North Portland, OR - Mississippi Pizza 8.16.18
It was a late summer afternoon when we headed into the city for a meeting with a potential wedding photographer. We quickly found a parking spot on Mississippi Avenue and cruised the street trying to decide at which restaurant to eat. This was not such a luxury in the early 90’s when there were only a few businesses in this part of North Portland. In 2018, the neighborhood is lined with an array of unique restaurants and businesses.
In 2001 Mississippi opened it’s doors "based on three fundamental guiding principles: great pizza, family friendly live music and entertainment, and above all, serving the local community.” Since then it has become a know local destination for music. On this particularly slow early afternoon, few people were out. The outside of the restaurant was inviting with a unique seating area that remind me of a trolley combined with a tiki bar. Walking in, the vibe of an old pizza pub emanated through the exposed industrial ceiling while pizza ovens fired behind the counter where all the delicious pizzas were on display. After we ordered two pizzas and a salad, the family headed outside while I took a peek around. In the adjacent room I could hear the buzz of music. As I turned the corner I saw families hanging out enjoying the entertainment of a local artist geared towards children. It made me smile knowing that they truly embrace the three fundamentals on which they were founded.
Outside we enjoyed our King Pizza that was covered with fresh basil, parmesan and drizzled with a balsamic reduction as well as the Pesto Kale salad which was mixed kale greens, house marinated artichoke heart, vine ripe tomato covered with a creamy pesto dressing. The entire meal was delicious and I spent more time devouring the pizza while Alexis thoroughly enjoyed the salad.
If you are looking for a relaxing environment that has a lot more than just pizza, head to The Mississippi Pub. Actually, if you are just looking for pizza they can more than meet your needs as well. Bottomline - make sure to visit if you are ever in the Mississippi Avenue neighborhood.
