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Hot Spot Bars

Spitz

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This week for our hot spot we tried out this awesome N Portland restaurant. They serve mediterranean street food with a slight german twist. The chainlet is based out of LA, but we are very glad that they decided to come up to Portland. 

Street Cart Doner at Spitz photo by That Portland Life

I tried the Street Cart Doner which is a beef/lamb mix with cabbage, romaine, cucumber, tomato, and garlic aioli. The wrap was delicious and had some great mediterranean flavors. We also tried the Berliner Doner which had most of the same ingredients with a german red sauce and carrots. 

Everyone had mentioned that we had to try the Street Cart Fries, which is what the restaurant is best known for, and they did not disappoint! The perfectly crispy fries were covered in aioli, pepperoncini, tomato, feta, onions and green peppers. I would definitely order these again! 

Street Cart Fries by Spitz Photo by That Portland Life

The restaurant was bright, clean, and had a fun hip atmosphere. The walls have spray painted murals from Portland area artists, and all the ductwork is bright pink. They are definitely making a statement and I really loved it. 

Interior of Spitz Photo by That Portland Life

Have you been yet? Let us know what you think in the comments! Check out the full menu here

No Bones Beach Club

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This week’s Hot Spot is the perfect place to chase away those winter blues, No Bones Beach Club. With fun tiki decorations and a healthy dose of tropical flavors, this all-vegan spot on N Mississippi will make you feel like you’re on a getaway, without any of the guilt.

I brought a friend from out of town here recently in response to his query, “Where can I eat some yummy vegetarian food in this town?” and he was delighted to find out that he could eat every single thing on the menu at No Bones. The portion sizes are large though, and we were luckily saved from ordering FAR too much food by a word to the wise from the fellow at the counter when we attempted to order 5 or 6 items to share.

As with any good Tiki bar, most of the cocktails involve some combination of rums and fruit juices, but I steered towards one that was more like a combination of a Kentucky Mule and a Julep. With bourbon, mint, ginger, and lime, it was perfectly refreshing and bright. My friend got a take on a hot toddy and said it was delightful and well-spiced.

For food, we ended up sharing the Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, the Coastal Chowder, and the ‘Crab’ Cake Sando, all of which were delicious. The crab cake sando in particular was quite tasty and served with fries seasoned with Old Bay. I must say, I didn’t remotely miss my omnivorous ways. As I mentioned previously, the portions are quite large, so we ended up taking home most of the cauliflower, which was fantastic as part of breakfast the next day.

I can’t wait to come back to this spot and try out their brunch! Fried avocado Benedict?? Sign me up!

Where should we check out next? Let us know in the comments!

Modern Times

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This week we are featuring a brewery! While it isn’t a super local hot spot, it has certainly found its home here in our beer centric city.

Modern times has a great list of beers. Ranging from year round favorites, like the hazy IPA and tropical fruit Gose, to the experimental and seasonal like the fresh hop double IPA or the Pistachio-coconut stout. You are sure to find something that you love here.

The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable, and the bar decor is decidedly hipster. You can find a giant piñata of a macho man hovering over the entire dining room, floppy discs in a colorful display adorn the bar front, and string art with dioramas line the walls to the bathrooms.

Whether you are a native Portlandian, a new transplant, or just visiting, this is a great place to get a taste of the new portland while you drink some delicious beer.

Let us know what you love about this place in the comments! And be sure to subscribe to the blog so you can stay up to date with all our favorite places and top tips. Talk to you soon!

Vault

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This week’s Hot Spot is one of our favorite Portland destinations for craft cocktails: Vault Cocktail Lounge. Located in the Pearl district, this spot mixes up meticulously perfected drinks, from the classics to an array of seasonal features.

No matter what you order here, from the Vieux Carre (rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, benedictine, and bitters) to the Endless Summer (mezcal, Campari, passionfruit, and lime) you are bound to be delighted. And if nothing on their extensive cocktail list strikes your fancy (HOW?!?!?) the bartenders here know their stuff and can make you something amazing based on the flavor profile you are going for.

And speaking of bartenders, just one of the many charms of this place is Dan Dufour, one of my all-time favorite bartenders in town. It’s a big claim, yes, but just spend about 5 minutes chatting with this fella and you’ll understand. And if you need even more of an incentive to check this place out, every third Wednesday they host an event called Suit n Sip, where all are invited to don their finest duds and mingle in style. In quintessentially casual Portland, this is an opportunity to flaunt that fabulous suit or cocktail dress that may have been gathering dust, and is not to be missed.

