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Old Town Chinatown, Portland

Things to Do in Old Town Chinatown

Old Town Chinatown, Portland: Equal parts history and hustle, old cast-iron storefronts and neon bar signs share the same block, with the smell of the river occasionally cutting through bar smoke on weekend nights.

Old Town Chinatown sits on Portland's oldest bones, the blocks where the city first took root along the Willamette, and where Chinese laborers settled in the 1860s after building the railroads that made the Pacific Northwest possible. Walking through it today feels layered in a way that's hard to articulate: the ornate Chinatown Gate on West Burnside frames a neighborhood that's simultaneously historic and unfinished, with the scent of incense from the Classical Chinese Garden drifting past the bass thump of weekend bar crowds. It's not a polished heritage district, there's real grit here, and the blocks around Burnside can be rough. But that rawness is part of its texture. The neighborhood tends to draw two very different groups: people seeking Portland's cultural roots, and people here for the nightlife. Both find what they're after. The Lan Su Chinese Garden has a contemplative escape, latticed windows, the scent of osmanthus, and a koi pond that somehow manages to feel remote despite being surrounded by a city. The Saturday Market, running weekends from March through December, fills the blocks under the Burnside Bridge with the sound of live music and the smell of food cart smoke. This market has become one of Portland's most authentic gathering points, not a tourist simulation but an actual community institution. Old Town Chinatown rewards slow exploration. The architecture along NW 2nd and 3rd Avenues still has those cast-iron facades from the late 1800s, many now housing bars and galleries. The energy shifts noticeably between 2pm and 10pm, quiet enough during the day to look at the buildings, then louder than you might expect after dark.

Moderate prices moderate safety

Perfect For

History buffs
Nightlife seekers
Foodies
Budget travelers

Top Attractions in Old Town Chinatown

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Tucked behind a high wall near NW 3rd Avenue, this classical Suzhou-style garden is one of the most complete outside of China, easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Inside, you'll find covered walkways with carved wooden screens, a central lake reflecting pagoda rooflines, and the kind of deliberate quiet that makes the noise of Portland feel far away. The rock formations were shipped from China. The plants, largely native to Suzhou, perfume the air with osmanthus and wintersweet depending on the season.

Tip: Visit on a weekday morning before tour groups arrive. The teahouse serves loose-leaf tea and you can have the lakeside tables nearly to yourself.

Portland Saturday Market

Running every weekend from March through December under and around the Burnside Bridge, this is North America's largest continuously operating outdoor arts market, though calling it just a 'market' undersells it. It's more of a weekly gathering: local artisans selling hand-thrown ceramics and leatherwork alongside food carts putting out the smell of green onion pancakes and wood-smoked meats, all underscored by rotating live musicians ranging from earnest folk acts to surprisingly tight jazz combos.

Tip: Sunday tends to be slightly less crowded than Saturday. Vendors are often more flexible on prices in the final hour before the 5pm close.

Chinatown Gate

The bright red and green gate on West Burnside, officially the Chinatown Gateway, was installed in 1986 and is the most photographed landmark in the neighborhood. Up close you'll see the two guardian lion-dogs on their pedestals, the multi-tiered roof with upturned eaves, and the gilded Chinese characters on the panels. It looks best at dusk when warm light picks up the lacquered reds and the surrounding streets quiet down slightly.

Tip: Cross to the north side of Burnside for the best full-arch photograph. Shooting from the south tends to cut off the roofline against neighboring buildings.

Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade

Two floors of vintage arcade machines and console games, Galaga, Tron, Donkey Kong, a wall of pinball tables, served alongside Pacific Northwest craft beer and cocktails. It's loud in the best way: layered electronic sounds from sixty machines running simultaneously, the clatter of pinball flippers, occasional shouts from someone who just topped a high score.

Tip: Entry is free and games run on quarters. Arrive before 5pm if you want to play anything without waiting, the after-work crowd fills it fast, on Fridays.

Union Station Forecourt

Worth a five-minute detour north: Union Station's 1896 Italianate clock tower is one of Portland's finest pieces of Victorian civic architecture, and the salmon-pink terracotta exterior looks almost impossibly warm in afternoon light. The main hall has the hushed grandeur of old train stations, high ceilings, worn terrazzo floors, and it's still an active Amtrak hub, which keeps it from feeling like a museum piece.

Tip: The 'Go by Train' neon sign facing the street reads best after sunset. The blue of the letters cuts cleanly against the dark sky, worth the short walk after dinner.

