Vincent's Gourmet Pizza

SE Hawthorne and SE 19th







We went deep into inner SE to bring you this one.  Actually, the little one was asleep so I drove around following Yelp until I decided on Vincent's.

As we walked by and I saw what appeared to be a small bar I wasn't sure if my little guy would be accepted (or legally allowed) to be in the place.  On closer examination through the window I realized this was a family friendly environment with enough space to host a party and have two functional bars for everyone else.




We walked in and immediately saw the Pin Ball machines in the back room.  While sprinting towards those I happened to pass by the bar and saw several local brews and a few international ones.  We ordered a pizza (they do slices) but also have a customizable pizza menu.











After dropping some quarters at pinball, we walked around the rest of the establishment which hosted an upstairs bar with a pool table, foosball, and an adult bar.  There was a large area for a family celebrating a party and the walls were lined with picnic plates with what appears to be children's art hanging on the wall.















The pizza?  It came out hot and good.  I was very impressed with the crust and the amount of toppings.  They gave you enough quality to fill you up, but not so much it was falling off the thin crust.  The crust was done well considering they don't have a brick oven but was of high quality and lacking any sogginess or issues with undercooking.

 









Our final review is that it's a great place to hang with a family during the day and a great place after a long night touring SW Hawthorne.

Amalfi's Restaurant

NE Fremont and NE 47th Ave

First opened in 1959 Amalfi's is a well established Italian restaurant specializing in pizza.  For all the years they have been around, they don't make their own pasta which puzzled me and perhaps discouraged me from going in on a few occasions.  I had recently read they were voted best pizza in Portland at which point I had to see for myself.  I have read other publications claiming one place or another was "the best pizza in Portland" only to find myself horribly disappointed and halting my subscription to the magazine as I believed it was paid advertising dressed up as a review.

 Having that in mind we went to Amalfi's with some friends and found they had their own small parking lot in back, which is a blessing in NE Fremont's busy restaurant scene.  We walked in and I was amazed at the classiness of this place.  I was expecting checkered vinyl table cloths with a few photos of Italy and New York City coupled with servers who didn't know Chianti from Cabernet.  What I found was an elegant dinning experience where the restaurant is divided between an adult area and a section where you could bring moderately behaved children.

 The menu had a variety of pastas and salads (we enjoyed Caesar salad) but it seemed most people came for the pizza.  There were several selections of full pizzas which we were able to customize. There were enough toppings added to fill you but not so much they slide off the slice when you pick it up.  The crust was done to perfection with no traces of sogginess but not so done that you feel it shatter in your mouth.  In all, a very well done pizza. 



I felt the meal was good and I would recommend coming here for a nice dinner, a birthday celebration, or to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink.    Not sure it's the best in Portland but it's pretty good.

Al Forno Ferruza

NE Alberta and NE 27th Ave

Long gone are the days where a new restaurant dared to set foot on Alberta Street next to the drug deals, dilapidated buildings, and scores of graffiti marked gang territory.  Now the food scene appears to be not only flourishing on this street, a restaurant must stand out enough to compete with the others in order to survive.  Hour long waits at the more popular places are accepted as the norm so if you want business lined up out the door, you better have something worth it.  

 I have been to Al Forno's twice now.  The first was at their opening and I found another pizza restaurant in North East to be nothing special or new.  I will admit I had never tried Sicilian style pizza so perhaps this was different than the other serious contenders in Portland.  

 When I first walked in I noted the wooden tables (seems most Portland area restaurants buy from the same vendor), the creaky wood floors, and small bar which offers a few extra seats.  At first glance this appeared to be a classic Portland restaurant (except there were colorful fabrics draped across the ceiling instead of bar rafters showing off the steel ventilation duct work. 

I also noticed there were several employees speaking with a strong Italian accent.  Could it be?  A restaurant on the East Side where I'm not being served food by a tattooed, face pierced, 35 year old who drinks PBR out of a tall-boy and rolls his eyes at me when I ask if I can add onions to a pizza?  Interesting...

