Are there any good restaurants in PORTLANd (Beaverton, Dallas: house, club)

[Tesaje]

Last time I was in PDX, I had a very good dinner at the Paragon downtown. It had an eclectic menu and everything was very tasty. Not exactly cheap but prices were fair.

[nativepdx100]

Portland has tons of amazing restaurants... and bars, parks, boutiques, coffee shops, etc. Visit goseeportland.com to find out about the funnest things to do and see.... it has real reviews from Portlanders.

[John Shaft]

For a city its size Portland has a variety of restaurants. Notice I said "its size" - obviously it won't compete with Dallas or San Fran.

"Good" Mexican food here is VERY relative - you will be disappointed if you are comparing it to Texas. At the same time it's not fair to judge a regional/ethnic cuisine that's waaaay away from the region/ethnicity. For instance someone from NYC would probably find the Italian food in San Antonio very lacking.

My advice is, coming from TX, don't waste your time on Portland's Mexican or Bar-B-Q. Go for the types of restaurants appropriate for the area: northwest ingredients, seafood, and Asian (Asian food in Portland is more common, diverse, and better than in Texas).

[EnricoV]

Rather like Texas doesn't have great NW-style restaurants, the NW doesn't really have great Texas-style restaurants. That doesn't mean there aren't great restaurants. There are more than enough, in every price range. Besides, "great" is subjective.

I like using Yelp for recommendations.

I'm sure it's a nature of the website and not an accurate representation (though I think they use the telephone book listings ... I've seen restaurants listed that haven't been reviewed), but for Portland, there are 1311 restaurants listed. Of Texas cities, Austin has 962, Houston 745 and Dallas 632.

[Tesaje]

Come to think of it, in my many trips to P-town, I can't remember having a bad meal. I think it is one of those places that it is easy to just look at a place and its menu and many more times than not, you'll get a good meal, and sometimes an excellent meal. That said, I wouldn't be thinking good Mexican in P-town, but there are some really great places in TX with great Mexican and great BBQ.

Places in the South are not like that. Some of the worst meals I've ever had were in the South. You need a good recommendation there to find a good place.

[bobmulk]

Try Andina (Peruvian), Oba! (South American), Silk (Vietnamese), Pok Pok (Thai), Genoa (Northern Italian), Paley's Place (continental), Castagna (continental), Vista Spring (fantastic pizza), Pazzo Ristorante (Italian, obviously!), Higgins (continental), Clarkelewis(continental), Papa Haydn's (dessert).

That's just off the top of my head. Portland has become a foodie's paradise. The New York Times in the past two years has practically moved food critics to town to taste our offerings and they've been effusive in what Portland has to offer. Also, go onto OregonLive.com: We've Moved! and check the Diner's Guide. By the way, my faves are Andina and Silk.

Good luck!

[southwesternnative]

Originally Posted by butta fli

Im from tx and theres so many good restaurants mexican chinese itilian, etc. recently i was told portland didnt have that many great places to eat so i thought i would ask the people who actually live there and one more thing do any of the malls have play areas for kids to play where im from they put them in all of the malls so if weather is bad theres a indoor play area. thanks for any advise!!!!

I have been in the Portalnd/Beaverton area for about 2 years now and frankly the retaurants here are hit and miss. Granted I may be spoiled having lived in Scottsdale, Las Vegas and Orange County but hey, when the prices are the same there and here I expect the same quality and service. You have many of the usual chains that are good, P.F. Chang's, Cheesecake Factory, McGrath's, Ruth's Chris, etc. but I have found some so far that are fantastic. Unfortunately, we have tried several that have gotten great reviews only to be very disappointed. Here are some of our non-chain favorites so far:

Thai: Iyara at PGE Park. Best Thai I have ever had, better than Typhoon.
Chinese: Sungari Pearl on Lovejoy
Japanese: Sinju at Bridgeport Village in Tigard
Steak/Seafood: Portland City Grill. 30th floor of the US Bancorp building on 5th. Awesome views. wait for a window table
Breakfast: Mother's on Stark. A bit crowded but try a Bloody Mary

We have more to try from more recent recommendations that we are hoping will be good. We are going to try Tad's in Troudale. Cant wait! I may have forgotten some others. The biggest dud we have found so far is Hall Street Grill in Beaverton. We are always up for trying new recommendations and will be looking for more.

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

...
I imagine TX will look boring by comparison.
...

You underestimate the resturants in Texas...

'Dallas. This Lone Star State city has a population of 1,250,950 and a selection of restaurants that add up to 2,666. While the city is known for its BBQ and steak houses there is a surprising mix of great eateries from chic to basic. That means every restaurant, fast food place and steak house in Texas’ third largest city can boast an potential pool of just 469 people. Making this city the winner of the title “City With The Most Restaurants per Capita.” '

Oregon was not mentioned... Which City Really Does Have The Most Restaurants Per Capita?

[nancy thereader]

The Leaky Roof. I love it!

[sberdrow]

Flying Pie Pizza has the best Pizza in the USA. Yep, even better than any east coast pizza.