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The hot aesthetic for internet freaks in 2026 is “liminal spaces”—the concept fuels horror movies and term papers but, basically, it’s getting a pleasant shiver from looking at dead malls. Portlanders are holding last rites for zombie Lloyd Center next month, and will need a new object of devotion. May we suggest a largely deserted ’80s food court built around a tropical aviary?
Tucked into the southeast corner of the Oregon Zoo, and arguably most frequented by concertgoers looking for a bathroom, the Aviary Cafe (4001 SW Canyon Road, 503-226-1561, ext. 5278, oregonzoo.org) sits virtually unchanged from its grand opening in July 1988. This is real Backrooms shit: Patrons munch chicken strips and grilled cheese in a dining room designed by Seattle architects Jones and Jones to look like a vintage Taco Bell, and the tables offer a second-story view of birds with names out of The Phantom Menace: Palawan peacock-pheasant, marbled teal Nicobar pigeon and speckled mousebird.
Like Lloyd, the Aviary Cafe is doomed. In 2024, Metro voters approved a $380 million bond measure to remodel the zoo, and the new campus plan calls for replacing Vollum Aviary with a herpetarium and a fancier restaurant. Still, there’s a window open to enjoy the uncanny balcony. “It’s part of the South Hub project and won’t be replaced until 2033 at the earliest,” says Oregon Zoo spokesman Hova Najarian. “Folks still have plenty of time to enjoy!”
See the rest of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland 2026 here!
