June 2, 2021

Since Chris had lived in Portland before we met and he moved to LA, he was super excited to take me there and show me everything. I am always down for a new adventure so I was excited too, but I didn’t expect to really like Portland as much as I did! I felt like I was back in the Bay Area a little bit, in the city, where there is a ton of killer food, lots of bars and sights to see, and beautiful views of the water.

Portland is like a small San Francisco – with a lot more trees, bridges, a river, and terrible drivers.

To that point, I will warn you, I have never witnessed a population that was less capable of driving safely. lol. We were CONSTANTLY avoiding getting T-boned, I SWEAR. Besides that, Portland was cool! The East side had a very Haight-Ashbury/Castro district vibe while the West side was more like a Union Square/Marina mashup.

The East side is cool…

If you’re looking for something along the lines of hipster, casual, and low-key, head to the East side. The vibe around here is very laid back and more alternative, so save the dressing up and grab a pair of sneakers. I loved this little hole in the wall, health-centric restaurant The Whole Bowl, which is directly across from a trendy looking smoothie walk-up shop.  This area reminded me of Venice Beach with it’s hippie, 420-friendly feel.

The West side is better….

The West side on the other hand, fit my style a lot more with an upscale vibe full of skyscrapers, well-known retailers, boats, and bougie restaurants. This area of Portland is more comparable to Santa Monica where you can easily find the excuse to dress up and grab a craft cocktail at a bustling spot with a view of the water or the city.

I highly recommend starting the day with Bloody Mary’s and a small brunch bite at River Pig Saloon, which is a local spot with a dive-bar-gone-trendy energy. They had a yard area of the main street fenced off, which is a typical weekend set up, so it was great to sit outside and enjoy the city.

I got the waffles with berries which they were really way better than I expected for “bar” food! The waffles were hot and crisp, held onto the syrup without falling apart and the berry compote was tangy and sweet.

Best Brunch spot EVER!

The shining star of the trip was my new FAVORITE restaurant, Screen Door in the Pearl District. If you do anything in Portland, go to this restaurant for brunch. With it’s adorably shabby-chic decor and creative list of cocktails, its Southern menu has the BEST of the best brunch items.

For drinks, I highly recommend getting their Spiked Raspberry Lemonade! The sangria was light and refreshing but the lemonade really was the show stopper with a perfect tartness to it. We split the lemon-ricotta fritters with caramel dipping sauce and fried chicken and sweet potato waffles and let me tell you, you cannot possibly imagine how good it was. This was the best brunch I have had in my life. I want to cry thinking about how perfect it was…brb crying.

Not only will this place charm the pants off of you but the food and drinks are seriously to die for. I would’ve just repeatedly gone here the whole weekend if I knew. I wish this place was in LA!!! Well, no, wait…because then I would be fat.

Important Tip! – make sure you go to the Screen Door in the Pearl District, as the other one doesn’t have the same charm or ambiance, you won’t get the same experience at all.

Yacht weather calls for Sunday Funday on the Willamette River

I know Portland gets a bad rap for having crummy weather but we must have gone at the right time because it couldn’t have been more perfect outside!

It was 75-80 and sunny, clear skies. Which is why spending our Sunday Funday in true summer style on a yacht with friends was the perfect move to soak up the good weather and take in the sights of Portland. The Willamette River was full of water sports and boats and beach goer’s camped out on the shore.

Italian for dinner at Gino’s

After a long day of white claws, jumping off the boat, and cruising the river with music blasting we headed to Gino’s for some good Italian eats. I highhllllyyyyy recommend getting the Caesar salad and the Mussels and Clams for appetizers. This wins for the best Caesar salad I have ever run into. Make sure you ask for bread to soak up the sauce in the seafood dishes! So good!

The pasta dishes were SO good too! We went classic and Chris ordered the Spaghetti & Meatballs while I went with the Rigatoni Bolognese. We had so much leftover after all the apps we ordered, but I’m glad we did because this was awesome to heat up when we got home after a long drive back to LA.

For late-night cocktails, we went to RonToms which I loved for an intimate, rustic vibe. Walking in, it has a fireside speakeasy feel to it with a long bar under the architecturally-interesting build followed up with tons of outback seating. The cocktails were good and the dim outside lighting made it feel cool.

Overall, we had a great time in Portland and it was so fun to see Christopher’s old stomping grounds and try out a new city. I know we will be making the trip up again next summer when the weather hits its sweet spot, if only so I can go to Screen Door for brunch again! Hahah

Are you heading to Portland? Comment below!

With love,

Ashley Jo