I feel as if I've waked into a special hidden gem, which is not so hidden. Busy but not…read moreridiculously crowded. Saw some live music which was excellent. Saw "Good Food Near Me" and some other great performers. Cocktails were affordable and well created. The burger was top notch. The stage is small but lively, the gentleman mixing the music was thoughtful and I witnessed him really putting attention to the artists and doing a wonderful job of improving sound. His work was not an afterthought, great job! My only critique is that this venue needs to sell some Covert Cafe Tshirts. The various musical acts were great and it was a wonderful evening. I love the venues and will return when I can!

I'm really happy I settled on the Montavilla neighborhood when choosing a home in Portland. This…read moreneighborhood has a long history of growing outstanding businesses that cater to an eclectic community, and Covert Cafe is no exception. I absolutely love this venue. Though I've only just discovered this fantastic business, I can tell it has morphed into its current state through constant community engagement. This is the cafe the neighborhood wants! It's a meeting space, it's where you go for Sunday breakfast, it's the place to listen to music or play Star Trek Trivia! With inviting indoor and outdoor spaces, Covert is filled with dusty old books, quirky art, pop-cultural knickknacks, musical instruments and so much more. There's something for everyone here! In the past week I've been to two events in this space. I attended a Montavilla East Tabor Business Association networking event a few days ago, and also had breakfast and listened to live music this morning. The staff were friendly and accommodating both times, and I felt like I was being invited to a neighbor's garden party rather than a local bar. Covert is that kind of community. I plan to return for more delicious breakfasts, and for their monthly Murder Podcast series that records live in the venue. In fact, look for Covert Cafe videos online. They produce really high quality content from the events that take place in their space. Yet another way these amazing folks help serve the community.

Sad to hear this place closed…read more Warsugai rebranded as the Chinese Cowboy. A western / Chinese fusion of not just food but vibes. The food became a bit more paired down and focused more on sandwiches and burgers. BBQ with Asian slaw for example. It was still pretty good but I think it may have gave off a small identity crisis with what it was trying to do. I'll miss some of the food I've had at Warsugai and Chinese Cowboy.

TL:DR Lovely bar with unfortunately subpar food…read more.. To be painfully truthful I do hate writing sort of meh reviews especially for establishments that are locally owned but there are a couple of things that unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth. To start off entering the bar was elegant, it feels high class. The ambiance was dark, intimate and again elegant. We stopped by before heading out to some clubs for the evening for some food and drinks. The drinks were delicious and refreshing. They really do take care of their cocktails. The server was pleasant and attentive, although it was a slower night. However when it came to the food it was disappointing to say the least, for a place when you first walk in that looks classy and upscale, you would expect the food to be somewhat decent. We ordered the dumplings and brisket fried rice. To be short the dumplings were chewy and felt undercooked in terms of steam dumplings. The brisket fried rice was overly salty and the brisket was not at all tender; in fact when I tried to share with it my wife I could not tear it apart with a fork or with even my hands, it felt fatty and chewy. Again, the vibes and general area of the bar was immaculate, I appreciated eating by a candlelight and enjoying some drinks, but when it came to the food I felt underwhelmed. I do wish the best for the place however.

Wow. I came here with some girlfriends for dining month and I'll definitely be returning and…read moreincorporating this into restaurants I recommend to friends in town. Hospitality: amazing Ambiance: cozy corner restaurant that instantly feels warm when you enter. You'll witness at least one hug (I saw two!) The set menu for dining month has two options for course 1 and 2, and then a dessert. My favorite was the Nuestra Ensaladilla Rusa with albacore tuna conserva, albacore tataki, confit potatoes, carrots, mayo, and tobiko. This was basically a main course for me and I only finished half the 2nd and my dessert. All very delicious.

