I wish there was more Brazilian food in Portland, besides Fogo de chao I've only seen one other…read moreplace and they closed down unfortunately. In my limited experience w/ Brazilian food, the flavors seem mild and comforting, not too spicy, a lot of beans/rice, meat & plantains. We tried the Tropiero which was like a breakfast bean&rice scramble w/ eggs & sausage and Coxhinha which were like arancini stuffed w/ shredded chicken, almost like samosas but with different breading. Both were delicious. The cart is located in a pod off Belmont, and they have a little tent w/ inside seating and heaters.

Brazilian is a distinct cuisine that is sadly underrepresented in Portland -- the only other…read moreBrazilian places I know of are a fancy steakhouse downtown and a chain coffeeshop in Beaverton. Nothing against those two, but this place is where to go for a scrumptious, filling, reasonably prices and authentic Brazilian meal, served by a charming chef who is fluent in English, Spanish and her native Portuguese. This is deep soul food, with some ingredients that look familiar -- black beans, collard greens -- yet taste different from the more common US preparations. Try the feijoada or the veggie plate or, for something very different, the moqueca. The flavors are all interesting but quite mild, although there is hot sauce available on request. It's part of a pod with other interesting-looking carts, including other South American cuisines, and a terrific beverage cart.

Odell was an amazing server made sure we had everything we needed. he also made sure we got the…read moremeats we requested and it was delicious.

It's 11:30 on a Sunday morning, the doors open promptly, and my friends and I walk in. Parking was…read moreannoyingly difficult, as per usual, but we anticipated this and gave ourselves plenty of grace time. Once seated, our (mediocre) server fills our water glasses & takes our order/confirms what we will be eating. Today, half the party elects to take the market table only and the others get full churrasco. The restaurant was busy but not quite half full so there is room to walk b through (there are too many tables imo, it's hard to not get in someone's way). I got a little of everything, and enjoyed both a classic old fashioned and a passion fruit caipirinha. The pear & arugula salad was really good; loved the salmon and capers,; the mini waffles were soft and almost cinnamony; beef rib hash was fantastic! I liked the candied bacon but it is very sweet. I'll be back to go full churassco next time!

The food is really good. The portions are a little small, but still the price is not unreasonable.read more

Delicious brazilian comfort food! Good in any weather and at time of the day, there are many…read moreoptions and it is always very yummy! Good prices too. Highly recommend.

El Gaucho has been on our list of Portland Restaurants that we had on our bucket list; we can now…read moreofficially share what an amazing experience we had. We were celebrating my wife's cousin's birthday. El Gaucho restaurant is located on the street level of The Benson Hotel on SW Broadway. You have the option to valet your car or right across the street you will find a local parking lot or if you are lucky you can search for street parking. As you walk in you are greeted by a door man, the staff we interacted with were over the top friendly and engaging. The interior is swanky with a wood tone, white tablecloths but not stuffy. We were seated quickly. The booth was on the street side wall near the bar area with open seating in the middle of the space, but know that the booth was a snug fit, in our next visit we will see if we can reserve an open table for a little more elbow room. This aside, you are entertained by the staff's theatrics around the old school serving theater, the flaming sword brochette is worth the view. They also had live music that gave that extra touch an ambiance. Our food, wow, you know the saying, you get what you pay for, well it was worth every cent. We ordered the Prawn Linguine, very ample serving of Linguine and very tasteful Prawns, we shared the wedge salad, it was very well prepared, I had the 14oz Peppercorn, New York Steak with a side order of the Wicked Shrimp, large Prawns sautéed in a spicy sauce, (its spicy) so beware, I loved them even with the kick. Our party also ordered the Standard 14oz New York, with sautéed mushrooms and spicy Brussel Sprouts. On top of all of this great food, we enjoyed the garlic toast, its amazingly tasty. We washed it all down with a 2014 Tempranillo-Malbec, a perfect red wine from our family members collection. If you have not experienced El Gaucho, don't wait too long, you are missing out.

Although the tableside salad is standardized, it can still be a hit or miss depending on the server…read morepreparing it. I had the best tableside salad here last year, and our waiter even personalized it by adding extra garlic. Unfortunately, things fell short during my most recent visit. The salad this time was very bland and barely garlicky, even though we specifically asked for extra garlic. Last year I didn't get a chance to try their off-menu porterhouse and was planning to order it this time. Unfortunately, they no longer offer it. The only off-menu option now is a sampler of three different cuts for over $100, which isn't worth it to me. I ended up going with the ribeye cooked medium rare as usual, but it was surprisingly chewy this time and even made my gums bleed a bit. One small thing I wish they would change: at other locations, the personalized menu is kept in a plastic sleeve, but here they roll it up and tie it with a ribbon. A common issue I've experienced at El Gaucho most of the time is that when the server pours water, it often drips onto the personalized menu. I hope they can be more careful since it gets messy and ruins something many guests like to keep as a souvenir. There has also been a huge price increase across the menu since my visit last year.

