KERNS · PORTLAND

Kerns

Southeast Uplift

52 spots to discover in this neighborhood

LIVE ACTIVITY

Avg Rating
4.6
Average across 52 businesses
Reviews
24,981
Across 52 businesses
Open Now
18 Live
Right now
Top Categories
  • Shops 17
  • Auto Repair 13
  • Food 11

The Vibe

What Kerns Feels Like

Dense walkable close-in restaurant district

Kerns is dense, walkable, and food-forward, with historic homes packed close to several lively commercial corridors. The atmosphere is urban and energetic.

The restaurant row along 28th Avenue gives the neighborhood a strong culinary identity, while its proximity to downtown and the Central Eastside keeps it busy and connected day and night.

History

How Kerns Came To Be

Kerns is a compact close-in neighborhood in inner Southeast and East Portland, set just across the river from downtown and bordered on the north by East Burnside Street. Among the earliest east-side districts to develop, it filled in densely during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with houses, apartments, and the small commercial buildings typical of streetcar-era Portland.

The neighborhood straddles several busy corridors, including East Burnside, Sandy Boulevard, and Northeast 28th Avenue, the last of which grew into a celebrated restaurant row. Its western edge brushes the Central Eastside industrial district along the river.

Today Kerns is a dense, walkable, and food-focused neighborhood, known especially for the cluster of restaurants and bars along 28th Avenue and Burnside, set among historic homes and converted commercial buildings close to the city center.

Character

What Defines Kerns

28th Avenue restaurant row

Northeast and Southeast 28th Avenue host a dense, celebrated cluster of restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Multiple commercial corridors

East Burnside and Sandy Boulevard run through the neighborhood, adding shops, eateries, and easy connections across the city.

52
Businesses
88%
Verified
4.3
Avg Rating
Services
Top Category

Landmarks

Notable Places in Kerns

East Burnside / 28th Avenue icon

East Burnside / 28th Avenue

A bustling restaurant row and nightlife district at the heart of the Kerns neighborhood.

Laurelhurst Theater icon

Laurelhurst Theater

A historic 1923 art-deco movie theater and pub on East Burnside.

Real Estate

Homes & Architecture in Kerns

Kerns offers a dense mix of historic homes, vintage apartments, and converted commercial buildings, valued for walkability to its corridors and to downtown.

Old Portland four-square Craftsman bungalow Vintage apartment

Businesses in Kerns

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Businesses in Kerns

Showing 25–48 of 52 businesses in Kerns

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Closed
Photo of NAI Elliott

NAI Elliott

Civic
Professional·Kerns· 4.4 (27)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Oregon-Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)

Oregon-Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)

Civic
Services·Kerns· 4.3 (4)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of NW Anxiety Institute

NW Anxiety Institute

Civic
Health·Kerns· 3.7 (11)
GoodMap
Open now
Photo of Rog3rs Realty Inc.

Rog3rs Realty Inc.

Civic
Professional·Kerns· 5.0 (75)
GoodMap
Photo of The Tiny Spoon

The Tiny Spoon

Civic
Services·Kerns· 4.9 (38)
GoodMap
Open now
Photo of Seagrape Apothecary

Seagrape Apothecary

Civic
Retail·Kerns· 5.0 (449)
GoodMap
Open now
Photo of Sidestreet Arts

Sidestreet Arts

Civic
Arts·Kerns· 4.8 (25)
GoodMap
Photo of The Bakery Blocks

The Bakery Blocks

Civic
Services·Kerns· 4.5 (2)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of United Finance

United Finance

Civic
Finance·Kerns· 4.6 (154)
GoodMap
Urban Development + Partners

Urban Development + Partners

Civic
Services·Kerns· 3.9 (22)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of PDX Acupuncture * Lara Dilkes L.Ac MSAOM FNLP

PDX Acupuncture * Lara Dilkes L.Ac MSAOM FNLP

Civic
Health·Kerns· 5.0 (50)
GoodMap
Open now
Photo of Goodfoot Lounge

Goodfoot Lounge

Civic
Arts·Kerns· 4.4 (1,233)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Boyd Motor Werks

Boyd Motor Werks

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.9 (327)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Gateway Tire World - Alignment & Service

Gateway Tire World - Alignment & Service

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.4 (105)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of German Formula Auto Repair

German Formula Auto Repair

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.6 (237)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Les Schwab Tire Center

Les Schwab Tire Center

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.5 (411)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of OMAR AUTO REPAIR LLC

OMAR AUTO REPAIR LLC

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.8 (150)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Precision Motor Car

Precision Motor Car

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.8 (82)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Pro-Tek Automotive

Pro-Tek Automotive

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.7 (231)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Wheel Doctor - Portland

Wheel Doctor - Portland

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.4 (307)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Time Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Portland

Time Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Portland

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.4 (2,405)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of ALSET Auto

ALSET Auto

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.9 (425)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Caliber Collision

Caliber Collision

Civic
Auto·Kerns· 4.7 (476)
GoodMap
Closed
Photo of Clean Carma

Clean Carma

Civic
Services·Kerns· 5.0 (40)
GoodMap
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Sources

Portland.gov

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