New PDX dining and shopping options open just in time for holiday travel

Is Portland back?

That was the message both of Oregon’s U.S. senators and several members of Congress pitched in trumpeting the city’s alleged back-ness at a recent event announcing the James Beard Public Market’s new location.

Their main evidence? The proposed market, an upcoming WNBA franchise and, most tangibly, the Portland International Airport’s ongoing $2.15 billion remodel, which hit a major milestone with the main terminal’s August reopening.

It’s not just the nine-acre timber roof, the spacious floor plan or the actual living trees that are new. As a recurring overhead announcement notes, PDX welcomed 20 retail and dining options this year, including wood-fired pizza, scratch-made pasta, hand-crafted leather goods and a bar with nearly 100 taps of Oregon beer, cider and wine.

And in case you forgot, the Port of Portland promises “street pricing” at PDX, meaning all that food and shopping comes without any eye-popping price hikes.

The timing of the expansion couldn’t be much better. The PDX remodel began in spring of 2021, one year after an April that saw a pandemic-time low of 77,000 passengers, including a single day with just 1,500 people passing through the airport. With holidays approaching, the airport is expecting around 1.4 million passengers this month, including nearly 60,000 people per day during the busy period before and after Thanksgiving.

To help guide you through the airport’s new concessions, five reporters from The Oregonian visited the airport this month, checking out restaurants, bars and shops both before and after security. PDX has dubbed its new pre-security areas The Garden and Market Hall. After security, you’ll wind up in either the North Concession Hall or South Concession Hall, linked by the Concourse Connector.

Those areas are not yet complete, with more dining and shopping options expected to open in 2026, when the next phase of expansion wraps up. Below, we’ll walk you through what you’ll find right now in the new section of Portland’s airport. Before the remodel, PDX was often named the best airport in America. And it’s only gotten better.

DINING

Blue Star Donuts

Those who remember the original Blue Star Donuts location at the old PDX would do well to forget it: The Portland donut shop’s new location is a huge improvement, brightly lit in the airy new North Concession Hall beside Concourse D. The post-security location offers the chain’s “donuts for grownups” both individually and by the dozen (giving competition to Voodoo’s pink boxes that always make their way to the airport), as well as a coffee menu. This is sure to become a crowd favorite.

4 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday; North Concession Hall; bluestardonuts.com.

— Jamie Hale

Capers Bistro

Capers Bistro isn’t exactly a new addition to the airport, but it is in a new location, at the South Concession Hall. One thing that has stayed the same? The $6 mimosas all day. If you plan on indulging in a mimosa pre-vacation, consider pairing it with a cheese board or some of the bistro’s “loaded frites” or french fries covered in things like steak, mushrooms or cauliflower.

4 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; South Concession Hall; caperscafe.com.

— Lizzy Acker

The Country Cat

The Country Cat, once a beloved Southeast Portland staple known for brunch and fried chicken, now operates solely as a deli and market at PDX. Here, travelers can enjoy a wide selection of ready-made meals, sandwiches, soups, wraps and pastries, along with freshly brewed coffee and tea. For those looking to unwind, the location also features a full bar with craft cocktails and $7 mimosas available all day.

4 a.m.-11 p.m. daily; Main Terminal pre-security; thecountrycat.net

— Chiara Profenna

Grassa

Portland’s fresh pasta chain has a big footprint in the new North Concession Hall with a large dining area at the entrance of Concourse D (Pilot House Distilling is expected to join there in 2026). Grassa offers a full menu of fresh-made pasta to help travelers carbo-load before boarding, as well as a non-pasta breakfast menu before 10 a.m. A full bar offers beer, wine and cocktails anytime.

5 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; North Concession Hall; grassapdx.com.

— Jamie Hale

Loyal Legion

At Loyal Legion, dine with a view of Portland’s famous runways immortalized on the more famous teal carpet. Located on the mezzanine level before security, the restaurant offers burgers, sandwiches and one of the best beer lists in the city with 96 Oregon brews on tap. The most popular food items include the braised chicken bowl, fried chicken bites and kasekrainer, an Austrian sausage. A kid’s play area is also coming soon to the location.

8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; Main Terminal pre-security; loyallegionbeerhall.com/pdx.

— Chiara Profenna

Oven and Shaker

The PDX outpost of Portland’s wood-fired pizzeria Oven and Shaker may be smaller than its Pearl District and Lake Oswego counterparts, but the pizza is just as good. For travelers expecting reheated California Pizza Kitchen-level pies, the quality of this meal will be shocking, and a good introduction to Portland’s world class pizza scene. Try the spicy salami if you like something a little hot and a little sweet.

5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily; South Concession Hall; ovenandshaker.com.

— Lizzy Acker

Portland Coffee Roasters

Portland Coffee Roasters is expanding its presence at PDX with a new cafe that offers a cozy seating area for travelers to unwind before passing through security. This latest addition joins two other locations past security in the North Concession Hall and Concourse C, ensuring visitors can enjoy a taste of Portland coffee anywhere in the airport. The pre-security location offers a full menu of classic espresso drinks, seasonal specialties, breakfast sandwiches and pastries.

Main Terminal pre-security: 4 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; North Concession Hall: 4 a.m.-1 p.m. daily; portlandcoffeeroasters.com.