Make a quick stop at The Pit Stop and you won't be disappointed. It's everything you're looking for…read morein a local sports bar including some pretty reasonable daily deals like a pint of Budweiser and a shot of Bulleit bourbon for $10 on Wednesdays. A group of friends and I went for the trivia game and we had a blast. Clearly there are frequent fliers who attend because it seemed like everyone knew each other. It had that classic "Cheers" atmosphere where everyone knows your name. Better than expected and definitely on the list to go back to for another round of Last Call Trivia!

We visited this restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. It wasn't busy and seemed to just have some…read moreregulars at the bar. We decided to order several different items to try and unfortunately none of them were good. We got the smoke plate and the pull pork was alright but the brisket was not good. It was dry, tough and lacking flavor. This is a BBQ place so that was disappointing. Everything else we ordered had no seasoning or flavor. How you can make a buffalo Mac and cheese that is bland is beyond me. The place is a dive bar atmosphere which is not a problem. Plenty of dive bars have good food, this is just not one of them.

Some bulletpoints because theres so much to say! - hubby…read moreloved his So Real cocktail. He said "would drink 10." - Dungeness Crab Bruschetta was so so good! We recommended it to the table next to us, and they liked it too! - Mushroom soup was so smooth and delicious! Perfect mushroom flavor without tasting like dirt. - Beef Tounge was not for me (I really hate capers ). Also was not a fan, personally, of Blood Sausage. Hubby loved both so if thats your thing, you'd probably really like them! - The rest of the Asado Argentina for Two was AMAZING! - I put the chimicurri on everything and they were so nice and brought me an extra bowl of it AND extra togo!! Thank you!! - The wine selection was incredible! I had the '21 Sangiovese and it was so so good. - Our server was very familiar with the menu and gave us such a good description of the specials and each dish we asked about! - The rest of the staff was very nice and they took away dishes and cleaned our table (literally wiped away crumbs) from previous ones so quick. - The overall vibe was so cool! I really want to sit outside next time we visit! I will be recommending this place to everyone from now on!

Oh, the joy of Ox…read more It's become a staple -- the kind of place that quietly works its way into your rotation and then suddenly holds weight in your personal ranking whether you meant for it to or not. As of right now, it sits at number one for my dad and a few of my friends alike. For me? I'm not ready to crown it just yet. I need a few more visits, a few more comparisons against my usual haunts. But it's up there. No question. When I first moved to Portland almost a year ago, this was one of the spots that kept coming up. Highly recommended, spoken about with a kind of confidence that usually means it's either overhyped or the real deal. We went for Mother's Day. Then again for Father's Day. My parents loved it -- the kind of love that doesn't need explanation -- and honestly, I get it. The service is immaculate. Thoughtful, attentive, but never hovering. You feel taken care of in a way that's increasingly rare -- like the front of house actually wants you to have a good time, not just turn the table. There's a real sense of pride in what they're doing. The team feels aligned, almost symbiotic. Front of house lifting up back of house, back of house delivering in a way that makes that support feel earned. Whether that relationship is perfect behind the scenes or not, it reads as seamless from the outside. And the food -- it's just excellent. Cooked perfectly, consistently, without unnecessary theatrics. No foams, no gels, no overworked plating trying to prove something. Just honest, confident cooking over fire. The kind of food that reminds you how good simple things can be when they're done right. It's indulgent in the best way. The kind of meal that might even tempt a few vegans back to the dark side -- at least for a night. It's not cheap. Let's be clear about that. I don't go here casually, and I'm not pretending I do. Thanks, Mom and Dad. But it's the kind of place that's worth saving up for -- not just for the food, but for the experience. For some people, this might be a random Wednesday night. For most of us, it's something you plan for. And when you do, it delivers. It's special without making a big deal about being special. And that's exactly why it works.

I love The Antojitos House! Their arepas and tostones are perfect comfort foods. As a gluten free…read moreperson, I appreciate having lots of options. The lady who works there is sweet as well.

This review is only for the pupusas, we didn't try anything else…read more They were not fully cooked and very thin with not much filling. A fee only had a little filling in half. They didn't have much flavor, we just tossed them. We had high hopes. Also platano Fritos we're not really maduros like we are used to. The Honduran food might be great. It was too $$ too. The same price almost as mestizo which is amazing.

E A T. H E R E . if…read moreyou're like me and maybe live nearby and have driven by or scrolled passed thinking "looks cute but I'm in 'X' or 'Y' mood right now and I'm not all that familiar with South American or Cuban etc so you put it off another day... STOP. Come here IMMEDIATELY. I popped in for brunch on a Sunday, no wait, Sat right at the bar. Vibrant bright sun filling the place, upbeat tunes playing. Handful of tables occupied. The vibes were 10/10 I pulled up a barstool and the menu had a lot of solid, tempting options. I went with a pressed Cuban sandwich topped with fried egg, bacon strips, hollandaise and sliced avocado. Had a beer and a shit, tasty. It was PERFECT. I'm coming back again, frequently, before this place POPS OFF. Gotta be a regular for me going forward. It is just GREAT!!!

