Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More

People dining at an outdoor table on the sidewalk while others walk by in the Woodstock neighborhood People dining at an outdoor table on the sidewalk while others walk by in the Woodstock neighborhood
i
Pedestrian- and bike-friendly Southeast Woodstock Boulevard is home to numerous shops and eateries.
Credit: Photo by Stuart Mullenberg

Woodstock

This Southeast neighborhood lets visitors experience life as a Portland local.

4 min read Woodstock
Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More

Platted in 1889, this Southeast gem is a microcosm of many things associated with Portland: beautiful historic homes; good coffee and food; vintage shopping; and a walkable main strip. (The neighborhood is even shaped like the letter P!) It doesn’t get much more Portland than this.

Where to Eat in Woodstock

The whimsical Nudi Noodle Place, a pan-Asian fusion restaurant, boasts some of this city’s most unique dishes and decor. Order a heaping bowl of steaming lak sa (Malaysian curry soup) with tasty sides like Phuket oyster shooters and garlicky caramelized frog legs. Pair any meal with a signature “health drink” like the popular butterfly tea, or with one of a sizable range of beer and wine options.

If a low-key night in is more your speed, you can’t go wrong with ordering up a no-frills, Chicago-style, thin-crust Bridge City Pizza pie. These delicious discs (personal- to jumbo-sized) come with your choice of quality toppings and sliced into squares. Pro tip: The pizzeria doesn’t offer dine-in seating, but you can pick up the big red telephone at the nearby Proper Pint taproom and order a delivery from Bridge City.

a white hand holds an ice cream cone that's coated in sprinkles
Cloud City patrons can order scoops in a waffle cone or hand-dipped “unicone.”

Credit: Ashley Anderson

Cloud City serves up ice cream and vegan sorbet that’s decidedly heavenly. Owner Bryan Gilbert pays tribute to his late mother, who died of cancer the day before he signed the lease on the building in 2011, by using her homemade treat recipes in Cloud City’s inventive ice cream flavors. (Some favorites include Unicorn, which blends red velvet cake chunks soaked in strawberry preserves into mascarpone ice cream and the bananas Foster-inspired Caramelized Banana.) Order your scoops in a waffle cone or hand-dipped “unicone.”

5 To Try

Where to Get Your Fill

Inspiring tastes from all over line Woodstock's streets.

  • Heart Coffee

    This local coffee roaster serves up some of the most unique roasts of single origin beans, from fruity to floral to chocolate, give your tastes a treat in this hip and bustling cafe.

  • Double Mountain Brewery

    Double Mountain’s beers are served up unfiltered and long-aged, to deliver maximum flavor and character. While the food menu is simple, it sources the best ingredients available.

  • Delta Cafe

    This Southeast Portland favorite specializes in Southern cuisine – try their gumbo, jambalaya, catfish or greens. The bar offers hand-crafted cocktails, infused liquors, microbrews and a small wine selection.

  • Ate-Oh-Ate – Woodstock

    At Ate-Oh-Ate find Hawaiian favorites, including spam, teriyaki, slow-roasted pork and always with side of rice and macaroni salad in a family friendly and sports-fan friendly spot.

  • Toast

    Toast, a neighborhood brunch spot in Woodstock, makes home-style breakfast with quality and local food.

What to Do in Woodstock

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into Woodstock Wine & Deli is that the space is huge. The shop, a neighborhood stalwart since 1985, is divided into areas for wine and beer, mouth-watering delicatessen items, and plenty of seating. Among the broad selection of local and international wines, you’re sure to find the perfect match for whatever catches your eye in the deli cases. (The mushroom pate is a favorite.) The space is liveliest during happy hour (Monday–Saturday, 5–7 p.m.) and Friday-night wine tastings.

Red vinyl booths, cheap beer, games of pool and plenty of pinball — these are just a few of patrons’ favorite things at Lutz Tavern, a neighborhood institution that’s been in business since 1947. There’s an unfounded rumor that it inspired Moe’s Tavern in the Simpsons, which — while unproven — certainly feels like it could be true. See for yourself.

“The Simpsons” Landmarks in Portland

Check out the landmarks that inspired the characters and places in “The Simpsons,” created by Portland’s own Matt Groening.

Find Portland's "Simpsons" connections

Where to Shop in Woodstock

It’s hard to imagine Woodstock without Otto’s Sausage Kitchen and Meat Market, a fourth-generation, family-run shop specializing in German-style links and much more. This community staple has been a landmark in the neighborhood since the 1920s. Today, visitors can still shop from a wide selection of sausages and specialty meats like bacon and pastrami. Patrons can also sit inside or outside of the market’s mural-adorned and Tudor-accented walls to enjoy house made sandwiches. Plus, the outdoor grill is open year-round, so you can enjoy blistered hot dogs and fixin’s no matter the weather.

This neighborhood is at its busiest on Sundays, early June through the end of October, when the Woodstock Farmers Market fills the KeyBank parking lot with a stellar lineup of vendors. Shop for everything fresh, including flowers, baked bread and oodles of produce, then snag locally-made products like salsa, hot sauce, packaged nuts and cider. You can also make donations to support the market’s SNAP matching program, which stretches one dollar to two for low-income families and individuals.

A thrift store is stuffed with racks of clothing and accessories. An orange tutu hangs from a back wall.
Red Fox Vintage houses a collaborative curation of goods from several second-hand specialty vendors.

Credit: Ashley Anderson

A trip to Portland isn’t complete until you’ve hit the thriving thrift and vintage boutique scene here. Red Fox Vintage houses a collaborative curation of goods from several second-hand specialty vendors. Each vendor reflects their own unique style, but the standard high caliber of goods — which include furniture, art, records and more — remains the same. For the little fashionistas in your life, head to Piccolina, a resale boutique offering stylish kids’ clothing, toys and artwork.

Explore Southeast

Discover more of what locals love most about Southeast Portland at these nearby neighborhoods.

Go To Neighborhoods
the exterior of grocery store Fubonn

Jade District

This Southeast Portland neighborhood is a bustling cultural hub, home to a population largely composed of immigrants and people of color. Eat and explore in one of the city’s most diverse communities.

a woman in front of a statue

Sellwood-Moreland

History — from a vintage amusement park to antique goods — and stunning views of the city along the river dominates this Southeast Portland area.

Square pizzas and beer samplers on a table

Foster-Powell

This bike- and pedestrian-friendly Southeast Portland neighborhood (affectionately known as “FoPo”) has a character all its own. FoPo is home to unique experiences you can’t find anywhere else in the city.