Old Town Chinatown, Portland: Lan Su Garden, markets and where to eat

Old Town Chinatown is the oldest part of downtown Portland, a few blocks north of the center by the Willamette River. It holds a Chinese garden, a gateway, a market, a museum and a run of bars, late-night food stops and old brick buildings. It is also a neighborhood that has changed a great deal, and a visitor who looks for a large Chinese restaurant district on the model of other American cities will find something different. Visit the garden, wander the market and enjoy the area with respect for its history.

What is Old Town Chinatown?

The district is still home to many of the city's Chinese associations, as well as Lan Su Chinese Garden and the Chinatown Gateway, and it hosts regular cultural events. Relatively few Chinese businesses remain in the district itself. Much of the Chinese American community and its restaurants have since moved east, notably to the Jade District around Southeast 82nd Avenue, which has its own guide. The Portland Chinatown Museum tells the history of the community and is worth an hour.

What is Lan Su Chinese Garden?

Lan Su is a Suzhou-style garden filling an entire city block. It was built by artisans from Suzhou in the style of the Ming dynasty, combining art, architecture, design and nature. It includes a teahouse, which makes it a useful stop for a pot of tea and a snack in the middle of a walk. Tickets can be bought in advance or at the entrance, and a self-guided app offers audio tours. Tea and light food are served in the garden's teahouse.

Where does Saturday Market fit in?

Portland Saturday Market is held beside the river in the Old Town waterfront area. It is a long-running market with hot food carts alongside the crafts. Food at the market is casual: handheld snacks, hot plates and sweets. It is a good place for a quick lunch in the middle of a walk.

Where can you eat in Old Town?

The area is mixed. Chinatown itself has few restaurants now, and food in the area comes from several kinds of places:

• Snacks and sweets: Doughnut shops here draw long lines, so go in the morning if you want to avoid them.
• Late-night food: Old Town has bars and clubs, so some kitchens and food carts stay open later than elsewhere.
• Tea and dumplings: For a deeper Chinese meal, take the MAX or a bus east to the Jade District, where dim sum parlors and Vietnamese restaurants serve a large community.
• Downtown lunch: The streets between Old Town and Pioneer Courthouse Square have many lunch carts and cafes.

Is Old Town safe and easy to visit?

Old Town is a busy, mixed urban area, with nightlife and some street homelessness, as in many American downtowns. Daytime visits to the garden, the museum and the market are comfortable for most visitors. At night, stay on lit streets, travel with others if you can, and use ride-hailing or a bus rather than walking long distances alone. Ask your hotel which streets are best after dark.

How do you get there?

The district is on the MAX light rail and bus lines, and a short walk from Union Station, where the train and intercity buses arrive. Parking is by garage and meter.

How do you spend half a day in Old Town?

A relaxed route runs from the river inward. Begin at the waterfront on a market weekend and walk the stalls, eating something small as you go. Cross into the Chinatown blocks and visit the gateway, then spend an hour in Lan Su Chinese Garden, ending with tea. If the museum is open, add it; it is small and gives context that makes the rest of the walk mean more. Finish with lunch or an early dinner downtown or, for a longer meal, ride east to the Jade District. In the rain, reverse the order: start in the garden's covered corridors and the teahouse, and visit the market only if the stalls are open.

Weekdays are quieter than weekends, but the market runs only on its own days, so the choice is between crowds and company. If you are visiting with children, the garden's koi pond and the open waterfront are the easiest parts to enjoy.

What does the check look like?

Portland has no sales tax. At a sit-down restaurant, tip 18 to 20 percent. At the market, tip at the cart window if you like. Many market vendors accept cards, but have some cash for small items.

Can you eat here with dietary needs?

The market and the cafes have vegetarian and vegan items, and the garden's tea service lists options. For allergies, ask each vendor. A bakery or a food cart may use shared surfaces and fryers.

How do you keep a record of an Old Town walk?

A walk through Old Town takes in a garden, a market and a meal, and the meal is the part you will want again. In the Mosey app, rate the dish you ate by name, add a tag such as Market Stall or Dim Sum, and keep the stops in a list for the waterfront and the Jade District. Share it with the friends who came along, and they can add the tea or the dumplings they preferred. Follow friends who know the east side well.

Rate your next dim sum or market dish in the Mosey app and add it to your Portland list.

More guides to read next:

• Portland food carts and pods: how they work and how to eat at them
• Sellwood-Moreland, Portland: food guide to Milwaukie Avenue and 13th
• Portland food cart pods: how they work and where to start

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