Old Town Chinatown
Discover the secrets of this historic central-city district, from handmade goods to a traditional garden.
The city’s oldest neighborhood is filled with surprises. From authentic Chinese restaurants, tea houses, and a city-block-sized traditional garden, Portland’s original downtown is a bustling entertainment district and streetwear shopping hub. Read on for our favorite things to do and see in Portland’s historic Old Town Chinatown.
Where to Stay in Old Town Chinatown
This central-city neighborhood puts you in the heart of the action, situated along the westside of the Willamette River with easy access to the Pearl District, downtown and Northwest Portland. Choose from boutique hotels, modern hostels, and more with Northwest Portland hotels.
Where To Eat and Drink in Old Town Chinatown
One of Chinatown’s relatively few Chinese restaurants is Chen’s Good Taste Restaurant, a small Cantonese eatery near the Chinatown Gateway renowned for noodles and barbecued pork.
A peaceful refuge in Chinatown, Taiji Teahouse serves pots of oolong and pints of cold pu-erh alongside small snacks like miso cucumber salad and edamame and a family recipe of cold ginger chicken: poached and chilled shredded chicken breast over plain rice and raw veggies, topped with a finely chopped mix of cilantro, garlic, and a lot of ginger.
Deadstock Coffee & Gallery is helmed by a former Nike shoe designer and decorated with vintage Michael Jordan memorabilia. This one-of-a-kind coffeehouse doubles as a gathering place for “sneakerheads” and local footwear employees from Adidas, Under Armour and Columbia (to name just a few).
A walk down Ankeny Alley, where you can get in line for Voodoo Doughnut, will bring you to Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, which opened in 1907, serving classic chowders and oysters. Wander the alley to find other old-salt Portland bars, or over to Pine Street Market, where you’ll find Pine Street Taproom. Just down the street from Voodoo and other eatery joints is the perfect pit stop for a cup of coffee at Stumptown Coffee, a sustainably sourced and locally roasted caffeine fix at the ready.
Old Town Chinatown Tastes
Things To Do in Old Town Chinatown
A place to begin to learn about the Chinese American Community in the Rose City is Portland Chinatown Museum, which showcases the Chinese immigrant experience, and features Chinese American art, history and culture.
In 1999, a team of experts traveled to Portland from our sister city in Suzhou, China, to build an authentic 40,000-square-foot (3716 sq m) Ming Dynasty-style garden. Today, visitors to Lan Su Chinese Garden escape the bustle of the surrounding city to admire tranquil pools and seasonal foliage while wandering the grounds.
This district was also once home to a vibrant Japantown. The Japanese American Museum of Oregon offers poignant and informative exhibits exploring the history of Japanese Americans in Portland and beyond. Explore the ‘lost Japanese American community’ virtually through a collaboration between the Japanese American Museum of Oregon and the Architectural Heritage Center with a web-based storytelling map and tour.
History and Communities
In Old Town Chinatown explore the city's rich and diverse history.
Crawl into Portland’s catacombs — aka the Shanghai Tunnels — to learn the lore of the early days in this port town.
If you Go-By-Train, you’ll know Portland’s Union Station. Nestled in Chinatown, near the Broadway Bridge, this transportation hub is also a Portland landmark.
Open Saturdays and Sundays, Portland Saturday Market, outdoor arts and crafts fair, runs from March to Christmas every year. The bustle of this river-side bazaar nestled between Old Town’s Archways and the Westside of the Burnside Bridge has been a beloved weekend tradition since 1974. The Portland Saturday Market features over 250 vendors of arts, crafts, wares, and freshly made food to fill the senses
Galleries
The monthly First Thursday art event includes free shows and refreshments at dozens of galleries and stores throughout Old Town Chinatown, downtown and the Pearl District.
Circle the block at the Everett Station Lofts to check out more than a dozen different mini-galleries.
Shop Old Town Charm
Old Town Chinatown is the place to find locally made souvenirs, eclectic artwork and heritage goods.
