Central Eastside
Across the Willamette River from downtown, this area blends industrial Portland with new restaurants, microbreweries and riverside recreation.
Criss-crossed with train tracks and lined with old industrial factories, some of Portland’s favorite restaurants, boutiques and events call the Central Eastside home. Read on for our recommended things to do and see in Portland’s Central Eastside.
Where to Stay in the Central Eastside
Across the Willamette River from downtown, the Central Eastside area blends industrial Portland with new restaurants, microbreweries and riverside recreation and offers easy access to other central-city and eastside districts.
Place to Eat and Drink in the Central Eastside
You’ll want to start early if you’re looking to try Southeast Portland’s Delicious Donuts. Often selling out before closing, this low-key, family-owned doughnut shop sneaks under the radar in Portland’s food scene. With their flagship coffee shop in the Central Eastside, Water Avenue Coffee roasts interesting blends and single-origin coffee beans, making you an excellent cup.
With a year-round patio, live music and DJ, and weekend brunch Produce Row Cafe is a gastro-pub you don’t want to miss. A champion of craft beer in Portland since 1978, pair beer with whiskey and a great meal.
One of the neighborhood’s pioneering restaurants, clarklewis makes the most of its light-filled former-loading-dock location, turning out wood-fired delicacies like oak-grilled rib-eye steak served with local chard, creamed corn and oyster mushrooms.
Kachka brings a little bit of the old world to Portland with traditional Russian cuisine (their dumplings are incredible) and vodka samplers where you can try house-infused vodkas in flavors like horseradish and chamomile. Recently, they’ve opened Lavka, as a market with a deli counter daily, though still continuing their fine-dining by evening — so be sure to make a reservation.
For Italian classics and thin-crust pizza, Nostrana brings complex flavors to simple dishes.
With its own creative take on ramen — think rich, meaty broths with fried chicken, oysters and fresh noodles — Boke Bowl has also earned a devoted following. But despite their meaty servings, vegetarians can get in on the action here too, with Korean fried tofu and eggplant — and everyone loves Boke’s daring miso-butterscotch twinkies for dessert.
Perhaps the most nationally recognized name in the neighborhood, Le Pigeon, turns out French-based dishes with a local twist, like the Paris mushroom carpaccio starter and the entrée of smoked scallops with spaghetti and pig’s ear. Guests sit elbow-to-elbow at communal tables here, packing in for a crack at James Beard Award-winning chef Gabriel Rucker‘s ever-changing menu.
When night falls, the Central Eastside offers plenty of entertainment. Hipster biker bar White Owl Social Club serves shoestring fries and rave-worthy beet burgers on its expansive patio, where patrons can roast s’mores on tabletop campfires. Housing hundreds of barrels filled with award-winning sour ales, Cascade Brewing Barrel House offers a tart tap list ripe with beers made with berries, apricots and even local coffee.
What to Do in the Central Eastside
The Central Eastside knows how to have fun any time of day. Head to Water Avenue, which runs along the Willamette River, and find shops, restaurants and an old — and renewed — business district (accessible via Portland Streetcar or MAX Orange Line). Tucked under the Marquam Bridge, OMSI promises fun for all ages, with permanent draws like a four-story movie theater, a planetarium, high-profile traveling exhibitions like Body Worlds and Mythbusters, or special exhibits on everything from retro video games to nanotechnology.
Central Eastside Attractions
Explore five of this district’s distinguishing landmarks and places to visit.
And those who love trains shouldn’t miss the nearby Oregon Rail Heritage Center, which features three steam locomotives and other train antiquities.
If you want to spend more time outdoors, Kerr Bikes rents any style of bike, including a surrey that will hold the whole family. With nearby trails to explore, bike along the Springwater Corridor or Eastbank Esplanade.
Pips & Bounce is a palace of ping-pong action. (Yes, ping-pong!) Packed with ten tournament-quality tables, hundreds of paddles and even ball-shaped lights, players can work on their backhand or kick back with vittles like local smoked sausage from Zenner’s. Staffers even scoop up stray balls to help keep the volleys coming. Around the corner, the traditional bowling alley gets a reboot at Grand Central Restaurant & Bowling. Giant projection screens play B movies and music videos to accompany the crashing pins and classic arcade games, air hockey and billiards. Order pub grub and signature mojitos straight from a comfy couch by your lane.
You can sing your heart out at Voicebox, a karaoke bar with private rooms, so even shy crooners can slam the door on stage fright thanks to private, soundproof suites. Confidence-boosting beverages like sake cocktails along with pita pizzas and tater tot nachos help feed the need to belt out “Bohemian Rhapsody” until the wee hours. Singers can even order gummy worms and M&Ms by the half-pound — virtually guaranteeing a sweet note to end on.
If you’re in the mood for live music, Central Eastside has many world-class venues from Doug Fir to Holocene. Bunk Bar on Water Avenue, is an intimate, converted warehouse with eclectic bands, pinball, beer and Bunk sandwiches.
Nightlife in the Central Eastside
This area of Portland is a hub for late-night attractions, including cool bars and dance spots.
