Skip to main content
“Hot spot” doesn’t do it justice—the North and Northeast of Portland is a flaming hot zone of beloved markets. You’ve got options stretching from Hazelwood to St. Johns, from Afro-Caribbean to Vietnamese to Italian. Go dazzle your palate, open your wallet, and buy some goods.
Nam Phuong Market
6834 NE Sandy Blvd, 971-255-1588, instagram.com/namphuongmkt. 10:30 am–5 pmMonday–Thursday, 10:30 am–5:30 pm Friday–Sunday.
For the past 28 years, Phat Hong and his wife, Hanh Huynh, have been running Nam Phuong Market, a Vietnamese grocery store landing on Northeast Sandy Boulevard just about where it intersects with Fremont Street. In the past six months, the shop has slimmed down in size (the space’s severed half now houses Field Day Books & Bottles), but the offerings are still plentiful. Hong says the shop currently offers a majority of Thai products, alongside Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese items. You can find organic udon, ramen and sōmen noodles for a modest $2.85, loads of canned sardines swimming in tomato sauce (a 15-ounce can will run you $2.75), or spice cubes for 80 cents. Get yourself to the back of the shop to the fresh meat counter; that’s where you’ll find bits like gân bò, or collagen-rich beef tendon for $5.99 a pound. When asked about the store’s specialties, Hong replied with a laugh: “Nice owners?” He wasn’t wrong—five minutes in the store left me regretting I didn’t stop in the neighborhood shop more often when I lived nearby. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: Tucked over by the right side of the shop is a heated display case of hum bao, or barbecue pork buns, for $1.75 apiece. Get yourself a savory snack while you browse.
Providore Fine Foods
2340 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-232-1010, providorefinefoods.com. 10 am–7 pm daily.
“The kids’ holiday stuff here isn’t ugly—it’s cute,” a friend tells me as she puts a few foil-wrapped bunnies in her basket, then heads to the cold case for soba noodles laced with edamame and cashews. One doesn’t necessarily think of kids’ things at Providore Fine Foods—it’s just one of the posh surprises that live at the high-end market. It feels like Providore’s been around much longer than its 10 years—partly because it has, in some iteration. Its predecessor, Pastaworks, opened in 1983, eventually taken over in 2016 by Kevin De Garmo and his wife, Kaie Wellman, and rolled it into Providore, where it remains. The store’s a real delight for the hungry senses: lush peonies in bouquets and paper at the door, a bright bounty of dried stone fruit and hazelnuts in wooden crates, plump mushrooms in wicker baskets. The wine is a world all its own in the back room; the cold cases are a swirl of flavors. “It’s pretty simple—we believe in food,” Wellman says. “We want Providore to be a place people know they can come and find amazing ingredients for cooking. There are so few family-run independent grocery stores in this country—the ethos is to keep the idea of the mom-and-pop store, no matter how fancy it might be, to keep this alive.” ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: The mark of Pastaworks still shines. It’s not every day you can find a hearty vegetarian Bolognese sauce, but Providore, under the Pastaworks label, offers a mushroom variety ($11) with a meaty, dank flavor and creamy body.
Food Fight!
11155 NE Halsey St., 503-889-0685, foodfightgrocery.com. 11 am–7 pm Monday–Saturday,11 am–4 pm Sunday.
When the average omnivore thinks of the word “vegan,” terms like “clean” or “healthy” might come to mind. Food Fight! is here to change your mind. Owners Beth and Adam Sullivan (who took over the shop in 2022) fill the aisles of the vegan junk food shop with delectable comfort bites: the finest cashew cheeses and local chocolates, snacks like prickly pear cactus jerky from Texas ($9.80), or house-sliced Prime Roots plant-based deli meat ($8 for a half pound of forest ham). There are grab-and-go items too, and the owners are currently expanding the back half of the shop for more sit-down, hang-around fare (think gas station-style food, but leave the animals out of it). And if you don’t live close by the shop on the border of Hazelwood, keep in mind Food Fight! delivers from Eugene up to Seattle. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: Skeptical dairy lovers and proud vegans alike: Do not sleep on the frozen yogurt chocolate-vanilla swirl, made from potato and cassava. It dazzles with its texture, flavor and creaminess.
