Higgins Restaurant

I was told the only available reservation for New Year’s Eve would be in the bar. When I expressed concern about the noise level, they said we could be seated in a back corner. Instead we were given a tiny table very close to an entrance door. At one point there was a large group of people waiting in the area, and we had people standing within six inches of our table. Every time the door opened we got a blast of cold air. The worst part was that there was an empty booth just a few feet away the entire time we were there. We were told we couldn’t move there, because the booth was for four people.
Almost as bad was the food. I’m an adventurous eater, but the only thing on the menu that appealed to me was the Oysters Newport. Unfortunately it was so salty that this I who love salt couldn’t eat it. The waitress relayed that the chef had said the oyster shells were sometimes very salty. (Couldn’t they have been rinsed off?) She also said no one else had complained. (Did she mean there was something wrong with me? Not good serving etiquette.) My husband ordered the rigatoni with Italian sausage and broccoli. The rigatoni was very chewy (underdone, not al dente), and the broccoli was barely cooked at all.
The waitress did try hard to find something on the menu that would please me, and I settled for pan-​fried oysters which were acceptable but not very interesting. She did comp my meal. Between the noise, the blasts of cold air, the lack of concern for our comfort, and the awful food, we couldn’t wait to get out of there. My husband asked to take half of his meal with him, but we got tired of waiting. It was our 40^th wedding anniversary, and we were both very disappointed.

Fantastic food and service! A little bit on the pricier side but portion is not small. The steak and everything else I had were really good.

This has long been a go to place of mine in the south downtown area. The menu is diverse, rotates often and the quality is generally good. Once I would have had this as a 5 star but our recent dinner was not as great. The steak was not cooked quite to order (I was to embarrassed to send it back) and was a bit gristly for the reported quality and price. Wine mark up seemed a bit steeper than average for local wines. Service was good but not exceptional. This still is a nice place to go but is no longer the pinnacle of Portland dining as it once was. I had high expectation but at the end of the day is still a place to try if you haven’t been here.

I Love that Higgins supports sustainable farming practices and offers local, organic foods. Good on them!
But…
after four visits, I’ve yet to be impressed.
I’ve tried both the bar and dining room, twice each. I guess I’m happy to pay the prices for organic food, but all four times, without going into a lot of detail, the flavor, service, and ambiance didn’t match the costly bill.
Anyway, that’s my two-​cents (all I had left after dinner)…

We came here for dinner while visiting Portland. After looking at the rave reviews we just had to try it and we were definitely not disappointed. The wine list was wonderful and our waitress was very knowledgable. We ordered a delicious Washington wine to start and steak and the beef ribs for our meal. Both were fantastic and left us a bit overstuffed. Portions were generous and the dessert was unique and delightful. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. The prices are high but definitely worth it for a special evening out.

hiqqins is closed to psu and the portland theater. I was recommended the cheese cake there and tried the food there by the way. the bread and olivia oil first served just catch my mind and i fell in love with it. latter we had oyster, rice with mushroom and noddle, I just forgot their names, they r all delicious but the rice didn’t meet my taste. last we got the cheese cake, which I strongly recommended, you have to try this one if you r a dessert fan.

Delicious duck excepting that the fat wasn’t fully rendered. Done right duck is crisp and delicious. It’s a real trick to render all the fat on a medium rare duck. One they didn’t pull off. I just cut away the chewy fat and it was great. The duck breast was clearly sous vide, and amazing. Duck onion soup was ‘pulled’ breast from failed sous vide. Soup was salty as french onion soup tends to become: it was otherwise perfectly flavored.
Bread was fresh, but slightly burnt. Burning things does not make them authentic, it makes them burnt. The medium rare steak was 50% well done all around and rare in the center. The main course’s interaction with the sides is where the action is. Amazing flavors playing off of each other, intertwining in a way that creates not a flavor, but an experience. I lost myself a number of times to the flow of flavor and intention that the chef put on the plate.
I was over charged here and there. I’m not saying that the prices were too high as they were about right for what was offered: I’m saying that the menu said $ 45 for the duck, it was 48; the waitress said $ 15 for an appetizer, it was 16.50; no menu price for tea or soda, about $ 4 for a can of soda. Nothing worth mucking the memory of a birthday dinner over.
I really enjoyed looking at my beautiful wife and enjoying some truly transcendent flavors. The chef is a chef. However, at the end of the day I will not be returning.

