Terra Mae is one of the best restaurants in Portland. It is a fusion between Japanese and…read morePortuguese cuisine. Located inside Cascada, it's the perfect place to end a spa day. The restaurant itself is beautiful - elegant, upscale, gorgeous mural done by local artist, Blaine Fontana, and perfect for a special occasions! A huge shoutout to our server, Heidi, who was incredibly knowledgeable and helped guide us through the menu. The enoki mushrooms and the hot buns were standouts and are a must-order. We were also tempted by the udon, tartare and crudo but ran out of room, so they're already on the list for my next visit. If you're planning a visit to Cascada, do yourself a favor and book a reservation at Terra Mae afterwards!

The yellowtail was excellent, clean and fresh. Wish we leaned into the raw menu more. Note to self…read more Octopus salad was too citrusy for me, my friend loved it, so that's on my taste, not the kitchen. The lamb spare ribs missed. Mostly fat, the kind that never rendered down, and dry where there was actual meat. I left most of it untouched, and no one at the table ever caught it, small thing, but for a place this attentive to detail everywhere else, it stood out. Then the dessert thing happened. Birthday, server offers to treat us at the start of the meal. When it's time, she walks us through the menu, we get excited about the strawberry mochi cake, thinking it'll make up for the ribs. Nope. Turns out the treat was one specific dessert, the sweet potato cake, no other option. Kind gesture, weird way to land it. Left still hungry, wings and jojos at Jacks down the street fixed that. Maybe ordering different things or more of their Japanese side of the menu.

To speak about Teardrop Lounge, I should probably start with this:…read more Ladies and gentlemen, I present my favorite cocktail bar. Not the best -- I'm not arrogant enough to claim that. I haven't been to every cocktail bar in Portland, and saying something is the best usually says more about your lack of experience than your conviction. But favorite? That I can stand behind. And I want to get that out of the way early, because of the amount of praise I'm about to pour on this place -- fully earned, completely intentional. The biggest crime here is that I only discovered it two weeks ago, after living in Portland for a year. It had been recommended to me countless times, and I ignored it. A mistake. A painful one. But now that I've found it, I don't plan on making that mistake again. I'm not typically an Old Fashioned drinker. In fact, I usually hate them. But somewhere between curiosity and too many episodes of Mad Men, I decided to try one anyway -- fully expecting to confirm my bias. Instead, it completely flipped me. Bright, almost citrus-forward in a way that felt unusual but entirely intentional. Balanced, smooth, just enough burn to remind you what you're drinking without overwhelming it. It was the first time I actually understood the appeal. I'm pretty sure I grew a few chest hairs that night. That alone would've been impressive. But it didn't stop there. The space is beautiful -- clean, intentional, but not cold. The staff are excellent: personable, engaged, and most importantly, authentic. Not scripted, not performative. The kind of people you actually want to talk to, and hopefully, eventually be on a first-name basis with. Now, all of that gets it close to a perfect score. But what pushes it over the edge -- what makes this place stick -- is the White Russian. One of the first drinks I ever had. My dad's drink. Not because of The Big Lebowski -- that came later -- but because it's just always been his thing. And at some point, it became mine too. Typically, when bars try to "elevate" a White Russian, they ruin it. They overthink it. Swap ingredients, tweak ratios, add unnecessary flair. And more often than not, it ends in disappointment. Teardrop does the opposite. They respect it -- but refine it. The coffee liqueur actually tastes like coffee. The heavy cream is properly integrated, not just dumped on top. The vodka -- whatever they're using -- is clean, present, and perfectly measured. There's a subtle complexity to it without losing what makes the drink what it is. It's the best White Russian I've ever had. No hesitation. I've gone back twice just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. If someone asked me what my death row drink would be -- this specific cocktail, from this specific bar, is in the conversation. Easily. Teardrop Lounge doesn't just make great cocktails. It reminds you why cocktails matter in the first place. And that's why it's my favorite.

We came to Teardrop Cocktail Lounge while visiting Portland and were genuinely impressed…read more The cocktails were excellent -- thoughtful, well-balanced, and clearly made by people who know what they're doing. One of the best parts was how approachable the bartenders were. We asked for custom drinks based on our preferences, and both came out perfectly tailored. Creative without being weird, and strong without being sloppy. What really stood out was the price point. For the quality of cocktails, the prices felt very reasonable compared to similar craft cocktail bars in other cities. The vibe was also great -- relaxed, cozy, and not pretentious. It felt like a place where you could come for a special drink experience without feeling like you had to "perform" or order off a rigid menu. We liked it so much we actually came back a second time during our trip. Highly recommend if you're into well-crafted cocktails, friendly bartenders, and a laid-back but elevated atmosphere.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed Eem yet. This would be our third time coming here. Traveling…read morefrom Seattle, Eem has been one of our go to's and hasn't failed us yet. We got seated quickly when everyone was there and then informed in advanced that we had the table for 90 minutes. I love the good expectation setting from the beginning. Great service throughout. We got fried rice, the chicken- large and curry this time along with a couple drinks and dessert. Everything was flavorful and delicious but the stand outs for us were the chicken and curry. Top 2 hands down. Forgot to take pictures this time since I was so hungry and dove in.

