Portland's Pearl district brims with historic old buildings and charming shops, restaurants and taprooms. (Travel Portland)
Oysters may be rough and rugged on the outside, but they can hide a shiny bauble inside. The same might be said for Portland’s charming, historic Pearl district.
Bordered by Old Town, the Willamette River and Oregon’s Highway 405, the Pearl is a grid-like assemblage of city streets, where old brick warehouses and other historic industrial buildings have been artfully repurposed into chic offices, upscale eateries, cafes, theaters, galleries and trendy shops. Many buildings are outfitted with colorful retro neon signs, adding a dash of pizzazz to the neighborhood, especially at night.
The Pearl has, as they say in Hollywood, a lot of “character.” The weather on a recent rainy, late-autumn weekend just added to the atmospheric vibe, as we indulged in a bit of brewery hopping, doughnut downing and gallery strolls.
Taprooms and brews
Portland has long been one of the West’s top destinations for craft beer. From hazy and West Coast IPAs to sours and Imperial stouts, there’s a pint to match your craft brew desires in the Pearl. You’ll find Deschutes Brewery‘s Public House” tucked inside a beautiful historic building, where flagship and seasonal craft brews flow from 26 taps. I sat at the pub’s long bar and enjoyed a fresh hop IPA while sampling a pub menu that ranges from burgers ($18) to mushroom casarecce pasta ($21) and wild Alaskan Coho salmon ($27).
At Backwoods Brewing, you can sample their wide array of brews by the pint or the flight ($12 for six). I enjoyed pints of Logyard IPA, made with Simcoe and Mosaic hops, and a crisp, light Hinterwalder Pilsner. The menu is
full of tasty pub fare, from burgers ($13.50-$16) and gourmet grilled cheese ($14) to smoked salmon nachos ($16)
and “Backwoods” tater tots ($10.50).
Given the weather, it was especially nice to discover that 10 Barrel Brewing has a fun, covered, heated rooftop seating area, as well as table and bar seating on the ground floor. Beer choices include IPAs, tropical sours, a saison and two stouts, and pizzas ($17-$22) are an especially solid choice on the pub menu. If you’re looking for more in the taproom direction, Von Ebert Brewing‘s Pearl location pours several award-winning beers, including a German-style Pils and Volatile Substance, an American IPA. Enjoy them with something tasty from the kitchen, a Shroom Pie pizza ($16.50), perhaps, or one of a trio of fried chicken sandwich options ($16.25) or something from their smoker, which turns out smoked chicken, pulled pork, brats and more.
Coffee and doughnut stops
If you travel on your stomach — and we do — you’ll know that Portland has a reputation for both coffee and doughnuts. Really good doughnuts. You won’t find the city’s famous Blue Star and Voodoo doughnut shops in the Pearl district, but that is perfectly fine, because this neighborhood’s fave is New Orleans-style NOLA Doughnuts. Try their beignets and heavenly la’ssants—flaky, layered, square doughnuts made with European butter, Belgian chocolate, local jams and honey.
If you’re looking for a sit-down lunch, Maurice is an unusual cafe, a “modern pastry luncheonette” known for its distinctive baked goods and French and Norwegian-influenced lunch menu. Think pâte with brioche and scarlet turnips ($15) or chicken with crème fraîche and fresh fennel seed ($23.00).
As for Portland’s famous coffee, the java options include: Broobee Café, a tiny shop where coffee meets sci-fi technology and a robotic barista named Billie crafts your drink to order. Sisters Cafe offers a wide array of coffee drinks, as well as “breakies” (breakfast sandwiches) and “sandos” (sandwiches). And family-owned Ovation Coffee & Teas serves Moroccan spiced coffee, chai and other Moroccan teas — and you might meet the matriarch known to regulars as “Momma Dee.”
