Most citizens of Oregon know about the popular food companies Voodoo Doughnuts and Salt and Straw, but not many are aware of the variety of smaller restaurants that can be found in Portland.

To start off my top five, I interviewed several La Salle students to get their opinion.

“Out of everything in Portland my favorite place to eat is The Melting Pot. Even though it is really expensive and I don’t eat there a lot, the food is amazing”, says sophomore Virginia Jacobs.

The Melting Pot, located on the corner of 6th and Main in downtown Portland, is a fondue restaurant. It is known for their amazing cheese and chocolate fondue prepared tableside, but also serves entrées and salads.

Another favorite of the students is The Waffle Window, which serves amazing waffles of various kinds. The Waffle Window is known for its special blue wall that is located across the street. This wall is famous for many different people taking pictures in front of to show where they were. The name Waffle Window is a literal description of what the restaurant is. People go to order out of the window, which is on the corner of Hawthorne and 36th.

I strongly recommend The Waffle Window for days when you might want to have a nice breakfast, but not have to spend a large amount of money.

I interviewed sophomore Olivia Kiez to see what her favorite restaurant in Portland is. She says, “I really like Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. It is my favorite because it’s not too expensive and the decor is a great representation of what Portland is and its uniqueness”. Rock Bottom is mostly known for its craft beer, but also has all different types of food.

This restaurant and brewery is a great place to go with family and friends who can’t agree on what type of food they want for dinner. Their menu varies from brewery nachos to chopped barbeque chicken salad, all the way to chipotle brisket barbacoa pizza.

Freshman Grace Gosse says she enjoys eating at Pastini, an Italian restaurant with multiple locations, with one location off of Division. I would compare Pastini to Olive Garden, but less expensive and more authentic.

If you are going out to a nice but inexpensive dinner, I recommend Pastini because of the great price and amazing pastas.

To end my list of top five places to eat in Portland, junior Deanna Mische tells me her top choice to eat is Pine State. Pine State is located off of Division and is famous for their amazing biscuits. Besides biscuits, they also offer a variety of sandwiches and breakfast.

In Portland, there are many different amazing restaurants, creameries, food carts, etc. but these are a few of my favorites, as well as the favorites of several La Salle students.

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