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Matt Wastradowski
Matt Wastradowski is an Oregon-based travel writer who loves writing about the great outdoors, craft beer, and regional history.
The Ultimate Guide to Portland Food Halls
Portland food halls offer a variety of good eats great for groups with the convenience of indoor seating and regular events, all while serving as incubators for small businesses.
Matt Wastradowski
Matt Wastradowski is an Oregon-based travel writer who loves writing about the great outdoors, craft beer, and regional history.
Food carts and food cart pods have long been at the heart of Portland’s innovative culinary scene. But in recent years, spacious food halls have taken root in historic buildings, hip enclaves and even luxurious towers across the city — mostly enclosed indoor spaces where creative chefs in vendor stalls produce diverse food offerings that pair well with communal seating, fun bars pouring locally sourced suds and regular events. To explore these outposts, here’s a roundup of Portland food halls.
Portland Food Hall
In the heart of downtown, the two-story Portland Food Hall imbues its airy space with a touch of vintage elegance from exposed brick walls, a high ceiling and soft lighting. Its half dozen food vendors include Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya (dishing hearty bowls of ramen), Mi Pueblito Magico (dishing up homemade taquitos, enchiladas and burritos) and others. An on-site bar serves beer, cocktails and other beverages — and occasional events add to the charm. The Portland Food Hall can be accessed by TriMet’s red and blue MAX lines, both of which stop a block away, and several bus lines which pass by three blocks to the west.
Pine Street Market
Seven blocks north is Pine Street Market, which opened in 2016 and is among the city’s busiest, most celebrated food halls today. Housed in a building dating back to 1886, the food hall hosts up to eight vendors like the Mini Donut Companyand Shanghai’s Best (serving dumplings and bao) — alongside the Pine Street Taproom offering beer, cider, seltzer and fresh cocktails. Long tables make gathering easy for groups, and regular events (from trivia nights to tap takeovers and mini-beer festivals) ensure a lively atmosphere. If taking mass transit, several buses and two MAX lines (red and blue) stop within a few blocks of the market.
If visiting on Saturdays between March and December, pair your visit with a short walk to the open-air Portland Saturday Market — less than a quarter-mile (0.4km) away — where you’ll find more than 150 artisans selling their wares at one of the country’s largest arts-and-crafts markets. The rest of the year, nearby Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park offers excellent Willamette River views and flat, paved walking paths.
The Zipper
The Zipper sits at a busy intersection between Sandy Boulevard and Interstate 84 in northeast Portland — packing plenty to love into its compact, triangle-shaped building. The indoor-outdoor dining space hosts a number of popular eateries, including Basilisk (crafting one of the city’s best fried chicken sandwiches), Tight Tacos (serving a wide-ranging menu of Mexican favorites) and Boxcar Pizza (which dishes vegan-friendly Detroit-style pizza). Paydirt, the on-site bar, mixes a dizzying array of cocktails and lays claim to one of Portland’s best lineups of bourbon and whiskey. Garage doors roll up whenever the weather allows, and fire pits keep diners warm in the chillier months. Parking is limited around The Zipper, so consider taking mass transit; TriMet bus line 12 stops right out front.
The Zed
Of all the great food halls we’ve highlighted here, only The ZED is home to its own award-winning craft brewery. Sitting along Southeast 92nd Avenue in the Lents neighborhood, The ZED pours German-inspired ales and lagers from Zoiglhaus Brewing Company (and pairs the beers with pretzels, schnitzel and brats for an authentic beer hall experience). If you’re not into beer, the on-site Zephyr Lounge mixes a curated selection of seasonal cocktails. Whatever you order, it all goes well with fresh fare from four food vendors serving Venezuelan dishes, Thai food, pub fare and more. The food hall’s calendar is chockablock with paint nights, open mic sessions, live music and other fun activities. Taking mass transit? The ZED is a short walk from the MAX green line and about two blocks from bus lines 10 and 14.
Rockwood Market Hall
In recent years, Portland’s suburbs have gotten in on the food hall fun. Case in point: Rockwood Market Hall, east of Portland in Gresham, hosts nearly a dozen international vendors. The indoor-outdoor market opened in 2022 and has since earned acclaim for an eclectic lineup of food stalls and full-blown restaurants that includes Flavours of India (serving a variety of Indian favorites), and Kuya’s Islander Cuisine (specializing in Filipino dishes). An industrial design brings a touch of modernity to the new food hall, and plenty of natural light creates a vibrant ambiance. The market hall sits a short walk from bus line 20 and the MAX blue line.
Indoor-Outdoor Food Markets Around Portland
Sometimes, the difference between a food cart pod and a food hall isn’t so clear. Around Portland, two innovative outposts stand out for how they entice foodies with reimagined offerings.
Credit: Isaac Lane Koval
One of those bustling markets is Portland Mercado, which showcases the city’s Latino cultures through a mix of more than a dozen food carts and indoor businesses. The food carts sit adjacent to a semi-shaded outdoor seating area and sell Cuban, Peruvian, Argentine, Colombian and a variety of Mexican cuisines; inside the market’s building, visitors can sip fresh smoothies, purchase produce and imported goods and enjoy a variety of Latin American beverages from an on-site bar (including micheladas and wines from Argentina).
Collective Oregon Eateries, meanwhile, hosts a handful of carts that prepare shawarma, Peruvian fare, Chinese favorites and more — all of which can be enjoyed inside a spacious dining hall. Beyond the food hall’s culinary offerings, CORE (as it’s popularly known) works to build community through regular events, including stand-up comedy sets, board game nights, seasonal markets and games of cornhole.
Credit: Justin Katigbak, Travel Portland
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