Ken’s Artisan Pizza rivals the best of Portland in wood-fired pizza. It also offers a great location, right on SE’s “Restaurant Row” (roughly 28th/Burnside) – and it coincidentally connected to another one of our favorite spots – Bamboo Sushi!
I would call Ken’s the upscale version of the Portland pizza scene, though you won’t feel an uptight vibe or get hit in the pocketbook…the overall ambiance is notches above the other notables (Pizza Scholl’s, Dove Vivi, Tastebud). Check out the phenomenal photography on their website and you’ll see what I mean). Modern, sleek design of light wood tables and a great bar warmly welcome guests as they arrive. The wood-fire oven is in plain sight of everyone, and the stacked wood can be seen as you enter the restaurant…again, great atmosphere.
As with almost all the best in Portland, my only complaint is the wait. Ken’ is lucky because they have both outside seating and a great bar to waste time at, but overall you cannot be starving when you arrive – you are going to wait, end of story. Ah but trust me, with each bite of that hand-crafted, wood-fired pizza your memory will forget every second of waiting in line, trust me!
There is also a second Ken’s location in Nob Hill at 21st/Flanders, but this Ken’s Artisan Bakery (fantastic spot for breakfast/lunch, and they serve Stumptown coffee). They do serve pizza from the 28th Ave location on Mondays nights, so go grab a slice if you can’t make it to the real thing!
