Categories > Guides and Tips
14 Exciting Ways to Enjoy Homestead, Portland
- Try unique Thai dishes at Siam Umami
- Order street food classics at Thai Yummy
- Eat a hearty dish made by Thai chefs at Thai Vendor
- Discover innovative sushi at Momiji Sushi Restaurant
- Purchase healthy food at OHSU Farmers Market
- Take a hit of a vape pen at Pacific Gold Cannabis
- Purchase a fine wine at Cellar Door
- Get some hair extensions at KOA Beauty
- Immerse yourself in Portland’s art scene at Coalition Art Gallery
- Smell the flowers at Duniway Park Lilac Garden
- See Portland from a different perspective at Eagle Point Overlook
- Take the Portland Aerial Tram at Marquam Hill Upper Tram Terminal
- Go on a hike at Marquam Nature Park
- Discover Portland’s well kept secret at Scenic Portland View W/ Bench
Among Portland’s many interesting neighborhoods, Homestead definitely stands out not just for its small-town feel, but for the numerous experiences both visitors and locals can indulge in.
From trying amazing Thai cuisine to seeing unhindered views of the city, here are 14 exciting ways to discover all that Homestead has to offer.
1. Try unique Thai dishes at Siam Umami
Website: https://www.siamumami.com
Address: 4237 S Corbett Ave, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-479-8188
Operating hours:
- Monday & Tuesday – closed
- Wednesday to Sunday – 4 PM to 9 PM
Siam Umami is a Thai restaurant that serves delicious authentic dishes with a twist. The chef puts a unique spin on the classic Thai meals, so this is something you won’t see elsewhere.
They have several interesting items on their menu that would immediately catch anyone’s eye such as rockfish with caramelized nectarine and tum khou pote (spicy corn salad with sweet corn, carrot, green beans, garlic, Thai chilies, crushed peanuts and cherry tomatoes wrapped in shaved cucumber).
The plating is also worth noting. With the presentation being as creative as possible, the artistry of the chef really shines through with every plate.
Pro tip:
We recommend not missing the opportunity to try one of the best items of their menu – the pork belly braised in coconut water. We weren’t sure about it at first to tell you the truth. However, we’re so glad we tried it!
2. Order street food classics at Thai Yummy
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/6Lyt8nLXED8GHCuA6
Address: 1010 S Gibbs St, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-608-7668
Operating hours:
- Monday to Friday – 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Thai Yummy is another quaint restaurant in Homestead that serves healthy Thai classics. Their delicious grub includes dishes such as spring rolls, tom yum, Bangkok street style wings, Pad Thai, and so on.
Their portions are generous and the quality’s always consistent, making Thai Yummy one of the places to look forward to if you’re planning on spending the day in Homestead.
Pro tip:
We love pairing their Bangkok street style wings with their Bangkok style fried rice! This combination is our most-recommended one.
3. Eat a hearty dish made by Thai chefs at Thai Vendor
Website: http://thaivendorportland.com
Address: 907 SW Gibbs St, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-973-5907
Operating hours:
- Monday to Thursday – 11 AM to 9 PM
- Friday – 11 AM to 9:30 PM
- Saturday – 12 PM to 9:30 PM
- Sunday – Closed
Surprisingly, there’s another Thai restaurant in Homestead – Thai Vendor. This one is a homey restaurant that serves authentic Thai street food made by actual Thai chefs.
To give you an overview of their menu, they serve a lot of salads, appetizers, soups (it’s not a Thai restaurant without soup!), curry, noodles, fried rice, and so on.
Pro tips:
- From their appetizers, we recommend their spicy dumplings the most. They’re steamed and they come with homemade chili oil.
- We also thoroughly enjoyed their pad Thai, so make sure to get that as well!
4. Discover innovative sushi at Momiji Sushi Restaurant
Website: https://momijiinc.com
Address: 3460 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-206-7761
Operating hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 11 AM to 8 PM
Momiji Sushi Restaurant is a Japanese restaurant that has been around for 18 years or so.
They have numerous items on their menu, most of which are rolls and nigiri. They have the classic options like salmon roll, tuna roll, and such.
