Portland Named Most Affordable “Foodie City” in the U.S.

Friday, October 16, 2015

GoLocalPDX Lifestyle Team

Food lovers, or "foodies" as they are affectionately known, are right at home in Portland. According to a recent study by Wallethub, Portland is the best "foodie city for your wallet.”

Portland topped cities like Orlando, Florida, San Francisco and Oakland, California, and Seattle, Washington in order to nab the list’s top spot.

Wallethub used 18 relevant metrics divided into two categories to determine their list of the most (and least) affordable places in the United States to be a “foodie”.

Diversity, accessibility and quality made up 70 percent of a city’s ranking, while affordability made up 30 percent.

Affordability was measured by the average price of groceries, the average price of beer and wine, the prevalence of affordable restaurants with ratings of four-and-a-half stars or more, and sales and food taxes in each city. Portland finished second in the affordability category, trailing only San Francisco.

Diversity, accessibility and quality was measured by 13 metrics, including the ratio of full service restaurants to fast-food establishments, access to healthy food options, the percentage of workers involved in agricultural activities and the numbers of restaurants, food trucks, farmers markets, ice cream and frozen yogurt shops, craft breweries and wineries, coffee and tea shops, gourmet food stores, grocery stores, butcher shops and food festivals per capita.

Portland finished 13th in this category, and none of the top five cities finished higher than 10th. Austin, Texas was given top billing for diversity, accessibility and quality.

Related Slideshow: The 10 Legendary Food Challenges in Portland (Big Eaters Club)

Looking to challenge your appetite? Here are some possible food challenges that may spark your interest.

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Casa del Sol

Food: Burrito

Price: $22

Challenge: It's all free if you eat 2 pounds of carne asada, 10 ten inch tortillas, and a side of beans and rice. If you eat this all in 30 minutes you can also get a $15 gift card or a Casa del Sol t-shirt.

Casa del Sol, 14324 S.E. Division St. and other locations. [link to website], 97236, 503-762-1033

Photo Credit: jeffreyw via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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Mad Greek Deli

Food: Sandwich

Price: $30

Challenge: 8 pound massive Mad Greek Sandwich, 1 lb. of Greek fries, and a 32-ounce drink must all be consumed within one hour. If you accomplish that goal (and you must) you will receive all the money in the pot which is at $640 right now. If you fail, at least you have a new pot in your belly to take home.

Mad Greek Deli, 1740 E. Burnside St. [link to website], 97214, 503-645-1650

Photo Credit: Antonio Fajardo i López (Own work) Live look

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Voodoo Doughnuts

Food: Doughnut

Price: $4.25

Challenge: Eat a gigantic glazed doughnut in 80 seconds. Guess what you get if you eat the Texas doughnut... You guessed it! A button thats says, "You Win!"

Voodoo Doughnuts, 22 SW 3rd Ave. [link to website], 97204, 503-241-4704

Photo Credit: travel oriented via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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Sayler’s Old Country Kitc

Food: 72 ounce steak

Price: $65

Challenge: One 72-ounce medium rare top sirloin steak must be consumed with all the trimmings: 2 pieces each of celery, carrots, olives, dill pickles, one regular salad, ten french fries or one baked potato and one slice of bread. To top it off you also must eat a dish of ice cream and drink a regular sized beverage. If you chew this all down in one hour you will get the dish free of charge and the honor of being “that guy/girl.”
Winners so far: 8 women and 571 men. Losers? 39 women and 1,285 unlucky dudes.

Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen, 10519 SE Stark St. [link to website], 97216, 503-252-4171

Photo Credit: Petr K (Own work) Live link

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Skyline Burgers

Food: Burger

Price: $25

Challenge: It’s all about the 4 1/2 lb. Quadzilla Burger. Scarf that sucker down with a coke and a pound of fries in less than 30 minutes and you don’t have to pay for it.

Skyline Burgers, 2200 NE Broadway St. [link to website], 97232, 503-808-1553

Photo Credit: stu_spivack via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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The Original

Food: Poutine

Price: $25

Challenge: Consume 5 lbs. of poutine—cheese curds, potatoes and gravy—within 30 minutes and you not only get your meal free but you also get a free t-shirt. As of right now this competition is discontinued, but in a couple of months you may be able to take on the challenge.

The Original Dinerant, 300 SW 6th Ave. [link to website], 97204, 503-546-2666

Photo Credit: yurilong via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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Stepping Stone Cafe

Food: Pancakes

Price: $8.50

Challenge: Complete three “Mancake” pancakes and you will end up on this Northwest breakfast joints “wall of shame.”

Stepping Stone Cafe, 2390 NW Quimby St. [link to website], 97210, 503-222-1132

Photo Credit: jeffreyw via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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Salvador Molly’s

Food: Habanero Cheese Fritters

Price: $7.95

Challenge: Complete five habanero cheese fritters with sauce and you will end up with your name on the wall with 40 other people (the wall comes down every year).

Salvador Molly’s, 1523 SW Sunset Blvd. [link to website], 97239, 503-293-1790

Photo Credit: dfilippini via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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Hungry Tiger

Food: Vegan Corn Dogs

Price: $1 on Wednesdays

Challenge: If you eat more than the last guy or gal, you get $1 PBR for 90 days as long as your record holds.

Hungry Tiger, 207 SE 12th Ave. [link to website], 97214, 503- 238-4321

Photo Credit: stu_spivack via Compfight cc (image cropped)

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Fire On The Mountain

Food: Hot Wings

Price: $13

Challenge: 15 El Jefe wings in three minutes. One sauce. One drink. One napkin. If you swallow all that down you end up with an organic t-shirt that says “I Survived The El Jefe”… XXX

Fire On The Mountain, 1708 E. Burnside St. and other locations. [link to website], 97215, 503-230-9464

Photo Credit: goodiesfirst via Compfight cc (image cropped)