Skyline Restaurant

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Coordinates: 45°31′54.2″N 122°45′17.8″W / 45.531722°N 122.754944°W / 45.531722; -122.754944
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Skyline Restaurant
Graphic text of "Skyline Restaurant"
Photograph of the exterior of a building
The restaurant's exterior in 2021
Map
Restaurant information
Established1935 (1935)
Owner(s)Michelle Nelson
Previous owner(s)
  • Benny and Phyllis Lum
  • Ken Hom
Food typeAmerican
Street address1313 Northwest Skyline Boulevard
CityPortland
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′54.2″N 122°45′17.8″W / 45.531722°N 122.754944°W / 45.531722; -122.754944
Websiteskylineburgers.com

Skyline Restaurant (formerly The Speck and nicknamed "The Skyliner")[1][2] is a diner in northwest Portland, Oregon, in the United States.[3][4] Established in 1935, the restaurant initially sold fried chicken by a gas station. It gained popularity during the 1950s, and Skyline's menu of American cuisine has changed little since then. Michelle Nelson has owned the diner since 1999; previous owners have included Benny and Phyllis Lum, as well as Ken Hom, who eliminated drive-in service. Skyline's burgers and milkshakes have received a generally positive reception. In 1975, James Beard said the restaurant's burger was among the best in the country, and Food Network Magazine said Skyline had the best burger in Oregon in 2009.

A spin-off restaurant called Sky Two operated during the 1980s, and a second location called Skyline Burgers operated in northeast Portland from 2011 to 2014.

Description[edit]

Skyline Restaurant is located on Skyline Boulevard at Cornell Road in northwest Portland.[5] KOIN has described Skyline as an "iconic drive-in diner that has been serving Portlanders by the thousands every year for the past seven decades".[6] The restaurant has also been described as an "old-school"[7] and "child-friendly, old-fashioned, locally-owned" drive-in with a patio and picnic tables.[5][8][9] The Los Angeles Times has described Skyline as a "true '50s diner" with a soda fountain.[10] The Portland Mercury has described the clientele as a "cross-section of high school kids and families, travelers, and even leather-clad couples roadtripping on Harleys".[11]

In 2001, Willamette Week's Jim Dixon said of the interior: "There's an espresso hut tacked onto the Cornell Road side to service the stream of commuters that pours by every morning and an ATM inside... The dining room, a warren of roomy booths and a few small tables, still wears the faded glory of an 40-year-old upgrade." He also wrote, "Wood paneling, acoustic tile ceiling, and those Jetson-y light fixtures from the days of Sputnik provide a fitting setting for food that might have been transported from the Kennedy era as well."[12]

Skyline is open seven days a week, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.[13] The restaurant has a sign advertising the "Best Burger in Portland".[14] Classic rock is played outside, and orders are announced over a speaker.[5] According to Martin Cizmar of Willamette Week, the restaurant's soundtrack has "lots of Beach Boys and the pre-Tiffany version of 'I Think We're Alone Now'."[15]

Menu[edit]

Photograph of the interior of a restaurant
The diner's interior in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic

The restaurant serves American cuisine such as burgers, chili cheese burgers and tater tots,[9] and French fries. The menu also included fish and chips with coleslaw, fried chicken,[11] hot dogs, tuna melt sandwiches, chili, and a Cobb salad. Vegetarian options included a garden burger and a beyond burger. There are two dozen float, malt, and milkshake varieties,[13] including banana, butterscotch, caramel apple, chocolate-covered cherry, hazelnut, marionberry, mocha, peanut butter, peppermint, and pineapple.[11] Pie shake flavors have included banana cream and coconut cream. Skyline has also served a 30-ounce shake.[16] The weekend breakfast menu has included omelettes and pancakes.[15]

History[edit]

Originally known as The Speck,[17] Skyline Restaurant was established in 1935.[18] It initially sold fried chicken next to a gas station,[19] and gained popularity in the mid 1950s.[6] Benny and Phyllis Lum owned the business for fifteen years, before selling it to their relative Ken Hom.[2] Hom, who is of Chinese ancestry, considered adding Chinese cuisine to the menu, but did not "because of the restaurant's tradition". Hom did, however, eliminate drive-in service due to limited interest by customers.[2]

Photograph of a sign with the text "Skyline Restaurant" and "Burgers and Shakes"
Restaurant sign, 2021

In 1986, The Oregonian's Elizabeth Amsden said Skyline "has changed little since it started serving a hambuger menu more than 25 years ago". She described booths with black cushions, white formica tables, copies of a column written by American chef James Beard on display, and 1950s popular music in the background. Hom had owned the business for a decade at the time. He told The Oregonian that 70 to 80 percent of customers were visitors from downtown Portland. Amsden noted, "At 800 feet elevation, the Skyliner closes for three weeks every winter to give employees vacations when severe weather often affects business. Sometimes it closes two or three times in winter months when snow or freezing rain becomes too severe for car travel on the roads winding up and down the hillside."[2]

