Portland’s Restaurant & Wine Bar

Place is right downstairs from me. They make a pretty good burger, although you can find way better way cheaper around here. The service is pretty good, but they try a bit to hard to be a fancier place and it comes across as being uptight. Not really a complaint, just an observation.
The fries though, oh the fries. The Parmesan fries are the best, but the Cajun ones are almost as good. I sometimes go just for them!
All in all a solid place. A little pricey but worth it 90% of the time. Relax the atmosphere a little and add some light (the place is VERY dimly lit at night) and I bet the place will fill up more often.

Never going here again and you shouldn’t suport them either. The OWNER (blonde) was at the bar. We sat at the bar and didn’t get a hello. Nor did we get menus. We sat for a few minutes before she slowly walked around to come wipe down the bar in front up each one of us without saying excuse me, hello, nothing. She went back behind the bar and continued cleaning glasses. Finally handed us 2 menus for 5 people. Still no hello. I had to ask a couple minutes later for a 3^rd menu… a couple of us just shared menus. About 5minutes later she walked over with a piece of paper and said «what are you guys gonna get?»…yeah, hello to you too. The first person ordered her beer and before she could even say what she wanted to eat the lady moved on to the next person. Normally this is okay but after almost 15 minutes of not being acknowledged I think we have had enough time to decide what we wanna eat.
So, this place’s burgers are al a carte and I understand we should pay attention to the menu but it’s almost unheard of that your burger comes with no side. So my friend got her burger and wondered where the fries where. She was informed she can buy fries for $ 4. Fine. But it should go without saying that when such a common item soo commonly comes w a side the waitress should explain while ordering that you can add a side if you like. the guy next to us had the same problem. So, tipped her 15% and i didn’t wanna give her anything but my fiancé used to work in restaurants and won’t let me leave less than 15%. Anyways, as we were walking out my fiancé gave her the benefit of the doubt to say goodbye and he told her «have a great night!». She didn’t look, respond, nothing. We were invisible, all 5 of us, walking in and again walking out. Never going there again because I refuse to support someones success when the owner won’t even greet customers. Horrible service. I’d give zero stars if I could but it’s impossible. Plus the food is decent. Again, the al a carte thing isn’t clear.

First visit for restaurant week. Pleasant surprise as I had not heard of it before. My friends an I enjoyed the carrot soup, scallops, salmon, pork as well as both desserts. Decent wine pairings and great service. I’m sure we’ll be back to try again!

Not quite sure what all of the negative reviews are about… hubby and I came by here on a Friday night and had a great time!
We shared a pizza, ordered the «famous» fries, and had some beers. Everything was really nice, and we left feeling satiated and pleased. The bill wasn’t very high, and I liked the place. I dunno, maybe we were jaded by our own good company? Anyway, we will definitely be by again because we really liked everything Portland’s had to offer!

Came back on my birthday. A friend met me there and had a great salad again with soup. Delicious as always. But the surprise was a slice of Tiramisu. great surprise, tasty treat. I’d drop in for this one just for dessert.

No love for this place yet based on location & cocktail prices. I’ll be back to try some happy hour treats & if that goes well maybe a dinner. My hubs is sold on this place so I’m going to have to give it a try. He also hasn’t had the food I think he enjoys the idea of it. It’s old school downtown Chicago in his mind I think with the condos above the businesses & ambiance at night. For me it takes more that pretty face to get me going. Just sayin’! Wish me luck.

