Skyline Restaurant, Original Diner Food in Portland, Oregon

Are you hooked on Johnny Rockets and other retro 50s diners? Have you found yourself trekking through the Pacific Northwest wondering when you will stumble upon anything resembling civilization and a good old fashioned burger? Well, look no more than Skyline Restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Skyline restaurant has been a part of my life on and off again for over thirty years-no matter that I left it behind a long time ago and have moved across the country and back a time or two since. This is the kind of place you never forget. No matter what part of the country you're from, it evokes memories of romantic interludes in the backseat of a car after midnight in the parking lot of an old diner that makes the best butterscotch milkshakes and cheeseburgers in town.

When I first discovered it as a teen-ager, you could drive up in your car, leave your headlights on, and a waitress would appear at your door, ready to take your order. Across the street there used to be a gas station where a cute guy worked. Naturally, my friend and I both had a crush on him so we'd eat at Skyline quite a bit in those days. We could sit in our car, order a burger, and flirt with Steve in the rear-view mirror. If we really felt courageous, we'd drive across the street, have Steve fill the gas tank and we'd chat for awhile. He must have thought we ate a lot of hamburgers. Well, those days may be gone, but the fabulous diner food at Skyline is still around.

The drive-up is no longer open and your only choice now is to sit inside in one of the red Naugahyde booths or be seated up at the bar, surrounded by the nostalgic '50s-style decor and Formica counters. Most people come for its signature dish, the Skyline, a lean burger towering with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. The fries and onion rings are crisp, but the real draw is the milkshake, although my mother and her friends were known to stop in on a cold, rainy day to warm up with a bacon cheeseburger and cup of coffee. And maybe even split a piece of warm, fresh Oregon berry pie, depending on the season.

My first job was at a hamburger stand where we served butterscotch shakes and I hadn't seen many of those since. So on a recent trip to Portland with the required stop at Skyline, I noticed they still had butterscotch milkshakes on the menu. I had to have one. As another person described them, they were sexy and downright decadent.

So on your next trip to Portland, whether with the family or by yourself, on business or pleasure, do yourself a favor and stop in at Skyline Restaurant for a blast into the past.

You can find Skyline Restaurant here:

1313 NW Skyline Blvd
Portland, OR 97229-6824
Phone: (503) 292-6727