Books, art and other browsing delights
Of course, the Pearl offers more delights than brews and doughnuts. This neighborhood boasts stores galore, from the 2,400-square-foot Filson flagship to outlets for Keen and Dr. Martens shoes. You can spend hours perusing the aisles and rooms of Powell’s City of Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore. The flagship store in the Pearl takes up an entire city block, offering 68,000 square feet of used, new, rare and out-of-
print books. Useful “staff picks” cards seen throughout the aisles direct you to the reading habits of Portlanders.
Art lovers will find all sorts of possibilities from Adams & Ollman‘s exhibits of self-taught 20th century American artists and the Augen Gallery‘s displays of contemporary artists and printmakers to the Blackfish Gallery, a cooperative venue owned by Oregon artists that showcases their diverse contemporary works.
Definitely worth a stop: The Blue Sky Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts is a venue for local photography, but it has expanded its offerings over the last 35 years to include national and international artists. Check out the Pacific Northwest Drawers section, where you can hand inspect and buy prints by a juried selection of photographers.
And then, perhaps, dinner?
Aside from the district’s brewpubs, The Pearl has a wide variety of dining spots, from casual to refined. Here are four to try:
Momoyama: This upscale Japanese restaurant — whose name means “peach mountain” in Japanese — offers delicious sushi, lunchtime bento boxes and a sake bar. They are known for their uni pasta ($26) with urchin butter, roe, microgreens, fresh sea urchin and truffle zest. 1022 NW Johnson St.; momoyamaportland.com
Andina: Mains at this upscale Peruvian eatery include housemade gnocchi escabechado ($32), pollito a la brasa ($36) and arroz con mariscos ($75), a big Peruvian rice platter with shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels and calamari. 1314 NW Glisan St.; andinarestaurant.com
Papi Chulo’s: Get your taco ($3.75-$5) and burrito ($7) fix at this lively Jalisco-style taqueria. 611 NW 13th Ave.;
papichulospdx.com
Arden: For Pacific Northwest nouvelle cuisine and fine wine, head to Arden, where you can savor dishes such as a roast chicken platter for two ($46) or slow-roasted lamb shoulder ($32). 417 NW 10th Ave.; ardenpdx.com
If You Go
EAT + DRINK: Find Deschutes Brewery at 210 NW 11th Ave. in Portland; deschutesbrewery.com. Backwoods is located at 231 NW 11th Ave.; backwoodsbrewingcompany.com. Find10 Barrel Brewing at 1411 NW Flanders St.; https://10barrel.com. And Von Ebert Brewing is at 131 NW 13th Ave.; vonebertbrewing.com.
NOLA Doughnuts is open Wednesday-Sunday at 110 NW 10th Ave.; www.noladoughnuts.com. Maurice is open Wednesday-Saturday at 921 SW Oak St. and reservations are suggested; mauricepdx.com.
For coffee, try Broobee at 433 NW 10th Ave.; Sisters Coffee at 1235 Northwest Marshall St. or Ovation Coffee & Tea at 941 NW Overton St. Find details at www.broobee.com, www.sisterscoffee.com and ovationpdx.com.
SHOP + BROWSE: Find Powell’s City of Books, which is open daily, at 1005 W Burnside St.; powells.com. Blackfish Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday at 938 NW Everett St.; blackfish.com. And Blue Sky is open Wednesday-Saturday at 122 NW 8th Ave.; blueskygallery.org.
SLEEP: The Ace Hotel is a hip, budget-friendly boutique property on the border of the Pearl District and only a block from Powell’s bookstore at 1022 SW Harvey Milk St.; acehotel.com/Portland. You’ll find an outpost of Stumptown Coffee just off the lobby and Jake’s Famous Crawfish, a Portland landmark that’s operated since 1892, down the street. Also nearby: colorful Al’s Den, a live music venue, and the Zeus Café, both located in the historic 51-room, flatiron-shaped Crystal Hotel at 303 SW 12th Ave.; mcmenamins.com/crystal-hotel.
Originally published at Ben Davidson, Correspondent