Central Eastside

Criss-crossed with train tracks and lined with old industrial factories, some of Portland’s favorite restaurants, boutiques and events call the Central Eastside home. With so many things to do and see in proximity to one another, Portland’s Central Eastside definitely maximizes entertainment per square mile.

Stay and Explore the Central Eastside

From lodging to landmarks, these resources will point you in the right direction.

Plan

Central Eastside Hotels

You’ll find a wide range of hotel options in this central district that boasts direct light rail connections to PDX and downtown.

Near Me Now

Use Near Me Now to find events, food carts, restaurants, bars, attractions, stores and more. Carefully curated by professional Portland fans, this map-based guide lets you explore like a local.

Where to Eat and Drink in Central Eastside

You’ll want to start early if you’re looking to try Southeast Portland’s Delicious Donuts. Often selling out before closing, this low-key, family-owned doughnut shop sneaks under the radar in Portland’s food scene. With their flagship coffee shop in the Central Eastside, Water Avenue Coffee roasts interesting blends and single-origin coffee beans, making you an excellent cup. Roseline Cafe & Roastery and Coava Coffee are also options for stellar house-roasted coffees.

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Credit: Aubrie LeGault

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Credit: James Berrier

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Credit: Jamie Francis

With a year-round patio, live music and DJ, and weekend brunch Produce Row Cafe is a gastro-pub you don’t want to miss. A champion of craft beer in Portland since 1978, pair beer with whiskey and a great meal. Tasty nearby lunch options include Sesame Collective’s Mediterranean Shalom Y’all and Olympia Provisions, makers of fine and highly giftable charcuterie.

When your burger craving hits, Wolfs Head nails the basics with a simple, delicious menu. This Midwest-inspired burger joint also offers malted milkshakes, curly fries and cheese curds. Speaking of craveable, try Nong’s for a chicken and rice offering you’re sure to want more than once.

With its own creative take on ramen — think rich, meaty broths with fried chicken, oysters and fresh noodles — Boke Bowl has also earned a devoted following. But despite their meaty servings, vegetarians can get in on the action here too, with Korean fried tofu and eggplant — and everyone loves Boke’s daring miso-butterscotch twinkies for dessert.

As evening nears, clarklewis makes the most of its light-filled former-loading-dock location, turning out wood-fired delicacies like oak-grilled rib-eye steak served with local chard, creamed corn and oyster mushrooms, while Kachka brings a little bit of the old world to Portland with traditional Russian cuisine (their dumplings are incredible) and vodka samplers in house-infused flavors like horseradish and chamomile.

Credit: Aaron Lee, Travel Portland

For the finest dining that rivals any restaurant in the country, the Central Eastside has both Le Pigeon and Kann. At this point, James Beard Award-winning chefs Gabriel Rucker and Gregory Gourdet, respectively, are culinary celebrities whose menus are worthy of their reputations and waitlists. Be sure to plan ahead.

When night falls, the Central Eastside offers plenty of bars and late-night spots to imbibe. White Owl Social Club pours from a full bar to accompany shoestring fries and rave-worthy beet burgers on its expansive patio. Wayfinder Beer is another great patio option, with a robust selection of lager-centric beers and bites of European influence. With a name suggestive of its deep whiskey list and vintage vibe, Scotch Lodge offers delicious small plates alongside a robust drink menu perfect for both the first and last stop of the night.

What to Do in Central Eastside

The Central Eastside knows how to have fun any time of day—even if you’re in the office enjoying one of our convenient coworking spaces. Pickup a “passport” for ideas on things to do, and collect prizes along the way, or head to Water Avenue, which runs along the Willamette River, and find shops, restaurants and an old — and renewed — business district, which is easy to reach by public transportation, including Portland Streetcar or the MAX Orange Line. Tucked under the Marquam Bridge, OMSI promises fun for all ages, with permanent draws like a four-story movie theater, a planetarium, high-profile traveling exhibitions like Body Worlds and Mythbusters, or special exhibits on everything from retro video games to nanotechnology.

Kids and kids at heart shouldn’t miss the nearby Oregon Rail Heritage Center, which features three steam locomotives and other train antiquities. With rides available every Saturday and a seasonal Holiday Express, the center offers fun for the whole family.

For exercise and relaxation, the Central Eastside has you covered with trails to walk/run/bike, including the Springwater Corridor or Eastbank Esplanade, and a health and wellness retreat-in-the-city, Knot Springs.

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Credit: Hopscotch Portland

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Credit: Courtesy of Voicebox

The traditional bowling alley gets a reboot at Grand Central Restaurant & Bowling. Giant projection screens play B movies and music videos to accompany the crashing pins and classic arcade games, air hockey and billiards. Nearby Hopscotch offers an immersive art experience that is both family-friendly and date-friendly.

You can sing your heart out at Voicebox, a karaoke bar with private rooms, so even shy crooners can slam the door on stage fright thanks to private, soundproof suites. Confidence-boosting beverages like sake cocktails along with pita pizzas and tater tot nachos help feed the need to belt out “Bohemian Rhapsody” until the wee hours. Singers can even order gummy worms and M&Ms by the half-pound — virtually guaranteeing a sweet note to end on.

If you’re in the mood for live music, Central Eastside has a number of small, independent venues. The Get Down frequently hosts hip-hop and jazz in their spacious bar with great sound and ample stage views, while Holocene offers live bands, eclectic DJs and techno music. Bunk Bar on Water Avenue is an intimate, converted warehouse with eclectic bands, pinball, beer and Bunk sandwiches.

Shopping in Central Eastside

The Central Eastside is a below-the-radar shopping area for fashion, jewelry and assorted other goods, thanks to shops like the modern boutique Una and vintage and antique jewelry shop OKO, which also carries new jewelry by Portland designers, art, a small selection of magical skincare potions and other antiques and rarities. The marketplace Cargo offers an entertaining, globally-sourced assortment of unique goods in its big colorful store.

The distinctive 811 E. Burnside building, with exposed iron beams and loads of glass storefronts, is home to a handful of fittingly unique shops, including Coy & Co., the city’s first sustainably certified florist shop.

Credit: Celeste Noche

Mother Foucault’s is a stunning used bookstore, with old-world charms and occasional readings by local or touring independent authors. Across the street, Literary Arts bookshop serves as a hub for the thriving nonprofit of the same name, selling new books alongside a cafe, classrooms and gathering space for literary events.