6 Amazing Portland Restaurants Like No Other

Are you ready to dine at amazing Portland restaurants?  While Portland is no stranger to delicious meals, some places are just too memorable to miss out on.  These restaurants offer unique and satisfying food that anyone can enjoy.  

1) Brunch Box

Brunch Box is a cozy burger place in downtown Portland that offers a wide array of burgers and breakfast sandwiches, along with loaded fries, shakes, and more.  They have the traditional burgers you might be expecting, like cheeseburgers or double patties.  But where Brunch Burger really shines is with their options to customize your burger or sandwich.  Thanks to their Build-Your-Own-Burger/Breakfast menu, making your own burger is simple and specialized just for you.  They give you options for meats, cheeses, sauces, jellies, and more.  One of their boldest choices is particularly cheesy; all sandwiches can have each bun replaced with a grilled cheese sandwich.  These towering burgers can be intimidating, but I assure any customer that they are worth it.  Brunch Box may be small and a little out of the way, but don’t let that size fool you– it can fill up in minutes.  If you try to eat there, be sure you aim early, since chances are its packed.  But don’t let that dissuade you, because these are excellent sandwiches which you won’t soon forget.  Their giant customizable burgers and satisfy even the largest of appetites, while they still offer smaller choices for those looking for a snack.  Any burger-lover in Portland needs to visit the Brunch Box at least one time.

2) Cheryl’s on 12th

Cheryl’s on 12th is a dining experience like no other.  Their atmosphere is bustling and friendly, and filled with an energy that only good food can provide.  Every meal comes with complimentary beignets, which can easily become the highlight of your meal.  Somehow impossibly fluffy and thin and covered in sugar, they practically melt in your mouth.  While you could easily eat these all day to you heart’s content, it would do a disservice to the rest of Cheryl’s options.  They offer a myriad of rich brunch foods, but the art in Cheryl’s cooking comes from their palate combinations.  Many of their meals combine the sweet and the savory, the smooth and the crunchy, down to the smallest detail.  Something as small as adding cereal to their cheesy hash browns goes a long way.  These meals are carefully and expertly crafted, making it feel like a delicacies.  A meal at Cheryl’s very well may fill you up for the rest of the day. Cheryl’s is simply a must-have to any person visiting Portland, and once you’ve visited, you’re bound to return. 

3) Banning’s Restaurant and Pie House

Another Portland restaurants to check out is Banning’s.  Banning’s feels like an old fashioned diner; it’s friendly and has its many appetizing deserts on display.  It can be crowded yet intimate, like a family dinner.  It stay open twenty four-seven, and always buzzes with the sounds of people eating and enjoying themselves.  Their food reflects the inviting and personal nature.  Banning’s offers a variety of foods, both breakfast and dinner, but their specialty is their pies.  From apple to peanut butter/chocolate, hot to cold, ice cream or not– when it comes down to a Banning’s pie, there is no wrong choice.   While you may come for the pies, you’ll return for their stellar food.  While their food is predominantly American, they have slices from all around.  They have an amazing assortment of breakfast foods, burgers, and so much more.  

4) Block and Board

Block and Board is another smaller Portland restaurants, but excels due to their excellent quality of meat.  It serves as both a butcher’s shop and restaurant, which offers a customer the sight of all the optional meats, whether its to eat there or bring home.  They offer sandwiches, which comes with one of their most popular meats, or you can get a meat platter to sample the full variety.  They round out their meals with excellent side items, which bring out the strength of the meat while being delicious in their own right.  Their barbecue beans, mac and cheese, or cheesy broccoli all help bring the best out of your meal without stealing the show.  Whether you visit for a sandwich or to grab their jerky and prime meat cuts, you can find many tasty options.

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5) Pok Pok Wings

Pok Pok restaurants are spread all around Portland, but I cannot recommend one location more than Pok Pok Wings.  They specialize in Thai styled barbecue, and even offer fusion cuisine, proving the quality and versatility of their barbecued meats and veggies.  The easy standard at Pok Pok are their steamed buns and chicken wings, all of which offer a variety of meats and sauces to choose from.  But other flavorful options are their Pok Pok dog, a hot dog with Thai vegetables and meat, or their Pok pocket, fried flatbread stuffed with curried eggs, meat, and potatoes.  Whether you go for the classics or the experimental meals, you can surely find something to enjoy.  Pok Pok is similar to the many Portland food trucks, but with a bit more space to sit down.  This relaxed, smaller restaurant may be a bit isolated, but it is certainly worth it.

6) Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen

This deli in downtown Portland is another excellent choice for an early meal.  While they do have a variety of foods, their best options are the fresh bagels or their pastrami.  Whether it’s in an omelet or a sandwich, you’ll be hard pressed to find pastrami as fulfilling and well-made.  Their bagels are satisfying simply, alone or with cream cheese, but you can never forget their bagels and lox.  Their astounding menu has so many tempting options, you’ll need to come back again and again.  But in the end, any meal you get at this deli will fill your appetite for the day, and you won’t mind.  Their wall of satisfied celebrities can prove just how worthy Kenny and Zuke’s is of their grand reputation. 

Are you feeling hungry yet?  Be sure to check out these restaurants, and let us know how they were!  Anyone have a Portland restaurants that they feel should make this list?  Let us know in the comments!