Every time I walk past this place I think «how sad, what wasted potential.» The hours are horrible, it’s always closed, when it’s open it’s dead inside. I wouldn’t mind having a glass of wine on the patio on a Sunday afternoon with my iPad or laptop, but it’s not open at all on Sundays, and there is no WiFi.
I’ve been with friends a few times that were impressed with the parmesan fries, and I’ve heard other people talk about them. Look at the ridiculous number of reviews of how great the $ 7 french-​fries are, and how very few reviews of the $ 22 steaks. It want’s to be upscale, but it’s best known for it’s french-​fries? I suspect the parmesan fries are popular because it’s is an ideal location for an upscale hangout or wine bar or something, so people will pay $ 7 for french-​fries. But no one wants to bother having dinner there. It’s a good location and has potential on the surface. I have frequently walked in hoping to «relax» after work, but every time I get halfway through my first drink I just want to leave and feel like I’d rather be anywhere else.
There seems to be no attempt to cater to the sort of crowd the place actually is able to get. From the outside it looks like a nice upscale, relaxing, fun place to have a glass of wine and hang out. But, the atmosphere is an odd negative energy, it’s just not relaxing or fun. Sitting at the bar is the slightly better indoor seating choice because the booths and tables really are not any more comfortable. Plus, when you do ask for a table or booth, they seat you so close to the other customers you listening to each other’s conversations anyway. I think it’s just the acoustics of the place, you feel like you have to whisper to the people you are with which makes you uneasy, and everyone else is whispering and you can hear everything they are saying anyway.
I personally think the prices are ridiculously high, not because of the quality of food, because of the whole experience. It’s a failed attempt to be upscale that leaves you uncomfortable. Upscale places are suppose to make you feel comfortable, well served, happy, like you and your party are important, can have a private conversation, and like you never want to leave. Portland’s is none of those things. There’s too much competition downtown for this place to have those prices and not offer something plush. I wouldn’t mind paying more than here even if it was for something plush. But this isn’t plush; it’s absent any personality at all. Portland’s does not have comfortable seating, does not have relaxing music, does not have peaceful surroundings, does not have pleasant happy people hanging around, does not have a friendly happy smiling and attentive staff.
I don’t care how good the food is if; I’m constantly aware that there are only two other parties in the whole restaurant and we can all hear each others conversations, the seating is uncomfortable, the staff disappears, or the wait for anything you order seems to take about 10 extra minutes than is acceptable (even drinks). The whole «I can’t wait to leave» feeling stays right to the last minute, and getting the check and looking at the prices cause me I wish I would have went anywhere instead of Portlands. I walk past all the time. A few times (when it was actually open), I stuck my head in the door and instantly went «oh, no, not this» and ended up walking over to Pita Jungle, or jumping on the light rail to go to CityScape, or getting in my car and driving anywhere else.

came here for lunch yesterday. no wait for a table and the food came fairly quickly. I ordered the steak sandwich and shared parmesan fries. both tasted excellent! the steak sandwich had big chunks of steak cooked medium to medium-​well. and the fries were really addictive. it’s a fun spot to hang out and really close to where I live so I’ll be back — probably on Wednesday when they have a special on their burgers!

Portland’s has gotten a bit of a bad rap in the last couple years, which is really sad because they seemed to arrive with fanfare years ago.
I lived on Portland right down the street from this place and I had only been there a couple times over the years. Recently, I was invited to a concert and I needed to grab a bite to eat. I parked in front of my old place and walked over to Portland’s before hitting the light rail downtown.
I was eating alone and I was short on time so I decided to sit at the bar. The bartender said the burger had one of the fastest cook times, so that’s what I picked.
The burger was pretty good, though the kitchen was extremely slow in getting it out. I started to get nervous about making the concert on time, but then my burger arrived. I scarfed it down, threw down some cash and ran out to the light rail just in time.
I’d eat here again if I was in the area and had some time to kill. It’s pretty relaxed inside and is conducive to conversation. Still, they should either hire more staff or light a fire under their cook’s butt.

Their parmesan fries met the hype. That was the only highlight of our dinner. Our calamari was so salty my eyes dried out. The eggplant napoleon was pretty blah. Disappointed because I can eat a whole field of the purple stuff. Theirs was way, way to tough and not thoroughly cooked. Eggplant should be soft and creamy all the way through.
Might come back for my potato fix and maybe a drink, but not for din din.