Beaumont Market
4130 NE Fremont St., 503-284-3032, beaumontvillagemarket.com. 7 am–11 pm daily.
This space feels just like a city market: slightly withered yet elevated, unpretentious in its curated offerings. The produce fridges hum like crickets, while the ones holding the dairy and nondairy drinks rattle the patio metal structures placed atop them. It’s a little quirky if you look closely. It also makes you feel like part of a long history of the neighborhood—you can see the building’s original 1935 plans on the market’s website. The offerings lean hippy and basics: Northwest Delights array of nuts and trail mixes, ample wine, a modest selection of produce. You’ve got grab-and-go options, too. And maybe one of the best parts? It’s open until 11 pm every day. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: A surprising amount of German beer is available, running roughly $4.99 to $8.99. Get one for a proper prost!
Fresh Love
7434 NE Fremont St., 503-206-7066, freshlovepdx.com. 8 am–4 pm daily.
There’s a playful feeling in Fresh Love. Part of it might stem from the colorful fruit and veggies painted along the top edges of the white walls. But it’s more than that—it’s something in the cafe tables full of neighborhood faces enjoying a Fremont freeze smoothie ($9.50 for 16 ounces, add sea moss for $2 or lion’s mane for another $2) or the house veggie sandwich slathered in scallion and pepperoncini mayo ($13.50). Serina Leedy opened the two-in-one market and cafe in June 2022. While her husband’s background is in produce and markets, Leedy’s is culinary. The idea was to be a grocery store with a juice bar, but it keeps expanding. The goal remains to support other small local businesses and farmers, carrying items from Rose Valley Creamery, or using sea moss from Dragon Spirit Health (the owner, Barbara García, waved from the bathroom line as I chatted with Leedy). The produce and pantry offerings are slim but mighty, and Leedy’s just added a few more retail shelves, so there’s more to come. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: Pick up a Eugene smoothie and add almond butter for $1. The raspberry and blueberry flavor is luscious, and the cinnamon is prominent in the best way.
Gartner’s Country Meat Market
7450 NE Lombard St., 503-252-7801, gartnersmeats.com. 9 am–6 pm Tuesday–Saturday,10 am–4 pm Sunday.
On the northern edge of town where cars fly up and down Northeast Lombard Street, you’ll find Gartner’s Country Meat Market. That’s what it is—a find, a destination, a family-owned butchery that’s been slinging fresh-cut meats since 1959. Gartner’s is an efficient, well-oiled machine. Grab a ticket and pick your bounty—try some marinated flank steak ($16.98 a pound), housemade spicy beef jerky that has the soft sheen of a fine leather purse ($26 a pound). Load up on all your goods for the full meat-making experience, picking from the smoking pellets, loads of rubs and mustards, or the rows of Franz buns that almost have the shine of stacked candy bars. Gartner’s offers custom meat processing as well, whether you got the product there or elsewhere. “We pride ourselves on keeping things looking good,” one of the butchers noted as I complimented the case. “A few weeks ago I was in a shop and the lights were low, the meat was a mess.” The Gartner’s case was clean, and the customers—packing the place on a late Tuesday morning—were eager for the meat market’s goods. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: Try Gartner’s homemade marinade, available in a few sizes, but a bulky 64 ounces will total $18.98. And while you’re at it, grab a smoked dog bone for your pup ($5.49) so everyone gets a treat.
Growers Outlet
16145 NE Glisan St., 503-256-3629, thegrowersoutlet.com. 7:30 am–6:30 pm Monday–Friday, 7:30 am–6 pm Saturday.
Founded in 1977 by Ken Brendler as a year-round farmers market, Growers Outlet looks from the outside like a garden center: Here you can find a small but robust selection of plant starts, seeds and gardening supplies, most located in the parking lot or near the entrance. Walk in, and you’ll find one of the chicest grocery stores in the Portland metro area. There’s local produce and canning supplies, but also high-quality citrus, 10-pound bags of roasted peanuts and walnuts, Amish Country popcorn—and a freezer section stocked with locally grown berries and Carlton Farms sausage. You’ll also come across condiments like pickled asparagus spears made by Foster’s in Pasco, Wash. ($10.99), and salad dressings from the legendary East Portland steakhouse Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen. Growers Outlet’s housemade products—ranging from pickled corn, mushrooms and eggs to salad dressings—are exciting and varied, and as far as I can tell, you can’t buy them anywhere else. CHRISTEN McCURDY.
Grab one: Several Growers Outlet products made it into my basket, but the one I’m most excited to try is the Spicy Pickled Quail Eggs ($9.99 for a 16-ounce jar), which feel like a perfect summer picnic food.
