Where to Eat and Drink Near Portland’s Laurelhurst Park
From soft-serve sundaes topped with chocolate cowboy hats to hand-dipped corn dogs
Portland’s Laurelhurst neighborhood, associated with the predominantly residential area that surrounds its namesake park, teeters between the Northeast and Southeast sections of Portland. The historic Laurelhurst gates — 20-foot arches located along Southeast Stark and Northeast Glisan — are the only physical markers that roughly outline the development, but more so the boundaries of the park, home to a pond, playground, basketball courts, and summertime events like comedy shows and concerts. Residents of the Laurelhurst neighborhood surely reap the benefits of being in a quiet suburban neighborhood with a picturesque park, but sacrifice some convenience in return. However, the neighborhoods surrounding the park, particularly Kerns, offer a number of exceptional spots for a bite post-basketball game, or options for takeout picnics on sunny days. Below, we’ve compiled some of our favorite spots for a meal or beverage within a 15-minute walk of the park. Check outWhere to Eat, Drink and Relax on East 28th’s Restaurant Row or our guide to dining in theSunnyside neighborhood for more options.
Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
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Where to Eat and Drink Near Portland’s Laurelhurst Park
From soft-serve sundaes topped with chocolate cowboy hats to hand-dipped corn dogs
Portland’s Laurelhurst neighborhood, associated with the predominantly residential area that surrounds its namesake park, teeters between the Northeast and Southeast sections of Portland. The historic Laurelhurst gates — 20-foot arches located along Southeast Stark and Northeast Glisan — are the only physical markers that roughly outline the development, but more so the boundaries of the park, home to a pond, playground, basketball courts, and summertime events like comedy shows and concerts. Residents of the Laurelhurst neighborhood surely reap the benefits of being in a quiet suburban neighborhood with a picturesque park, but sacrifice some convenience in return. However, the neighborhoods surrounding the park, particularly Kerns, offer a number of exceptional spots for a bite post-basketball game, or options for takeout picnics on sunny days. Below, we’ve compiled some of our favorite spots for a meal or beverage within a 15-minute walk of the park. Check outWhere to Eat, Drink and Relax on East 28th’s Restaurant Row or our guide to dining in theSunnyside neighborhood for more options.
Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
Montelupo Italian Market
Montelupo presents itself in the day as a charming Italian market that shines with its selection of wines, house-made pasta kits, and sauces; in the mornings, regulars pop in for drip coffee and daily rotating pastries. At night, Montelupo transforms its dining room and outdoor space into a cozy neighborhood restaurant where diners can sip on Aperol spritzes over house-made pastas — the tajarin, coated in subtle truffle butter and finished with a heaping pile of parmesan, is a menu highlight. Finish off the night with an order of the house tiramisu, espresso-soaked ladyfingers layered over marsala mousse and dusted with cocoa powder.
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Güero
This invitingly colorful, casual spot is home to some of the city’s best tortas. While customers chatter among dangling foliage and terracotta vases, the restaurant’s chefs top toasted telera bread with proteins like carnitas, achiote-marinated chicken, and refried beans, followed by some combination of cabbage slaw, avocado, pickled vegetables, lime, cilantro, and cotija cheese. Sides like esquites and salads round out any meal, as well as desserts like flan and horchata gelato.
City State Diner and Bakery
City State Diner, located on Northeast 28th Ave, draws a crowd of weekend brunchers seeking hearty, carb-loaded plates and daytime cocktails. This laidback diner whips up American breakfast classics as well as Southern favorites like biscuits and gravy and country-fried steak. The eggs Benedict arrive with a velvety dill hollandaise nothing short of indulgent. On the cocktail menu, the selection of bloody marys overshadows everything else — it’s safe to assume that the drink is a de facto City State Diner specialty.
Bull Run Pizza
An eye-catching coat of turquoise blue paint distinguishes Bull Run Pizza from the rest of its neighbors on Northeast 28th’s buzzy restaurant row. This casual pizza joint originally started as a food cart favorite before converting into its current brick-and-mortar location in 2021. With more space to work with, Bull Run Pizza now slings 12-inch and 16-inch hand-tossed, thin-crust pies dressed up with a variety of topping options, from hot honey and Italian sausage to shishito peppers. Its off-the-menu grandma-style pizzas, available only by the slice, have become quite the hot commodity — pop in earlier to avoid the depressing sight of empty sheet pans.
Wajan
This Burnside Indonesian restaurant, east of the park, is straight out of Jakarta, with its menu of standards like beef rendang and peanut-y gado gado. The best way to experience the restaurant as a single diner is through one of Wajan’s mixed-rice dishes, nasi campur or nasi uduk — with both, a mound of rice sits at the center, surrounded by things like saucy hard-boiled eggs (telur terong balado) and tempe orek (stir-fried tempeh). Any meal should involve a variety of the restaurant’s house sambals.
Laurelhurst Market
This charming, all-in-one butcher counter and restaurant has been a staple of the community since opening its doors in 2009. During lunch, the shop hawks sandwiches with house meats, like the #4 — smoked sliced chicken and house bacon on Como with cheddar, pickled zucchini, red onion, arugula, and herb mayo. By dinner, the restaurant shifts into a steakhouse, with sumptuous cuts of Brandt Ranch rib-eye and cast-iron filet mignon, as well as more moderately priced options like flat iron and hanger steak. Start with beef tartare and LM deviled eggs, which are worth the experience alone.