^shrug^
I stayed out by this place. It was basically the only gig in town besides the hotel bar and well, that was just a sad sight. So we came here. I had a nice salad, some greens with feta and walnuts. A glass of sauvignon blanc. Bartenders are bitchy. Is that some kind of prerequisite in Phoenix? You have to be douche or a bitch? Hands down, Phoenix takes the prize.

My hubby and I came here on a Saturday night because we were both starving and every other place nearby had a long wait. That should have been a big red flag. The food and the service were both sub-​par. Our server disappeared for long periods of time without checking on us and seemed annoyed that we were inconveniencing him by being there. The busser kept my hubby’s ice tea full but then failed to take my plate once I was done eating. It literally sat there for the entire 20 minutes we waited for our server to bring us the check and then was still there when we left.
We started with the calamari which had a great flavor, light breading, and came with two tasty dipping sauces. However, the calamari itself was really overcooked and rubbery. The hubby had a pasta dish which he thought was pretty good. But it’s hard to screw up a basic rigatoni and red sauce. I ordered the eggplant napoleon. The description sounded fantastic: eggplant, portabello mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, balsamic vinegar; all my favorites. It arrived with a beautiful presentation (see pic) so I was really excited to try this dish. The actual flavors really fell short. Vegetables were overcooked, cheese filling was bland, and the sauce was oily. The dish just didn’t pop.
Overall, I liked the cool, modern vibe of the place. Though the electronic music got really old. It ranged from some songs that were kind of techno jazz background music to some songs that were sort of like acid house music. It was weird. Other than that its a comfortable, cool place and I would consider giving them another chance if there weren’t so many other better options in the area.

So my bff was in town and we decided to gather all of us college buddies and have a nice dinner at this place. The website made it out to be an impressive establishment. Not really, though.
it was a bit dead when we arrived that evening… no host to welcome us, no one to seat us until I almost had to walk to the kitchen to get some service. When our whole party had arrived (~15 or so, which he was well aware of) our server still delayed in taking food/​drink orders and refilling our cups. When it came time for me to order, I had asked if I could modify one of their dishes (easy request: no cheese in the eggplant napoleon). guess what? yeah, it came out with cheese… all of it. Oh and another thing — what place touts itself as ‘new American cuisine’ and then doesn’t even carry sweetpot fries? They only had regular frozen bag fries. really?
This place was a disappointment in service, atmosphere, and food offerings.

Portlands, tsk-​tsk.
Maybe we caught you on a bad night. The pizza which is usually wonderful was a bit burned on the edge. We had already waited a while after placing the order so I didn’t bother sending it back.
But what really urged me to update my review (and probably can’t be attributed to just a bad night) was what you are offering in the way of «caesar salad».
I am so far beyond expecting a classic caesar salad experience with egg whites and anchovies prepared tableside that the few times I enjoyed that delicacy remain just a guilded memory. But really. .. even Barro’s at least uses fresh shredded parmesean and not that powdered stuff that’s in the pizza shakers.
So I want to believe that you remain a destination on Central. .. but last night kinda made it more diffcult to have faith.

Get the Tommy Burger and the Parmesan Fries with a glass of the Malbec and call it a night., which I do quite often and have never been disappointed.
Nice selection of wines and often specials on them plus a great staff and convenient location make this a must hit.

