti at 3:41 PM on June 22, 2012


The Matador (on W Burnside; not the E Burnside place of the same name) is an interesting dive bar very close to the stadium. Get a King Tot! (Huge tater tot.) Other neat things in that area:
  • Coffeehouse Northwest is a great coffeeshop. (NW Trinity & W Burnside)
  • Elephant's Delicatessen has a good selection of meats and cheeses (and they have beer on tap). They'll let you sample everything. (NW 22nd just N of W Burnside)
  • Along the same lines, Chop is a butcher shop that also does some great cured meats. It's located inside a specialty market that has other delights if you're foodie-inclined. (NW 21st & Johnson)
  • Smokehouse 21 has (in my opinion) some of the best BBQ in the city. This is a newish place, and it's not yet well-known. (NW 21st between Flanders and Glisan)
  • Salt and Straw (delicious, sometimes bizarre ice cream) has a location on NW 23rd now. (NW 23rd & Kearney?)
  • Kask is one of my favorite bars for cocktails. Daily punch selection always recommended. For food they do mostly cheese and charcuterie. (SW Alder, between SW 11th & 12th)
Enjoy the game!
posted by sportbucket at 3:53 PM on June 22, 2012 [1 favorite]


There's a ton of local beer and/or places to get local and/or specialty beer, including:
Bailey's Taproom
Cascade Barrel House
Green Dragon
Belmont Station
Horse Brass
Hopworks
Burnside Brewing

If you're interested in such things, there is a SE Portland Distillery Row that has a passport/discount program.

Second Steve's Cheese Bar for cheese. Olympic Provisions is a great choice for cured meats, and has a great weekend brunch. Otto's Sausage Kitchen has a deli and delicious sausages. Steak-and-more-substantially-meaty options include:
Laurelhurst Market (I had one good dinner but have not been back for a while, b/c I am not a steak person generally. They also do good & interesting deli sandwiches for lunch)
Ox (new and I have not been yet, but I've heard good things)
Urban Farmer
Podnah's Pit (best BBQ in Portland and anyone who says different is just trying to keep you from eating the last serving of puller pork before they get there)

Also:
Other food & drink Asks about Portland
posted by Kpele at 4:01 PM on June 22, 2012


Kpele: Podnah's Pit (best BBQ in Portland and anyone who says different is just trying to keep you from eating the last serving of puller pork before they get there)

I agree! The ribs at Smokehouse 21, however, are a very close second.
posted by sportbucket at 4:43 PM on June 22, 2012


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