— Chiara Profenna

Straightaway Cocktails

Straightaway Cocktails may not have a full storefront area yet, but that isn’t stopping the little canned cocktail shop from serving up creative and delicious cocktails as well as some adorable gifts. (Don’t sleep on the cute denim dad hat with a cocktail sword-speared cherry embroidered on the front.) If you have the time, and the desire, spend $20 and get a cocktail taster flight served with local Miss Hannah’s popcorn. Or grab a four-pack of cans to take with you.

7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily; South Concession Hall, straightawaycocktails.com.

— Lizzy Acker

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

PDX is awash in coffee shops. But if there’s one coffee shop that says “Portland,” even more so somehow than Portland Coffee Roasters, it has to be Stumptown. At the new South Concession Hall location, you may encounter a line while you wait for your coffee. But the line moves quickly, and you will be rewarded not only with your favorite coffee but with a pastry from St. Honoré Boulangerie.

4 a.m.-8 p.m. daily; South Concession Hall; stumptowncoffee.com.

— Lizzy Acker

SHOPPING

Freeland Spirits

Portland’s women-owned distillery has big plans to pour cocktails in a future bar in the North Concession Hall, slated for a 2026 opening. For now, a Freeland Spirits kiosk offers a beautiful display of colorful bottles containing their various kinds of gin and bourbon. The Forest Gin, made with chanterelle mushrooms, Douglas fir tips, salal berries and nettles, is a great way to bring a piece of the Pacific Northwest with you.

7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily; North Concession Hall; freelandspirits.com.

— Jamie Hale

Hello From Portland

Promised your friend a Portland souvenir, immediately forgot to hunt one down and now your trip is over? Hello from Portland has your back for all your last-minute gift-giving needs — and you don’t even need to go through security. The store overflows with Rose City memorabilia, everything from T-shirts and magnets to stickers, socks and shot glasses. There’s even a corner stocked with Portland-themed books for some nostalgic flight reading.

5 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; Main Terminal pre-security; hellofromportland.net.

— Veronica Nocera

Missionary Chocolates

Missionary Chocolates is one of the airport’s newest pop-up shops, and it’s offering some of the most delicious treats. The company specializes in gluten-free, vegan chocolate truffles, but that’s far from the only thing it’s thought to envelope in chocolate. Grab a bag of chocolate-covered figs, potato chips, cinnamon gummy bears, cherries, pretzels, marshmallows — or just a classic bar.

7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; Main Terminal pre-security; missionary-chocolates.myshopify.com.

— Veronica Nocera

Orox Leather Co.

If you want to see the look on your friends’ faces when you tell them you got your handcrafted leather bag from the airport, Orox Leather Co. is the place to go. The business is family-owned, run by fourth-generation Mexican American leather artisans. In its airport shop, you can find a vast selection of colorful leather handbags, wallets, belts, hats and more — including a few shelves filled with a range of sweet and salty snacks.

6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily; Main Terminal pre-security; oroxleather.com.

— Veronica Nocera

Paper Epiphanies

Paper Epiphanies, PiPH for short, is already making waves as one of the first independent greeting card companies to set up shop in a U.S. airport. But also, the cards are really just that cute. Women-run and women-centric, the store offers designs for a variety of classic and overlooked situations: birthdays, friendship, death, motherhood and more. It’s also a stationery lover’s paradise, full of journals, highlighters, stickers, sketchbooks — and one of the few spots in the airport where you can snag a pen.

6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; Main Terminal pre-security; piphpaper.com.

— Veronica Nocera

Pendleton

A new, full-fledged Pendleton store in the North Concession Hall is a welcome addition to PDX, and comes in addition to the Oregon brand’s existing kiosk in Concourse C. The iconic blankets are sold alongside the woolen mill’s clothing and accessories, all of which make great gifts or souvenirs that scream Pacific Northwest.

North Concession Hall: 5 a.m.-8 p.m. daily; Concourse C: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; pendleton-usa.com.

— Jamie Hale

Portland Gear

From online brand to popular retailer, Portland Gear has built off its simple (but now instantly recognizable) logo and landed a coveted space at PDX. The brand has a kiosk in the new North Concession Hall, with plans to open a full storefront in 2026. There, travelers can buy its popular branded caps and shirts, as well as its new line of colorful, “weather-proof” backpacks – in the rainy season, they might be a great purchase for those just getting off the plane in Portland.

6 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; North Concession Hall; portlandgear.com.

— Jamie Hale

Powell’s Books

The storefront area for Powell’s is still in the build-out stage, so it currently is more of a large kiosk of books and gifts than a full store. Still, it’s the perfect place to grab a novel for your flight or a stuffed animal for your niece when you arrive. And, if you’re a visitor, this shop is a nice little taste of the wonder you can find on West Burnside Avenue at Powell’s City of Books. The full 1,940 square foot retail space is set to open in 2026.

6 a.m.-7 p.m. daily; South Concession Hall; powells.com.

— Lizzy Acker

Steven Smith Teamaker

Steven Smith Teamaker, the Portland-based tea company, has a kiosk and small tea bar in the North Concession Hall as it works to open a full storefront in 2026. Travelers can purchase boxes of tea to take home, or tea on tap to go. The choose-your-own sampler pack makes a nice souvenir, with so many herbal and caffeinated teas to try.

5 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; North Concession Hall; smithtea.com.

— Jamie Hale