Of course the first thing to catch my eye was the Sicilian hand tossing pizza dough about five feet above his head expanding the dough to almost two feet in diameter.  Ok, you have my attention.  Skill like that I'm sure is not wasted on bad pizza. 

 We sat down and looked at the menu which had some a modest list of excellent looking pies (I'm not into the white clam pizza but maybe folks really dig that).  They have some impressive Calzones and Strombolis as well.  The best addition to the menu is that you can build your own and the list of ingredients ranges from Walla Wall sweet onions to caper berries.  


I asked what beer they had on tab and the bartender/server/cook walked over showed me the taps, gave me a description of each and, on his own volition, grabbed some pint glasses and poured me some one ounce samples so I could make my decision. 

I was happy to wait content with my carefully select beer and customized pizza.  As we were the only ones in the restaurant at opening, the chef came out and made sure my four year old witnessed the impressive hand tossing of the dough.  He then assembled our pizza and 10 minutes later out came a blazing hot pie.  Most impressive in presentation and taste and takeout is an option as well.  If given the choice, I would rather stay and enjoy.  

Earth Oven Pizza

Hillsboro (E Main St and E 3rd Ave)

Yes I know Hillsboro is not Portland however I was stuck in Hillsboro and there is a lack of good food in this entire city.  I'm sure there is great food here, I just never happen to find it on the west side.  So one afternoon when I was compelled to be in Hillsboro, I stumbled into Earth Oven Pizza.

I can start by saying it is in a strip mall near the courthouse.  Strip malls are not necessarily a sign of bad food and the sign out front could have easily been placed out in front of a trendy SE Portland Pizza restaurant.

When I walked inside I was greeted with funky art on the wall, a large brick oven, and a young woman behind the counter with multiple piercings on her face.  For a minute I thought I was in Portland but then I looked around and saw the bamboo flooring, fake ivy hanging in pots in the ceilings, and a fake palm tree in the dining area.

The entire place looked like a start up pizza restaurant which didn't quite have the money to change the decor of the out-of-business Chinese or Sushi place which probably inhabited the building first.

The bar in the back was nice, boasting what I would imagine to be cheap wine and equally cheap and non local brews.  I noted the menu offered gluten free pizza (although you had to order a whole one), and several other options of meat and veggie pies.

Their menu is appealing, they offer whole pies and slices, they have a wood fired oven and non traditional "west siders."  What was lacking was the execution of the recipe.

I found they did not take advantage of the brick oven as they could have accomplished the same sloppy crust with a traditional pizza oven and substandard dough.

The pizza was limp and had no distinguishing tastes which would set it apart from any pizza on the east side.

To give credit, I remember I am in the middle of downtown Hillsboro and they are very different from other restaurants in the area.  While I can get past the interior decorating reminding me of a horrible General Tso's Chicken I once had, I can't get past pizza which does nothing for me.  I am willing to give this place a second chance though.

Being so close to the court house you either get a lunch crowd of professionals eating quickly before court starts again, or you get a place which hosts folks ready for one last meal before they have to pee in a cup for their parole officer and face 30 to 90 at the "hotel" down the street.  This place obviously caters to the former and are perhaps marketing to lawyers from Multnomah County.

Maybe they are new, don't have the recipes down, or were having a bad day.  They had a perfect combination of elements with an earth inspired theme to their menu, they just didn't quite put it together in a package which I would consider noteworthy.

Another time perhaps.....

Dove Vivi

NE Glisan and NE 27th Ave

Bordering hip NE 28th Ave on the busy Glisan St intersection is a small restaurant called Dove Vivi.  Walking in with a small child, I immediately felt as though I had brought the bull to the China shop.

The dim candles glowing on the table offered illumination to the soft glow lighting.  The restaurant boasts some features found at Portland's most elegant late night destinations.  Polished cement floors, wooden tables, and duct work hanging from the wood ceiling seems to populate most Portland area  dining experiences and they were all present here.

However I was able to spot a few high chairs in the back so bringing a little boy was obviously not a social crime at this place.