This is the best farm to table restaurant in Portland.

Polite, great staff, good recommendations, quick food. Only reason it’s not a 5 star is because the bar area (where the bistro menu is served after 2pm but before dinner) is rather dim. I’d prefer more light (like the dining room). Other than that, delicious bread, smoked fish/​pickle plate, beer. lemonade was entirely too sweet. I wanted dessert so I got the crousillante– roasted peach, basil ice cream, pecans and and brioche. Delicious… a little savory, not too heavy. Just yummy. If you’re into sweet desserts, it’ll be weird… but I thought it was yummilicious. ;)

Higgins is right by office and so it was an easy decision when deciding where to go for lunch with a co-​worker.
This place has a
open faced pastrami and white cheddar sandwich. Seriously, some of the best pastrami you will ever have. It also comes with thousand island and grilled onions on the sandwich. There is a nice salad that it is accompanied with too. My co-​worker and I split the heirloom and burrata salad. SO yummy! And it’s only seasonal, so definitely stop in to try that. Higgins is one of the original ‘farm to table’ restaurants in Portland, and they are still doing it well.
Fast and friendly service too! You can definitely pop in here for lunch and be in and out in 45 minutes to an hour. I suggest sitting in the bar area because it’s a little more casual. I’ve only been here for a lunch a couple times, but I really want to try their dinner too. Higgins does not disappoint, put it on your list of Portland places to try.

The food is so good the wait is over 2 hours. So make reservations. But well worth it. The food is outstanding & fresh. You won’t be disappointed

We had dinner at Higgins before we saw Wicked at Keller Auditorium. FANTASTIC food and service. We were about 15 min late due to traffic. We called to let them know and it was a breeze. Extremely accommodating. Our server, Andrew, was phenomenal. Right away he asked if we were going to the show and made sure we got there on time. He has extensive wine knowledge and was great at helping us narrow down our choice. At the end of our meal he also offered to take our photo! The cute buss boy was awesome too. Very attentive without being intrusive.
We started with salads– heirloom tomato for me and summer vegetable and quinoa for mom. Both were so so delicious. The heirloom tomato was so good. I would go back for it everyday if I could.
For dinner we both had the specials. Salmon with eggplant sauce and broccoli and lean cod with a green mole and pumpkin sauce and summer vegetables. Both were delicious and beautifully plated.
Overall, Higgins is well worth the money and a fantastic experience. If you are seeing a show at Keller or would like a nice night out in downtown Portland, Higgins is the place to go.

The service was quite exceptional (which is why I’m not giving this a «1» rating)…but my food was a total miss. I’m vegetarian and both my appetizer (a very bland quinoa dish) and main meal (a poorly executed and mushy zucchini cakes) were flavorless and disappointing.
My dinner-​mates all ordered seafood/​meat entrees and loved them… so clearly that’s their sweet spot.
If you’re vegetarian, stay away.

Friends and I went to Higgins for dinner on our last night in Portland. I’m glad we went. The food was excellent and service impeccable (thank you Meghan!). I had the salmon special which was cooked perfectly with a delightful sauce over potatoes and roasted beets. The wine list by the glass is limited but nice quality. The space is very pleasing. Higgins is a bit pricey (entrees $ 25-​$ 45) but worth it for a nice evening out.

The wait staff was great.
Very overpriced specials though. The salmon filet was small (smaller than my palm, trust me my hands are petite), and the tasted like a dish my dad could make at home. So not worth $ 45. My boyfriend also got a special, the steak, and it wasn’t an expensive cut, yet cost $ 45. I’ve had filet mignon for that price. If specials are going to be priced that expensive, one would hope for out of this world flavor, but sadly the dishes came up short.
For being a fancy restaurant, I expected better flavors and more variety. The menu lead me to think «that’s it?». I was also thrown off by the lack of balsamic vinegar to go with the bread and olive oil.
The drinks were good, so maybe just go to the bar? The people were nice, just wish the food was worth the cost.

Not the same Higgins as years gone by…
Although the bar gets huge kudos. Lots of Belgium beer originals.
Heavy foods, although notable local flavor and origins.
Wait staff so so
Won’t return for a while, too much competition and not delicious enough.
Sorry, your were a favorite.

