Fun little taverna. Our server was delightful. The menu is simple. The atmosphere is noisy but not…read moreannoying. I had a couple drinks, a focaccia, and a few other dishes. We left satisfied but not stuffed (that is a compliment) and everything tasted fresh and delicious.

The first thing to note is that the 2 star reflects my view of the restaurant given it's posturing…read moreitself in the market as a gourmet, upscale restaurant, as evidenced by relatively high prices for relatively small portions. The restaurants ambiance has a soft, intimate feel to it, but neither the chairs nor tables have the element of class one would expect. In fact, the perimeter of the seating area has wooden benches which make sitting comfortably relative to the table a trick. Meanwhile, the actual chairs reminded me more of modern living room chairs as opposed to dining chairs. As for the food, we found the two main courses rather tasty:one being a steak kabob and the other a lamb kabob. I have had the lamb kabob on another occasion and both times it was cooked so the lamb was juicy and tender: rather delicious. However, the lamb kabob only came with one skewer of meat. On the other hand, the wagyu beef kabob was very tasty in it's own right and this was two skewers worth. I had trouble squaring that discrepancy in my head - so be it. As an appetizer, we shared the calamari dish. I am used to large plates of breaded, fried calamari cooked to perfection from my days eating at Italian restaurants in New York. This appetizer came in a small cup, which appeared to be an 8 ounce size (the cup was fancy and black, consistent with the image they are trying to project). The calamari dish was good, but not anything special. Thus, without considering that this restaurant markets itself as, a high end , gourmet restaurant, I would rate the food portion of the review a 4 star. However, that must be adjusted to reflect the food preparation relative to marketed expectation and that knocks it down to a marginal 4, at best, probably a 3 in my book. The real killer was the service. I will say it was both pleasant and polite. However, this is the type of restaurant that is marketed to appeal to the romantic dinner crowd with high end expectations: the professionalism of the service fell far short. To begin with, the host and waitress sat us at a table directly next to another couple. Note that I had made a reservation for 7. When we arrived there were only three tables occupied. However, we were sat directly next to another couple even though we could have been sat another two tables away for far greater privacy and a more romantic experience. Then the waitress exhibited zero personality throughout the evening. In addition, she came over while we were still eating our main courses and asked if we wanted the dessert menus, even though the restaurant would be open for another hour. All in all, I feel that the server was a nice person, but was obviously not very experienced and added nothing to the experience - not what one expects in a place that is marketing itself as upscale. I had a restaurant business and used slow times as an opportunity to observe and teach. I noticed nobody making such an effort in a situation that called for it: a big oversight and lost opportunity for three parties: the server because they are not being assited to grow, the patron because the service impacts the consumers overall quality of the experience and the owner for the obvious reason that it impacts business long-term. I call it the win-win-win formula and this restaurant would benefit from applying this concept to training the wait staff so they are at the patrons expectation level. In summary, if this were a casual restaurant I would rate it a 3, but because of how the business is slotting itself into the market with it's pricing, portion sizes, ambiance and menu presentation - I believe it only merits a 2 star review in that particular market segment. I do not believe you will be disappointed with the overall experience, but neither time have I left their feeling wowed, and both times I left feeling that the experience did not meet the expectation for the cost nor for the intimate, romantic feel they want to project as providing

When I lived in Corvallis, this place offered a wonderful place of flavorful solace. Chicken katsu…read morecurry is one of my favorite foods and theirs is delicious! Spicier than I'm used to but still delicious! I also loved their spam musubi, always a delicious snack!

for the price of what we paid and what we got was mid and the sushi roll o got was the WORST I…read more HAVE EVER HAD . it was sooooo spicy and covered in oil on the bottom . the salmon tasted burnt the rice around was horrible as well. saf to say I would never recommend this place to anyone or go back. I would give them a no start if o could . the woman at the counter was nice so no complaints Her way .

Best breakfast in town! Their morning buns are amazing and the coffee is killer. The staff is…read morefriendly and attentive and the vibe is very chill. Thank you!

Pleasantly surprised by the entire experience. Love the staff. All around great people working…read more Menu felt limited but as we ordered it felt easy and not overwhelming. The food was great and the pastries were done perfectly. Great flavor and great morning with great people. Definitely make a stop here.

We were skeptical when we walked into this small unassuming pizza to go shoppe. We grabbed our two…read more"pie" slices and left. After the first bite my husband and I looked at each other quietly, finished eating in our truck, grabbed the napkin and said to each other "are you ready to go back?". Yup bent back and bought TWO pizzas to have for the next two days since we were leaving the area and would not be back. When I dropped the $20 tip; they appreciated it greatly and we appreciated the incredible flavor explosion of the fresh, local ingredients fennel sausage pizza! 12 out of 10 stars!

Thin Crust, Thick Attitude! 0 stars for customer service…read more 4 stars for the pizza. Let's get the important part out of the way: this crust is thin. We're talking very thin, could-probably-read-a-newspaper-through-it thin. The dough itself tastes like someone actually cared, slightly chewy at the edge, not crisp in the middle, none of that cardboard-cracker nonsense some "artisan" spots try to pass off as minimalism. It's the pizza equivalent of a well-tailored blazer: simple, but you can tell it's good. Very yummy. Menu's takeout only, thin crust only today, two options on the day we went. No square slices, no thick crust for us. This place said "here's our thing, we do it well, deal with it," and the thing is genuinely delicious. We went with the margherita and it delivered! Bright sauce, good cheese-to-crust ratio. I WISH IT HAD JUST A TAD MORE mozzarella. Now, the vibes. There was a whole crowd of people outside like it was a pop-up sneaker drop, but somehow zero line inside, we just walked up. The woman at the counter was deep in conversation with the pizza-makers behind her, which, fine, workplace camaraderie, no crime there. But the energy shifted the second we started asked a question. A Simple one, too..."any square slices?" Got a flat "no, sold out, this is what you have." Fair enough, but the delivery had a little edge to it. Not a good edge. Asking to heat up our slices seemed to be an inconvenience. And the sense of urgency to get us out the door felt a bit performative given there was, again, no one behind us. I saw the drinks after we paid, but there was no way I was going to bother her with ordering a self serve drink. Could be an off day? Could be a personality thing? Could be a hundred things we don't know about, maybe she'd been fielding the same square slice question for six hours straight? Hard to say, and I'm not going to pretend I know why. What I do know is the pizza was good enough that we're already plotting a return trip, service vibes notwithstanding. Sometimes the crust redeems the counter. Brace yourself for a slightly chilly welcome. Worth it.