Shopping in Old Town Chinatown
With boutique clothing, shoes, and skateboards, Old Town Chinatown packs storefronts of local makers in some of the oldest buildings in Portland.
Operated by and for skaters since 1976, Cal Skate Skateboards hyperbolically bills itself as “the oldest skateboard shop on the planet.” Exaggeration aside, the store’s selection of nearly 500 unique decks and skateboards truly can’t be beaten.
Pick out a pair of sneakers at Index PDX, Portland’s premier sneaker consignment store, where shrink-wrapped Yeezys and mint-condition Air Jordans sell for thousands of dollars.
End your evening with glitz, glamour and a bit of risqué humor brought to you by an all-star cast of female impersonators (always inspired by the venue’s namesake, Darcelle, who was until recently the country’s oldest performing drag queen) at the West Coast’s longest-running drag show, Darcelle XV.
Old Town Chinatown Events
Get to know Old Town Chinatown 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…
Haunted Shanghai Tunnel Tour
Old Town Pizza & Brewing is built directly above Portland's infamous Shanghai tunnels. The same tunnels that were used to house kidnapped sailors during the early 1900s. Book a tour and explore the rich history of Portland, and the legacy of Old Town.
Because of Bill: William Sumio Naito’s Legacy in Portland
Because of Bill: William Sumio Naito’s Legacy in Portland at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon offers visitors an in-depth look at all that Bill Naito built in Portland and the personal motivations that drove his success. Bill Naito was a force of nature whose infinite imagination, unbridled determination and limitless persistence transformed Portland during…
Oregon Jews, A to Z
The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education provides a home for a bountiful collection of archival materials and artifacts. Our collection includes thousands of photographs, documents, films, oral histories, three-dimensional objects, and artworks — the physical objects that represent the Jews of Oregon. Oregon Jews, A to Z highlights the most significant, poignant,…
The Burned Piano Project
Over several weeks in spring 2022, as lilacs bloomed in Portland, a mosque, a Black-owned restaurant and two synagogues were vandalized. Around that time, a family's home, which also was a Jewish organization's mailing address, was destroyed by arson in the middle of the night. The family will not be named for their protection. A…
Coriolanus
Famine threatens Rome and hunger fuels the tensions between the country’s elite and the deprived masses. As civil unrest stirs political upheaval, the war hero Coriolanus is driven to defend and destroy his own country. Shakespeare’s rare and unique tragedy will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble and a muscular, movement-focused staging….
Nassim
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (creator of the Off-Broadway smash hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit) comes an audacious new theatrical experiment. Each night, a new, unrehearsed local performer joins the playwright on stage while the script waits, unseen, in a sealed box… Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide…
Bong Wai Chen: Reframing Tradition
The Portland Chinatown Museum presents BONG WAI CHEN: Reframing Tradition, a retrospective on the art and life of Portland Chinatown artist Bong Wai Chen (1911-1968), who influenced generations of Oregon artists and the practice of calligraphy in the U.S. This exhibition is the third of a series of retrospectives organized by Portland Chinatown Museum and…
Darcelle XV’s Weekend Drag Show
Darcelle XV and Company have been entertaining audiences from all walks of life for over 50 years with Las Vegas-style cabaret revues of Glitz, Glamour and Comedy. Stop by when you are in Portland and you will be glad that you did! We have traveled the United States presenting a show that you have to…
Clyde’s
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage serves up this delicious comedy that centers laughs, redemption, and restorative justice. The formerly incarcerated kitchen staff at Clyde’s are navigating their new lives on the outside and their tough-as-nails boss — all while on a quest to create the perfect sandwich. The menu features loveable characters, big dreams, and…
Blend
Immerse yourself in a captivating celebration of the community's vibrant diversity. Blend, a groundbreaking art exhibition and cultural event, showcases the works of talented BIPOC artists and designers from the Pacific Northwest. Join a multi-day experience filled with thought-provoking art, live music, and delectable cuisine, all united by the theme of cultural juxtaposition. Prepare to be…
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.
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