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Several Mikiko doughnuts sit on black tables with boxes nearby Mikiko / Official

Portland’s Knockout Ube Treats

Where to find traditional and modern sweets made with the distinctive purple yam

by Krista Garcia
View as Map
by Krista Garcia
Mikiko / Official

A brilliant purple yam, ube is a quintessential Filipino ingredient, the foundation of traditional preparations like halaya jam. Thanks to the tuber’s irresistibly bright violet hue, though, it has also become an Instagram-famous ingredient, adding a splash of color to treats of all stripes.

Beyond its bright color, ube lends an earthy sweetness and a little nuttiness to dishes that incorporate the yam, from ube ensaymadas at Pinoy bakeries to ube mochi pancake mix on the shelves of Trader Joe’s. So it makes sense that food businesses around Portland have been using the eye-catching starch in creative ways, glazing doughnuts and mixed into ice cream.

This map is dedicated to restaurants, pop-ups, and food carts using ube in both classic and inventive fashions. For another Southeast Asian ingredient having its moment, Eater Portland’s pandan map is also worth a look. Note: The points on this map guide are not ranked; rather, they’re organized geographically.

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Mikiko Mochi Donuts

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Anyone who’s been paying attention to the local pastry scene knows that mochi doughnuts have been taking over Portland. Formerly delivery-only, Mikiko now sells its chewy, baked rice flour-based goods out of the Northwest Portland bar West. While the fanciful flavors change from month to month, the pop-up has been known to sell a version glazed with ube and dusted with li hing, sour plum. Takeout is available at West from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.

1221 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 208-2852
(503) 208-2852
Box of a colorful half-dozen donuts from Mikiko Krista Garcia/EPDX

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St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery

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This small Filipino bakery in downtown Portland is the local go-to source for Pinoy baked goods like pandesal, ensaymadas, and hopia. It also uses ube to great effect in less traditional treats like cheesecake and scones. St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery is open for takeout.

2311 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97201
(503) 444-7170
(503) 444-7170

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Wailua Shave Ice Portland

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Due to Southeast Asian influences and purple Okinawan sweet potatoes being a staple in Hawaii, vibrant violet desserts also thrive in the aloha state. Among other attention-grabbing options, downtown’s Wailua often offers a stunning ube version of shave ice, flavored with coconut milk and topped with fluffy ube foam and toasted coconut. Wailua has implemented pickup procedures, but online pre-ordering is a must.

1022 W Burnside St unit o, Portland, OR 97209
(808) 652-9394
(808) 652-9394
Wailua Ube Shave Ice
Krista Garcia/EPDX

Also featured in:

Heyday Doughnuts

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Heyday Doughnuts, one of three local mochi doughnut businesses, uses a blend of wheat and rice flour to create its distinctive springy texture. Most of the offerings are fried, though the wildly popular ube version is baked. Orders can be placed for weekend pickup at rotating locations, including La Perlita. Check out Instagram for the next pop-up.

721 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
purple doughnuts on a purple plate
Heyday Doughnuts’ baked ube
Krista Garcia/EPDX

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White Elephant Asian Fusion

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North Mississippi’s White Elephant Asian Fusion is true to its name with fun mashups like the pho’rench dip and the Thaiger Woods, a half-lemonade, half-Thai iced tea homage to the Arnold Palmer. The food cart also serves Lao classics and Thai mango sticky rice in colorful variations using pandan and ube for extra pizzaz. 

4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
(503) 766-9855
(503) 766-9855

Also featured in:

Magna Kusina

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During dinner, Southeast’s Magna is the place for luscious Dungeness crab noodles slicked with crab fat and comforting braised brisket kaldereta, but it’s also worth stopping by during the day for the selection of baked goods, including a large, soft-and-chewy ube cookie drizzled with pandan glaze.

2525 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 395-8542
(503) 395-8542
Magna ube cookie with pandan glaze
Krista Garcia/EPDX

Also featured in:

Doe Donuts

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Instead of putting ube in one of its many doughnuts, Doe went with a vegan ice made with the colorful tuber instead. The seasonal frozen dessert is made with oat milk and ups the ante with the addition of tahini and salted caramel. Doe is open for takeout and delivery.

