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Portland Pizza Restaurants You Have to Try

Portland has a reputation for being an edgy, alternative, and eco-friendly city.

delicious pepperoni pizza at portland pizzeria

Its murals and neighborhoods are as colorful as its natural surroundings.

With two liberal arts colleges, a great public transit system, and as many bike paths as there are roads, Portland is a young and energetic city.

A favorite meal for college students and locals of all ages in Portland is pizza, and there are plenty of unique, local pizza joints to fulfill your cravings.

I’ve come up with a diverse list of bars, restaurants, and slice shops with the best pizza in Portland for you to explore below.


Apizza Scholls

4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
Phone: 503-233-1286
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Apizza Scholls is a neighborhood New York-style pizza shop and arcade in Hawthorne.

They have a rotating selection of old-school arcade games that cost 25 cents a game, so you can play Pac-man or Cruisin USA to your heart’s content while you wait for a giant pie.

Their to-go service is equally as popular, as they always fill up their first come-first serve bar and dining areas.

Their pizzas have a perfectly crunchy under-crust that holds up well to multiple ingredients.

The outer crust has a beautiful char with a chewy, doughy inside.

They also have gourmet imported cheeses and antipasti to snack on before the pizza arrives.

I loved the Salami and Green Olive pie with whole milk mozzarella, grana Padano, pecorino romano, and tomato sauce.


Ken’s Artisan Pizza

304 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Phone: 503-517-9951
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Receiving accolades from Food & Wine, Thrillist, The Oregonian, and The Daily Meal, Ken’s Artisan Pizza is a fusion of traditional Neapolitan wood-fired pizza with creative New American dough recipes.

Located inside a charming industrial chic space in Belmont, Ken’s Artisan Pizza serves authentic personal-size wood-fired Neapolitan pies using an award-winning proprietary long-fermentation crust.

The crust has a slightly sourdough taste with a much fluffier texture that sets it above the competition.

Along with incredible gourmet pizzas, there’s a full menu of fine wines, cocktails, appetizers, salads, and desserts.

My favorite pizza was the Brooklyn with tomato sauce, mozzarella, capicola, pickled jalapeno, and Mike’s Hot Honey.


Lovely’s Fifty Fifty

4039 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Phone: 503-281-4060
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Lovely’s Fifty Fifty is a charming and romantic artisan pizzeria and ice cream shop in the heart of Portland, a few blocks from Unthank Park.

The wooden interior with mismatched light fixtures and antique décor offers the perfect setting for a date night with a sweet ending.

The artisan pizzas have a wood-fired Neapolitan crust and exotic toppings finished with colorful microgreens and edible flowers.

You won’t be able to resist snapping a photo to show off on Instagram.

I ordered the most colorful pizza of all, the Cherry Tomato Confit pizza with bright orange summer squash blossoms, basil, and orange agrumato.


Nostrana

1401 SE Morrison St Ste 101, Portland, OR 97214
Phone: 503-234-2427
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Founded by seven-time James Beard Award finalist and Chef Cathy Whims, Nostrana is an elegant yet inviting Italian bistro and pizzeria.

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Since its opening in 2006, Nostrana has been featured in the New York Times, Thrillist, Portland Monthly, and The Oregonian, each publication praising it as one of the Best Italian and pizza restaurants in the nation.

Located in an urban-chic space in Buckman with exposed wood-beamed ceilings, white brick walls, and a massive Italian fresco, Nostrana offers a unique and award-winning dining experience.

The menu is an authentic multi-course Italian menu with antipasti, pasta, pizza, and entrees.

The pizzas are appetizers, served as small Neapolitan-style pizzas.

I loved the Diavola with spicy sausage, mozzarella, provolone, tomato, and pickled peppers.


Escape From New York Pizza

622 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
Phone: 503-227-5423
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The owners of Escape From New York Pizza may have escaped the east coast, but they managed to bring New York-style pizza to the west coast.

Teetering between King’s Hill and Nob Hill, Escape from New York Pizza is a classic New York slice shop with red vinyl booths and a long glass case displaying the freshest slices in town, served on white paper plates.

Dough and sauce are scratch-made every morning, and fresh mozzarella tops every pie.

