INTRO

There are few things as fun as eating and drinking through a city. Portland, OR was one of the many memorable stops on our road trip honeymoon. Fact about me, I love a food truck with some serious KISS food as much as I love a fine dining experience, and Portland is one of the best places in the US to seek out fantastic street eats.

We have family in Vancouver, WA, just ~15 minutes from downtown Portland and opted to stay in their guest bedroom during our visit. However, there are many incredible boutique hotels and airbnbs in the area, which I will cover in a Portland travel guide (this is a dedicated food guide).

Donuts

Portland is known for donuts, because why wouldn’t it be? In addition to the two mentioned spots below, I’d check out Coco Donuts, which sells handmade donuts and house roasted coffee and Annie’s Donut Shop, an old school shop with rave reviews. I’d also give Doe Donuts, an artisanal, women-owned vegan spot, a visit and see what all the hype is around the La’ssants at Nola Donuts.

VODOO 

Vodoo is a Portland institution that’s rather famous and a must when in Portland. Maybe not the best donuts in the city, though very good, because the competition is so stiff. AD’s Review: 4.3.

Blue Star Donuts 

Ahhh really good, artisinal donuts. Also a famous Portlandia institution. I really enjoy the Raspberry Rosemary Old Fashioned flavor and Blueberry Bourbon Basil. You really can’t go wrong with anything here though. AD’s Review: 4.7.

Burgers

I believe that a smash burger is the best, and perhaps only, way to make a really good burger. Luckily, Portland houses many smash burger joints. So, while in Portland I attempted to find the city’s best smash. Below is my rankings of the top 3.

Monster Smash Burger 

They nail the crispy, caramelized edges on these burgers. The ratio of pickle: onion: cheese: sauce is perfect. The truck is next to Belmont Station, a super solid beer and drink spot, which makes the perfect place to eat Portland’s best burger. AD’s Review: 4.9. Takes #1

• Yelp
• Google

Yes Please Smash Burger 

This dude makes his own American cheese and then creates a super crispy cheese, cone type thing that surrounds the burger. The burger is good, like very good. Unfortunately, the owner is selling the truck. So stay tuned to see who takes it over. AD’s Review: 4.75. Takes #2

• Yelp
• Google

Mid City Smash Burger 

Mid City makes classic, simple burgers that certainly will hit the spot. It takes 3rd place because the ingredient ratios weren’t on par with the other two. AD’s Review: 4.3. Takes #3. **It appears that the truck is now parked in Level Beer, which would be awesome- it was not there when we visited (or at least I don’t think…)

• Yelp
• Google

I wanted to try Sure Shot Burger and Pleasure Burger, but their hours were not super consistent. Next time. It’s worth noting that based on extensive research, I believe that these are the only two other smashes that could compete with the above. Note the scores by the burgers were based on my 10 point scores, which just considered the burger itself.

More Options, Ranging from Food Trucks to Fine Dining Restaurants

Matt's BBQ Tacos 

This is another truck. Truthfully speaking, the breakfast tacos are nothing to write home about (something that I feel after eating most breakfast tacos out versus at my home, where I think my breakfast tacos are best). BUT the briquet and pork belly tacos are fantastic. Everyone should go here for those two tacos alone. The truck is located in a cool little “truck mall” that has nice outdoor seating and a bar. AD’s Review: 4.6.

• Yelp
• Google

EEM 

EEM sits at the intersection of Thai and bbq. It was started by the owner of Matt’s BBQ (& tacos), the owner of Shipwreck PDX, and EEM’s current executive chef. Everything at EEM, including the cocktails, is top notch, but the white curry with briquet burnt ends is something that I still dream about. EEM is one of my favorite restaurants from all of my travels. AD’s Review: 4.9.

• Yelp
• Google

Andina Restaurant 

This is a really nice restaurant that offers elevated Peruvian food. It has an up-scale, traditional vibe and the service is fantastic. It has been rated as one of Portland’s best restaurants. Our favorite dish was the coliflor a la brasa, a cauliflower dish that was amongst the best that we’ve had. The cocktails are also good. We’d love to go back to try more of the menu, as we shared the arroz con mariscos, a huge family style seafood, rice dish. AD’s Review: 4.5.

• Yelp
• Google

In our next trip, we desperately hope to make it to Lovely’s Fifty Fifty for their famous za. STAY TUNED. Below is a list of restaurants and bars given to us from a deeply knowledge Portland foodie who knows the ins-and-outs of the food scene in Portland.