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.

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.

Came over for the first time to celebrate my birthday with a few friends. We were meeting for…read moreHappy Hour and was surprised how big the lounge area was. There were many large seating area available. One main cedar table was a big attraction. There is a fireplace with a table by it We got a table. I ordered a Borgona, fruit puree juices mix with Sprite. Never had one, but sounded really good. It came and it was delicious and fruity for a mocktail. We ordered a shrimp ceviche and octopus skewers to start out with. The Shrimp Ceviche was very delicious and it was something that I was very happy to share it with my friends. It was a big portion of shrimp cocktail with salsa on the bottom and these large sized blue chips. It was so good that we ate it quickly. Octopus skewers was a tad charred. Yet very delicious especially if you eat it with the pineapple together. Brings out the flavor of the pineapples quite well. We ordered the Pork Belly Tacos and Mole Shrimp Tacos which came in 3. I absolutely loved street tacos filled with good fresh ingredients. And both of these hot the spot. The pork belly was an absolute great flavor of the pork belly. The Shrimp was delicious. Cook perfectly and easy to devour quickly. DeFuego Nachos had Jalapenos. But wasn't listed. The nachos were delicious and it was quickly devoured. Wings came in 4 wings with garlic parmesan with carrots and celery and ranch on the platter. Heavily garlic on the wings yet very delicious. Half wedge salad was a surprise how much there is in the salad. A lot of fresh veggies there with cherry tomatoes and sliced radishes in it. I had a absolutely fun experience celebrating my birthday here. DeFuego had Happy Hour from 3pm to 6pm, seven days out of the week. Seems the Happy Hour here is very popular. You have 21 appetizers to choose from on the Happy Hour Menu. There are Mocktails, and any drinks you want available. Definitely will come back again.

Shoot. Last night I took my boyfriend here to celebrate a special event & we left so disappointed!…read moreWe got there at 7:15 & we were stuck there for over 2 hours! I ordered 2 things and both came out wrong. Our waitress spoke very loudly and we could hear her having long personal conversations with people a couple tables away from us for 10+ minutes at a time, several times. While we waited for her, we ran out of water a few times and I had to ask for more. It was over an hour before our order was even taken. We did flag her down to order an appetizer, brussel sprouts with cheese on the side due to a dairy allergy, but... the sprouts came out with cheese on them. They corrected this fairly promptly, but then we sat for another 45 minutes before our order was actually taken. I ordered a steak as "somewhere between medium & medium well" and she correctly repeated my order back to me "medium/medium well." When the steak came out, it was WELL well done. Like, burnt. I wanted to send it back, but I didn't want to deal with the embarrassment or have to wait even longer for food. We were about an hour & 45 minutes into dinner by the time we got our food. I was so disappointed! I also wanted to get dessert to celebrate the occasion but the service was SO slow that we had to cancel our after-dinner plans. We ordered it anyway & requested the check promptly, giving up on our plans for the rest of the evening. We were only a party of 2, we arrived early for our reservation, & we watched several larger parties come and go while we waited for our order to even be taken. It was a Wednesday night and not overly busy, there were several empty tables, so I'm not sure what the hold up was. We were also seated at an odd table next to the kitchen with a small divider between us and the staff. It was noisy and I even heard 2 staff members exchange a joke about how someone else had left & said they'd never come back. They laughed about it. I wish I had the guts those people had to get up & leave! I've never once left less than a 20% tip and felt immense guilt not tipping well, but after experiencing the poor service then also hearing the staff blatantly acknowledge it & not care.... I was appalled. The Hilton bought the hotel attached to De Fuego and I'm shocked. This was a Monarch hotel before and I'd assume that the Hilton's standards would be higher but the service and quality here have tanked hopelessly low since the acquisition. I had a similar experience at The Underground before it closed. I've learned my lesson & won't come here for a special occasion again.

Ox was the perfect place to spend our second Valentine's Day together. If you're celebrating a…read morespecial occasion, this is the spot! The meats here were incredible, and the complimentary soups served in the cutest little teacups was a thoughtful touch! We ordered a unique apple sliced salad topped w blue cheese, of course oysters, tartare, and my very first filet mignon! My partner at the time insisted we order it, and I'm so glad we did - it completely lived up to the hype. So tender and juicy! If you're visiting, don't skip this. The restaurant is intimate with limited seating, so be sure to make a reservation. The dim lighting creates the perfect date night atmosphere, and the aroma from the grill is intoxicating! Every detail made the evening feel special, and I'm so happy we got to spend it together here. Thank you to the staff for making the evening unforgettable!

