East Burnside has a growing food and shopping scene.

Central Eastside

Across the Willamette River from downtown, this area blends industrial Portland with new restaurants, microbreweries and riverside recreation.

East Burnside has a growing food and shopping scene.

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. Read on for our recommended things to do and see in Portland’s Central Eastside.

Where to Stay in the Central Eastside

Across the Willamette River from downtown, the Central Eastside area blends industrial Portland with new restaurants, microbreweries and riverside recreationand offers easy access to other central-city and eastside districts.

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two diners eating at clarklewis restaurant

Central Eastside Dining

The epicenter of Portland’s art and design scene, the Central Eastside neighborhood is also pushing the limits of culinary arts.

Central Eastside Shopping

With galleries, boutiques, design studios and showrooms, the Central Eastside is beginning to rival downtown as Portland's fashion hub.

sun on large warehouse with colorful flags and outdoor racks for shopping

Central Eastside Activities

Once a warehouse district, Portland's Central Eastside now stores exciting ways for people to connect with natural wonders, innovative tastemakers and bright minds.

Place to Eat and Drink in the 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, and then makes you an excellent cup.

person using tongs to select a doughnut from a tray — Located in Portland’s Central Eastside, locally owned Delicious Donuts is a favorite for sweet treats and classic pastries.

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. Kachka brings a little bit of the old world to Portland with traditional Russian cuisine (their dumplings are incredible) and vodka samplers, open as a market with a deli counter daily and fine-dining by evening — be sure to make a reservation. For Italian classics and thin-crust pizza, Nostrana brings complex flavors in simple dishes. Get your fill of ramen and steam buns at Japanese-fusion restaurant Boke Bowl, many Portlanders’ go-to for a rainy day.

Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade

Named after former Portland mayor Vera Katz, this 1.5-mile esplanade provides a riverfront bike and pedestrian path between the Hawthorne and Steel bridges. The esplanade features public art and popular swimming docks.
Tilikum Crossing

Opened in 2012, this is the country’s first bridge dedicated to light rail, buses, bikes and pedestrians. The cable-stayed structure is known as “Bridge of the People” (“Tilikum” translates to “people” in Chinook, a local Native American language).
OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)

OMSI’s five enormous halls bring science to life with hundreds of interactive exhibits and displays. You can experience live lab demonstrations, see a movie on a four-story-tall screen, explore the stars in a planetarium and even tour a submarine.
Oregon Rail Heritage Center

Discover the history of Pacific Northwest railroads. The Oregon Rail Heritage Center tells the story through guided interpretation, presentations, exhibits and events.
Burnside Skatepark

The Burnside Skate Park, located underneath the Southeast exit of the Burnside Bridge, was built without permission by local skateboarders before being sanctioned by the city.

What to Do in the Central Eastside

The Central Eastside knows how to have fun any time of day. Head to Water Avenue, which runs along the Willamette River, and find shops, restaurants and an old — and renewed — business district. Tucked under the Marquam Bridge, OMSI promises fun for all ages. Kids who love trains shouldn’t miss the nearby Oregon Rail Heritage Center. At Kerr Bikes, rent any style of bike, including a surrey that will hold the whole family, and bike along the Springwater Corridor or Eastbank Esplanade.

Enjoy a pint and play games, like ping-pong at Pips & Bounce, or bowling at Grand Central Restaurant & Bowling and you can sing your heart out at Voicebox, a karaoke bar with private rooms. If you’re in the mood for live music, Central Eastside has many world-class venues from Doug Fir to Holocene. Bunk Bar on Water Avenue, is an intimate, converted warehouse with eclectic bands, pinball, beer and Bunk sandwiches.

The Coffin Club

The Coffin Club (formerly known as Lovecraft Bar) is a horror-themed bar with local art and decor, a small dance floor and a variety of themed nights. Events include live music, belly dancing, burlesque, performance art, movie nights and more.
White Owl Social Club

White Owl Social Club is a bar, restaurant, music venue and event space in Portland’s Central Eastside. They offer a large vegan menu, plus wine, craft beer and unique craft cocktails that focus on products from local and regional distilleries.
Holocene

A popular independent music venue, Holocene also hosts Gaycation, one of the city’s longest-standing dance parties.
Dig a Pony

Dig A Pony has one of the largest bar tops in town, DJs playing an eclectic mix of records every night and an enticing and varied food menu.
Doug Fir Restaurant, Bar & Lounge

East Burnside’s iconic Doug Fir is known for live shows in the lounge downstairs, hearty brunch and generous dinner plates enjoyed in the mid-century meets log-cabin dining room.

With plenty of boutiques and small storefronts, Central Eastside provides trinkets of all kinds. Mother Foucault’s is a stunning used bookstore, with old-world charms and occasional readings by local or touring independent authors. With apparel for hard-working folks, Red Cloud Collective — a group of artists, designers, musicians, woodworkers, motorcycle mechanics, skateboarders and photographers — is full of locally hand-crafted clothing, leather and products.

Neighborhoods, Tours & Itineraries

Central Eastside

Across the Willamette River from downtown, this area blends industrial Portland with new restaurants, microbreweries and riverside recreation.

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Where to Stay in the Central Eastside