Michelle Nelson purchased the business in June 1999.[6] In 2022, KOIN said Skyline "remains true to its original roots of classic American Diner fare".[6] The business suffered multiple break-ins in 2022–2023.[20][21][22] Skyline was also impacted by Portland General Electric's temporary public safety power shutoff in September 2022, the result of high risk fire conditions.[23][24]

Sky Two and Skyline Burgers[edit]

In 1983, Hom established the spin-off restaurant Sky Two at the Yamhill Marketplace.[2] The Oregonian said Sky Two was recently closed, as of August 1986.[2]

Skyline opened a second location, called Skyline Burgers, on Broadway in northeast Portland in 2011.[25][26][27] The Sullivan's Gulch space was previously occupied by Chez Jose.[28] Danielle Centoni described the outpost as a "sports bar with a '50s fetish".[29] The menu included steak burgers and cocktails, including a Mai Tai variant called the Hollywood Bowl. The interior had a red-checkered floor,[30] retro decor, and depicting "'50s bobby-sockers' and ... the Portland skyline".[28]

video icon Skyline Burger's Quadzilla Challenge - Portland, OR on YouTube, Thrillist

Skyline Burgers had a food challenge called the Quadzilla Challenge, which included: 32 ounces of beef across four patties between two buns with onion rings, bacon, and cheese; 16 ounces of French fries; and a large soda. Patrons who completed the challenge received reimbursement plus a photo on the wall.[31] Andy Kryza included the Quadzilla in Thrillist's 2013 overview of the "craziest" food challenges in the U.S.[32] The location was closed in 2014.[29]

Reception[edit]

Photograph of the exterior of a restaurant
The restaurant's exterior, 2021

The restaurant's burgers and milkshakes have received a generally positive reception.[33][34][35][36] After visiting Skyline in 1975,[14] James Beard said, "People are constantly arguing about where you get the best hamburgers. Well, I've tasted a lot of them in my time and I honestly believe that the hamburger I had this summer at Skyline Drive-In Restaurant ... stands out as one of the best in the country."[18] In 2009, Food Network Magazine said Skyline had the best burger in Oregon.[37]

Josh Ozersky of Time magazine said Skyline's hamburger was "just so-so" and the surrounding scenery ... was awe-inspiring" in 2010.[38] In her 2014 book Portland: A Food Biography, Heather Arndt Anderson said Skyline's burgers and shakes "are a testament to the utter pointlessness of reinventing the wheel".[39] In 2016, Julie Lee of 1859 Oregon's Magazine said "not much has changed over time, including the customers. This is a diner joint loyalists love, with old fashioned red booths and great greasy food".[40]

Drew Tyson included the steak burger in Thrillist's 2014 list of Portland's nine best "under-the-radar" burgers, in which he recommended the original location over the northeast Portland outpost.[41] Rachel Pinsky included Skyline in Eater Portland's 2021 list of 12 "road-trip-worthy" drive-ins for "beefy burgers and swirls of ice cream" in the Portland metropolitan area.[5] In 2022, writers for the website called the diner "the ideal spot for a weekend lunch" after hiking in Forest Park.[9] Similarly, Nathan Williams included Skyline in his overview of "where to grab a bite after an Oregon hike", in which he called the diner a "longtime staple burger joint" ideal for visiting after a Coastal Range hike.[13] The website's Maya MacEvoy also included the restaurant in a 2022 overview of Portland's best milkshakes.[16]

Newspapers[edit]

In 2004, Phil Amara of the Portland Mercury wrote:

Tucked at the end of a winding, hilly Northwest Portland road, Skyline appears like a lighthouse on rough seas. Going more by the 'build it and they will come' philosophy and less by the realtor mantra of 'location, location, location,' the owners of the '50s-style diner must've gambled that quality, not convenience, would bring customers in the door. And they were right. Skyline has successfully operated for a few decades without hype, clown pitchmen, or toys with your child's food.[11]

Photograph of a mural of cars and people, with the text "Skyline" and Coca-Cola's logo
Mural along the parking lot, 2021