It was a Thursday night when my friend and I decided to stop at Portland’s for a bite and a glass of wine. We walked in to an empty restaurant, which made me nervous. We were greeted and told we could sit wherever we would like. We chose to sit in a window seat. A friendly waitress came over and asked us if we’d like something to drink. We decided on a few glasses of wine after some suggestions from her.
My dinner partner went to the restroom to wash his hands and when he came back he said «This place hasn’t been top to bottom cleaned in a LONG time. Probably since they opened!» He said that there was built up dust on the air vents. Don’t ask me why he was staring at the ceiling, he just happened to. The news made me wonder about the top to bottom cleanliness of their kitchen. hmm… We chose to proceed with ordering food.
We chose the Tommy burger and the Alfredo burger. The Tommy burger had Applewood-​smoked bacon, Stilton blue cheese, lettuce, tomato & mayo. The Alfredo burger had roasted poblano peppers, jalapeño mayo, lettuce and tomato. You have to order the fries ala carte. They don’t come with the burger, which was kind of silly. We went with an order of Parmesan fries and an order of Cajun fries.
While waiting for our food, I asked the waitress why the place was so empty. She said «It’s Downtown Phoenix at night!» Um… has she spent any time in Downtown Phoenix lately? I told her that we had just come from another, larger establishment that had just opened and the place was packed. She said «I’d like to see them when all of the buzz has died down.» She may be right, but it makes no sense that a restaurant that is connected to a LARGE apartment complex, next to a hotel, right on the light rail is almost empty on a Thursday night.
Our food arrived and I was surprised by the burgers. They were served on plain ol’ Wonderbread hamburger buns. Yeah, those. I took a bite into my burger and it was good! Not stellar, not amazing, just good! I didn’t mind the plain ol’ bun after a while. Honestly, sometimes the bun overpowers the burger. The fries were ok. Again I wasn’t blown away. They were just fine.
The bill came and that’s when I minded the plain ol’ bun. I remembered that the Tommy burger was $ 11 and the Alfredo burger was $ 9. The cups of fries were $ 4 each. Well that puts a different spin on things. For the quality of food we had, we were definitely short-​changed. What do you expect out of an $ 11 burger? Think about it.
Portland’s has SO MUCH potential, but they give off a bar-​fly attracting vibe instead of a Downtown Clientele vibe. Would I go back? Yeah, maybe during a burger special night, but I don’t know if I would seek out Portland’s for a nice dinner again. We’ll see.

Best French Fries in Phoenix hands down. Order the Parmesean garlic fries and any burger on the menu and you won’t be dissapointed.
Wed nights they run a $ 5 burger special for one of their burgers but you need to ask them about their special.
Cool Local/​Ind resturant for wine and good food.

Stellar parm fries.
Good wine.
Nice calamari.
This place was pleasantly not packed on First Friday, so my friend and I were able to get right in and order something to nosh on before entering the Roosevelt Row mayhem. I’m looking forward to returning for a proper meal, and not just their apps.

So I have been here twice. First time was on a First Friday night, it was crowded. Food was good, I had ordered the eggplant parmigana tower, which was huge. Delicious and my two other friends were pleased with their dinners. I decided to come back for my birthday as they were doing wine pairings with a 3 course entrée. I had a party of 10.
But because of my guests didn‘t want the wine pairing dinner, the rest of us were told none of us could have it either, strange. Then it was obvious we were having a birthday party, presents, balloons, etc but I got handed the check without even being asked if we wanted dessert. Felt like we were being rushed out. So a bit disappointed! Probably next time will no my birthday somewhere else!

It is always about service… and Saturday night, I think that service was lacking in so many ways.
I am going to start at the end of the night first. There were 9 of us at the table, all of us talking and eating. Slowly but surely, the server removed our plates. When she removed the last plate… she plopped down the check… even after we told her that it was my friends birthday. I asked my birthday friend if we were getting dessert and she asked why…“because here is the check” So my friend asked her if we can see a dessert menu. The server replied, «Oh I am sorry… since nobody said anything to me, I assumed that you were all finished.» Wow… what a way to upsell the tab…
i have to say that even with that exchange… the server had absolutely no personality. The food was good. (The wine pairings for $ 30 is what peaked our interest… but because one of our friends wasn’t going to participate — — –her pregnancy may have had something to do with that — — - the table wasn’t allowed to take part in the wine dinner. BOO!!!) The eggplant looked good, my burger was, well, a burger, and the desserts were amazing. And one couldn’t go wrong with ¹⁄₃ off bottles of wine. Especially nice since I had an awesome Shiraz.
I wouldn’t outrule going here again. I didn’t get the «wine bar» feel of the place especially since the food wasn’t the most wine appealing. I just hope our next server has more PAZAZZ!!!