A Portland classic. Fresh Northwest ingredients and wonderful execution. Great service, great food, great wine and beer list, great happy hour. Hard to go wrong here.
That about covers it.
Go here.

After a long day of Easter celebrations, family time, and church, it was time to chill out and get some proverbial «air». I met a friend for drinks at the bar at Higgins, and it was the perfect place for us to have a cozy bite and some sparkling wine. It’s a nice intimate experience– you can sit at the bar or in more private booths (we chose the booth option). It was quiet (because it’s a holiday I imagine), service was good, and the atmosphere was relaxing. That might not always be true– I’ve been in the bar during happy hour and it’s crazy busy. The mussels were good, and came with really delicious bread. I could have just eaten bread and olive oil, but that may be because I have a carb obsession. Looking forward to returning for another chill evening

We were able to finally get back to Higgins after at least 10 years. We were able to go before the theater and they were very attentive to our time schedule to make the show on time.
Our waiter was fantastic. They are very quick and prompt with their service while still be personable. The staff’s attention to detail and knowledge of the menu and preparations made ordering a breeze.
The décor is dated and could use a little sprucing up, but clean and comfortable.
The menu is classic and not cutting edge, but they are known for being consistently good. The oyster chowder was a little sour, but had a great flavor and texture. The seafood bourride was chocked full of fresh shellfish with a wonderful cream based sauce. The special wild caught salmon was cooked to a perfect medium rare.
We finished with a wonderful lime chiboust tart — wonderfully tart and sweet.
They may never be cutting edge, but the food and staff are consistently good and worth the visit.
Atmosphere/​vibe/​décor: ¹⁴⁄₂₀
Food: ³⁵⁄₄₀
Service: ¹⁹⁄₂₀
Value: ¹⁵⁄₂₀
⁸⁴⁄₁₀₀

I recently had the fortune of being taken out for a business meal at Higgins. Since I knew my host was picking up the tab, I decided to splurge on the location. I’ve read great reviews about Higgins and I knew it had a long tradition for being a stereotypical business lunch location, ie: white tablecloths, old white men, etc.
Unfortunately, my experience at Higgins did not meet all my expectations. The service and atmosphere was as expected– our drinks were re-​filled instantly and the tablecloths were very white (just as the clientele). Although most of the people there were wearing blazers, I didn’t get a second look for wearing a hoodie and beanie. While waiting for everyone to arrive, we were given a plate of fresh bread to nosh on. It wasn’t served with butter which I thought was odd, but there was some house branded olive oil on the table. The OO was top notch, but could have used some balsamic vinegar.
I ordered the Whole Pig Plate” — Savoie style stew of smoked loin, bacon, Diot sausage, hock & ribs with cabbage, flint corn polenta and root vegetables (17.50). My gluten-​free compatriot got the Risotto of crispy parsnips, leeks and aged Emmenthaler cheese (15.5) and the other two got Dungeness crab and Oregon bay shrimp cakes with fennel slaw, basmati pilaf and saffron beurre blanc (18.50) and Open-​faced sandwich of house-​made pastrami, grilled onions & sharp white cheddar (12.50).
Of the bunch, my plate looked the most impressive, but really failed in many areas. When pointing out the different components, the waiter mixed up the pork belly and the rib. The rib and loin were both over cooked and dry. The sausage was good, but I doubt it was made in house. The pork belly was the best pork part of the dish. Beautifully smoked to perfection. However, The winner of the dish was the polenta. Crisp on the outside, moist and savory on the inside. I would have eaten an entire plate of just that. I also loved the mustard that came with it. My guess is that it was blended with horseradish like a Russian mustard, but much to my chagrin, I forgot to ask the waiter about it.
The plate of crab cakes was small enough, two silver dollar cakes, that my dining partner ordered a cup of soup right away. The risotto was much the same way, good, but nothing to write home about. The reuben got the best reviews of the bunch.
For the price that’s being charged for these plates, I expected something much better. The food was a solid three stars (A-​OK), but I’m tempted to give it two stars due to the cost. What keeps Higgins as a three to me is the atmosphere and wonderful service. They also had some very good beers on tap from some of my favorite local breweries (HotD, Upright, Cascade) and some very rare European bottles. I might come back for a happy hour, but with all the amazing fine dining places in Portland, Higgins didn’t hit the mark for me.