Campus restaurants

Whether you have five minutes or an hour, here are some spots on campus to fill you up

Alexandria Mediterranean $ B
420 S.W. College St.
503-222-3922
Weekdays: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Closed weekends

With a little bit of something for everyone, Alexandria boasts combo plates for $7.50, such as the vegetarian hummus plate or any one of their meat combinations. Close to campus, Alexandria is quaint, but offers great food.

Annie’s $ B-
1728 S.W. Broadway
503-497-1016
Weekdays: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed weekends

The noodle dishes, from the chicken teriyaki to the yakisoba noodles, are the best part about Annie’s. They also have good breakfast specials, but be ready: It can take a few minutes to get your food because everything is made on the spot.

Aramark $$ D-
First floor, Smith Memorial Student Union
503-725-4511
Weekdays: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (varies by location)

It’s cafeteria food and nothing more. The only good thing here is Noah’s Bagels, and even that leaves room for improvement.

    Freshens
    Mon. to Thurs.: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    Fri.: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Perfectly average smoothies and ice cream that taste more         like crushed ice than anything else

    Grille Works
    Weekdays: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Average burgers try to save this part of the food court. Most         of the options are a little over-priced, but they will give you         your fill of American grease food.

    Miso
    Mon. to Thurs.: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Fri.: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
    Miso’s sizzling Asian entrees are both tasty and over-priced.     Right near Miso, you can pick up a package of sushi for             some of the best prices in town. The sushi is below average,     but you can’t beat $4 for three California rolls.

    Noah’s Bagels
    Mon. to Thurs.: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Fri.: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Tasty bagels and sandwiches at Noah’s make up one of             your better options for dining at the PSU food court.

    Sbarro
    Mon. to Thurs.: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    Fri.: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
    Most of the options are far too expensive for second-rate             Italian food. The crust on the pizza is too thick, and the                 cafeteria-style presentation just makes it all unappealing.         The strombolis are filling and affordable, though.

    Zoca
    Weekdays: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    This feeble attempt at a Mexican restaurant should                     disappoint any PSU student who knows what a burrito                 should taste like. Go to one of the food carts on Fourth                 Avenue before you think about coming here.

Baan Thai $$ B
1924 S.W. Broadway
503-224-5155
Mon. to Sat.: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Closed Sun.

Everything about Baan Thai is pretty good—friendly enough service, comfortable and prompt seating, tasty dishes—but the Pad Thai is only thing that is great. They offer lunch specials for a decent price and have a fantastic Thai iced coffee.

Big Town Hero $ B
1923 S.W. Sixth Ave.
503-228-0360
Weekdays: 7a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sat. (closed Sun.): 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There are several sub-sandwich shops within walking distance of campus but Big Town Hero offers the most complete sub. With bread fresh vegetables and so fluffy it makes your mouth water, Big Town Hero reigns supreme as the best. The service is also excellent, as it’s comprised of mainly college students that are personable enough that they will learn your name after two visits.

Blind Onion $ B+
415 S.W. Montgomery St.
503-796-1878
Seven days a week: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The highlight of the Blind Onion is the beer specials: They have a microbrew happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. till close everyday, and PSU students get a $1 discount on any beer. Their pizza isn’t bad either, with thick crusts, plenty of sauce and gooey cheese.

Blue Fin Sushi $$ B-
1988 S.W. Broadway
503-274-7922
Seven days a week: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Blue Fin is your typical conveyer belt sushi joint. The staff is (mostly) pleasant and the sushi is tastier than most mid-priced sushi places. What really sets Blue Fin apart is its exceptional Saturday special: all plates for $1.25 each. For some reason PSU students don’t seem to give this place the love it deserves, so check it out before they are forced to close.

Chit-Chat Café $ D+
1907 S.W. Sixth Ave.
503-224-3730
Mon. to Fri.: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sat. and Sun.: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Chit-Chat Café is a convenient option for Portland State students and offers free Wi-Fi, but that’s where the positives begin and end. Specializing in bagels, soups, sandwiches, tea and coffee, this small café’s food is rather bland. Another issue is poor service that includes inadequate food supplies, long waits and moody staffers.

Green Onion Restaurant $$ A-
636 S.W. Jackson St.
503-274-4294
Mon. to Sat.: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Sun.

With some of the nicest staff and tastiest food at any restaurant on campus, the Green Onion is a good bet if you are looking to get away from your usual diet of burritos and pizza. The menu is full of hearty home-cooked-style Persian food and the fact that the restaurant is run out of a house adds to the charm.

Hotlips Pizza $ A-
1909 S.W. Sixth Ave.
503-224-0311
Sun. to Thurs.: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fri. and Sat.: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Everybody loves pizza and variety, and Hotlips Pizza has both. Traditional toppings like pepperoni, extra cheese or sausage are available, but this pizza joint likes to spice it up a little, offering such concoctions as the Veggie Nirvana, Tex Mex and Omnivore Bliss. And with down-to-earth personnel, customer service always comes first.

Katie’s Café $$ B
1300 S.W. Sixth Ave.
503-241-4762
Mon. through Fri.: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closed weekends

Just a couple blocks from Portland State’s new Clay Building, Katie’s Café is a popular lunch spot for students and business people alike. Typical lunch favorites like sandwiches, soups and salads round out the menu. The food is decent, especially the BLT, though the prices are a bit high for the quality. 

La Lombardia $ B
1434 S.W. Park Ave.
503-295-3663
Mon. to Sat.: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sun.: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Inexpensive and filling, La Lombardia doesn’t serve gourmet pasta and pizza. But the food tastes fine, and the pizza is just as good as any other offerings close to campus, so if you need a carbohydrate fix, consider La Lombardia.

McMenamins Market Street Pub $$ B+
1526 S.W. 10th Ave.
503-497-0160
Mon. to Sat.: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Sun.: Noon to midnight

Everyone knows and loves the Market Street Pub for its hearty burgers, affordable happy hour and for having damn good beer. Now, if the slow service weren’t something to dread, it’d be the most popular pub near campus.

Paccini $$ C
1717 S.W. Park Ave.
503-219-8000
Mon. to Sat.: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Closed Sun.

Serving moderately priced Italian food and sandwiches, Paccini’s food is at best OK, but it is close to campus (on the ground floor of The Vue) and offers a bar and decent atmosphere. Don’t go out of your way to eat there, but it’s a little bit nicer than most places directly on campus.

Pho-Thanh Long Restaurant $ B+
635 S.W. College St.
503-223-1660
Mon. to Sat.: 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Sun.

This Vietnamese restaurant is known for its Pho-style soup, made with beef broth, noodles, bean sprouts and several different kinds of meat (avoid the “meatballs”). Also a bakery, Pho-Thanh Long is owned by a PSU grad and has long been a staple of campus eats. The service is always friendly and the Pho soup is great for rainy fall days.

SuperDog $ B+
1438 S.W. Park Ave.
503-243-5045
Mon. to Fri.: 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat.: Noon to 5 p.m.
Closed Sun.

Hot dogs never get the credit they deserve in this town, probably because they are rarely done right. SuperDog does hot dogs right. The menu bursts with variety (they even have a vegan dog), and there are loads of toppings to pile on. There is something for everyone here. The only downside is that the dogs can get kind of pricey.

–COMPILED BY STOVER E. HARGER III,
 NATHAN HELLMAN, DAVID HOLLEY,
ED JOHNSON AND OWEN R. SMITH