Friendship Kitchen, Portland
2333 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232
Friendship Kitchen in Portland, Oregon has an interesting take on traditional Vietnamese food. Located on a busy street in Portland, you will find some fun dishes based on your favorite Vietnamese food. From Pho to Banh Mi, they have it.
A Glimpse into Friendship Kitchen
Friendship Kitchen is unassuming and has a charm to it, similar to many restaurants in Portland. As soon as you walk towards the door, you can take a look at the menu stapled to a beam outside of the entrance. There is a decent amount of outdoor seating with lamps available, although during the Portland winters make sure to bring a jacket to stay warm.
The Food
There is a decent variety of Vietnamese classics to pick from but we went with a few staples.
Spicy Lemongrass Beef Noodle Soup: The soup was fragrant, spicy, salty and incredibly warm. It did have a decent amount of fish sauce in the soup broth, so if that is not to your tastes maybe pick another item. If that is something you’re in to, I highly recommend this one. The beef is tender, the meatballs are homemade and tasty, the noodles are cooked perfectly, and the soup comes with all of the fixings on the side. A solid 8/10.
Dream Rolls: The "Dream Rolls” are an interesting take on traditional spring rolls. I have never had this style of spring rolls before but now I can’t go back. The spring rolls are made fresh and stuffed with all of the traditional fillings like lettuce, bean sprouts, mint, carrots, and tofu. But the real surprise is a nicely deep fried spring roll that is split in half and stuffed into the center. The warm, cold, soft but crunchy hits every taste bud in an amazing way. It is served with an incredibly tangy vinegar based dipping sauce that tops it off perfectly. Solid 9/10.
Chicken Banh Mi:
If you come here and only order one thing, get the Chicken Banh Mi. Seriously, its delicious. The bread is tender yet has an amazing crust, it has a decent smear of mayo, stuffed with jalapenos, cilantro, carrots and lettuce. But it is all about the chicken. The chicken thigh has this amazing flavor thanks to the five spice crust. The chicken itself is juicy and has a slight sear from the grill. It is cut into large chunks and is absolutely stuffed into the sandwich. Make sure you top it with sriracha and go all in. Must order 9/10.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Just order it. Seriously. The creamy coconut milk gives an amazing body and texture to the drink making it thick and rich. It is sweetened from condensed milk then topped with cinnamon. I can’t recommend this iced coffee enough. 10/10.
The Price
I will leave out the coffee as that was given to us on the house, so the total for all of our food was about $45 with tip. For two entrees and an appetizer, with left overs to go, this is well worth it.
Your Turn to Decide
I can sing the praises of this place all day, but it doesn’t mean much unless you go! Check out the address above and give them a visit. Let me know what you think.
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