However, they also offer more innovative flavors like make it rain roll (with fried garlic, tempura shrimp, avocado, Japanese mayo, cooked eel, fresh salmon, fresh maguro, light garlic sauce, and sesame seed).
Additionally, they also have premium rolls that include a lot of interesting selections such as the dragon roll (with tempura shrimp, cucumber, bbq eel, avocado, spicy sauce, eel sauce, masago, and sesame seeds).
Pro tip:
We’ve tried numerous flavors and based on the feedback from numerous staff here at Rip City Review, here are our top recommendations: blossom (with tempura shrimp), jalapeño (tempura roll), and miso sexy (with snow crab).
5. Purchase healthy food at OHSU Farmers Market
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/zj3krH4VRNgUxvgT8
Address: 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR
Contact details:+1 503-494-8792
Operating hours:
- Tuesday – 10 AM to 2 PM
- Monday, Wednesday to Sunday – closed
OHSU Farmers Market is a unique kind of market that only sells healthy food options. They require their vendors to sell food items that were made using organic processes.
Dishes served with meat should include humanely raised meat products. They should also be GMO-free, trans-fat free, and dairy should be rBGH-free.
These are only a few of the requirements to make sure everything is as sustainable and healthy as possible. The farmers market, after all, is located inside the Oregon Health & Science University.
A few examples of the stuff they sell are fresh-pressed juice, hummus, different kinds of produce, and many more.
Pro tip:
If you’re bringing a car with you, we suggest parking at the top level of the Sam Jackson parking lot located at SW Sam Jackson Park Road. This is the parking spot nearest the farmers market.
6. Take a hit of a vape pen at Pacific Gold Cannabis
Website: https://www.pacificgold.com
Address: 1010 SW Gibbs St, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-477-5202
Operating hours:
- Monday to Saturday – 10 AM to 9:50 PM
- Sunday – 10 AM to 6 PM
Pacific Gold Cannabis is one of the many dispensaries in the city that locals know and love. They make sure to source their cannabis through a family of farmers who make it all natural, so you don’t have to worry about the quality.
An example of what they have available are disposable vape pens that contain either indica, sativa, or hybrid.
We have to say that they had fewer selections before they remodeled their store, however, there are still quite a good amount of goods to choose from.
Pro tip:
Ask about their deals because they have pretty sweet deals and discounts every week!
7. Purchase a fine wine at Cellar Door
Website: http://www.thecellardoor.com
Address: 4525 SW Condor Ave, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-221-7435
Operating hours:
- Tuesday to Friday – 10 AM to 5 PM
- Monday, Saturday & Sunday – closed
Another great addition to the Homestead neighborhood is the Cellar Door. The Cellar Door acts like your personal wine shopper and procures the finest wine in town for you.
They don’t always have an extensive collection, but each one is guaranteed to be of high quality that sells like hotcakes!
Pro tip:
If you want to attend one of their many wine tasting events, just head over to their website to see if they have an upcoming one.
8. Get some hair extensions at KOA Beauty
Website: https://www.koabeautypdx.com
Address: 3701 SW Condor Ave, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 971-770-1875
Operating hours:
- Monday to Wednesday – 10 AM to 7:30 PM
- Thursday – closed
- Friday – 10 AM to 5 PM
- Saturday & Sunday – closed
You can also get a cool makeover when you’re in the Homestead neighborhood. All you have to do is drop by the salon KOA Beauty.
They specialize in custom hair extensions that can last you for 4 to 6 months or 10 months depending on the method you wish to choose.
Aside from that, they also offer single process color, dimensional color, and haircuts.
Pro tip:
We suggest reading the information about the extensions on their website before booking an appointment. This would greatly help you with figuring out what method and length you want.
9. Immerse yourself in Portland’s art scene at Coalition Art Gallery
Website: https://coalitionartgallery.com
Address: 37 S Hamilton St, Portland, OR
If you find yourself in Homestead, you can also indulge yourself in the thriving art scene that Portland has to offer.
Most of the artists that showcase their artworks here are up and coming, so this is the perfect place to see the budding local artists.