This is such a wonderful restaurant. My wife and I dined here with four other friends. I had a…read morebourbon+amaro cocktail and red wine. I ordered olives+anchovies,potato+onion+egg+tortilla, albacore tuna+potato+carrot +peas+mayo+avacado+toasted bun, blood sausage+quail egg+peppers+ piquillo jam+toasted bread, potato waffle+brava sauce+herb aioli+chives, shrimp toast+garlic+chili+sofrito+yuzu aioli+green olive relish, pan (warm baguette) olive oil+brown butter, jamon iberico de bellota, croquetas de jamon+bechamel+hard boiled egg+aioli, octopus+truffle potato+leek marmalade+chorizo, iberico pork collar steak+eggplant+apple relish, nantes carrots+yogurt+date+almond, lamb belly+rhubarb+onion+garlic. All of it, so very good. Our waiter was also great.

I came here for a work lunch and had a great time! The inside of the restaurant is very cozy and…read morehomey, and the staff is very friendly. How the menu works here is that everything is done family-style and meant to be shared. You can also order in either a smaller or bigger portion, so that you can try many different dishes. Our group ordered a variety of appetizers, salads, meats, and seafood and everything was delicious. I really enjoyed being able to try a little bit of each dish and thought that the way that everything was cooked was very light and brought in seasonal ingredients perfectly. Really enjoyed this dinner and I highly recommend it for an intimate dinner.

Came in for a quick lunch. I really like the tapas concept which allows for more variety. Food was…read morefresh and flavorful. Love the selection of veg and meat, with unique flavors and combos. Great time.

I took my spouse here for his birthday and reserved the tasting menu, and it turned out to be an…read moreincredible experience. Every dish was beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious, and the wine pairings complemented each course perfectly. The service was outstanding. Everyone was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. You can really tell they care about the details, from the presentation of each plate to the glassware used for the wine. If you're in the city and looking for a winery-style dining experience with exceptional food, I highly recommend this place. The tasting menu is especially worth it, as it gives you the chance to try a variety of dishes along with thoughtfully selected wines. I would definitely recommend it.

Parallel is a wine-forward establishment with fun and delicious food. We're drawn by their crazy…read morehappy hour deals: 50% off selected their $45-50 bottles from 4-6pm daily, coming in at around $10/pp for a great time! The Spanish Orange wine we tried was funky and unique. The deal was a safe way to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. For food, the smaller shareables we tried were all delectable. Freshly made and artfully crafted with bold flavor combos. The Smoked Onion Dip was rich and savory. Those housemade chips were so salty and crispy, making them the perfect drinking snacks. The Hush Puppies were another fun item, paired with the slightly sweet and umami Uni Butter to make the most interesting bite in terms of textures and flavors. Having their Donut for dessert was also the way to cap our meal. The sugary exterior broke like glass when we cut through the treat - it's that crispy - revealing velvety pumpkin spiced cream filling that went surprisingly well with the aged gouda grated on top. It's a great time visiting Parallel and they certainly left us wanting more. We'll be back for more wines and to try their mains!

Great food, service (thanks Gabe) and atmosphere! Don't miss…read morethe scallop ceviche! Repeat worthy!

We ordered Ceviche Beef heart is tasty but the portion is…read moresmall We really like the mussels and fries The main entrees are also good

A most unusual place in this era of hard to find a different breakfast place…read more The winner in food like no other Potatoe Latkas ( pancakes) with Sour cream & Homemade applesauce Service very friendly and good Ambiance- Simple, could use more room and no doubt this the first of more to come. Thank you

We visited Redwood Café this morning for a work meeting and had a very pleasant experience overall…read more The service stood out right away; everyone was extremely friendly, engaging, and accommodating, which made it a great spot for a relaxed business breakfast. The menu is unique and creative, and overall the food was quite good. I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which was flavorful but lighter on protein than I expected. To be fair, they did ask if I wanted to add protein, but I misunderstood and didn't realize it only came with eggs and black beans by default. The rest of our group tried a variety of dishes, albacore salad, Cubano eggs, Benedict; with mostly positive feedback across the board. Prices were very reasonable, especially for the quality and portion sizes. When we arrived, the café was pretty empty, but it filled up quickly as we got closer to 10 a.m., which speaks to its popularity. Overall, we really enjoyed our visit and appreciated how accommodating the staff was. A solid spot for breakfast or a casual work meeting.

