Portland is a bit like the Berlin of the USA: old hippies, artists, musicians, alternative and other creative people have long been drawn to the lively metropolis of Oregon. You can feel the famous "Portland vibe" in these places:
Eating in PortlandTasty & Sons
Tasty & Sons is currently one of the most popular addresses for stylish and affordable food in Portland - and rightly so. Brunch is served until 2pm (be sure to try the Bloody Mary!), and dinner from 7pm. The concept: all dishes should be shared, and you eat "hipster-worthy" in a former industrial building whose rustic charm has been preserved.
At this point you will find external content from Qualtrics Ireland Limited that complements the article. You can view it with one click.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. This may transmit personal data to third party platforms. Read more about this in our privacy policy.
The menu includes delicious items like frittata with micro vegetables, dates wrapped in bacon, French toast with maple syrup or burgers with gorgonzola and caramelised onions.
Tasty & Sons | 3808 N. Williams, Suite C, 97227 Portland | Brunch: daily from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner: Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Happy Hour: 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Pine Street Food Market
Nine mini-restaurants in a historic hall. And right in the middle of the old town! Whether freshly tapped craft beer, greasy burgers, healthy smoothies, refreshing cold brew coffee, decadent oysters with champagne - for the "visiting hipster" made hungry by sightseeing, everything is here under one roof.
Of course, only the finest, local, exclusive and partly organic. The still quite young Pine Street Food Market is probably the coolest dining room in the whole city.
Pine Street Food Market | 126 2nd Ave, 97204 Portland | Open daily
The Bye and Bye Vegan Bar
Healthy bowls brimming with fresh veggies, tofu, beans, homemade sauces, plus freshly mixed cocktails and beer from nearby breweries. The Bye and Bye is not a normal vegan restaurant, but a dimly lit bar that looks rocky and gloomy inside and almost Zen-like outside with its large bamboo garden.
A realm of contrasts, popular with locals and tourists alike. Vegan rocks and smoking outside to your heart's content is a rarity in Portland, let alone the USA.
The Bye and Bye Vegan Bar | 1011 North East Alberta St., 97211 Portland | Daily from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Salt & Straw - Ice Cream Manufacture
For some it's the best ice cream in the world, for others it's.... the best ice cream in the world! Long queues form outside Portland's four Salt & Straw outlets well into the evening hours, making it worth queuing behind. Everyone goes crazy for flavours like "fennel with maple syrup", "strawberry with honey balsamic and black pepper" or "pear in blue cheese", served in homemade, still warm waffles.
For the less experimental, there is also the classic vanilla or chocolate. Incidentally, the wait of at least 20 minutes is perfect for striking up a conversation with the locals.
Salt & Straw | Four shops, including one at 838 NW 23rd Ave, Portland | Open daily from 10am to 11pm
Shopping in PortlandWildfang - feminist fashion
If Pippi Longstocking had ever moved to Portland, she would buy her clothes at Wildfang. Here you'll find fashion for tomboys, wild girls, tender boys and people who don't feel like committing to one gender. This includes T-shirts and knickers with "Smash Patriarchy" or "Wild Feminist" printed on them, "Riot-Girrrl" knick-knacks like pins and stickers, or just casual clothes that anyone can wear.
The empowerment boutique also has a small bar where you can enjoy a beer or a glass of wine while chatting with the owners Emma and Julia about the latest feminist fashion trends.
Wildfand | 404 SW 10th Ave, 97205 Portland | Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Portland Outdoor Store - shop like a cowboy
The Portland Outdoor Store has been around for 98 years and is a true institution. Neither the building, the furnishings nor the range of products seem to have changed much since then. Here you can find cowboy hats, lumberjack shirts, cowboy boots from at least as long-established traditional brands as well as everything you need for your Wild West adventure or the subsequent road trip.
A stroll through the three slightly ramshackle floors feels like a journey back in time. With detours through the worlds of Bonanza, Winnetou, Texas Rangers or Brokeback Mountain. Not to be missed!
