[Photo: TripAdvisor/RoccoStBruno]

[Photo: Yelp/Duane P.]

Every time you walk into this market/gift shop/diner, old dudes at the counter have lifted their heads to look you over. St. Johns used to be its own little town, and in Pattie's you might think it still is. A trip here is going back in time, to when the café was the town gossip center, you knew (and watched) the chef, and the butter came in little plastic tubs. [Photo]

Fuller's isn't old-fashioned; it's just old. It's been around since 1941, and when you slide under the W-shaped counter your knees will tell you that folks were shorter then. The food is so basic you really could cook it at home, but the ambience and shared conversation around the counter makes you glad something so old has survived in this part of town. [Photo]

Best known for being where a mayor once fired a police chief, Fat City is also the heart of the little "town" of Multnomah Village — and by heart, I mean the one filled with old-timers and the one plugged with cholesterol. But you can't expect healthy eating in a place famous for huge cinnamon rolls and a dish called the Fat City Sizzle, a shovel-sized pile of hashbrowns, ham, green peppers, onions, and cheddar with two eggs. [Photo]

Is there such a thing as a tempeh-spoon diner? The Paradox is (mostly) vegetarian and organic, and that's supposed to be healthy, but the vibe here is totally hipster diner. Even if you're a meat-eater, you'll still love the almond gravy, tree hugger hollandaise, and corn cakes. Plus, they remodeled not too long ago, doing away with those spring-in-your-ass booth seats. [Photo]

[Photo: Yelp/Jim M.]

Probably off the radar for most Portlanders until President Obama dropped in for a 2012 campaign lunch, the Gateway has been known for some time as having probably the biggest portions in town: It's like they're trying to kill you with food. Obama's people probably chose it because it's working class and a genuine ethnic melting pot. [Photo]