 I was intrigued at Dove Vivi's signature crust.  At most [izza restaurants, apart from the standard whole wheat crust cooked in the pizza oven, you might be fortunate enough to land a place with a wood-fired brick oven which slightly chars the crust to perfection.

However at Dove Vivi they make a deep dish cornmeal crust which I wondered if the consistency would elevate it's status to unique, or be a short lived fad which would not be special enough to keep the doors open and the restaurant space from becoming another mediocre Thai restaurant.

We were able to order half a pizzas, slices, and whole pizzas.  They ask for no substitutions but their menu boasts quite a variety and there are specials.  There is a vegan selection, several meat pies, and pesto sauces.  A few salads and some dessert make this dining experience perfect for either a date or a nice place to take someone celebrating some grand life milestone.

I respected Dove Vivi's boldness to try a new style of crust and center their entire menu around it.  My one and only caution with cornmeal is if a chunk of hard cornmeal lands just right when I bite, it feels like a just bit into a rock.  This can happen with muffins or the cornmeal used on pizza stones, I just feel sensitive to it.

That aside, all I can say is wow.  The staff were great, takeout is an option, and the pizza was amazing.  We will be coming back and by the looks of filled tables, others agreed with us.

American Dream Pizza

NE Glisan and NE 46

Located across the street from Providence Portland Hospital lies one of Portland's best pizzas.

The atmosphere is colorful. Literally. The walls are littered with pizza boxes which feature creative pizza art painted directly onto the box. Combined with a healthy regiment of 80's music, I felt like we were getting pizza in a John Hughes film.

The pizzas are great with either set pies or build your own. They run on the spendy side and cut their pies into squares (if that makes a difference to you). Veggie and meat options are in supply as well as plenty of local drafts.

We have been there several times but not for breakfast which they now offer. Lunch and dinners are great and To Go and limited NE/SE delivery makes American Dream perfect to grab on the way home.

Old Town Pizza

NE MLK & NE Sumner

It had a fake fireplace in front  and cardboard for pizza dough. Enough said.  Been there twice and I have found nothing positive to say other than there is plenty of space.  I'm not into trashing places but this is awful.  I wonder how it is rated so high in Portland Monthly.


There is a Pizza Hut a block away on MLK and Alberta. I would rather go there.

Mash Tun Brewery

NE 22nd and NE Alberta

While primarily a small brewery and pub, they do offer small pita pizzas.

On Alberta Street it would be difficult to try compete with restaurants specializing in Pizza.



Mash Tun does it right for what they provide. Make a basic pita pizza, nothing special but something to absorb the beer.

I wouldn't recommend this as a destination pizza place, but the atmosphere is great, the staff friendly, and the beer good. As you can tell, not gourmet, not greasy, not anything special. Will it hit to spot at midnight when you've had a few pitchers while playing pool and darts? Absolutely. And especially for $5.

Pyros Pizza

SE Hawthorne and SE 12

This blog wouldn't be complete without mentioning a Portland Food Cart.

Throughout my pizza travels I have experienced some good pies, greasy pies, horrible slices of cardboard, crappy discontent Portland Hipster waiters with advanced degrees, but I had never ventured to the carts for pizza.

Taking a friend's advice I tried Pyros. Daring to offer pizza from a cart with a brick oven, Pyros makes an incredible small pizza. The crust is amazing, with the almost burned area in top and fluffy in the middle.

The toppings were organic fennel sausage and basil. While you must stand by the fireplace or bundle up under the tents to keep from freezing, Pyros has homemade pizza down better than most restaurants.

To be fair, parking there sucks, porta poties are the only option for nature issues, but the prices are good and the different carts in that cluster give you options for sides.

Sunshine Tavern

SE Division & SE 31st

We went looking for some fried chicken and waffles and we found them at Sunshine Tavern. What we also found was a nice restaurant with a long wait during peak times, a large shuffleboard table, and food which will stop your heart. My kind of place.


While there were families there I could tell that after the early dinner hours, this transforms into an adult area. Great date night restaurant.

