The new foodie trend in Portland

written by Sheila G. Miller

Think of your local mall’s food court. Now erase that image entirely because Portland’s latest food trend is upscale, artisan and convenient—the city now counts at least five food halls, and other Oregon cities are sure to get on board soon.

Food halls—typically large spaces with a variety of food purveyors in stalls or carts—have long been popular in Europe, but the U.S. has seen an uptick in the past few years, first in New York, Chicago and L.A., and now smaller cities like Portland.

There’s Pine Street Market, a 10,000-square-foot spot in downtown that opened in 2016 and features nine stalls, including Salt & Straw’s experiment in soft-serve, Wiz Bang Bar. Add The Zipper and The Ocean to the mix, both micro-restaurant projects in NE Portland from the same developer. Portland Mercado offers a variety of Latino foods and other cultural storefronts. Newest to the game is the Portland Food Hall, which opened in late April just a third of a mile down the street from Pine Street Market.

Count on these spots to make your next Portland meal a bit more eclectic.