Amara opined, "While it may be a blueprint for neo-nostalgia places like Johnny Rockets and Ruby's, Skyline is not a kitschy museum of '50s pop culture. Its interior is humble. No records on the walls, no tacky homage to Elvis, The Beatles, or Buddy Holly. Just great diner food--the way it was intended."[11] Following Food Network Magazine's recognition of Skyline's burger, Grant Butler of The Oregonian disagreed and wondered how research was completed.[37] Michael Russell ranked Skyline number two in the newspaper's 2011 overview of the best "classic" burgers in the metropolitan area.[19][25] After acknowledging Beard's appreciation for Skyline's burger, Willamette Week's Walker MacMurdo wrote in 2017: "Skyline's burger is no longer among the best in the country." In the newspaper's Burger Madness competition, Skyline lost to Little Big Burger.[42][43] Writers for Willamete Week said the restaurant's sign advertising the city's best burger was "for good reason" in 2022.[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Classics". Willamette Week. March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Amsden, Elizabeth (August 27, 1986). "Skyline Restaurant offers hill climbers a '50s treat". The Oregonian. p. 69.
  3. ^ "Skyline Restaurant". Portland Monthly. ISSN 1546-2765. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  4. ^ Perez, Tony (November 10, 2011). "Skyline's Sequel". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Pinsky, Rachel (March 19, 2021). "12 Portland-Area (and Road-Trip-Worthy) Drive-Ins for Beefy Burgers and Swirls of Ice Cream". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Skyline Restaurant keeps the burgers coming". KOIN. February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Bjorke, Christopher (August 19, 2022). "Who has Portland's best burger? PBJ readers speak". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Portland, Oregon: Including the Metro Area and Vancouver, Washington. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-5580-6.
  9. ^ a b c Anderson, Heather Arndt (May 19, 2017). "19 Old-School Portland Restaurants That Have Hung On Through the Pandemic". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Lasley, Paul; Harryman, Elizabeth (October 22, 1989). "Portland Has a Lot More Than Bread and Beer". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e Amara, Phil. "Burger King". Portland Mercury. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "Nostalgia Tripped". Willamette Week. September 19, 2001. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Williams, Nathan (May 27, 2022). "Where to Grab a Bite After an Oregon Hike". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c "You Can Find Portland's Buried Treasure". Willamette Week. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Skyline Restaurant". Willamette Week. March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  16. ^ a b MacEvoy, Maya (September 29, 2022). "Where to Sip Cool, Creamy Milkshakes Around Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  17. ^ "A Look Back on a Century of Portland Burger Joints". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Perez, Tony. "Skyline's Sequel". Portland Mercury. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Russell, Michael (December 9, 2011). "The top 10 classic burgers in the Portland area". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  20. ^ Watkins, Chandler (January 3, 2023). "Skyline Restaurant grateful for community support following break-in". KPTV. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  21. ^ Watkins, Chandler (April 28, 2023). "'It's offensive. It hurts': Skyline burglarized again". KPTV. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  22. ^ Skyline Restaurant broken into once again, KPTV, retrieved June 7, 2023
  23. ^ "Power shutoffs underway in Portland area amid fire risk". KGW. September 9, 2022. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Marine, Drew (September 10, 2022). "'Cost us money to not lose money': West Hills restaurant deals with safety power shut off". KPTV. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Russell, Michael (December 8, 2011). "Counting down to the Portland area's best classic burger: No. 2". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  26. ^ Giegerich, Andy (February 24, 2012). "Indie burger joints invade Portland". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  27. ^ Russell, Michael (September 22, 2011). "Restaurant news: Skyline Burgers opens; Little Big Burger on expansion; Fizz, a soda shop, coming to Southeast". The Oregonian. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  28. ^ a b DeJesus, Erin (September 16, 2011). "A Peek Inside Skyline Burgers' NE Broadway Location". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Skyline Burgers on Broadway Calls It Quits". Eater Portland. September 5, 2014. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  30. ^ "Gigantic burgers, finally at sea level". Thrillist. Vox Media. September 21, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  31. ^ "Meat your match". Thrillist. July 19, 2012. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  32. ^ "These are the country's craziest eating challenges". Thrillist. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  33. ^ Brooks, Karen; Oakley, Bill; Okazaki, Gary; Lewis, Pauline; Lewis, Drew (December 3, 2020). "Portland's 20 Best Cheeseburgers, Exhaustively Argued and Ranked". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  34. ^ June, Sophia (February 28, 2017). "The 16 Best Classic Burgers in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  35. ^ Bakall, Samantha (August 23, 2017). "Follow along as we search for Portland's best old-fashioned milkshakes". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  36. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (August 7, 2017). "Where to Get Pie Milkshakes in Portland". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Small Bites". The Oregonian. May 12, 2009. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  38. ^ Ozersky, Josh (November 17, 2010). "Why Portland Is America's New Food Eden". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  39. ^ Anderson, Heather Arndt (November 13, 2014). Portland: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-2739-2.
  40. ^ Lee, Julie (July 28, 2016). "Portland Diners Bring the Grit and Grease". 1859 Oregon's Magazine. OCLC 489252235. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  41. ^ "PDX's 9 best under-the-radar burgers". Thrillist. March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  42. ^ "How Well Do You Know Portland Food Legend James Beard?". Willamette Week. May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  43. ^ "Battle of the Portland Classic Burgers: Burger Madness Round of 64". Willamette Week. March 4, 2017. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2023.

External links[edit]

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