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Old 10-26-2010, 06:01 AM
 
Location: Portland, Or
76 posts, read 210,027 times
Reputation: 33

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I have finally made it here to visit. Arrived yesterday and am already completely in love with the city. The weather is absolutely what I wanted and have been craving. I could not be happier so far.

I'd like to know your suggestions for breakfast places and who you think has the best hash browns! By hashbrowns, I mean shredded potatoes - not homefries as a lot of places seem to call them.

Also, food carts. There are some right by our hotel (mark Spencer) but do you have other suggestions of ones I simply must try?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 10-26-2010, 10:18 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
10,990 posts, read 20,575,726 times
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There is breakfast, and there is BREAKFAST. If you want the latter consider Mother's at the corner of 2nd & Stark down town, you can find the menu on the internet www.mothersbistro.com . My stomping ground is vintage NW, if I wanted a coffee & pastry breakfast I would go to St. Honore, 2335 NW Thurman, www.sainthonorebakery.com/ or to hang out with old neighbors the Stepping Stone, 2390 NW Quimby www.steppingstonecafe.com . The latter restaurants are easily accessible to you by catching bus 15 on Washington Street, a route with high frequency. It travels NW 23rd, turns west on Thurman.
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Old 10-26-2010, 05:35 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
2,515 posts, read 5,026,688 times
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Hashbrowns - go to the Original Hotcake House on Powell between the Ross Island Bridge and Milwaukie Avenue. It's open 24 hours and is served by several bus lines.

If you like potatoes and food carts, you should try Potato Champion at 12th & Hawthorne.
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Old 10-26-2010, 05:36 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
5 posts, read 25,108 times
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It has been years since my last visit, but I used to love breakfast at Bijou Cafe on SW 3rd. If you're renting a car and can get out to N Lombard, John St. Cafe is my #1 recommendation for breakfast (black currant and filbert pancake is an all-time great) and St. Johns is an interesting neighborhood to visit. But if you're on public transit only, John St. Cafe is too far out to be worth the trip. Tin Shed on NE Alberta is also fantastic, and if you're planning to visit the Alberta Arts District, that's a great place for breakfast. Also I second St. Honore.

I'm not a food cart expert, and I've had a good experience at all the food cart pods I've visited, but I still think the most fun group is the one at SE 12th & Hawthorne. Potato Champion is the cart I go there for, but the others at that spot are all really good. The best food cart I've tried downtown is Tabor, the Czech cart, on SW 5th, but I admit haven't tried as many carts in SW Portland because I'm never downtown during lunch hours.
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Old 10-26-2010, 05:41 PM
 
3,117 posts, read 4,588,062 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irr3l3vant View Post
I have finally made it here to visit. Arrived yesterday and am already completely in love with the city. The weather is absolutely what I wanted and have been craving. I could not be happier so far.

I'd like to know your suggestions for breakfast places and who you think has the best hash browns! By hashbrowns, I mean shredded potatoes - not homefries as a lot of places seem to call them.

Also, food carts. There are some right by our hotel (mark Spencer) but do you have other suggestions of ones I simply must try?

Thanks in advance!
1) Hashbrowns: You're screwed. But to be fair, I've only found a couple of places in the entire country that can make hashbrowns the way I like them (crunchy all the way through). When I get hashbrowns anywhere, I typically tell the waitress to tell the cook to "burn em", knowing that he won't, but hoping that it will at least get the crispiness a little further through. In Portland, when you say this, you'll be lucky if the hashbrowns come out a light brown. When you send them back, they might even come back to your table with a crispy top....if you're lucky. THe insides will be mush no matter what, though.

2) Food carts: The best Greek food you'll find in PDX comes from a food cart not too far from Pioneer Square (not that it's all that great, but it's the best Greek you'll find there). There's a pretty good Polish cart right on the streetcar line. And if you look hard enough, you can find some decent satay in a couple of them. While technically not a cart, they used to serve the food out of a door, so I'm going to include it: Hit the Voodoo Doughnuts.
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Old 10-26-2010, 06:28 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
10,990 posts, read 20,575,726 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zachmull View Post
It has been years since my last visit, but I used to love breakfast at Bijou Cafe on SW 3rd. If you're renting a car and can get out to N Lombard, John St. Cafe is my #1 recommendation for breakfast (black currant and filbert pancake is an all-time great) and St. Johns is an interesting neighborhood to visit. But if you're on public transit only, John St. Cafe is too far out to be worth the trip. ...
Concurr.

Zell's Cafe at 1300 SE Morrison St, is popular too.
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Old 10-27-2010, 10:30 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,445,053 times
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Second the Hot Cake house for best hash browns.

For breakfast in general I highly recommend Bread and Ink Cafe on on 36th and Hawthorne: Home Page

As for food carts, no better place then the food cart blog. Food Carts Portland

They have reviews every food cart in town. My current favorite is the Food Cart Pod on 42nd and Belmont. I'm also partial to a couple of the carts in the pod on SW 12th and Hawthorne. I have not had a bad meal at a food cart.
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Old 10-27-2010, 11:45 AM
 
9,961 posts, read 17,531,877 times
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I you're staying at the Mark Spencer there are some great carts just down the way on Alder between 10th and 9th. Personally I like Byblos, which is run by a Syrian guy and has the best pitas downtown, Samurai---which has great Japanese food, Ziba Pita's(Bosnian stuffed pitas) and Nong's Khao Man Gai which is Thai but different than the normal Phad Thai offerings. Also EuroDish on 10th and Alder is a Polish cart that has really good pierogis and hunter's stew. But if you see something that looks interesting, just try it---the quality of most of the carts is usually pretty good.
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Old 10-27-2010, 12:45 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,461,659 times
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Quote:
Second the Hot Cake house for best hash browns
Third that. And Mothers. Great!

Also try 5th between Stark and Oak downtown for food carts. I think that's where the carts got their start.They have a nice variety of choices.

Zell's is good. There is also the Cup and Saucer on Hawthorne and around 34th and one in North Portland (don't know exactly where) that has great breakfasts all day.

Zachmull, is the Bijou still in existence? I haven't been in that area for awhile and I thought it had closed.
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Old 10-27-2010, 08:09 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
5 posts, read 25,108 times
Reputation: 11
I walked by Bijou last month and they were still posting menus in the window. Sadly I was there after business hours.
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