clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Along the sidewalk outside Eem, little greenhouse-style pods lined with plastic house single tables for customers to use.
A few of the dining cabanas at Eem.
Molly J. Smith / EPDX

The Eater Portland Guide to Eating Outside

Bar and restaurant patios, rooftops, picnic supplies, and more

Brooke Jackson-Glidden is the editor of Eater Portland.

After a few months of making outdoor dining work in a rainy, cold city, Portland is finally entering the season where it shows off: The trees and bushes in the city’s parks are glowing that specific shade of electric green, the weather is mostly warm but not scorchingly hot, and the peak of Mt. Hood is peeking out from among the clouds. These days, countless Portland restaurants and bars have created patios outside their doors — built into the street, parking lots, or sidewalks — but some restaurants already had established outdoor dining spaces, decked out with rows of bamboo, heaters, fire pits, and flowers. Then again, on the particularly nice days, the move may be to take a few deli salads, sandwiches, or snacks to a park, for a sunny-day picnic. This guide has plenty of maps for all of the above.

Orange umbrellas provide shade on one of Departure’s two patios
Departure patio
Departure/Official

Patios and Outdoor Dining

14 Portland Bar Patios That Work For Any Kind of Weather
15 Portland Restaurants Offering Outdoor Seating
Portland’s 9 Ideal Rooftop Patios For Views, Drinks, and Sun
Where to Dine Outside in Vancouver

Two people hold ice cream cones at Sugarpine.
Ice cream cones from Sugarpine Drive-In. Customers can sit at picnic tables with a view of the Sandy River near this Troutdale drive-in, to eat ice cream cones, salads, and sandwiches.
Matthew Domingo

Picnic Supplies and Drive-Ins

12 Portland-Area (and Road-Trip-Worthy) Drive-Ins for Beefy Burgers and Swirls of Ice Cream
The Ideal Portland Spots to Load Up on Picnic Supplies
Where to Have a Solo Picnic in Portland
14 Excellent Sandwich Shops to Try in Portland
Outstanding Bakeries in Portland and Beyond

The Hawthorne Asylum food cart pod sign is dramatically lit by a vivid dusk sky.
Hawthorne Asylum, one of Portland’s many food cart pods. Food cart pods are often smart choices for eating outside, with picnic tables and fire pits.
Hawthorne Asylum/Official

Food Cart Pods to Know

15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts
A Guide to the Killer Carts at the New Food Cart Pod Collective Oregon Eateries

A man holds up a crackly rice cracker, covered in yellow egg, green onions, and crumbles of meat, over a small charcoal grill. This is from the Berlu pop-up featuring bánh tráng nướng
Bánh tráng nướng from Berlu
Christine Dong

Outdoor Dining News and Updates

Here’s a look at some of the newest patios to open in Portland, updated as they arrive.
Lottie & Zula’s deli has opened up a new patio space outside its Eliot neighborhood restaurant. Tuesdays through Saturdays, customers can eat bacon-egg-and-cheeses or Italian grinders for breakfast and lunch, as well as canned cocktails and a hot dog happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
• Ringside Steakhouse now serves customers in a lush, umbrella-lined patio with faux-planter foliage and heaters for cold nights. Customers can make reservations in that space online.
• Chicha, the new Peruvian street-food takeout pop-up from Andina, is open in Northwest Portland, where the restaurant now has a newly constructed outdoor patio. Customers can order takeout bowls of lomo saltado or ceviche to eat street-side — that seating is first-come, first-served.
• On Friday nights, Berlu is now serving Vietnamese street foods like bánh tráng nướng out of the restaurant, to eat in the adjacent courtyard. Read more about the pop-up here.

Legendary Portland Restaurateur Brings Espresso Martinis and Buñuelos to Belmont

Portland Restaurant Openings

A Guide to Portland’s Bar, Restaurant, and Food Cart Openings

Eater Inside

Peer Inside Xiao Ye, Portland’s Talent-Stacked New ‘First Generation American Restaurant’