Third visit. Coming back from Portland, we detoured off I-5 to have dinner. We ordered the hummus…read more(again) and it was the best we've ever had (still). This time we tried the Sheaf Tenderloin. Awesome flavor. Still very much five stars. Well worth the detour!

Delicious food with lots of variety. The polo juice is one of my favorites…read more However, the service is horrifically slow. It seems they need to hire more staff- I saw all of the waiters working hard throughout the night, but I spent at least an hour of my visit just waiting on various things. There are also 4 giant TVs on the walls, all playing different videos, which I feel brings down the otherwise nice atmosphere.

Great little bar hole, like a movie set, the furnishings were clearly designed to reflect a sort of…read moregarage/punk-ish music vibe but still welcoming to college town families. Loved it. Chicken nachos were a generous portion, easy to share with three people. The corn fritters were a delight - something different and delish for bar food. It is an order-at-the-bar establishment, so no true table service. Still pleasant overall.

On a Labor Day evening walked in for the first time. Extremely eclectic decor, a few tables and a…read morefew booths. Ample stocked bar, your basic good pub food. Some local delights, the menu is a couple of pages with your higher end standards. The service was quick and the food came out hot and appropriate order. Nothing was forgotten and was quite a pleasant experience. I will be back to have some more of their variations, they have two or three different Mac and cheese options which is always a favorite for me.

The service was very friendly, and we got a table right away! I think this is a more popular…read moretakeout restaurant, but they have a decent amount of dining area. The shrimp salad rolls were very good, and the peanut sauce was rich and flavorful. I think the curry chicken dish lacked in curry seasoning, but the pad thai was delicious.

Still great food even with new name. Been eating here for years and not disappointed with the…read morechange in management. Great salad rolls and bobo tea. Nice, helpful staff

Rainy Day, Great Bar Seat, and One Memorable Meal…read more It was a cold, rainy Oregon afternoon when I stumbled into Castor, and I'm glad I did. There happened to be one open seat at the bar, which is my favorite place to dine when traveling. Sitting at the bar lets you talk story with the bartender, learn the menu, and watch the cocktails come together. If you're eating alone, I highly recommend grabbing a seat here. The bartender was friendly, easy to talk with, and clearly knew both the menu and the craft behind the bar. One thing that stood out right away was their use of fresh local ingredients, which really shows up in the flavor of the dishes and drinks. I started with the Golden Manhattan, made with a pecan-infused bourbon that was fantastic. It had a rich, slightly nutty flavor with warm vanilla notes and just the right touch of sweetness. Smooth, balanced, and a great way to kick off the meal. Alongside that I ordered the chorizo clam chowder, which brought a creamy base with just the right amount of spice from the chorizo. Comfort food with a little personality. For dinner I switched gears and ordered the Creole Sour. This one really stood out. Bright citrus up front, a smooth bourbon backbone, and a subtle spice note that tied perfectly into the Creole theme. It had that classic sour balance, tart, slightly sweet, and refreshing without overpowering the drink. Dinner was the gumbo with hot bread and butter, and it delivered. Deep flavor, a nice slow warmth from the spice, and hearty enough to make the rainy Oregon weather feel like part of the experience. To finish things off I kept it simple with a neat pour of Ben Holladay, which made for the perfect nightcap. The staff were welcoming and relaxed, which made the whole experience feel easy and comfortable. This is the kind of place that works whether you're dining solo, meeting friends, out with someone special, or grabbing dinner with a group. The price point landed right where it should be for the quality of food, cocktails, and service. If you're in Corvallis and can grab a seat at the bar at Castor, take it. Order a cocktail, settle in, and enjoy the ride. It turned a rainy afternoon into one heck of a meal.

My first visit here was yesterday afternoon. Drinks were great. Service was great. Almost…read moreeverything I had was great...except for the pork chop which was so dry, I could barely get it down. Dry dry dry. Not the slightest bit juicy. I would never order that again. $37 isn't cheap and I expect more out of a nice piece of pork than being cooked to death. Couldn't really tell it was bourbon and brown sugar marinated. No trace of either of those flavors. Left half of it on my plate and let my server know it was dry. The Summer Maque Choux, which was underneath the pork chop was so off-the-hook good I got just an order of that to take home! They do serve the Maque Choux as a "Snack" and I highly recommend you try it. The pickled tomatoes served on top of the pork were sweet, juicy, and slightly pickled. Yum! The Crispy Pork Belly with the housemade mustard was delicious - the mustard has a great kick to it. The Trout with crispy capers, green beans, and hazelnuts was very tasty. Would get that again, for sure. The sliders were good...I'm not sure $5/each good...but good. Crème Brûlée was excellent. And they make the best Piña Colada I've had in a long time. I'd give 3.5 stars if I could, because that pork chop was soooooooo disappointing, but 4 it is. Everything else was tasty. I'll come back, but not go anywhere near that pork chop.