If this place doesn't have a brick oven they sure do a good replicating one. The crust was done perfectly and while there were only 4 or 5 pizzas on the menu, there were some options to customize. These pizzas were very gourmet and tasty. From everything else on the menu I was expecting there to be a mountain of grease pooling in the pepperonis.

This pizza was filling but did not leave me wanting to come home and unbuckle my belt and have my cardiac episode on the couch. The fried chicken on the other hand accomplished that goal.

New York New York

SW Barbur Blvd and SW Bertha

Went here for the first time in college for a sandwich and it is still a great place.

This is one of the few great New York style pizza restaurants. They don't do slices but I am more than willing to buy a whole pizza and bring home the leftovers for breakfast.

There is very limited parking but plenty of seating. The pizzas, sandwiches, and salads are perfect for lunch, friends, or a romantic dinner.

For SW Portland this is the only place I would go for pizza.

Check this out. You will not be disappointed.

Good Neighbor Pizza

NE Dekum and NE 8th

Great place in an up and coming neighborhood. Lunch, dinner, kids, no kids, friends, a date, or a lunch meeting.

They do half combo pizzas and are
not a minimalist pizza place.

The pizzas are great, staff were friendly and had a few beers on tap. There are a few restaurants nearby such as Firehouse and Breakside Brewery.

If you find GNP full you can try the two other restaurants but I think this is worth the wait. They have a 25 block delivery radius so if you're in NE delivery is always an option.

The pizzas are good, getting up there in price but you can customize as you want.

Oasis Cafe

SE Hawthorne and SE 37th

I told Collin I would take him on a pizza adventure but I had no idea where we were going. I decided to try SE and figured Hawthorne to be a safe bet for good food.

As we walked the shops and eyed the Portlanders we stopped at the Oasis Cafe. I had never heard of this place but it looked friendly so little Collin and I stopped in for a slice.

We sat outside after we ordered and noticed several others walking in with young ones. The pizza was great for a lunch. The crust was browned to the point of being burned which worked well.

Going for a stroll on Hawthone? Stop by the cafe.

Urban Hop Works & Bike Bar

HUB SE Powell & SE 29th
Bike Bar N Williams & N Shaver

Let's face it, I'm reviewing a brew pub where the beer comes first and the food second. Or am I?

Both Hopworks Brewery and Bike Bar were created to offer a great selection of organic ales, food, and a place where you can take the kids.

Let's start with the beer. At both locations you can do sampler trays (extra samples if you ask). Pints and growlers. The pizza is good but not gourmet and really nothing too exceptional.

However I'm reviewing the restaurant, not just what comes out of the oven. You can come to either location with your friends an sit in the bar, come with the fam and let the kids play in the small play area, or just sit in the dining area.

Regardless the beer is the main attraction but the food is pretty good too. They do get busy though. I remember waiting forever to sit, order, and get our food. We didn't complain but the waitress was in tune with how busy it was and she was great. She cut us a break on the bill and sent us home with some growlers of their finest. For that reason, we have been back several times.

I have noticed a difference between the slices and the pies. The full size pizzas seem to be much higher in quality to the slices I get at happy hour. I have never been disappointed with their pizza and love the service and beer.

Despite not have top quality pizzas, I love both places and feel they deserve recognition for creating a place for everyone to hang out.

Stark Naked Pizza

SE Stark St and SE 28th.

Whether you're on your way back from Portland Nursery or just want to try a slice for lunch, Stark Naked Pizza is a place to go for a true inner south east Portland experience.

Down the street from the upscale Ken's Artisan Pizza, SNP is nothing to scoff at. When you walk in you'll notice it's small, dark, but friendly. They serve pints, bottled beer, and have a booth with the Pacman video game as the table.

They play punk rock music, the staff have multiple tattoos and are friendly and laid back.

The pizza is good and you can consult with the guy behind the counter for suggestions to customize.

It's small but a good pizza, good price and fun. I don't think I would make it a date night, but for lunch or before a movie, definitely.