Service was consistently warm and friendly throughout two visits in the same week. The restaurant…read morehas an upscale yet relaxed atmosphere and I appreciated thoughtful touches like providing toothpicks in the restroom. On our first visit we had a reservation and were seated at a table. After ordering, patrons are served a complimentary leek soup in an espresso size cup. I wish it were on the menu because it is one of the best things I've ever tasted. The flavor is incredibly rich! We ordered the clam chowder, halibut, maple glazed carrots and tres leches cake. The clam chowder's presentation was nicely done but nothing special in taste. It came so highly recommended on Reddit and many other diners ordered it but neither my party nor I cared for it. The halibut was good but didn't stand out and the maple glazed carrots weren't to my taste. What completely won us over was the tres leches cake. It is one of the most delicious and most memorable desserts we've ever had. Every layer complemented the next perfectly creating an incredibly balanced dessert that wasn't overly sweet with different textures. We couldn't stop talking about it afterward. It was one of the reasons we decided to give the restaurant a second shot. After our meal I mentioned to our server that we weren't sure if we'd ordered the right dishes since we weren't thrilled with the food especially with how popular the restaurant is. He explained that it's primarily an Argentinian steakhouse and suggested returning to try the meat dishes. On our second visit we arrived at opening without a reservation. There was plenty of seating but since we didn't have a reservation we were seated at the bar. I didn't mind seated at the bar but the bar stools were extremely uncomfortable, almost torturous. Unfortunately, it was too hot to sit outside. Midway through dinner a machine, maybe a dishwasher, was turned on behind the bar. It was loud and the vibrations could be felt. This time we ordered the beet salad, cheese empanada, beef empanada, two filet mignons and the lamb shoulder. The beet salad was a disappointment. It consisted of large overly soft chunks of beets with what tasted like a basic grocery store salad dressing. For a restaurant of this caliber I expected more. Neither of us enjoyed the cheese empanada but we both liked the beef empanada. We also ordered two filet mignons cooked the same way. Both arrived more done than requested and one way more overcooked than the other. They were also on the salty side, though both were very tender. The lamb shoulder, which our server had already warned us about before we ordered, ended up being dry and tough. The chimichurri served alongside the savory dishes was also heavier on onions than I prefer. Overall, the service was excellent, and the complimentary leek soup and tres leches cake were truly outstanding. Unfortunately, despite two visits, the main dishes we ordered didn't live up to the restaurant's reputation for us.

Super cute new coffee shop- they offer a lot of different breakfast options! The açaí bowls were…read moreyummy, nothing special, but still tastes good- good price point too! The coffee was great though, star of the show! I also tried one of the coffee shakes, it was okay, a little too bland for me personally but I want to try their other options before I rule them out!

This was such a nice surprise to find! This Brazilian Coffee Shop has a nice simple and modern…read moreinterior, that is spacious. They even have a mini store on the side. Staff are professional. Food was great! Highly recommend!

Dosalas is our new favorite happy hour spot! Coming up the stairs (there is an elevator too) you…read moreare welcomed into a massive space with gorgeous views of the river. We got a table on the covered patio. Adrian our server did an amazing job taking care of us. I started with the classic margarita and it was delicious! Smooth and flavorful. Next we tried the chunky guac and the Mexican street corn. The guac was really good, the onions and tomatoes brought the flavor to a great spot. The street corn was exquisite! The cheese level was spot on! We tried both the happy hour tacos and you can't go wrong with either. The shrimp tacos had a tasty tempura batter and the carne asada tacos were full of perfectly cooked little medallions. All the toppings were fresh and crisp. Everything was amazing. We can't wait to get back! Great location, great service, great food! Definitely try this happy hour out too!!!

We went back after speaking with the manager, and they absolutely made it right. Every concern from…read moreour previous visit was addressed, and the difference was noticeable immediately. It really shows how much impact proper training and attentive service can make. This time, the service and food experience were both 5‑stars. A big thank‑you to David and Kevin for delivering top‑notch customer service and turning the experience around.

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.

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.