Montelupo Italian Market
344 NE 28th Ave., 503-719-5650, montelupo.co. 10 am–9 pm daily.
While the pandemic ripped some stellar businesses from Portland’s hands, it also somehow gave us a few good surprises, like Montelupo Market. Adam Berger, Blake Kusler and Sedona McCaffrey-Allen si`gned a lease on the Kerns neighborhood restaurant space in March 2020, and with the shutdown came a pivot to a delightfully chic market that’s fortunately stuck around. The space mostly leans Italian, similar to its now restaurant half, along with the owners’ other endeavors, Monty’s Red Sauce and The Focacceria. You can find some local offerings as well, even more as tariffs continue their jagged rise. The market’s stocked with plenty of housemade goods—bags of freshly made bucatini ($8), jarred house sauces ($11), take-’n’-bake lasagnas ($21). The most recent update has been the pastry case, filled with Italian rainbow cookies and tarts. There’s even extra goods like wine bags and hair clips. Get a tasty meal, and a cute accessory. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: Obviously fresh pasta from the cold case.
Tienda y Panaderia Santa Cruz
8630 N Lombard St., 503-286-7302. 7 am–10 pm daily.
Tienda y Panaderia Santa Cruz is working triple duty in its sprawling space in downtown St. Johns: It’s a Mexican grocery store, bakery and restaurant all in one. The panaderia (bakery) case features beautiful tres leches cakes ($35) with your choice of flavor inside, including caramel, strawberry or banana. Nearby, the shelves of Mexican pan de dulce ($2) along the back wall beckon—cookies, cuerno Danés (Danish horns), seashell-patterned conchas—plus telera ($2) and bolillos ($1.50) for sandwiches. All of this is made in-house daily and placed on the shelves by 8 am. The grocery store features items that are not always easy to source this far north—two big tubs of guava ($3.50–$5.50 a pound), cucharita (tamarind-flavored candy spoons), and a selection of Goya canned goods that far outpaces other supermarkets’. At noon, nearly every table in the restaurant was filled with neighbors and workers stopping in for lunch. The asada tacos ($3) are the most popular order, says an employee. RACHEL SASLOW.
Grab one: The tamales ($3.50) come wrapped in banana leaves and feature generous and high-quality meat filling, either chicken or pork.
Caribbean Spice
4516 NE 42nd Ave. 503-493-2737. Noon–8 pm Monday, 10:30 am–8 pm Tuesday–Saturday,11 am–5:30 pm Sunday.
Caribbean Spice international market’s block in Cully is a long way from the islands, but the yellow, green and red building helps get you in that Jamaican state of mind before walking through the door. Fair warning that an alarm goes off when you walk through the door, but it quickly hushes. The clerk said that the most popular offering is the jerk seasoning ($6.50, available in hot or mild), which can be rubbed into meat or veggies, left overnight, and then fired up the next day. Shoppers also gravitate toward the Jamaican curry powder ($6.50) and plantains from Ecuador. It’s product over ambience at this market, but the shelves are chock-full of Afro-Caribbean finds: uziza seeds and leaves from Nigeria ($5), okra dust from Ghana ($9.50), fufu mix ($6.50), and D&G Jamaican sodas ($2) in flavors such as orange, pineapple ginger and grape. RACHEL SASLOW.
Grab one: Ask at the counter about the frozen Golden Krust Jamaican patties ($12 for a box of five) available in five flavors, including the most popular, spicy beef.
Merkato Ethiopian Food Store
2605 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-331-9283, kwicz.github.io/merkato-ethiopian.10 am–8 pm Monday–Saturday.
Since 2008, Yadi Benti has been running Merkato Ethiopian Food Store. Her store stocks fresh injera, loads of teff flour in 25-pound sacks, red bright lentils and spices with rich pigments in zip-close bags. Bags of Ethiopian tossegn, a kind of wild thyme, are placed beneath a hand-Sharpied sign ($8). Even the stacks of gold boxes of ginger tea feel vibrant. But what also brightens the shop is the spirit—patrons greeted with hugs, falling into soft laughter, catching up on something easy. A neighborhood spot is not a given; the intimacy of this one feels like a gift. ROBIN BACIOR.
Grab one: Pick up a pack of injera, soft and sticky in the bag.
This story is part of Pantry Companion, our guide to filling your kitchen cupboards. Pantry Companion is a small magazine, distributed free throughout Portland. Find out where to get yours by checking this map.
