Skip to main content
I grew up “on top of the hill” in Sylvan Heights and went to high school at Lincoln—now torn down and rebuilt, resembling a giant, cardinal-red puzzle box. I spent childhood days blowing bubbles and swinging with my dad in Washington Park, and worked summers at Salt & Straw when I got older. Northwest Portland—Uptown—is where my heart feels most at home. An ideal October day involves trekking across this neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and indulging in dishes that are nostalgic and legitimately great—one of life’s rare combinations.
A warning for the curious: Other than one slice of tomato and two appearances made by avocados, no fresh fruits or vegetables will be found in this collection. It’s fall, we’re going into hibernation mode, and that’s OK. It’s hard to feel sentimental about a salad. And so, I present to you, a joyful day of eating old school in Northwest Portland.
Cinnamon Twists and a Breakfast Sandwich at Fehrenbacher Hof
1225 SW 19th Ave., 503-223-4493, fehrenbacherhof.com. 7 am-3 pm daily.
Start the day at my favorite remaining OG place in Portland now that The Roxy has closed. Fehrenbacher Hof, the little sister coffee shop to Goose Hollow Inn, has weathered not only the pandemic, but also the loss of the inn’s patriarch, former Portland Mayor Bud Clark. The Hof’s cinnamon twist is the single-best baked good in Portland, forever and ever, amen. When do they have it? Not every day. So…what days, then? Unclear. It’s a game of chance, of luck. But if you luck out, your day changes for the better. It tastes like it’s made from the heart, rather than reliant on precise technique, even though it’s a technical marvel. The pastry itself is slightly yeasty, while a thick slab of cinnamon caramel on the outside lends it a crispy crunch. The breakfast sandwiches are equally great. There are many ways to mix and match the toppings, and I’ve tried them all. The pro move involves veggie sausage, sliced tomato, cheddar and subbing avocado for egg on an English muffin slathered with Goose Hollow Inn’s signature Reuben sauce. It is wildly rich and delicious. I once took an ex-boyfriend to the Hof and he didn’t like it; now you know why he’s an ex-boyfriend.
Pepperoni Slice at Escape From New York Pizza
622 NW 23rd Ave., 503-227-5423, efnypizza.net. 11:30 am-11 pm daily.
It’s been open just shy of 40 years. I’ve been coming here since I was 2; my dad has been a customer since he was a student at Portland State University in the ‘80s. Escape From New York is forever the best slice shop in town. It can never close. It can never die. Slices chill on the counter, then come alive in the reheat oven. A great New York slice is not gooey, but slightly charred with a bit of bite. The sauce is sweet and spicy and herbaceous, the pepperoni tender and wide—no tough li’l ‘roni cups here. The crust is thin and flaky, almost like a Ritz cracker. Sprinkle with room-temperature Parm, but do not ask for ranch dressing. Instead, laugh when someone else does, despite the fact there are multiple signs that say “Ranch free since ‘83.” I like it when a business openly shows its disdain for stupid people. If you’re stupid, people should tell you.
Passion Fruit Green Tea at Tea Chai Té
734 NW 23rd Ave., B, 503-228-0900, teachaite.com. 10 am-9 pm daily.
Tea Chai Té is a vibe. I went on a Wednesday and it was out of boba until Friday. Instead of being annoyed, I was just like…OK. Everything’s chill here. This is a place of peace and serenity after you spend $75 on patchouli body spray and cucumber eye masks at Lush. This is a place where if you get a phone call, it’s time to pack up and go. Don’t you dare speak. It’s essentially a library. Anyway, the passion fruit green tea is absolutely the GOAT of tea-based beverages, with boba or without. Green tea is famously green, but passion fruit green tea is electrified Kool-Aid orange. It’s sour, it’s sweet, I could have one every single day. This is my Portland.
Onion Rings at RingSide Steakhouse
2165 W Burnside St., 503-223-1513, ringsidesteakhouse.com. 5-9 pm Monday-Thursday, 4:30-9:30 pm Friday, 4-9:30 Saturday, 4-9 pm Sunday.
Coming to RingSide solo for a snack is…ironic? Sadistic? Incredibly romantic? I sat at the bar next to a woman named Pam, who told me I have an amazing voice (I’m gay). I ordered a Manhattan from Jimmy, who’s been making drinks behind the bar longer than I’ve existed on this planet. Surrounded by dark wood accents near a cozy fire amid lighting so dim it might as well be a haunted house, my enormous half-order of onion rings arrived. James Beard called them the best he ever tasted. He wasn’t wrong. They’re still as light and crispy as you remember and served with a house dressing that’s essentially Thousand Island but with blue cheese in it. Genius.
Ahi Tuna Tower at Yama Sushi & Sake Bar
926 NW 10th Ave., 503-841-5463, yamasushiandsakebar.com. 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 4:30-9 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 4:30-9:30 pm Friday-Saturday.
Yama is another dramatic place to visit alone to slow down for a moment and experience Zen while digging into a dish that is as stunning as it is delicious. The Ahi Tuna Tower is a stacked cylinder of sushi rice, spicy tuna, crab salad, chopped ahi tuna, three types of tobiko, and sliced avocado on a firework-patterned splash of wasabi mayo and eel sauce. It’s so gorgeous you just have to sit and look at it for a while. Then you mash it up and eat it with a spoon. There’s something about spooning sushi into your mouth that feels so wrong yet so right. Essentially, it’s a poke bowl, but it’s also a work of art. Creamy, salty, spicy and sweet—an always lovely dinner.
Espresso Martini and Passion Cake at Papa Haydn
701 NW 23rd Ave., 503-228-7317, papahaydn.com. 11:30 am-10 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
Thought “it’s a cylinder so pretty it feels like a crime to have to crush it to eat it” would apply to only one dish on this list? Think again! You’re in for a can-shaped food doubleheader. Time for the Passion at Papa Haydn, Portland’s seminal dessert spot. This specific dessert was so good, after I ate one at the restaurant, I had to go to Zupan’s two days later and get another one. Buttermilk chocolate cake is topped with passion fruit and hot pink raspberry mousses as well as passion fruit curd, and the entire thing is surrounded by a wall of white chocolate. It’s an interactive dish—you’ve really gotta thwack that candy collar to get in there, and once you’re in, you’ll never want to leave. Partner it with an oh-so-trendy espresso martini. Papa Haydn’s is strong, smooth and, most importantly, drinkable, with no trace of the heavy cream sweetness that often flaws this drink. Expect a jolt of bitterness, like a crisp slap across the face, as you work through the gooey cake and tart curd. God-tier pairing.
