The East Portland neighborhood of Lents offers cheaper housing, strong community spirit, and easy access to both public transportation and the highway.
”There's a lot of folks in Lents who are working people who are not going to eat a $300 prix-fixe meal down at the fancy restaurant in town,” says Crystal Ligori, OPB’s “All Things Considered” host and a self-described Lents evangelist.
“But they're making sure that their neighbors are safe,” she adds. “They're making sure that their house looks nice…it's definitely a community.”
Ligori offers her picks for places to visit:
Boundaries: The neighborhood spans from Southeast 82nd Avenue out to 112th. Powell Boulevard at the northern end to Clatsop Street at the south end (at Clackamas County line).
A pickle-eating contest and baseball at Walker Stadium. (Crystal Ligori)
💐 Things To Do
You might need to wait for summer for some of what Lents has to offer:
Take yourself to a ballgame in the summer. They have themed nights for every game and extra fun:
“ There was like an Emo Screamo night, which was pretty incredible, and 'The Star-Spangled Banner' that night was exceptional,” says Ligori. “There’s also Woof Wednesdays, so you bring your dog.”
It’s a smaller market, but it shows off the strength of the neighborhood, with the full diversity of farmers and vendors represented.
Tip: ”Get a bouquet of flowers from the flower vendor,” says Ligori. “They're about the size of a toddler, and they're about 20 bucks.”
Any night of the week, you can belt out some karaoke at this neighborhood spot.
🍺🍴 Where To Eat and Drink
It's worth a visit anytime for the restaurants, bars, and an excellent Italian bakery:
The German-style brewpub Zoiglhaus Brewing is part of a package deal after a pandemic-era overhaul. They’ve also got a food hall with multiple tasty options, including Sherpa Kitchen, which serves Nepalese food. (tip: order their take on dumplings called momos).
“ Bella's is outrageous,” Ligori says. “It is some of the best baked goods in Portland, in my opinion. There's also things you can get at Bella's that you literally cannot get at any other spot in Portland at all.” One example: a sfogliatelle, which is like an Italian-version croissant.
🍴 Other Tasty Spots
A quick shoutout to some other tasty spots in the neighborhood: Best Baguette, HK Cafe, K-Town Korean BBQ, Takahashi, Ding Tea PDX, Taqueria El Cazador, and Birrieria PDX, ”which is amazing,” including their pepino drink made from cucumbers.
Your view: What are your favorite spots in Lents? What did we miss? Please email us.
