Places to Eat in/near Washington Park

We%26#39;ll be in Portland for a week this summer and thought it made sense to spend one of the days at Washington Park: the Children%26#39;s Museum and/or Oregon Zoo for our daughter, then the Japanese Garden and International Rose Test Garden for the grown-ups.

Just wondering: are there any nice places to have lunch within the park or nearby? It doesn%26#39;t have to be haute cuisine, but it might be nice to have something a notch up from the cafeteria fare at the museum or zoo (unless one of those places is some sort of hidden gem).

It looks like about a 20-minute walk over to NW 23rd Ave., where I know there are some restaurants, though it%26#39;s hard to tell how steep the terrain is in beween (we%26#39;ll be pushing a stroller). We%26#39;d even be curious to check out one of Portland%26#39;s famous food carts if there is a good one nearby. Or is packing a picnic lunch and enjoying the scenery in the park our best bet?

Places to Eat in/near Washington Park

It is steep in areas going from the Rose Gardens down to NW 23rd. But that is where I would suggest going to eat.

You can eat in the zoo. They have a wonderful area for picnics .. better would probably be to pick up something in town and take it with you, or take your chances and buy something at the zoo.

. which lol is not a hidden gem..

I never saw a food cart up in that area at all.

I think the picnic is the best idea..

Places to Eat in/near Washington Park

If you go to Nob Hill, Escape From New York has some really yummy pizza. We also love Moonstruck Chocolates in this area, they have wonderful candy and truffles and decadant chocolate milkshakes.

Enjoy your time in Portland! :)

I agree with Scarlett that a picnic is your best bet, weather permitting. As she said, some sections of the hill between the park and NW 23rd are quite steep, and the stroller wouldn%26#39;t make it any easier. In any case, I certainly wouldn%26#39;t walk all the way down to 23rd for pizza, which you can probably find at the zoo.

Massachusetts Member writes NW 23rd Ave; you write Nob Hill, syrahgirl. Any reason to try and confuse her/him?

It is called Troublemaking, mistletoe.

Massachusetts Member ... last time we went to the Zoo, there were many Many families there, many moms with babies and strollers and toddlers... in the area near the Elephants, is where there is a huge grassy place where everyone was picnicking.

And little ones were toddling around without worry of getting in someones way which was great... in case your little one gets antsy after a certain amount of time in the stroller..

You can hold her up to the glass partitions where the monkeys are and one might come right up to it .. I have the best photo of one hanging in his hammock, looking at us, looking at him .. everyone was quite relaxed lol..

I will suggest getting a fabulous picnic from the Pearl Bakery ..

Thanks for the info and suggestions. I was not thrown by the reference to Nob Hill since my guidebook uses the same name, though as I recall, locals seem to prefer ';NW 23rd'; or even ';trendy-third';. And confusing tourists is one of our big pastimes here in Boston, though it is usually inadvertent.

It%26#39;s a true hike around Washington Park down to good lunch at good restaurants on 23rd. Not sure how old your daughter is, but if she is young a picnic might be just the ticket! Have fun whatever your choice.

%26lt;%26lt;Thanks for the info and suggestions. I was not thrown by the reference to Nob Hill since my guidebook uses the same name, though as I recall, locals seem to prefer ';NW 23rd'; or even ';trendy-third';. And confusing tourists is one of our big pastimes here in Boston, though it is usually inadvertent. %26gt;%26gt;

LOL This is an ongoing battle between 3-4 people everytime this term is brought up. I have lived here most of my life and have heard both names referenced, not to mention, many businesses have ';Nob Hill'; in their names.

Too funny, about confusing people in Boston. I love your city. Had a great time there and I need to get back sometime soon.

%26lt;%26lt;Just wondering: are there any nice places to have lunch within the park or nearby?%26gt;%26gt;

I think part of this may have been missed. Everyone is responding about picnics in the park. There are several restaurants nearby, as the park is downtown, but not a restaurant in the park. If it is a nice day, getting something at Zupans and heading up to the park for a picnic would be fun.

%26lt;%26lt;Or is packing a picnic lunch and enjoying the scenery in the park our best bet?%26gt;%26gt;

While I thought posters did address the idea of going down from the Gardens to NW 23rd ( pushing a stroller on that hill, lack of sidewalks in spots) .. this is the part of the question that required the picnic answers...

Before even going up to the Park/Zoo/Gardens, a picnic could be put together from Zupans, Pearl Bakery or any of many great places that will do that .. Whole Foods and Trader Joes also put together great picnic lunches..

%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;Or is packing a picnic lunch and enjoying the scenery in the park our best bet?%26gt;%26gt;

While I thought posters did address the idea of going down from the Gardens to NW 23rd ( pushing a stroller on that hill, lack of sidewalks in spots) .. this is the part of the question that required the picnic answers...

Before even going up to the Park/Zoo/Gardens, a picnic could be put together from Zupans, Pearl Bakery or any of many great places that will do that .. Whole Foods and Trader Joes also put together great picnic lunches..

%26gt;%26gt;

Ah, I think you misunderstood my point....it seemed as though the original question included a restaurant IN the park. ';Just wondering: are there any nice places to have lunch within the park or nearby?';

Sorry to confuse you on my post. ;-)