Bluehour

250 NW 13th Ave.; 503-226-3394

This Mediterranean restaurant is the star in the Bruce Carey empire and for over a decade has been thee place to see stars dine. Whether its filmmakers like Todd Haynes and Gus Van Sant having lunch or Sharon Osborne and her clan dining out while filming an episode of America’s Got Talent, this place attracts all sorts of celebs. Other sighting include Mikhail Baryshnikov, Timothy Hutton, Al Gore.  
 

Navarre

10 Northeast 28th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232; (503) 232-3555

Navarre doesn’t exactly have stars eating out of their hands, but it is notable to mention that this is the place where you might see Portlandia stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein dining with a diverse group of guest stars including the one and only Maya Rudolph.

Veritable Quandary

1220 Southwest 1st Avenue, Portland, OR 97204. 503-227-7342

Although the VQ has been in the news of late due to the fact that Multnomah County finds this to one of the best places to build a new courthouse, the VQ has been attracting celebs for years now. Most recent sightings include members of Fleetwood Mac and John Oliver. 

Tasty N Alder

580 Southwest 12th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205. 503-621-9251

John Gorham’s much beloved brunch spot is pulling the celebs as of late including Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Cheryl Strayed who were in town for the Wild Premiere as well as Lucy Liu who was in town to visit family. Other sightings include Parker Posey who was said to be in town to shoot an episode of Portlandia.

Departure Restaurant & Lounge

525 Southwest Morrison Street, Portland, OR 97204; 503-802-5370

This high flying Asian-focused restaurant is home to a celebrity chef: Gregory Gourdet from Top Chef: Boston. Gourdet’s cuisine and the roof-top restaurants panoramic views are just two of the reasons that celebs spend so much time here. Michael Jordan pretty much lives on the deck whenever he is in Portland, and the deck is where Gus Van Sant encouraged k.d. lang to make Portland her new home. Also spotted at Departure: Dave Chapelle, Candy Spelling, Matthew Perry, Matthew Fox and Ben Cohen.

Heathman

1001 Southwest Broadway, Portland, OR 97205; 503-790-7752

With the proximity of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall being so close (in fact there is a secret hallway that connects the hotel to the hall) the Heathman Restaurant is an easy choice for everyone from Ellen Degeneres to singer Bernadette Peters, who recently dined there after her show with the Oregon Symphony. Other dining guests have included David Chappelle and Robin Williams. 

Saucebox

214 Southwest Broadway, Portland, OR 97209; 503-241-3393

This pan-Asian boîte spot is nectar to the celebrity gods. Dark and cozy, with a DJ spinning house music, this is the place to see such diverse celebrities as Mackenzie Phillips, Greg Louganis, as well as Sarah Jessica Parker. Interesting to note: this was the space where Sam Worthington met a woman who was working there at the time, Crystal Humphries, who he would end up dating. They are no longer together. 

23 Hoyt

529 Northwest 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97210; 503-445-740

The upstairs dining area at this Northwest Twenty Third restaurant has seen its share of celebs at one of its long and spacious table. Recently this was the site for the Wild Portland premiere after-party that attracted the likes of Witherspoon and Dern. When Jennifer Aniston was in Oregon to make a movie this was the same table where she was overheard talking about Britney Spears. It’s a pretty safe bet that you will find one of the stars of GRIMM hanging out near the bar as was the case with David Giuntoli.  

Jake’s Famous Crawfish

401 Southwest 12th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205; 503-226-1419

This granddaddy of the restaurant scene is a standby for everyone from opera divas to big time politicos. Others who have been spotted dining at Jake’s: Peter Frampton and Justin Bieber. Madonna has been a frequent diner in the back bar. 

Ava Genes

3377 Southeast Division Street, Portland, OR 97202

Martha Stewart had a brief love affair with Portland recently that culminated with dinner at this Southeast haute eating establishment with Timber Press publisher (and former head gardener and Martha Stewart Living gardening editor) Andrew Beckman. Others who have dined here included Andrew McCarthy and Francis Ford Coppola who brought his own wine. 

Mother’s Bistro

212 Southwest Stark Street, Portland, OR 97204; 503-464-1122

Ground zero for many local celeb dining sightings motherly chef Lisa Schroeder has stars lining up to dine at her bistro. Here are just a few: Reese Witherspoon, Chely Wright, Damon Wayans, Robert Plant, Kelsey Grammer, Ron Howard, Ed Harris, Jesse James, Kat Von D, Brendan Robinson. 

Driftwood Room

Hotel deLuxe, 729 Southwest 15th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205; 503-820-2076 

This is the best place to get up close and personal with a celeb who might be stopping through town. That is if you can see them, it is so dark in here. That said, this cozy, old school bar is a favorite with Jennifer Aniston, Kirsten Wiig, Steve Zahn, Huey Lewis and many other stars.