Portland Outdoor Store | 304 SW, 3rd Ave, 97204 Portland | Monday to Saturday from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Drinking in PortlandMultnomah Whiskey Library
Hipsters are known to be wild about time travel. The Multnomah Whiskey Library (downtown) is a particularly "witty" place to travel back in time. Somewhere between 1890 and 1920.
More than 1600 bottles of high-proof spirits, including 800 varieties of the finest whiskey alone, stand here illuminated by retro-green light on a three-metre-high, wood-panelled shelf. The staff have to climb up brass ladders to reach what they want, while the guests sit in velvet alcoves surrounded by pictures of venerable gentlemen in tails, top hats and monocles. They are served with marrow bones to spoon out, olives, mixed pickles, cheese and patties. Very, very old school!
Multnomah Whiskey Library | 1124 SW Alder St., 97205 Portland | Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Craft beer, craft beer everywhere!
The whole craft beer hype, which has now also arrived in Germany, actually started in Portland. With over 70 micro and mini breweries, there's basically an opportunity to drink fresh beer on every street corner. For Portlanders, gladly from late morning onwards.
Therefore, there is not ONE brewery that you absolutely have to visit. Just ask for directions to the nearest brewery as soon as you get thirsty. Some breweries have over 20 varieties on tap, served and explained by the brewmasters (and more and more female brewmasters) themselves. Trying it all out can take a few afternoons, or rather evenings.
At this point you will find external content from Instagram, Inc. that complements the article. You can view it with one click.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. This may transmit personal data to third-party platforms. Read more about this in our privacy policy.
Staying in PortlandJupiter Hotel
50s flair meets pop art. Located in the city centre, the Jupiter Hotel is housed in a former motel from the middle of the last century that has been charmingly modernised to cater entirely to the young and young at heart. It also includes a tattoo parlour, hip hair salon, bike rental and think tank. Hip bars, cafés and the city centre are less than ten minutes away on foot. Perfect starting point to get to know Portland in all its facets.
Jupiter Hotel | 800 E Burnside St., 97214 Portland | Rooms from around 130 euros per night
Popular strolling and strolling spots for hipstersMississippi / Williams
The former industrial area to the right of the city centre on the other side of the Willamette River is one of Portland's newest in-districts. Cute shops with crazy things (one shop, for example, specialises exclusively in light bulbs), small breweries, left-wing alternative cafés and bars, vintage shops, record stores and clothes shops for men with beards characterise the streetscape of Mississippi Ave. Unfortunately, it is impossible to overlook the fact that gentrification is proceeding in leaps and bounds here.
Alberta Street Art District
Alberta Street is the multicultural and artistic centre of the city. It is teeming with galleries, cabarets, shops and restaurants with Asian, South American and African-American influences. Signs hang at many entrances stating that people of all nations and sexual identities who believe in love and science are welcome. Narrow-minded nationalists, including Trump supporters, on the other hand, are told to stay away. Typical Portland!
Learning about Oregon's historyOregon Historical Society Museum
The permanent exhibition "Oregon My Oregon" in the historical museum is not only lovingly designed, rich in detail and partly interactive, but also gives Europeans a good insight into how Oregon has developed over the last 300 years.
The exhibition begins with the Indians who originally populated the entire country, tells of the settlers who gradually settled the region and displaced the indigenous people, it tells of gold seekers and soldiers of fortune, of upswings and crises and of how Oregon became what it is today.
For historians, this may come across as too playful and simplified, but anyone who is just a little interested in the history of the USA will not be left untouched by the exhibition. Plan at least two hours!
Oregon Historical Society Museum | 1200 Park Ave., 97205 Portland | Admission: 11 dollars for adults, nine dollars for students | Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Another tip: Get on your bike
The best way to explore Portland is by bike. The maze of one-way streets and often poor parking options are just unnecessarily stressful and nerve-wracking. Even if the public transport network is well developed, you are better off by bike, at least during the day. You will often come across places that you want to get to know spontaneously.
