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Beef noodle soup at Wei Wei
Stephanie C./Yelp

Where to Imbibe and Dine in Sellwood and Westmoreland

From dive bars to Italian comfort food, here’s where to go in the friendly Southeast Portland neighborhoods

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Beef noodle soup at Wei Wei
| Stephanie C./Yelp

The Sellwood and Moreland neighborhoods, often conflated to the chagrin of their residents, are quiet, residential neighborhoods tucked between the Willamette and McLoughlin Boulevard. Given their distance from city center and other populous neighborhoods, the pair aren’t as trafficked, with restaurants and bars mostly appealing to locals within walking distance. But the neighborhood has plenty to offer the whole city in regards to dining, from stacked burgers to hip, vintage cocktail lounges.

We’ve mapped out our favorite places to grab a drink or a dinner in the Sellwood-Moreland and Westmoreland area. As usual, this map is organized geographically, not ranked.

Check out some of our other maps for the best of neighborhood dining:

Where to Eat in Portland’s Hawthorne District, Mapped
A Handy Dining Guide to North Mississippi Avenue
Where to Drink and Dine in Historic Montavilla

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Yukon Tavern

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One of the last consummate dives in the city, the Yukon Tavern sports wood-paneled walls, the occasional TV, and entertainment including pool, shuffleboard, and the ubiquitous video-poker machines. Regulars stick to the bar’s 19 taps and cheap well drinks, and the food menu is everything a dive needs, including fried snacks, burgers, and a pretty solid fish-and-chips dish.

Papa Haydn

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The main focus at the 40-year-old special occasion spot is on the two dozen or so cakes that the bakery makes fresh each day, but the lunch and dinner menus shouldn’t be skipped over too quickly. Lunch features classics like a buttery croque monsieur and a massive cobb salad, while dinner is more high-end without being too ambitious — think roast chicken, flat iron steak, and a creamy hunter’s pasta that that has been on the menu for decades. Still, the cakes steal the show, from the thick and dense chocolate torte to the towering, whipped cream and fruit filled Boccone Dolce, best enjoyed in the summer months when berries are ripest.

Communion Bakehouse

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A couple of San Francisco transplants opened this bakery and cafe in February, and it’s already become a hit for its well-made breakfast fare and pastries. The bright, airy cafe’s stunner is a cheese-topped shakshuka, served with a side of grilled bread.

Shakshuka at Communion Bakehouse
Robert L./Yelp

Bible Club PDX

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Bible Club is well known for its decor—every piece of furniture and bar equipment is vintage, often from the 19th century. But decor alone does not make a bar great; luckily, the thoughtful, often beautifully constructed cocktails do. Everything here is made with high-end spirits; that means higher prices than the average cocktail lounge, but it’s more than worth it. The smaller food menu is on the snackier, comfort-food side, including some shareable boards and entrees like chicken paprikash and a veggie lasagna.

The Bible Club
The Bible Club
Katie Acheff/EPDX

Kay's Bar

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Kay’s Bar, with its divey, diner-like atmosphere, is bustling most nights, with reliable food, affordable well drinks and pints, and a modest-but-creative cocktail menu. The kitchen puts out classic, well-made bar staples, including a variety of burgers, burritos, and mac and cheese, and offers many dishes on the happy hour menu from 3 to 6 p.m. Notably, the bar has been open in some form or another since 1934, making it significantly older than most of its guests.

Saburo’s Sushi House

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It’s a Sellwood tradition to line up outside this casual sushi restaurant, one that has been continued for decades. Even with newer sushi restaurants flooding the city, the breezy Saburo’s maintains its regulars coming in for nigiri, famously huge slices of raw, carefully prepared fish, all at ridiculously low prices for the size. It may not be a challenger for best sushi in Portland, but it’s reliably good, and reliably fun.

