Hazel Dell Brew Pub (8513 N.E. Hwy. 99, 360/576-0996) serves pub meals, including fish and chips, burgers, and pasta in a lively, noisy setting to accompany its 14 different brewed-on-the-premises beers.

And the setting of McMenamins of the Columbia Brew Pub (1801 S.E. Columbia River Dr., 360/254-3950, www.mcmenamins.com, 11 a.m.–midnight Sun.–Wed., 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Thurs.–Sat.) is sublime, sidled up to the river on Hidden Way just east of Marine Park.

The sporting set is always at home at Out of Bounds (14415 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., 360/253-4789, 11 a.m.–1:30 a.m. daily), chowing down on traditional sports-bar fare like wings, burgers, and beer.

You’ll find pretty much the best fast-food burgers in the state, if not all of the Pacific Northwest at Burgerville USA (www.burgerville.com)—yes, Seattleites, even better than Dick’s. The flagship store (360/694-4971, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily) is at 7401 East Mill Plain Boulevard, where the first Burgerville opened in 1961 and let loose the goodness.

But I find the coolest location is the second shop Burgerville ever opened (307 E. Mill Plain Blvd. 360/693-8801, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Sun.); it’s the only one that has been left as a walk-up stand, as it originally was built in the early 1960s. All of the food at any Burgerville is cooked with fresh ingredients, with a special focus on seasonal, local ingredients like thick-cut sweet Walla Walla onions for the fried rings and tart Northwest blackberries in the shakes and lemonade. The chain has a commitment to environmental sustainability and a policy of paying fair wages, so you’re likely to be greeted with a smiling face when you step up to the counter.