Discover Portland's Hidden Gems: A Culinary Adventure and Coffee Journey

When we first got to Portland, we ended up going to Lúc Lác, it is a Vietnamese restaurant with a take-out style, and they were playing MF DOOM and the likes there so that made for an awesome experience. My Chicken Pho ($8) was good and even the broth was bomb, but my friend's Grilled Chicken + Vermicelli ($9) was not so impressive (chicken was a little dry) but the provided sweet and sour sauce was good. The umbrellas and art on the walls made for a great ambiance and I would recommend the place just for that.

Revolución Coffee House had a great, homey feel to it. You could tell that the Empanadas came from a homemade recipe because they were so fresh and savory! The Blueberry tamale didn't disappoint either. I know, the flavor sounds weird but it worked. This spot was also great for people watching, the windows face a busy four way intersection that commuters take. When we went, there were a few sectioned off construction projects, so that was neat to watch too.

When you can't decide on what to eat, the food trucks nearby Portland State University on 4th ave and College St always satisfy! You can't miss them as this is a permanent function. This is also great if you're with a big group that can't decide what to eat as such variety exists here.

You can find yourself a great cup of Joe at Case Study Coffee. I still haven’t found a more knowledgeable and coffee-loving squad than there. I've been to many Coffee shops and the passion everyone has is unmatched! It's been years since visiting and I still think about the experience I had there.

My love for Dutch Bros is unmatched, but when we need to switch it up, I'm always down to try a new coffee shop. I usually stay pretty consistent with a matcha latte with oat milk or a chia latte. However, while looking for good coffee shops in Portland, we stumbled across Less & More Coffee. It was so cute and hidden in plain sight that we didn't even notice we had passed by it the previous day. The staff was incredibly friendly, recommending drinks to my friends and being kind to all their visiting guests. This little coffee shop is located in an old subway terminal, and I would definitely give my matcha a solid 10/10. It was my favorite matcha experience during this trip to Portland. I believe they mentioned their purple one was the Ube latte, which looked too pretty to drink. I would definitely come back to Less & More Coffee!

Never Coffee is the most colorful coffee shop I've probably ever been in. Very Instagram-worthy! Along with having a devious strawberry matcha, I was a little worried about those flavors combining, but it was a perfect blend. The miss recommended it, so I had to try it. AMAZING!! This shop was so cute. We didn't go to the one in Portland but on the outskirts of it. We were her last guest of the day, coming 10 minutes before close, which she was so sweet to recommend what to check out in the town and didn't make us feel rushed at all.

My only regret was not getting a bag of coffee beans for my bro to try back home, guess I just have to go back for them!