PDX Sliders

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First a food cart, now a busy brick and mortar built in an old, wood-floored home, PDX Sliders specializes in its “miniature” sandwiches… though many of them really push the limits to what can be considered a slider and not a sandwich. The menu is all about variety, including burgers, fried chicken, smoked pork, and vegetarian sandwiches, all of which are named after Portland streets and bridges. The Hawthorne, a burger with bacon, goat cheese, and strawberry preserves on brioche, is an indulgent hit, while the Burlington with pecan-smoked pork is a bit more reasonable, but no less meaty or delicious.

Reverend's BBQ

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One of the city’s defining barbecue spots, Reverend’s BBQ serves smoked meats and fried chicken in a casual, fast-paced dining room. The chopped pork shoulder is the star of the show here, and while tender and flavorful on its own, it does well with a nice deluge of the many sauces, especially in sandwich form. Meanwhile, the griddled Polenta with Creamed Corn & Tasso Ham is a sleeper hit —creamy, silky, and rich. Cocktails don’t quite hit the mark here, but those looking for a drink can grab something from a solid draft list.

A Cena and Sunny’s Pizza

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Portland is no stranger to old-school Italian eateries, and one example is A Cena Ristorante. Pronounced Ah-Chay-Nah, the restaurant has been serving its rich pasta dishes to couples and families for years now, in a romantic, formal-yet-welcoming setting. Recently, it also opened Sunny’s Pizza, an adjoining pizzeria that serves a small but satisfying menu of New York style slices and full pies alongside Greek and Caesar salads.  

Wei Wei - A Taste Of Taiwan

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The neighborhood was understandably upset when Wei Wei briefly shuttered in 2018, but the noodle house has reopened, serving its hangover-curing noodle soup out of the laid back, cheery cafe space. Aside from the savory, rich noodle bowls that define the Taiwanese spot, the restaurant also serves fluffy, stuffed bao and sides like soy-marinated eggs and sauteed cauliflower with garlic.

Jade Teahouse

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A family-owned affair, the double-decker, wood-filled Jade Teahouse is always packed, usually with a line nearly out the door for its counter-service Vietnamese food. The pastries are baked in house and often sell out, especially the delightful, colorful little macarons and the fluffy tea cakes, but the whole menu is worth exploring: Fluffy steamed bao, crispy spring rolls, fresh and spicy chili noodles, and the slightly-sweet chicken mango stir-fry all deliver.

A longstanding member of Sellwood’s more upscale dining scene, Gino’s is home to classic Italian-American dining. The homey bistro serves pasta dishes, dry-aged ribeye steaks, and mussel bowls to the tables, booths, and oak bar that fill the space. While its cuisine is time-tested and pleasing, its wine menu may be the star, as Gino’s quietly has one of the most robust lists of Italian wines in the city.

Pasta at Gino’s
Marlene H./Yelp

Yukon Tavern

One of the last consummate dives in the city, the Yukon Tavern sports wood-paneled walls, the occasional TV, and entertainment including pool, shuffleboard, and the ubiquitous video-poker machines. Regulars stick to the bar’s 19 taps and cheap well drinks, and the food menu is everything a dive needs, including fried snacks, burgers, and a pretty solid fish-and-chips dish.

Papa Haydn

The main focus at the 40-year-old special occasion spot is on the two dozen or so cakes that the bakery makes fresh each day, but the lunch and dinner menus shouldn’t be skipped over too quickly. Lunch features classics like a buttery croque monsieur and a massive cobb salad, while dinner is more high-end without being too ambitious — think roast chicken, flat iron steak, and a creamy hunter’s pasta that that has been on the menu for decades. Still, the cakes steal the show, from the thick and dense chocolate torte to the towering, whipped cream and fruit filled Boccone Dolce, best enjoyed in the summer months when berries are ripest.

Communion Bakehouse

A couple of San Francisco transplants opened this bakery and cafe in February, and it’s already become a hit for its well-made breakfast fare and pastries. The bright, airy cafe’s stunner is a cheese-topped shakshuka, served with a side of grilled bread.