Moreover, the curator doesn’t care about an artist’s training or experience, which is why you would find most artworks here to be fairly raw. There’s certainly a unique kind of beauty to them.
Pro tip:
To see the current artists holding their exhibits at the Coalition Art Gallery, just head over to their website.
10. Smell the flowers at Duniway Park Lilac Garden
Website: https://goo.gl/maps/xBwmJstUUv6Px4bq8
Address: &, SW 6th Ave & SW Sheridan St, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 503-823-2525
Operating hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 5 AM to 12 AM
The Lilac Garden at Duniway Park is one of our favorite spots in Homestead. It features around 225 lilacs that are guaranteed to make a great backdrop or main attraction in your photos.
Located in the heart of a bustling city, the lilac garden is truly a gem of natural wonders. If the lilacs are in full bloom, you can smell them from across the street, which we find lovely.
Pro tip:
We find that the best time to go here is in June. That’s when the Japanese lilac trees bloom, which is one of the highlights in this garden.
11. See Portland from a different perspective at Eagle Point Overlook
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/AdLkVTRcoXEek7ww6
Address: 4099 SW Lowell Ln, Portland, OR
Here’s something a lot of people don’t know about!
If you want to see a beautiful unhindered view of the city and the stunning Larch Mountain, Mt. Saint Helens, and Mount Hood, a short hike to the Eagle Point Overlook would surely be worth the time (and the quick hike).
Pro tip:
If you want a better view, just climb a little bit more to the slope near a group of Douglas firs.
12. Take the Portland Aerial Tram at Marquam Hill Upper Tram Terminal
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/9JJjp238ijPik1HDA
Operating hours:
- Monday to Friday – 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM
- Saturday – 9 AM to 5 PM
- Sunday – closed
Price:
- Single round trip pass – $7
- Monthly pass – $40 per month
- Annual pass – $440 per year
Riding the Portland Aerial Tram is one of the best ways to see Portland from a different perspective. It offers a chance to see a unique view of the city, so it’s something you shouldn’t miss if you’re in the Homestead neighborhood.
It takes you 500 ft. up in the air, so those who are afraid of heights might want to skip this one (sorry!).
However, if you can gather enough courage, we promise it’s worth it! There are so many different sights to see.
To the south, you can see the Willamette River and Willamette Valley. To the west, you’ll spot Marquam Hill, and OHSU.
As for the east, there’s Mount Hood and the Willamette River. Meanwhile, you’ll be able to see Mount Saint Helens to the north.
Pro tips:
- If you want to avoid crowds, we recommend riding the tram around 7 AM to 9 AM or 4 PM to 6 PM.
- We also recommend riding the tram during sunrise or sunset to get the most unbeatable view!
- To purchase a ticket, you may do so by going to this website.
13. Go on a hike at Marquam Nature Park
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/vZyTD4hLYYvu4Xdv6
Address: Main entrance:, SW Marquam St, Portland, OR
Contact details: +1 971-599-3667
Operating hours:
- Monday to Sunday – 5 AM to 12 AM
Heads up fellow wildlife explorers! You’d want to hear about Marquam Nature Park.
This chunk of Portland boasts luscious forests that are just waiting to be explored. This park can lead you to a 40-mile loop trail of the Marquam Trail, so you can make a day out of it and go on a scenic hike.
Most of the area that the park sits on has plenty of plant species and trees like western hemlock, douglas fir, and more.
Pro tip:
There are also several volunteer events at Marquam Nature Park that you might be interested in. Just check Portland.gov’s website to be updated.
14. Discover Portland’s well kept secret at Scenic Portland View W/ Bench
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/S4HUh4YBbZ6SyddaA
Address: 2906-2760, SW Terwilliger Blvd, Portland, OR
Another hidden gem where you can get one of the best views of the city is the Scenic Portland View W/Bench. Really, that’s what we simply call it!
Not a lot of people know about this spot (yes, even locals!), so this is the best place to be if you want to see a stunning view of Portland but also want to avoid the crowds.
Pro tip:
We really like going here during the sunrise. It’s the perfect place to just sit down and appreciate the beautiful mix of urban and nature.
