I really don’t live far from Hood River – maybe about a 4 hour drive with no traffic! I don’t know why it has taken us so long to make it here. We finally had a good reason when my friend from college decided to get married just across the river in White Salmon, Washington!
Where did we stay?
We chose to stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Hood River, which was a good spot to be able to walk everywhere in town!
What to do?
At all the breweries from this weekend, we chose to drink either Hazy IPA’s or classic West Coast IPA’s. My husband may have had one or two lighter beers, but overall IPA’s were the theme of this trip.
First stop was: Ferment Brewing Company. It wasn’t initially on my list of stops, but we decided to make a pit stop on the way to another brewery. There is a great outdoor area with a huge fire pit and amazing views all around. If you are there during the winter, they also have a great inside space and serve some light bites.
pFriem Family Brewers was our next stop. If you are traveling with just one other person and only want light bites, there’s a new hack to skip the long wait times: check around the fire pit outside. We joined 3 other couples and were in and out in record time!
We then made our way up into town, which is about a ten minute walk from the river front where the first two breweries are. We stopped at Double Mountain Brewery before dinner. We also got to beat the wait times by grabbing the last two seats at the bar! Their beer was also great! If you are hungry, they have a full menu!
We were craving some Asian food and stopped at a place called Wicked Sushi, Burgers, Bowls. I ordered some sushi and my husband got a poke bowl. Both were delicious and hit the spot!
I was a little bummed that I was so full from dinner. I was too full to have a beer at our last spot of our first day. Full Sail Brewing Company was just about a block away from where we ate dinner. We still went, sat at the bar, and my husband was able to enjoy one. Full Sail is set up on a hill and can be seen from the freeway when you arrive in Hood River. I highly recommend sitting out on the patio for some great views!
On our second day in Hood River, we started out with some breakfast at Broder Ost. This is a Scandanavian breakfast restaurant that opens to the neighboring Hood River Hotel! If we weren’t sharing a room with our friend, we would have stayed at that hotel! This breakfast was one of the best I have had in awhile! The coffee is amazing as well. Be sure to try the Baked Egg Scramble. I chose the roasted salmon style, which was so delicious. The combination of the spicy horseradish cream and eggs was so interesting. We also got a half order of the danish pancakes. I could eat those all day!
What is vacation without some wine in the morning. We used to be wine club members at our next stop, Naked Winery. We never got to go to any of the tasting rooms in Oregon, besides the one in McMinnville, where we initially joined. The philosophy behind the winery is great! They are on a mission to cut the divorce rate in half. The names of the wine are a bit provocative and you can’t forget to read the labels!
When you are ready for some lunch, head a few minutes out of downtown Hood River to this hidden gem. El Monte Taqueria is an unassuming taco truck off the side of the road. If it wasn’t recommended to me, I probably never would have stopped, but OMG their tacos are amazing and authentic. I ended up getting their carne asada burrito and my husband picked out a few tacos with different toppings.
If it’s nice out, take your tacos to the waterfont and grab a bubble tea at the food truck: Bobablastic food truck. They are set up in various spots along the river front. I found them right behind the Ferment Brewing Company.
Bonus:
This brewery is a great place to stop either on your way in or out of Hood River. Thunder Island Brewing Co. is located in the small town of Cascade Locks right on the river. They have an amazing large field area to hang out on as well as an outdoor place to eat and enjoy beer. We got a tasting flight to start and then chose our favorite to enjoy in a pint. If you want to camp, there are also campgrounds near by!
I know that seems like a lot of beer and food, but spread over 2 days, its not too bad! Are there more places in Hood River or surrounding areas that you recommend? Let me know so I can check them out!
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