Sweedeedee

North Portland

Shopping on Mississippi with Mary

This would be like a morning in North Portland. So you wake up. Go to Barista on Alberta, for your morning coffee. I’d get a cappuccino—Mad Cap, if they have it.

Then I’d go to Sweedeedee to get breakfast. That’s a must. They’re like a farm to table place with their own baked goods. 

Then I’d walk down Mississippi, and I’d go to Animal Traffic, which has new and used, but mostly Western-inspired vintage clothing. Keep going down the street, and there’s a place called Back Talk. It’s more modern, trendy, really simplistic and good.

Then lunch at Por Que No. Tacos for lunch. So basically this whole time, you’re on Mississippi Street. Get happy hour at Bar Bar. They have an outdoor seating area. Oh, Tea Bar! After Bar Bar, go to Tea Bar, and get a boba matcha. They make their own boba and it’s so good.

You can stay on Mississippi for dinner—there’s a food cart pod.

A slice of salty honey pie with coffee for breakfast, at Sweedeedee. While you're there, pick up one of their beautiful mugs, by Portland ceramicist Dina No.

A slice of salty honey pie with coffee for breakfast, at Sweedeedee. While you're there, pick up one of their beautiful mugs, by Portland ceramicist Dina No.

Meeting friends at Por Que No is all about the timing. Here's the post-work happy hour line at the taqueria's Mississippi Ave. location.

Meeting friends at Por Que No is all about the timing. Here's the post-work happy hour line at the taqueria's Mississippi Ave. location.

North Portland, Northeast, Southeast

Eating in Alberta with Maria

I live close to Alberta, so I have a lot of recommendations, mostly around there. 

Salt & Straw, if you can get there without a line. Maybe in the morning? A morning ice cream? After brunch actually is a pretty good time to go, though.

Pine State Biscuits on Alberta is also not a bad wait. There’s a cute little smoothie truck next to Pine State Biscuits that has a garden store next to it, and you can wander through the store with your smoothie while you wait. And Podnah’s Pit is a great place for brunch. And it’s unknown, so there’s no line. It’s more like Texas-style barbecue.

Go down to 30th and Killingsworth for dinner. DOC for a fancy Italian dinner—for us, it’s like an anniversary dinner-type thing. Expatriate is a newer bar that is also right there. It’s really dark. I think it’s moody and romantic, I love it. Yakuza is also there--go for their happy hour burger.

Another thing! A nice bike ride is to go to the Grotto. It’s a Catholic sanctuary with a great garden—a very calm and serene place. It’s beautiful. Not a lot of Portlanders go there, though. I remember seeing the signs for it off the highway and being like, What is the Grotto? And Peninsula Park is a lesser known rose garden, in the months where the roses are out. It’s next to Sweedeedee.

The Ned Ludd Wu Tang-themed PREAM nights have spun off into a new pizza restaurant in Southeast--also called PREAM. Look out for the delicious cocktails and the Tupac portrait on the wall.

The Ned Ludd Wu Tang-themed PREAM nights have spun off into a new pizza restaurant in Southeast--also called PREAM. Look out for the delicious cocktails and the Tupac portrait on the wall.

My absolute favorite pizza is at Lovely's Fifty Fifty. And Ned Ludd does a pizza hip hop night which is great. It’s called PREAM—Pizza Rules Everything Around Me.