Hawthorne Boulevard and Belmont Street run east from the inner Eastside toward Mt. Tabor, a few blocks apart and different in pace. Hawthorne is the browsing street, with a branch of Powell’s, gift shops, coffee bars and a 1927 movie palace. Belmont is quieter and more residential, anchored by a pub that has been pouring since 1976.
Between and around them sit Buckman and Sunnyside, older neighborhoods of houses and low apartment buildings where a lot of daily life happens on foot. Students, longtime renters and families all claim it, and the reward for living here is simple: dinner, a movie and a walk up an old volcano can all fit in one evening without a car.
Updated November 2026
- Best for: Bookstore browsing, a pint and a movie, and evening loops around Mt. Tabor.
- Getting there: TriMet Line 14-Hawthorne/Foster runs along Hawthorne and Line 15-Belmont/NW 23rd runs along Belmont, both Frequent Service lines from downtown Portland.
- Don’t miss: Sunset from the top of Mt. Tabor, then fish and chips at the Horse Brass.
Where to eat and drink
Apizza Scholls
People line up on Hawthorne before the doors open for pies the size of hubcaps, which you can order half-and-half; the Pig and Pineapple uses house-cured, smoked Canadian bacon. Weekend dough can sell out, so book through the website or come early.
Horse Brass Pub
Don Younger opened this English-style pub on Belmont in 1976, and it helped Oregon’s early craft brewers find an audience. Expect cask ale, a deep tap list, steel-tip darts and fish and chips; minors are welcome until 5 p.m.
Kachka
Kachka cooks dishes from the former Soviet Union through a Pacific Northwest lens: Siberian pelmeni with butter and vinegar, herring under a fur coat and a lineup of infused vodkas made for passing around the table. Happy hour runs 4 to 6 p.m.
Jade Rabbit
This queer-run, worker-owned vegan teahouse moved from Belmont into a 70-seat room on Hawthorne, bringing its chili oil wontons, siu mai topped with tapioca roe and gaiwan tea service. Reservations are strongly encouraged, and a 22% service fee replaces tipping.
Nostrana
Cathy Whims has been cooking regional Italian food here since 2005, just north of Belmont on SE Morrison. Enoteca Nostrana, her European wine bar next door, hosts winemaker dinners, and the restaurant serves dinner Monday through Saturday.
Coava Coffee
Coava’s flagship on SE Grand opened in 2010 and was once where the company roasted all its coffee; the espresso bar at 2631 SE Hawthorne puts that coffee right on the boulevard. It opens at 6 a.m. on weekdays, early enough for the commute.
Shops worth a wander
Powell’s Books on Hawthorne
The east-side Powell’s shelves new and used books side by side, in a smaller and calmer store than the downtown City of Books. It sits across the street from the Bagdad, which makes a book-then-movie night easy.
Presents of Mind
On Hawthorne since 1989, this gift shop is where locals grab a card, a piece of jewelry or a baby present on the way to a party. It’s open every day.
Belmont Station
Belmont Station got its start inside the Horse Brass building and moved around the corner to SE Stark in 2007. Today it’s a bottle shop for beer to take home, with a Biercafé pouring on tap next to it.
Things to do
Mt. Tabor Park
The park covers about 176 acres on an extinct volcanic cinder cone, with stairways, historic reservoirs and views of downtown and Mt. Hood on clear days. Cars are barred all day Wednesdays, leaving the roads to walkers, runners and cyclists.
Bagdad Theater
Opened in 1927, the Bagdad still screens first-run films with pizza, popcorn and a pub menu, and there’s a separate Back Stage Bar on the property. On Saturday mornings, guides lead history and art tours of the building.
Hawthorne Theatre
Touring rock, hardcore and metal bands play this music venue at SE 39th and Hawthorne. Many shows are all ages, and each listing says whether it’s all ages or 21 and over.
Lone Fir Cemetery
One of Portland’s oldest cemeteries, with its first burial in 1846, Lone Fir doubles as an arboretum of more than 700 trees. It’s open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset and makes a peaceful walk a few blocks north of Belmont.
Community
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
Covering the blocks between Stark and Hawthorne from SE 28th to 49th, the volunteer-run association welcomes anyone to its meetings. Neighbors also deliver the monthly newsletter, adopt a block for litter pickup and help with the Sunnyside Shower Project.
Friends of Mt. Tabor Park
Weed Warriors meet at the park’s visitor center on the last Saturday of most months to pull invasive plants, and the group also needs foot patrol walkers and visitor center greeters. Its Urban Nature Series walks on Sunday afternoons are free.
Belmont Library
The neighborhood’s Multnomah County Library branch has community rooms you can reserve, a teen space and a Spanish collection. The library posts volunteer openings on its website.
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