Have you been to Vault yet? Is there somewhere we should check out next? Let us know in the comments!

Pix Patisserie & Bar Vivant

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Hot Spot of the Week

With the most extensive sparkling wine list and one of the finest dessert selections in town, Pix has been one of our favorite stop-ins for many years. Previously located in a Victorian home on SE Division, it was practically impossible to get in due to the small size and large popularity. Thankfully, a few years ago they moved to the larger space they currently inhabit on 22nd and E Burnside. We were recently reminded just how much we love this spot when we hosted our monthly Champagne meet-up on an evening that cleared up perfectly to allow us to mingle on the expansive patio.

We started out each choosing a different glass of sparkling, but quickly moved on to choosing assorted bottles to share so that we could compare and contrast the different regional flavors. The sparkling list at Pix is so long that we could easily come here for months and never repeat a bottle! Plus the costs aren’t prohibitive. While you could buy a bottle for a couple hundred dollars, there are also bottles as low as $28 that are still quite tasty.

A few of our group decided to indulge in some of the delicious tapas provisions from Bar Vivant before proceeding to dessert, including a perfect Spanish tortilla and a few quail eggs wrapped in prosciutto. Once our savory nibbles were done, it was time to sample some of the famous desserts. First off, the macaron selection here is incredible. They make somewhere around 30 different flavors and I have loved every one I have ever tried. This visit we went with the Fleur de Sel, Strawberry Balsamic, and Passionfruit, which paired surprisingly well with our Brut Champagne from the Loire region. If macarons aren’t your fave though, they have many other delectable sweets, like the fig filled with creme brulee and topped with gold leaf pictured above (hurry, it’s seasonal!).

Can’t wait until our next visit! Is there somewhere we should check out next? Let us know in the comments!

LABrewatory

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This week’s hot spot is the fun and experimental brewery LABrewatory! I stopped in while I was out and about in the neighborhood and found so many great beer options it was hard to choose just one.

This brewery specializes in experimental beers and collaborations. What that means is you will find a wide variety of styles and something to satisfy every palette. The bartenders are exceptionally friendly and are happy to walk you through all the beers on tap as you try to decide what you want to quench your thirst with.

As an added bonus to visiting LABrewatory, you get to eat at Tamale Boy! they have great tacos, seasonal offerings and happy hour! Make sure to swing by and try something new!

  • Labrewatory
    • 670 N Russell St
    • 7 days a week 7am -10pm

Do you have somewhere you want us to check out? Let us know in the comments!

Keys Lounge

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This week for our featured hot spot we went to Keys Lounge in NE Portland. We have been really wanting to try the cocktails here because their Instagram game is on point. I am happy to report that we finally made it and we were not disappointed!

They have some wines, a decent tap list, and a great mix of cocktails. I tried the Bootsy Collins which is vodka, lemon, soda, and a splash of Lillet Rouge. It was perfectly refreshing for a hot summer evening. We didn’t try any of the food but the menu looks to be perfectly Portland. They have all the bar staples like popcorn and fries, and burgers. They also have some fun twists like pork belly bites and vegan “calamari”. Whether you are a meat eater, vegetarian, or a vegan you will find lots of options on this menu.

One of my favorite things about this visit was the numerous places to sit! There is a huge wrap around bar with stools both inside and outside, a cute patio with a decent amount of tables, booths surrounded by old records, and a back lounge where they were showing the game.

The building is a old locksmith building from the 60’s and still features the giant KEYS sign out front. The building had been abandoned and run down for many years. It has now been returned to it’s full potential and is ready for your patronage!

Be sure to check this place out and let us know what you think!

Do you have a place that you want us to feature? Let us know in the comments!

Palomar

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This week we went and checked out the cuban cocktail bar Palomar! We must be feeling a sunny theme with all the rain we have ben having as this is our second decidedly “Miami” themed location. The decor is pink and teal and certainly makes you wish you were sitting on the beach in Miami drinking one of their fabulous daiquiris!

They feature a rotating flavor of frozen daiquiri everyday, and this isn’t your mama’s frozen cocktail. It’s just boozy enough so you know it has good rum in it, but just sweet enough to be sure you keep on sipping. They also have an extensive bar and many cocktails that stray away from rum.

They sell delicious empanadas, plantains, and a variety of other cuban food staples. The servers and bartenders are all warm, friendly, and go out of their way to make sure you are satisfied! I highly recommend checking this place out I promise you will not be disappointed! If you want to check out the menu, click here

Do you have somewhere you think we need to check out? Tell us in the comments!