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Franks A Lot
Out of the pass-through window of its yellow A-frame, Franks A Lot serves a cornucopia of stadium food classics. Hand-dipped corn dogs and hot dogs headline the menu here; customers should expect to see a variety of franks, toppings, and vegan options available. For die-hard fans of Chicago-style hot dogs, Franks A Lot follows the traditional recipe to a T, complete with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped onions, pickles, tomatoes, sport peppers, and celery salt. Orders of hand-cut fries and onion rings make for excellent shared sides. With meals mainly taken to-go, seating is limited to only a few outdoor tables.
Flying Fish Company LLC
A neighborhood seafood market doubling as a restaurant, Flying Fish Company prides itself on offering sustainable seafood to both diners and home cooks. The market, which boasts a wide selection of fresh fish fillets, house-smoked fish, oysters, and shellfish, is also stocked with a great selection of tinned fish, condiments, and other pantry supplies. For visitors dining in, a variety of freshly shucked oysters — ordered by the dozen or half dozen — are the ideal starter. The menu also includes a number of takeout-friendly items for picnics, like the smoked salmon platter, poke, and grilled steelhead sandwich with citrus-cilantro slaw.
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Paadee
Local culinary legend Akkapong Earl Ninsom opened Paadee in 2011, offering a range of Thai comfort food favorites such as curries, stir-fries, and rice noodle dishes alongside dishes specific to the Isan region of Northeastern Thailand. The best dishes incorporate a touch of both: The tempura delicata squash salad, for instance, uses crispy pork larb as a base alongside the fried squash, grilled prawns, coconut-lime-chile dressing, and crunchy components like crushed peanuts and fried shallots. For those hoping to skip the wait during dinner service, it’s best to come during lunch, when some of the restaurant’s greatest hits arrive as sets with papaya salad, a soft-boiled egg, and a side of soup. Behind the bar, Paadee offers innovative cocktails using Southeast Asian ingredients like ube, pandan, tamarind, and lychee.
Fifty Licks Ice Cream
Since 2009, Fifty Licks has served some of the best scoops of dairy and non-dairy ice cream around Portland, with iconic flavor combinations like the vegan mango sticky rice: creamy coconut, swirls of Alphonso mango puree, and hints of pandan leaf. The shop also offers nostalgic treats like milkshakes and root beer floats, ideal for a post-movie treat or a walk around the neighborhood.
Cheese & Crack Snack Shop
The rustic charm of Cheese & Crack’s indoor and outdoor patio space complements its no-frills approach to charcuterie. Here, diners chat over rosé and house-made crackers, cheese, cured meat, cornichons, jam, and honey, laid out on a stainless steel pan; they’re available as takeout for park-side picnics. However, despite the “Cheese” in its name, the shop’s creamy vanilla soft serve is often what draws visitors to the shop: cake cones filled with soft serve and topped with a flavor dusting of choice, like matcha or strawberry powder. Real soft-serve connoisseurs often visit to try the latest rotating special sundae on the menu, unveiled every month onInstagram — think: caramel cornflake and raspberry birthday cake.
Crema Coffee + Bakery
This bright and roomy cafe, situated at the intersection of Southeast Ankeny and 28th Avenue, is a popular spot among Laurelhurst locals seeking a productive workspace during the week or a warm and welcoming third space for leisurely weekend mornings. Coffee enthusiasts will enjoy the bold and vibrant floral and citrusy notes of Crema’s single-origin French press coffee. When it comes to food, the cardamom morning buns and cream cheese-frosted cinnamon rolls are clear standouts; those desiring something more filling and savory should opt for a slice of the veggie or meat quiche.
FOMO Chicken
Located within the inconspicuous Pod 28, this fried chicken cart keeps a relatively tight menu of boneless fried chicken boxes and wings, both in Southern and Korean styles. The cart’s staff coats boneless fried chicken in a sweet soy garlic or spicy glaze, sprinkled with sesame seeds— Korean-style chicken boxes come with coleslaw, rice, and pickled radish. The Southern fried chicken box features dry-seasoned chicken with sides of coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and corn. When available, do not miss the mac and cheese and Southern fried pickles.
Ken's Artisan Pizza
Walking into Ken’s Artisan Pizza, diners spot 12-inch, thin-crust pies emerging from the centerpiece of the open kitchen: a wood-fired brick oven. Long-fermented crusts come layered with things like Lan-Roc bacon or Olympia Provisions capicola, as well as hand-stretched mozz and Italian tomatoes; visitors can (and should) add fresh burrata to any pie. Appetizers like the calamari and meatballs are great for sharing — save the plates for the leftover pools of vibrant tomato sauce, a worthy makeshift pizza crust dip. Arrive early to avoid the pizzeria’s famously lengthy lines on weekends.
Oblique Coffee Roasters
This fully operational roaster and cafe, located on Southeast Stark Street, greets customers with the rich aroma of roasting coffee beans. While seating is limited to barstools, customers can take orders to go and enjoy a leisurely stroll through the nearby park or residential areas. Oblique is also known for its support of local artists, hosting live music events that are a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
Old Pal
This stylish Morrison restaurant, south of the Park, is a natural spot for dates, with snacks like oysters on the half shell and airy gougeres served alongside white Negronis and Aperol spritzes at the marble bar. Meals should involve some of the restaurant’s seasonal salads and burrata preparation, followed by house pastas or risotto. If you want to keep the date going, split a scoop of the shop’s house ice cream.
Norah
Vegans adore this fairly new Sunnyside spot for its inventive take on Southeast Asian dishes, ranging from larb croquettes to drunken linguini. Start with a mango margarita or a nonalcoholic guava sour, before snacking on tom yum “wings” or massaman curry samosas. Any of the shop’s noodle dishes are worth an order, as is the crispy rice salad with house-fermented mushrooms.
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