Good place overall. Food was decent and service was fine. Nothing outstanding, but everything was…read moreokay and met expectations.

We had 12 people in our party for a birthday celebration. I had to add the last two to our…read morereservation at the last minute and the hostess who answered the phone was so sweet and double checked for me that it was ok we bring our own cake. Our server was patient and made excellent recommendations. The ambiance was perfect for our little gathering and everyone kept asking who picked the restaurant because they loved the food so much. Personally, I think I ended up getting to try half the menu and it was all good, but the corn fritters, plantain empanadas, ceviche, and patatas were all next-level good. I don't know what they put in their sauces, but I wanted to bring home bottles of all of them. Splitting the check up at the end was kind of chaotic, but they were patient with us while we did the math and, if they were at all stressed out by the large number of diners, we couldn't tell. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants flavors you can't get anywhere else.

This place sometimes feels like a hit or miss with this last experience as being a hit, we ate it…read moreall up and took the rest to go. Portions are large and meant to be shared family style. We shared the cream cheese wontons, coconut curry with chicken spice level 2(which comes with rice), and the luc lac. Everything was deliciousss! The chicken in the curry broke apart so easily and the curry itself was very flavorful. Spice level 2 was perfect for a little kick, but not too much. The meat on the luc lac has a nice char on it and a sauce that is almost sweet. Service is quick and the vibe inside is very trendy with colorful decor and lights. Great for a night out. Previous visits have sometimes left us confused as if we ordered something different than a usual so i would say it is not too consistent but great if you catch it on a good day.

We came here for dinner on a weekday evening. There was long line, we had to wait about 15 minutes…read more While waiting, we leaned about their unique way of taking orders. They took our drinks order and handed the drinks while we were in the line. Once we got to the register, we put in our food order and paid. The restaurant was semi self served. We got to our table few minutes after ordering. Guests also had the option to order to go and dine in the tent tables outside. The interior of the place was so stunning. There were dragon on walls, umbrellas in the ceiling, a huge full service bar. Our dishes came out within few minutes. We got the chicken skewers, chicken pho, chicken luc lac and steak rolls. We liked the small plate dishes, but the entree ones were disappointing. The chickens were chunky and dry, bland flavor. As much as we loved the vibe of the place, we didn't enjoy the food as much. The staff members were very joyful and friendly. They were explaining the process to every guest and keeping everyone informed on waiting time. During dining, they were also available to help.

Had an awesome time at The Observatory the other weekend. Unlike a lot of places, they run their…read moreHappy Hour on the weekend, which is what drew my partner and I in. You can absolutely smell the fish and vinegar as soon as you walk through the door, which I think gives the place a very homey pub feel. I ordered a spiked peach Arnold Palmer, which I enjoyed (and it was pleasantly strong) and a glass of the house white, which was good for the price. Our server was very fast and attentive. To eat I got the tomato soup with a grilled cheese, which was absolutely fantastic. The soup was so creamy and flavorful, and I cannot imagine a better meal after spending all day walking outside in the rain. The fries were super crispy and I liked the batter. My partner and I shared some of their breadsticks, which were deliciously baked (fresh!) and came with a super refreshing basil crema and a nice tomato-y dip. Wonderful all. My partner ordered fish and chips, and was surprised to find that it is one large fillet of fish, not multiple pieces like you would typically expect. He said the fish was fine, but a little tough. Overall, a wonderful experience. I definitely hope to return. I highly recommend this place as a refuge during the cold winter months!

You know what I will admit that my ardor for The Observatory has cooled over time. I do still count…read moretheir rosemary pear martini as my favorite cocktail in town - and really their cocktail menu overall is still excellent. But the last few times I've stopped in for a meal, it feels like the food isn't quite as impressive as it used to be. Could be all in my head. Not sure. But it's always a nice spot to hang out and chat with friends, you can get seated quicker if you enter through Over & Out, which basically functions as an extension of the main Observatory, with it's own bar and pool tables.