This place came highly recommended by the locals. It offers a unique blend of Thai flavors and…read moreAmerican barbecue. Our favorites were the white curry with brisket burnt ends and the massaman curry with lamb shoulder. The sweet-and-sour crispy chicken was also exceptional. The portions were generous, and the service was excellent. I'm taking off one star because we felt the wok-fried rice could have had a little more depth of flavor. Be sure to arrive early and put your name on the waitlist. We ended up waiting about two hours.

Experienced Alma's new all you can eat Balkan hospitality experience and it was delicious. Every…read moredish was full of flavor and the restaurant was well decorated!

Really enjoyed dinner at Alma. Excellent food, a relaxed atmosphere, and very friendly staff…read more Thoughtful without being over the top. The Cevapi, roasted carrots, and sautéed mushrooms were great. Would definitely go back.

At first glance the queso fries looked only moderately appealing: "nacho style" processed cheese…read moreand CUBED pulled pork. But the taste was loaded goodness. Yum. Their take on a Negroni cocktail was excellent. Great vibe and awesome bar. Decent prices, friendly service, doable parking.

Love this place. It's definitely a neighborhood spot. Good Food, Great Atmosphere, Amazing Bar…read moreTenders, couldn't ask for more. Definitely stop in if you are in the Alberta Neighborhood.

Kaya has immaculate vibes and they've got a DJ turning it up after 8pm(?). I know I'm at a cool…read morespot because all the melanin in the Portland metro area is here. Love the decor and the drinks are fun and super tasty. Happy Hour is lit! We ordered a bunch of truffle/parmesan fries and the food was very hot/fresh. Will definitely be coming back here!

Stopped in last night with a few girlfriends to celebrate my birthday. Such a cute spot for a chill…read morenight out with friends. Good vibes and good ambiance with great music. Service was great. Staff was nice. They were very accommodating to our large party (8 people). It did take awhile for us to receive our last round of drinks, but we weren't sure if the bartender knew how to make the shots or not that we ordered. Before we left, a DJ was setting up to play live music. They do pay you down and check your bags/purses when they check your ID. Will definitely be back soon with my friends.

just a great hang. sick patio, good drinks, friendly bartenders, and they do a lot to support local…read moreartists and events. Feels like a spot people genuinely want to be in. oh yeah, and always tip your bartenders;)

Dream House is great. The cocktails are good. The food is the kind of cozy, comforting stuff that…read morehits even harder after a couple drinks. Nothing pretentious, just the sort of menu that works. The vibe is dialed in too. It's chill without being sleepy, lively without being chaotic. They've got local XRAY DJs spinning, trivia nights, and hot jazz that's so good. It's the kind of place you stop by for "just one drink" and end up shutting down hours later.

Came here the other day for lunch and I'm already planning my return!…read more What acute unique " lively " place!! (Saying this for the coffin) Came in on a rainy day, the person behind the bar gave us menus and let us sit where we wanted to. The booths are so retro and cute also extremely clean! I definitely want to come back and make some photo content the place is so unique and fun to look at. When we were ready to order, we walked up to the bar. I forgot what burger it was, but had faithful in the name ordered our drinks. They made our drinks right then in there and we sat down with a number on our table. Although it was a slower day that food came out so quick and it was hot, you can tell it was made of fresh to order. The burger tasted very charbroiled. Also enjoyed that the fries had a lot of seasonings. I'm a girl who loves ketchup and I was able to eat these fries dry. Very tasty meal! Thank you who ever made that I enjoy the unique menu and fun names for everything that gets me. Excited about coming back again! Definitely want to try those slushees! Just wait for my wallet to get some meat on her and I'll be in!!! Take a trip to sad valley

I just fell in love. And I went in soft and dry. Friends asked me to join them on a Monday night…read morefor karaoke. Ok, in the way back I had a group I would karaoke with but slowly our places closed, switched locations, changed crowds and it just was not great. The few spots I like are very crowded. This was such a great night. Crowded enough to be uplifting (seriously great crowd of awesome people) but not too many to be overwhelming. The Halloween AND Christmas vibes were pretty great. Made respect for first mounting a coffin on the ceiling, second - shoving a disco ball in it and, third... lighting it up like a freaking unicorn. Thanks to everyone putting in unique songs with a special shout out to the gent who put in sex Dwarf AND Too Drunk To Fuck... bravo... And, of note... I was having a less than stellar night with mobility but I didn't have a difficult time at all! It's a very straight forward space without crazy obstacles and the 'stage' area has a small step up. Even the bathrooms are accessible and easy to get in and out (and clean with fun graffiti!!). I can't wait to go back!