4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
(503) 333-4404
(503) 333-4404

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Halo Halo

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Following a now-familiar trajectory, Halo Halo was once delivery-only but has landed at a brick-and-mortar space for pickup. The bakery offers a true mix of desserts like blueberry vegan calamansi cheesecake, pandan mamon, and a bounty of ube sweets like crinkle cookies, ube cheese-filled pandesal, and ube butter mochi. Order online and pick up at Bindle, a one-stop shop for local artisans that operates out of Cully’s Tiny Moreso.

4520 NE 42nd Ave, Portland, OR 97218
(503) 930-3018
(503) 930-3018
Halo Halo’s ube buttered mochi
Krista Garcia/EPDX

Also featured in:

Tambayan Restaurant

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Halo-halo, the classic evaporated-milk-and-shaved-ice sundae topped with colorful candied fruit and legumes, coconut jelly, leche flan, and a scoop of ube ice cream (likely Magnolia brand), is nearly guaranteed to be on most Filipino menus. It’s been a special at Magna, and it’s a permanent fixture at Foster-Powell’s Tambayan. Tambayan is open for delivery and takeout Wednesdays through Sundays.

6014 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206
(503) 777-4217
(503) 777-4217

Also featured in:

Leslie’s Lumpia

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Leslie’s Lumpia has taken creative license with the namesake fried egg rolls. In addition to more traditional savory versions, it also offers on-trend quesabirria, as well as Buffalo chicken lumpia. For desserts, there’s the Ube Love Turon, filled with the sweet purple yam and topped with an ube drizzle, plus the Ubebe Flan, an ube and leche flan layered hybrid. Order online and pick up weekends at the Portland Mercado.

7238 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206

Zero Degrees

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The cross-cultural Jade District chain that sells horchata, bubble tea and curiosities like Flamin Hot Cheetos elotes also offers a “Camo Series” of milkshakes, named for the colorful striations that mimic camouflage. The ube milkshake is a white-and-violet hodgepodge that also includes Oreos in the mix. Zero Degrees is open for takeout and delivery.

8220 SE Harrison St #3, Portland, OR 97216
(503) 208-2774
(503) 208-2774

Fork And Spoon Food House

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Parkrose Filipino restaurant Fork and Spoon House often incorporates ube into its desserts, from its version of halo-halo to puto, or sweet steamed buns. Sometimes, specials like ube cream cheese pie pop up on the menu; those interested can check out Facebook and keep an eye out. Fork and Spoon Food House is open for takeout and dine-in, but sometimes the restaurant closes unexpectedly — it’s smart to call ahead to be sure the house is slinging treats.

10634 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97220
(503) 867-7716
(503) 867-7716

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Mikiko Mochi Donuts

1221 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Anyone who’s been paying attention to the local pastry scene knows that mochi doughnuts have been taking over Portland. Formerly delivery-only, Mikiko now sells its chewy, baked rice flour-based goods out of the Northwest Portland bar West. While the fanciful flavors change from month to month, the pop-up has been known to sell a version glazed with ube and dusted with li hing, sour plum. Takeout is available at West from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.

1221 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 208-2852
(503) 208-2852
Box of a colorful half-dozen donuts from Mikiko Krista Garcia/EPDX

St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery

2311 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97201

This small Filipino bakery in downtown Portland is the local go-to source for Pinoy baked goods like pandesal, ensaymadas, and hopia. It also uses ube to great effect in less traditional treats like cheesecake and scones. St. Barbra Pinoy Bakery is open for takeout.

2311 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97201
(503) 444-7170
(503) 444-7170

Wailua Shave Ice Portland

1022 W Burnside St unit o, Portland, OR 97209

Due to Southeast Asian influences and purple Okinawan sweet potatoes being a staple in Hawaii, vibrant violet desserts also thrive in the aloha state. Among other attention-grabbing options, downtown’s Wailua often offers a stunning ube version of shave ice, flavored with coconut milk and topped with fluffy ube foam and toasted coconut. Wailua has implemented pickup procedures, but online pre-ordering is a must.

1022 W Burnside St unit o, Portland, OR 97209
(808) 652-9394
(808) 652-9394
Wailua Ube Shave Ice
Krista Garcia/EPDX

Heyday Doughnuts

721 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Heyday Doughnuts, one of three local mochi doughnut businesses, uses a blend of wheat and rice flour to create its distinctive springy texture. Most of the offerings are fried, though the wildly popular ube version is baked. Orders can be placed for weekend pickup at rotating locations, including La Perlita. Check out Instagram for the next pop-up.