Shopping in Central Eastside
Fashion Finds
Look out, downtown — East Burnside is beginning to rival the city center as Portland’s fashion hub. Inside a hip, minimalist space, Machus, a tightly curated boutique for men, carries high-end designers from Saturdays NYC to Naked & Famous. Nearby, Una offers a collection of exotic knickknacks, indie clothing and local housewares sourced by thrift-store whiz Giovanna Parolari.
Check out OKO in its new East Burnside location. This small shop specializes in vintage and antique jewelry. It also sells new jewelry by Portland designers, art, a small selection of magical skincare potions and other antiques and rarities.
Books and Trinkets
With plenty of boutiques and small storefronts, Central Eastside provides trinkets of all kinds. The distinctive 811 E. Burnside building, with exposed iron beams and loads of glass storefronts, is home to a handful of fittingly unique shops. Complete a new look at xobruno, which offers one-of-a-kind leather bags. Coy & Co., the city’s first sustainably certified florist shop, is equipped to handle all your floral design needs. It sells hand-tied bouquets, flower subscriptions, robust arrangements and more.
With apparel for hard-working folks, Red Cloud Collective — a group of artists, designers, musicians, woodworkers, motorcycle mechanics, skateboarders and photographers — is full of locally hand-crafted clothing, leather and products.
Mother Foucault’s is a stunning used bookstore, with old-world charms and occasional readings by local or touring independent authors.
More Central Eastside Events
Get to know the Central Eastside neighborhood at these upcoming events.
Bloom Tour
The Bloom Tour is part walking tour and part floral show focusing on supporting some of Portland’s unique shops, restaurants and hotels. Participating retailers are also hosting a wide range of Bloom Tour Specials, so follow the tour map and explore them all. Each of these businesses have been paired with a local floralist and…
Sci-Fi Film Festival
For eight weeks this spring, OMSI’s 2024 Sci-Fi Film Festival will showcase over 40 of science fiction’s most memorable films on the Empirical Theater’s giant four-story screen. From genre classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey to more recent favorites like Everything Everywhere All at Once, the festival’s offerings are sure to appeal to science…
Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family
Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family brings the latest tyrannosaur discoveries to life, overturning preconceptions about these ferocious predators. The exhibition explores the most feared and revered of all dinosaurs in new and different ways. The exhibition’s real and replica specimens are spectacular in scale and form and reveal some of the most significant discoveries…
Wood & Other Wonders Market
COME CHECK OUT Wood & Other Wonders @wowmarketpdx at @urbanitepdx 1005 SE Grand Ave PDX There are so many makers, builders, creators, hand-made mavens and woodworkers. There will even be a traveling lathe shop, mobile forge and glass workers. It's different, innovative and supportive of the local maker community like never before. Demos, classes,…
Swan Dive Diva Drag Brunch
Join Portland’s all-star drag queens and burlesque dancers every Saturday and Sunday for a heart-pumping performance complete with acrobatics, live singing, intricate custom-made outfits and sweat-defying artful makeup. Come prepared to tip generously and have a rowdy good time. The ticket price does not include food or alcohol. Doors open at 11 a.m., and the…
Borderline
Borderline is set in the cotton fields of Socorro, Texas, where four Latinx teens threatened by a mysterious creature must rely on each other to escape the desert alive. It will take made-up myths, stories of the past, and a rendition of La Llorona to defeat the very real monster stalking children in the borderlands….
Uncle Vanya
During a smoldering summer on a Russian estate in the late 19th-century, Vanya and his niece Sonya toil away, working. When the estate’s owner returns with a much younger wife and intends to sell, an undercurrent of emotion is brought to the surface. Chekhov’s iconic meditation on wasted purpose and unrequited love comes to life this…
Burlynomicon – A Darkly Decadent Burlesque Revue
Burlynomicon – A Darkly Decadent Burlesque Revue beckons you back into the cozy crypt at The Coffin Club for another delightful soiree. Bringing you the best in local and international darkly decadent entertainment among the spirits of the eve… Enter this lush, decadent, and special speakeasy soiree through a hushed bar. You'll descend the staircase…
Trivia Tuesday at White Owl Social Club
Join the fun. Untapped Trivia is free to play every Tuesday at White Owl Social Club. Four rounds of trivia is more than just your typical pub/bar trivia. Voted “Best Trivia” in Portland, Oregon. Topics and themes are different each week. Follow @untappedtrivia on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter for specific weekly themes and hints for the night at White…
SH/FT: Experimental Fashion Show
Arts for Learning NW is thrilled to announce the fourth annual experimental fashion show, "SH/FT," showcasing local teens and their creative collaborations with professional design mentors. This innovative event will see teams of teenagers dreaming up and fabricating garments crafted from found and recycled materials, culminating in a spectacular runway showcase hosted by the incomparable…
Brad Upton
Brad Upton is Dry Bar Comedy’s most popular act with over 160 million views. He used to tour with the late, great Joan Rivers and is a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. Don’t miss this show!!!
