Oregon Mini-Road Trip Food Collection 🍸🥘🌭🍗🍲

We touched down in Portland in the evening and kicked off our 5-day, 4-night Oregon mini-road trip! Food is always a huge part of our travels, so let’s dive into all the delicious (and a few mixed) eats we had along the way 🥘🌭🍜🍳🍨! 1. Wild Rose Northern Thai Eats – Our Favorite Spot of the Trip! 🌟 📍 Address: 150 NW Oregon Ave, Bend, OR 97701 This Thai spot was hands down our top pick—finally, Thai food that’s not too sweet (a common pet peeve!) and totally tailored to our taste buds 😍! We ordered three dishes, and every single one was a home run: Tom Yum Soup: Bold, tangy, and perfectly spicy—packed with mushrooms, shrimp, and that iconic Thai herb flavor, no cloying sweetness here. Curry Basil Noodles: Chewy noodles tossed in fragrant green curry and fresh basil, with a hint of heat that lingers nicely. Hot Basil Pork: Savory ground pork stir-fried with crispy basil leaves and chili—so flavorful, we mopped up every last bit with rice. For drinks, we got Thai Iced Tea and Pressed for Thai’m—both were amazing! Pro tip: Stir the Thai iced tea well before sipping, otherwise you might get a strong herbal taste at first. 2. Bangers & Brews – Hot Dogs That Surpassed All Expectations 🌭 📍 Address: 827 SW 7th St, Redmond, OR 97214 I went in thinking, “It’s just a hot dog—how good can it be?” Turns out, incredibly good! 😂 The sausages were juicy, flavorful, and packed with meaty goodness, but the real star was the hot sauce—it was so rich and fragrant, it took the whole thing to another level. Never did I think a hot dog could be this impressive—total surprise hit! 3. Nong‘s Khao Man Gai (SE) – Mixed Feelings on Hainanese Chicken Rice 🐔 📍 Address: 609 SE Ankeny St C, Portland, OR 97214 We tried their signature Khao Man Gai (Hainanese Chicken Rice) and Khao Kha Muu (Braised Pork Leg Rice): The chicken was super tender—fall-off-the-bone juicy—but the accompanying sauce had a strong ginger flavor that I couldn’t get used to. The braised pork leg was also tender, but it only tasted like soy sauce (no depth of flavor) and felt a bit greasy after a few bites. Not bad, but not something we’d rush back for. 4. Dough Zone – Solid American-Chinese Eats (Great Value!) 🥟 📍 Address: 11840 SE 82nd Ave ste 3060, Happy Valley, OR 97086 If you go in treating it like “American-style Chinese food” (not authentic Chinese), it’s totally worth it—great flavor and even better value! We ordered a bunch of dishes, and all were tasty: Spicy Beef Buns, Dan Dan Noodles, Jianbing (Chinese Crepes), Steamed Dumplings, Pan-Fried Dumplings, and Spicy 红油 (Chili Oil) Dumplings. Our favorite? The Dan Dan Noodles—chewy, spicy, and packed with sesame flavor. Perfect for a quick, satisfying meal. 5. Jade Dumpling & Noodle House – Delicious Food, Ruined by Rude Service 😤 📍 Address: 2560 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97405 The food itself was great—we had Kung Pao Chicken, Pan-Fried Pork Buns, and Fried Rice, all full of flavor. But the owner’s attitude was awful: They close at 9:30 PM, and we arrived right before 9 PM. The owner snapped at us, “The kitchen closes at 9:15—hurry up!” When we said we’d get takeout, he slammed the menu on the table like we were bothering him (total “treating us like beggars” energy). I’m from Northeast China too, so I get straight-talking—but this was just rude. If you want to close early, change your business hours, don’t ruin customers’ trip vibes! The food was good, but the service left a bad taste in our mouths. Final Thoughts Overall, Oregon’s food and scenery were amazing—this 5-day trip was way too short! We can’t wait to come back for a second round (and hopefully skip the rude restaurant next time) ✨. #OregonRoadTrip #FoodieAdventures #PortlandEats #BendThaiFood #TravelFoodGuide