You can order a whole pie from a 100% customizable menu or try a slice of cheese, pepperoni, or a rotating daily feature.

I thought their sauce was terrific.

They let it simmer for hours with heaps of garlic, and the sweet aromatic taste shines through.


Life of Pie Pizza

3632 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97227
Phone: 503-820-0083
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Life of Pie Pizza is a wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria in Slabtown and Boise.

Both locations offer friendly counter service, a full dining room, and bar seating.

They use high-quality, locally sourced produce to create gourmet pizzas, salads, antipasti, and a build-your-own spaghetti menu.

They offer vegan pizza with house-made cashew mozzarella.

I will happily eat anything, so I went for the pizza with bacon, goat cheese, leeks, caramelized onions, and olive oil.

The leeks and caramelized onions balanced the savory and salty goat cheese and bacon perfectly.

I recommend going with at least one other person, so you can split a pizza and a bowl of spaghetti.


Oven and Shaker

1134 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209
Phone: 503-241-1600
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Oven and Shaker is a high-end, fashionable Neapolitan Pizzeria and Italian Street Food restaurant and cocktail bar in the Pearl District.

The lively atmosphere has a rustic-chic design with wooden walls, romantic dim lighting, and a giant red brick, wood-fired oven.

Oven and Shaker is a top pick for local restaurant guides like Eater, The Pearl, and Willamette Week.

Oven and Shaker has an award-winning wine list and expertly crafted cocktails that get as much press as the food menu.

Their Neapolitan pizzas feature authentic Italian and New American-inspired topping combinations.

My favorite specialty pizza is the Maple Pig with apple, smoked ham, pork belly, maple, and ricotta.


Ranch PDX

Multiple locations
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With locations in Hosford-Abernathy, Northwest Portland, and Concordia, Ranch PDX is a Portland favorite for Grandma-style pies.

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Their industrial-chic dining spaces offer New York-style counter service.

Their pizzas are giant square-shaped pan pizzas with thick, dense crusts and charred edges.

I wouldn’t call them Sicilian as much as Detroit-style pizza with Italian toppings.

Whatever designation they fall under, they’re incredible and have consistently received praise from The Oregonian and The Willamette Week. Deep-pan pizza is my favorite style, so I was in heaven at Ranch PDX.

You can order a quarter pie or a whole pie.

I went for the #4 Whole Pie with pork sausage, ricotta, aged mozzarella, red sauce, and Calabrian chilies.


Virtuous Pie

1126 SE Division St #200, Portland, OR 97202
Phone: 503-334-2073
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True to its name, Virtuous Pie is a 100% plant-based pizzeria and farm-to-table eatery in Lad’s Addition.

Featured in the Happy Cow, Virtuous Pie offers a stunning dining space with long family-style marble tables, an open kitchen, high ceilings, and large windows.

They support local purveyors, artists, and farms, with everything from menu items to wall art sourced proudly from the local community.

I’m an omnivore, and I can tell even the staunchest meat lover that Virtuous Pie is worth visiting.

You’d have no idea that the cheese is plant-based. It’s just as creamy and savory as the real thing.

I went for their happy hour and had a discounted Sgt. Pepperoni with san Marzano tomato sauce, house-made pepperoni, cashew mozzarella, parmesan, spice mix, hot honey, and arugula.


Assembly Brewing

6112 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206
Phone: 971-888-5973
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Founded by Detroit-native George Johnson, Assembly Brewing is a microbrewery, pub, and Detroit-style pizzeria.

Johnson is both the chef and master brewer, using his years growing up in Detroit, he studied at the The American Brewers Guild and has been continuing his three decade long study of beer.

Located in Foster Powell, Assembly Brewing has a casual and lively atmosphere.

It’s also got a great tap list and happy hour with discounted brews and three dollars off any large Detroit pie.

Detroit-style pie is square-shaped pan pizza with toppings, cheese, and sauce spread all the way to the edges and an extra heap of sauce on top of the cheese.

I enjoyed their Golden Ale to accompany a personal-sized Popeye pizza with spinach, feta, and olives.