The Adventures of Baksana
Join friends and family for an early evening of music and dance with Baksana Ensemble, entertainment inspired by music, stories and dances from Egypt, Turkey, the Balkans, and the Levant. Step back in time with Baskana Ensemble to the height of the Ottoman Empire and entertainment emissaries on an EPIC adventure to study and…
OMSI After Dark: Dinos
Straight out of the Cretaceous, come dig in at OMSI and check out dinosaurs, fossils, and more. OMSI After Dark is for the 21-and-over only crowd, where you can drink beer or wine and roam the museum with no kids around. There will be science demos, performances, DJs, artisan food and beverage vendors and more.
Martin Amini
Martin Amini is a stand-up comic based in Los Angeles, California, born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. Martin’s stand-up material touches on what its like growing up mixed in America coming from a Bolivian and Iranian background. After making his tv debut on Laff Tracks on TruTv, Martin filmed his stand up special “Son…
Portland Night Market
The Portland Night Market showcases many unique businesses that call Portland home. Blending food, culture, music, drinks and retail for an adventurous evening in the Central Eastside. Meet some of Portland's best makers and creators. With almost 200 hundred makers, the Night Market offers food carts, drinks, clothing, lifestyle goods, home goods, body care and art. The Portland…
Screen Printing Workshop and Artist Social
The embroidery hoop and Mod Podge method of screen making, but in a more social environment. This method is perfect for beginners or those who want to try screen printing without investing in expensive equipment. Students can create unique and personalized prints with just a few materials and meet other local artists simultaneously. Masks are…
Greg Wrenn and the Portland Psychedelic Society Reading and Q&A
What part might psychedelic medicines have to play in healing the relationship with Mother Nature and offering much-needed hope for the future? Join author Greg Wrenn and the Portland Psychedelic Society at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop for an intimate evening of storytelling, psychedelic science, and ecological exploration as he discusses ayahuasca as a trauma medicine and…
OMSI Science Pub: Cosmology with the James Webb Space Telescope
The second phase of the golden age for modern cosmology began with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope last year. The JWST has met and exceeded all its designed capabilities and provides a window back into the very beginning of the Universe. The JWST allows us to study the era of galaxy formation,…
Josh Wolf
Josh Wolf is a comedian, actor, and NY Times Bestselling author best known for his work as a round table guest and writer on E!’s “Chelsea Lately” and “After Lately.” Throughout 2013-2014, Wolf hosted “Shark After Dark” which aired during the ultra-popular “Shark Week” on The Discovery Channel. Josh was then cast as the host…
OMSI After Dark: Blown Away
Explore all things explosive as OMSI blow the lid off the science behind blasts. OMSI After Dark is for the 21-and-over only crowd, where you can drink beer or wine and roam the museum with no kids around. There will be science demos, performances, DJs, artisan food and beverage vendors and more.
Taste of Thailand
Experience Portland's first-ever Taste of Thailand Food Festival, which offers authentic dishes from northern, northeastern, central, and southern regions of Thailand. The festival showcases well-known local restaurants, including Nong Kao Man Gai, Khao Moo Dang, Farmhouse Kitchen, Kati Thai Vegan, Somtum Thai Kitchen, BKK PadThai and many more. The event celebrates Thai culture and is…
OMSI After Dark: Pickle It
Let the fermented feast begin. Learn how to make pickles, sauerkraut and more. OMSI After Dark is for the 21-and-over-only crowd, where you can drink beer or wine and roam the museum with no kids around. There will be science demos, performances, DJs, artisan food and beverage vendors and more.
Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology
Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation and Technology will screen over 110 films and animations from 23 countries. The event will include parties, panel presentations, and Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers. Taking place in-person at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The festival embraces cutting-edge technology and its role in modern filmmaking.
The Bloody Mary Festival
The brunch-time party of the year returns for year #5. Don't miss PDX's best Bloody Marys and more – all under one roof – for one day only. TICKETS INCLUDE Portland's BEST Bloody Marys, Cocktail, spirits, coffee, food, and beverage tastes from local companies, One vote for The People's Choice Award, Temp tattoos, photo ops and…
Rafi Bastos
Rafi Bastos is a 6’7” tall Jewish-Brazilian comedian with an accent like Dracula and a rapidly growing social media presence of stand-up clips in English, mostly filmed from the prestigious Comedy Cellar in New York. In his home country of Brazil, Rafi is a trailblazer in comedy and is one of the first comedians to…
Portland's Central City
There's a lot more to Portland's urban core than Downtown, a center for retail, restaurants and cultural attractions. Goose Hollow is home to Providence Park soccer stadium, while the Pearl District is famous for upscale bars, boutiques and galleries. Old Town Chinatown offers streetwear shops, Saturday Market and Lan Su Chinese Garden and Northwest/Nob Hill boasts shopping, dining and access to Forest Park and the historic Pittock Mansion. East of the Willamette River, the Central Eastside offers family-friendly attractions, shopping and nightlife, while Lloyd is home to the Oregon Convention Center and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Was this page helpful?