Shakshuka at Communion Bakehouse
Robert L./Yelp

Bible Club PDX

Bible Club is well known for its decor—every piece of furniture and bar equipment is vintage, often from the 19th century. But decor alone does not make a bar great; luckily, the thoughtful, often beautifully constructed cocktails do. Everything here is made with high-end spirits; that means higher prices than the average cocktail lounge, but it’s more than worth it. The smaller food menu is on the snackier, comfort-food side, including some shareable boards and entrees like chicken paprikash and a veggie lasagna.

The Bible Club
The Bible Club
Katie Acheff/EPDX

Kay's Bar

Kay’s Bar, with its divey, diner-like atmosphere, is bustling most nights, with reliable food, affordable well drinks and pints, and a modest-but-creative cocktail menu. The kitchen puts out classic, well-made bar staples, including a variety of burgers, burritos, and mac and cheese, and offers many dishes on the happy hour menu from 3 to 6 p.m. Notably, the bar has been open in some form or another since 1934, making it significantly older than most of its guests.

Saburo’s Sushi House

It’s a Sellwood tradition to line up outside this casual sushi restaurant, one that has been continued for decades. Even with newer sushi restaurants flooding the city, the breezy Saburo’s maintains its regulars coming in for nigiri, famously huge slices of raw, carefully prepared fish, all at ridiculously low prices for the size. It may not be a challenger for best sushi in Portland, but it’s reliably good, and reliably fun.

PDX Sliders

First a food cart, now a busy brick and mortar built in an old, wood-floored home, PDX Sliders specializes in its “miniature” sandwiches… though many of them really push the limits to what can be considered a slider and not a sandwich. The menu is all about variety, including burgers, fried chicken, smoked pork, and vegetarian sandwiches, all of which are named after Portland streets and bridges. The Hawthorne, a burger with bacon, goat cheese, and strawberry preserves on brioche, is an indulgent hit, while the Burlington with pecan-smoked pork is a bit more reasonable, but no less meaty or delicious.

Reverend's BBQ

One of the city’s defining barbecue spots, Reverend’s BBQ serves smoked meats and fried chicken in a casual, fast-paced dining room. The chopped pork shoulder is the star of the show here, and while tender and flavorful on its own, it does well with a nice deluge of the many sauces, especially in sandwich form. Meanwhile, the griddled Polenta with Creamed Corn & Tasso Ham is a sleeper hit —creamy, silky, and rich. Cocktails don’t quite hit the mark here, but those looking for a drink can grab something from a solid draft list.

A Cena and Sunny’s Pizza

Portland is no stranger to old-school Italian eateries, and one example is A Cena Ristorante. Pronounced Ah-Chay-Nah, the restaurant has been serving its rich pasta dishes to couples and families for years now, in a romantic, formal-yet-welcoming setting. Recently, it also opened Sunny’s Pizza, an adjoining pizzeria that serves a small but satisfying menu of New York style slices and full pies alongside Greek and Caesar salads.  

Wei Wei - A Taste Of Taiwan

The neighborhood was understandably upset when Wei Wei briefly shuttered in 2018, but the noodle house has reopened, serving its hangover-curing noodle soup out of the laid back, cheery cafe space. Aside from the savory, rich noodle bowls that define the Taiwanese spot, the restaurant also serves fluffy, stuffed bao and sides like soy-marinated eggs and sauteed cauliflower with garlic.

Jade Teahouse

A family-owned affair, the double-decker, wood-filled Jade Teahouse is always packed, usually with a line nearly out the door for its counter-service Vietnamese food. The pastries are baked in house and often sell out, especially the delightful, colorful little macarons and the fluffy tea cakes, but the whole menu is worth exploring: Fluffy steamed bao, crispy spring rolls, fresh and spicy chili noodles, and the slightly-sweet chicken mango stir-fry all deliver.

Gino's

A longstanding member of Sellwood’s more upscale dining scene, Gino’s is home to classic Italian-American dining. The homey bistro serves pasta dishes, dry-aged ribeye steaks, and mussel bowls to the tables, booths, and oak bar that fill the space. While its cuisine is time-tested and pleasing, its wine menu may be the star, as Gino’s quietly has one of the most robust lists of Italian wines in the city.

Pasta at Gino’s
Marlene H./Yelp

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