Enticed by all the good reviews for this place and a hankering for Latin American food, I needed to…read morecheck them out. They're quiet on a Friday afternoon. Their space is very colorful and has a lot of fun energy. Their menu is pretty focused but the items all sound very tasty. We went with an Empanada of the day, The Cubano, and the Bandeja. Their focused menu certainly paid off when you see how fresh and well-executed their dishes were. The empanada of the day was a mushroom and cheese. It's made fresh so the cheese was nice and gooey. Their crust is different from what I'm used to. It seems to be a mix of maize and cornmeal rather than flour. I think it gave a nice crunchy crust and slightly chewy inside. A bit small for the price though. The Cubano was again made fresh. Bread was nice and crispy. Inside was filled with hearty meat and cheese. A solid sandwich, especially when paired with their pico de gallo. The start of the meal was easily the Bandeja. You can choose between chicken and flat iron steak for the Bandeja; we went with the steak and we weren't disappointed. It's cooked medium-rare, making the steak super tender. The outside crust was well-seasoned and flavorful. The Plato came with a lot of other tasty things like a perfect over-easy egg, rice and beans, avocado, and the best chicharron I've had. It's small but packed a punch. The outside was crispy all around while the fat layer was still melt-in-your-mouth soft. This dish had everything, perfect for sharing. The staff were attentive and friendly. Happy hour is from 3-5PM on weekdays. All in all, we had an amazing meal and will be spreading the word of their goodness for sure.

The food was delicious as always. We had a large group and we all got our food at the same time and…read moreit was all as ordered. Our waiter was friendly and kept the drinks full and replenished when needed. Love this restaurant at this location.

This was a tough one, as I was close to leaving due to not being served and ignored for at least 12…read moreminutes. I was going to give the Outback one star, but the service (finally) by Jeremy and the Coconut Prawns were excellent. The bar, which was full, did not have the focus or adequate coverage IF the Outback Steakhouse is truly wanting to continue to build their sales. I could not find a Happy Hour menu, but Jeremy located one and gave it to me. The food came out very quick and the prawns are huge. Perfectly breaded and cooked. Jeremy was terrific. I did ask him if he also had the dining room and he stated he was helping someone out. That explained why the service was initially so poor and lacking. I noticed a Manager was delivering most of the food to the bar customers. So my visit was just okay. The food and Jeremy was terrific, but the greeting took too long.

I had such a genuinely beautiful experience at El Pilón Colombian Food. You can feel the care the…read moremoment you're there. The people are incredibly kind, personable, and welcoming, with such positive energy. There's a real human connection here--you can tell they truly care about what they do, and you leave feeling fed in more ways than just food. And the food absolutely deserves the praise, too. The chicken empanada was perfectly crispy and full of flavor, and the chicken arepa was warm, cheesy, and so comforting, with tender shredded chicken that just hit. Everything tasted intentional and made with love. Even the sauce on the side brought everything together so well. I would honestly pay double for this experience--not because it's expensive (it's very reasonable), but because the food, the people, and the overall vibe are just that good. Beautiful food, beautiful people, beautiful company. They deserve the world. Highly recommend. --------------------- Tuve una experiencia realmente hermosa en El Pilón Colombian Food. Desde el primer momento se siente el cariño y la dedicación. Las personas son increíblemente amables, cercanas y acogedoras, con una energía muy positiva. Hay una conexión humana muy real -- se nota que de verdad aman lo que hacen, y uno se va sintiéndose lleno de muchas más formas que solo con la comida. Y la comida también merece todo el reconocimiento. La empanada de pollo estaba perfectamente crujiente y llena de sabor, y la arepa de pollo estaba calientita, con queso derretido y muy reconfortante, con pollo desmenuzado suave y delicioso. Todo sabía intencional, hecho con amor. Incluso la salsa que viene al lado unía todo de una manera increíble. Honestamente, pagaría el doble por esta experiencia -- no porque sea caro (el precio es muy razonable), sino porque la comida, las personas y la vibra en general son así de buenas. Comida hermosa, personas hermosas, una empresa hermosa. Se merecen el mundo. Súper recomendado.

I had my first empanadas from El Pilon's food truck that's tucked inside of Midtown Beer Garden…read morelocated in downtown Portland! I got 2 to try, a Colombianita and chicken. I prefer the chicken one more because it was more flavorful and had way more meat. The beef and potato one was still good, but it was mainly just potato. Both empanadas were piping hot, but sitting outside and eating it fresh in the cold weather helped cool it down quickly. I was expecting them to be bigger, but it was actually pretty small and I could have ate it in 2 bites. The menu is very modern and easy to read/comprehend. I like the helpful descriptions for some items and I am interested in trying their yuca fries. The ladies who helped with the order were very nice! The person in the back was definitely on top of it because I am pretty sure they started preparing the food right when they heard my order, before I was even able to complete my payment.