Not once in my five and a half years of living in Portland have I ever thought, “Gosh, I wish I knew where I could find some good food around here!” As every insufferable national trend piece will tell you, we’re a veritable foodie mecca. But not every Portland food specialty translates to an ideal holiday gift—a pastrami sandwich from Kenny & Zuke’s might seem like a great gift at the outset, but wait until the grease bleeds through your artisanal wrapping paper!
But there are plenty of local shops here stuffed with packaged food items that will make lovely gifts for the home cook, food snob, or munchie-prone loved one in your life. Here’s a small sampling of those shops—a taster tray, if you will.
MoonBrine Pickles
Look, there are basically two types of people in this world: Pretty Hot and Super Dill. Oh, did I say person? I meant pickle—at least, those are the two types you’ll find at MoonBrine Shop N’ Snacketeria, a shop meant to satisfy your briniest cravings. (2505 SE 11th, 11 am-3:30 pm Monday-Friday or by appointment.)
Food Fight! Grocery
The only thing more “Portland” than local food is vegan local food, which happens to be Food Fight’s specialty. Here you’ll find a range of delightfully unhealthy vegan junk food and desserts, the perfect stocking stuffers for your favorite herbivore. (1217 SE Stark and 11155 NE Halsey, 9 am-8 pm daily.)
Pok Pok
The best edible Christmas gift I ever received was a sample pack of Pok Pok drinking vinegars, which included flavors like basil, tangerine, and ginger. These tart, slightly sweet mixers make great cocktails and mocktails, and will have the instant effect of making you feel like a fancy mixologist. You can pick up a pack of your own at the restaurant. (3226 SE Division, 11:30 am-10 pm daily.)
World Foods
The last time I visited World Foods, I couldn’t get the Frank Ocean lyric “you made me lose my self-control” out of my head. Frank was presumably singing about some great forbidden love, but I was singing about the unmatched selection of worldly treats and goodies at this local grocery story. I could list them, but what’s the point? You’ve got to go, experience it for yourself, and fill up your cart with presents for your entire family and extended friend group. Oh, and as a bonus, they’ve got a stellar beer selection. (830 NW Everett, daily 8 am-9 pm; 9845 SW Barbur, daily 7 am-10 pm)
