Easter morning dawns bright and early when your eager bunnies are ready to hunt and they might be on a sugar high when time for brunch rolls around. Skip the long lines and holiday wait and go out for dinner instead. These restaurant ideas are all great for an Easter celebration: they expertly mix style and class with family friendly atmospheres. Read on to book your reservation.
photo: Rus B via Yelp
Stone Cliff Inn
Tucked outside Oregon City in a gorgeous setting, the Stone Cliff Inn feels further away than it is. Crafted out of Douglas Fir and rock from the local quarry, the cabin is rooted in the history of the Pacific Northwest. Ask for a seat on the balcony on a nice day to enjoy the old-growth forest around you and the sound of the Clackamas River below. The food is focused on made-from-scratch Oregon recipes like Hazelnut Chicken and Smoked Salmon Cakes. No one can resist the Marionberry Cobbler! If you have an unconvinced tween, lure them with the fact that a few Twilight scenes were filmed here.
17900 S Clackamas River Dr.
Oregon City, Or
503-631-7900
Easter dinner: 4-9 p.m.
Online: stonecliffinn.com
photos: Jasperdo via flickr
Jake’s Famous Crawfish
Take your kids on a trip to Old Portland with a visit to Jake’s Famous Crawfish, downtown. The classic seafood restaurant has been around for over 100 years, in it’s current version serving the city fresh seafood (flown in daily!) since the early 1970’s. Families love the choices of fresh oysters, clam chowder, rockfish, Dungeness crab and more—there’s even popcorn shrimp on the kids’ menu!
401 SW 12th Ave.
Portland, Or
503-226-1419
Open until 10 p.m. for dinner
Online: mccormickandschmicks.com
photo: Hungry H via Yelp
Country Cat
Brunch may normally take headlines here, but don’t even think about skipping this cat’s dinner. It’s comfort food, done fresh and local. You may be tempted to swipe your kids’ orders of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, but try to stick to your pan-seared trout instead. There’s enough to share! The location in the sweet Montavilla neighborhood can’t be beat, either. Walk off dinner with a stroll on Mt Tabor, where you can awe your children with the fact that it’s an actual extinct volcano. (True story!)
7937 SE Stark St.
Portland, Or
503-408-1414
Dinner: 5 p.m. to close
Online: Thecountrycat.net
photo: Nostrana Yelp biz page
Nostrana
This neighborhood place is for die-hard Easter fans. In Italy, Easter is almost bigger than Christmas! Past holiday menus have included roasted lamb or stracciatella (Roman egg drop soup), with options from the main menu always present. Handmade pastas and wood-fired pizzas are combined with fresh seasonal ingredients, and the kids’ menu is always full of delicious choices. Order the thin-crust pizza and look for the scissors it comes with, for cutting! This restaurant serves dinner with a touch of class and all the family friendliness of an Italian grandmother. Oh, and did we mention the James Beard awards?
1401 SE Morrison St.
Portland, Or
503- 234-2427
Dinner: 5-11 p.m.
Online: Nostrana.com
What’s your favorite place for Easter dinner? Tell us in the comments below!
—Katrina Emery