721 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
purple doughnuts on a purple plate
Heyday Doughnuts’ baked ube
Krista Garcia/EPDX

White Elephant Asian Fusion

4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217

North Mississippi’s White Elephant Asian Fusion is true to its name with fun mashups like the pho’rench dip and the Thaiger Woods, a half-lemonade, half-Thai iced tea homage to the Arnold Palmer. The food cart also serves Lao classics and Thai mango sticky rice in colorful variations using pandan and ube for extra pizzaz. 

4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
(503) 766-9855
(503) 766-9855

Magna Kusina

2525 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202

During dinner, Southeast’s Magna is the place for luscious Dungeness crab noodles slicked with crab fat and comforting braised brisket kaldereta, but it’s also worth stopping by during the day for the selection of baked goods, including a large, soft-and-chewy ube cookie drizzled with pandan glaze.

2525 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 395-8542
(503) 395-8542
Magna ube cookie with pandan glaze
Krista Garcia/EPDX

Doe Donuts

4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212

Instead of putting ube in one of its many doughnuts, Doe went with a vegan ice made with the colorful tuber instead. The seasonal frozen dessert is made with oat milk and ups the ante with the addition of tahini and salted caramel. Doe is open for takeout and delivery.

4110 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
(503) 333-4404
(503) 333-4404

Halo Halo

4520 NE 42nd Ave, Portland, OR 97218

Following a now-familiar trajectory, Halo Halo was once delivery-only but has landed at a brick-and-mortar space for pickup. The bakery offers a true mix of desserts like blueberry vegan calamansi cheesecake, pandan mamon, and a bounty of ube sweets like crinkle cookies, ube cheese-filled pandesal, and ube butter mochi. Order online and pick up at Bindle, a one-stop shop for local artisans that operates out of Cully’s Tiny Moreso.

4520 NE 42nd Ave, Portland, OR 97218
(503) 930-3018
(503) 930-3018
Halo Halo’s ube buttered mochi
Krista Garcia/EPDX

Tambayan Restaurant

6014 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206

Halo-halo, the classic evaporated-milk-and-shaved-ice sundae topped with colorful candied fruit and legumes, coconut jelly, leche flan, and a scoop of ube ice cream (likely Magnolia brand), is nearly guaranteed to be on most Filipino menus. It’s been a special at Magna, and it’s a permanent fixture at Foster-Powell’s Tambayan. Tambayan is open for delivery and takeout Wednesdays through Sundays.

6014 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206
(503) 777-4217
(503) 777-4217

Leslie’s Lumpia

7238 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206

Leslie’s Lumpia has taken creative license with the namesake fried egg rolls. In addition to more traditional savory versions, it also offers on-trend quesabirria, as well as Buffalo chicken lumpia. For desserts, there’s the Ube Love Turon, filled with the sweet purple yam and topped with an ube drizzle, plus the Ubebe Flan, an ube and leche flan layered hybrid. Order online and pick up weekends at the Portland Mercado.

7238 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206

Zero Degrees

8220 SE Harrison St #3, Portland, OR 97216

The cross-cultural Jade District chain that sells horchata, bubble tea and curiosities like Flamin Hot Cheetos elotes also offers a “Camo Series” of milkshakes, named for the colorful striations that mimic camouflage. The ube milkshake is a white-and-violet hodgepodge that also includes Oreos in the mix. Zero Degrees is open for takeout and delivery.

8220 SE Harrison St #3, Portland, OR 97216
(503) 208-2774
(503) 208-2774

Fork And Spoon Food House

10634 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97220

Parkrose Filipino restaurant Fork and Spoon House often incorporates ube into its desserts, from its version of halo-halo to puto, or sweet steamed buns. Sometimes, specials like ube cream cheese pie pop up on the menu; those interested can check out Facebook and keep an eye out. Fork and Spoon Food House is open for takeout and dine-in, but sometimes the restaurant closes unexpectedly — it’s smart to call ahead to be sure the house is slinging treats.

10634 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97220
(503) 867-7716
(503) 867-7716

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