Cibo

3539 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
Phone: 503-719-5377
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Cibo is an authentic Italian bistro, cocktail bar, and Neapolitan pizzeria in a quaint, tasteful dining space in Division/Clinton.

The open kitchen reveals a gorgeous, imported wood-fired oven with a colorful mosaic covering its dome.

Cibo serves high-end, multi-course meals using scratch-made dough for their pizza and pasta.

They use locally sourced cheese and produce for their gourmet pizza and pasta sauces.

I started with the Fresh Puget Sound Mussels in a light tomato and cream and butter sauce with saffron, fresh thyme, and lemon.

If you’re a fan of sweet and savory, I recommend their Pizza di Figo with homemade fig jam, prosciutto, mozzarella, goat cheese, and arugula.


Dove Vivi

2727 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232
Phone: 503-239-4444
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Dove Vivi is a proudly farm-to-table 100% Oregon-sourced pizza shop in Kerns, offering unique cornmeal-crusted pizza.

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They are a family-owned restaurant, using a longtime friend and famed west coast chef Mike Freemen’s award-winning recipes to create the dough, cure the meats, stretch the cheese, and even make the casing for the sausages used in these spectacular pizzas.

They use fresh produce from local farms to elaborate amazing salads.

My favorite is the beet salad with roasted walnuts, and blue cheese over greens served with shallot balsamic vinaigrette.

The thin-crust pizza has a wonderful crispy finish and a unique ground corn taste.

I recommend the sausage and peppers pizza with fennel sausage, caramelized onions, and roasted red peppers.


East Glisan Pizza Lounge

8001 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97213
Phone: 971-279-4273
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Located in a revamped old Mexican restaurant in Montavilla, East Glisan Pizza Lounge has a taproom and pizzeria with New York-style and Detroit-style pizzas.

The casual, laid-back atmosphere, affordable yet gourmet pizza offerings, and a rotating tap list of local micro-brewed beers make East Glisan Pizza Lounge a neighborhood favorite.

They have a full menu of appetizers, salads, Detroit-style pizza, vegan specialty pies, and thin-crust New York-style pies.

I’m a sucker for Detroit-style pizza, but I couldn’t pass up their specialty New York pizza selection.

I opted for the Five Cheese with garlic oil, fontina, ricotta, asiago, Romano, fresh mozzarella, and rosemary.


Flying Pie Pizzeria

Multiple locations
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With locations in Montavilla and University Park, Flying Pie Pizzeria is a Portland institution that opened in 1984 under the leadership of longtime pizza ship owners Dave and Connie Parker.

The Parkers have operated pizzerias in three different states since 1974, settling in Portland, where they grew the business and turned it into a family affair.

Now their nephew and daughter are owners of different locations in neighboring Washington state.

The menu is 100% customizable.

First, you choose the size and thickness of the crust, and then you select the toppings from an impressive list of over 40 ingredients.

Of course, they also have specialty pies inspired by American flavors.

I liked the Shake N Bake pizza with chicken breast, barbecue sauce, bacon, and red onion.


Handsome Pizza

1603 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97211
Phone: 503-247-7499
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Handsome Pizza is a Vernon neighborhood wood-fired pizzeria, bakery, and breakfast eatery.

They source their grains, produce, meats, and cheeses from a long list of local farms and purveyors.

They’re quirky, kitschy dining space has friendly counter service, a large baked goods case, and an open kitchen decked out in a clutter of mismatched light fixtures, potted plants, and mismatched light fixtures, chairs, and tables.

Since they’re a bakery, you know their crusts are excellent.

They serve wood-fired pies all week, using scratch0made sauce and gourmet ingredients.

On Wednesdays, they offer Sicilian square pies, and on Thursdays, they offer calzones.

I’ve never had a more delicious calzone than their white variety with mozzarella, ricotta, basil, garlic, and preserved lemon.



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Written by Brian Nagele

Brian attended West Virginia University, then started his career in the IT industry before following his passion for marketing and hospitality. He has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and bar industry.

As a former restaurant owner, he knows about running a food business and loves to eat and enjoy cocktails on a regular basis. He constantly travels to new cities tasting and reviewing the most popular spots.

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