Cast-Iron Storefronts of NW 2nd Avenue

A stretch of late-19th-century commercial buildings running south from Burnside that most visitors walk past without looking up. The facades, cast-iron columns, arched windows, decorative cornices, are some of the best-preserved examples of Victorian commercial architecture on the West Coast. Several buildings have been repurposed as bars and creative offices, so the street-level activity doesn't hint at the architectural ambition overhead.

Tip: Look up at the corner of NW 2nd and Davis for the Olds, Wortman & King Building. The green-painted facade with its ornate ironwork is the most intact example on the block.

Where to Eat in Old Town Chinatown

Dan and Louis Oyster Bar

Historic seafood

Specialty: Pacific oysters on the half shell, order a dozen and add the house cocktail sauce, which has a sharper horseradish bite than most. The clam chowder is worth a visit alone on a cold Portland afternoon, thick and briny with a faint smokiness.

Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen

Vietnamese

Specialty: Shaking beef (bo luc lac) built this reputation. Wok-charred cubes arrive with a lime-and-black-pepper dip that bites and smokes at once. Lines increase by noon. The late-night menu runs until 4am on weekends. Worth the wait.

Voodoo Doughnut

Specialty doughnuts

Specialty: The Bacon Maple Bar draws the queue. Yeast doughnut, maple frosting, three real bacon strips pressed on top. Grape Ape (grape dust, lavender glaze) tastes better. Bacon one feels more Portland. Choose wisely.

The Original Dinerant

American all-day diner

Specialty: Biscuits and gravy anchor the morning. Floury biscuits sit under sausage gravy thick enough to fork. Counter seats vanish by 9am on weekends. Booths in back stay quieter. Arrive early.

Hung Far Low

Classic Chinese-American

Specialty: The neon sign survives every remodel. Current kitchen turns out Cantonese-American classics. Egg rolls crackle the right way. Combination fried rice tastes like childhood. Wonton soup steams with ginger and sesame. Order them all.

Ankeny Tap & Table

Pacific Northwest gastropub

Specialty: Local farm beef on a pretzel bun. Draft list cycles through Oregon and Washington breweries you probably haven't met. Perfect mid-afternoon pause between Saturday Market and the garden. Grab a pint.

Old Town Chinatown After Dark

Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade

Afternoon arcade, nighttime bar. Craft beer taps and cocktails hold their own. Retro consoles keep the mood lighter than most watering joints. Upstairs pinball room roars on weekend nights. Bring quarters.

Nerdy, nostalgic, fun

Dante's

One of Portland's sure-thing live rooms. Cave-dark, red-lit stage hosts punk, cabaret, SinCity burlesque Sundays. Crowd shifts with the bill. Room always smells of spilled beer and dry-ice fog. Embrace it.

Dark, eclectic, anything-goes

CC Slaughters

Portland's oldest LGBTQ+ bar, corner anchor since the 1980s. Upstairs dance floor ignites late on weekends. Downstairs bar chats up earlier. Both levels welcome. Stay late.

Welcoming, celebratory, dance-heavy

Spirit of 77

Sports bar worships the city's NBA past. Vintage Blazers gear blankets every wall. Projector screen keeps every seat in play. Back room arcade eats halftime minutes. Cheer loud.

Sports-focused, casual, rowdy on game nights

Dirty Trick

Basement cocktail lair on NW 3rd. Low ceilings, leather stools, bartenders who care. Plan on one drink. Leave two hours later, lighter in spirit and wallet. Repeat next week.

Low-key, cocktail-forward, late-night

Getting Around Old Town Chinatown

Old Town Chinatown shrinks to a ten-minute radius from the Chinatown Gate. Flat, compact, walkable. MAX light rail halts at Old Town/Chinatown on Green and Yellow lines. Downtown Free Rail Zone rides cost zero. TriMet buses cruise West Burnside and NW Broadway all day. Bike lanes link via SW Naito Parkway along the river, south to Hawthorne Bridge, north to Steel Bridge. Rideshare slows on weekend nights when NW 3rd bars empty. Walk two blocks east toward the waterfront for faster pickup. Garages line NW 3rd and 4th, though downtown hotel guests can ditch the car entirely.

Where to Stay in Old Town Chinatown

Hotel Modera

Boutique, Mid-range

Courtyard garden, strong location
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The Benson Hotel

Historic luxury, Upscale

1913 walnut lobby, timeless character
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Mark Spencer Hotel

Mid-range, Mid-range

Kitchenettes, good for longer stays
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HI Portland Northwest Hostel

Budget, Budget-friendly

Social common areas, well-located
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