WHERE TO STAY

Woodlark Hotel

I chose Woodlark Hotel because it's centrally located downtown and is super stylish. Expedia has the best rates. In late September, we paid about $275 a night but it drops to the mid $100s in April.

We were able to walk to so much in downtown including sights, restaurants, bars, and there is even a Target if you need something last minute. 

We booked a standard room and it was small but, like I said, very stylish and has everything you need. Upgrade for a nice view of the city and a little more space. The rooms have a steamer for de-wrinkling garments and the hotel offers complimentary bikes and umbrellas. There were not any toiletries in the room when we arrived but we called the front desk and it appeared to be a mistake so they brought us shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.

The hotel has a Good Coffee shop right in the lobby with light breakfast bites and a chic bar in the back called Abigail Hall with snazzy cocktails.

On the day we were checking out, I called down to the front desk and asked for a late checkout. They approved a late checkout at 1pm for free!

We loved our stay at Woodlark!

 

Breakfast and coffee at Good Coffee in the lobby.

Standard Room at Woodlark

BARS

Abigail Hall 

Located in the Woodlark Hotel

Rosa Rosa

Located at the Dossier Hotel across the street from Woodlark.

WHERE TO EAT

Tasty n' Adler

Brunch or dinner

$$$

Reservation recommended

Just a 5 minute walk from Woodlark and oh-so-tasty. The grilled octopus is excellent.

Kachka

Dinner

$$$

Reservation recommended

This was our absolute favorite meal in Portland. Full disclosure, it's all Russian food but don't let that deter you. It was seriously so delicious. This restaurant is owned by a husband/wife duo. The wife is from Belarus and they actively work in the restaurant. She was in the kitchen cooking and we met the husband when he brought out our order. If you don't get the dumplings, you're missing out. We didn't originally order them, but the owner brought some out and insisted we try them. I still dream about those dumplings. Go ahead and get a shot of vodka, too. It's how the Russians do it!

Tusk

Brunch

$$

Reservation recommended

This restaurant is made for Instagram. Also, Portland apparently lives for brunch and I can get excited about that. The food was good and the cocktails were better. Get the Hazy Jane.

Mother's Bistro

Brunch

$$

Reservation not required

This cute restaurant serves up diner style food in a quaint environment with chandeliers. 

Departure

Dinner

$$$$

Reservation required

Ok, I said Kachka was my favorite but this one might have tied it. This restaurant was like eating dinner on a space ship and I dug it. Not only is the decor and scenery beautiful (there's a dining terrace overlooking the city) but the food was spectacular. We got the halibut curry, shrimp fried rice, grilled skirt steak, and pineapple upside down cake for dessert. It was too much to eat! We paired it with a glass of sake. Mmmm delish.

This restaurant has a gluten free and vegan menu. Everything we ordered was on the gluten free menu. Seriously. Amazing.

COFFEE + DONUTS

Never Coffee

$ 

Located in downtown just a 5 minute walk from Woodlark, this cute little coffee shop has some really good coffee!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

$ 

This cool coffee shop brand is definitely more masculine but I really liked the vibe and the coffee is awesome. There is a location right across the street from Mother's Bistro if you want to knock out both in the same day.

 

The pictures below are all from the location at Ace Hotel. The coffee shop seating is actually in the lobby of Ace Hotel and there is an old film photo booth for $5.

As I mentioned before, Good Coffee in the Woodlark Hotel is also worth trying!

Blue Star Donuts

$

Several locals told us to not miss donuts at Blue Star Donuts. We happened to walk past a location in the Mississippi District so we popped in. I can't remember the name of the one I got but it had to do with fudge, so YES.

Voodoo Doughnut

$

We stopped by the Old Town location on our way to brunch but didn't have time to get any donuts because the line was so long. Voodoo Doughnut is famous in Portland so I'm sad we didn't get to try it. I learned later there is another location in the Davis neighborhood. Try that!

 

In my next post, I'll be talking about things to do in Portland including our day trip to the Willamette Valley wine country. 

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment or questions below!

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