Ned Ludd

Extremely portland, extremely good. savory, lots of flavour, well thought out dishes that just taste good.
Ok after getting over my need to hurl from all the faux woodsy crap décor of this place-​there are freaking logs and stumps of trees in the bathroom I was able to focus on the food which is really really good. The food fills that craving you have on a wet cold Portland winter night. The quality and preparation of the whole fish was just superb. Not as superb was our probably stoned server who had to be reminded of dishes and was way too casual even for us.
The prices are high for the portion size and this would not be a weekly stop for me but a place I would go once a month. The space is accessible and filled with woodsy hipster knicknacks and assorted stuff. There is an outdoor space that’s nice in the good weather.

This place is god damn amazing. A little pricier but well worth the priceyness.
I had the fish which was extremely filling and fresh. They over roast them here so the flavors are not very tropical but more so the opposite. It’s what you’d think a Canadian Anthony Bourdain would eat and cook if he were stuck in the wilderness with just an oven and a fishing line.

We were underwhelmed. Service was slow. When we sat down we got water but no one came by to take our drink order. We had to wait until our waitperson approached us after taking a large party’s dinner order. They lost money on that. My husband had a view into the kitchen scullery area that was not pretty. They should have saloon doors or at least close the curtains. Our salads were overdressed and over salted. I will give them a few points on creativity. To spend $ 100, we know where we can get much better food. Sorry, we will not return.

Pizza Monday is a no go. Please bring it back!

The food is amazing! Everything, every bite, cocktails… all of them. Best hot cider I’ve ever had. I’d lick their walls. Justin, the waiter, we seem to get every time we visit and he makes you feel at home. Such a good experience every time we visit and something new on the menu that never fails my taste buds!

A friend recommended I try this restaurant. I was intrigued that they use a wood-​fired oven to prepare most of their dishes. I contacted them on a spur of the moment to confirm that they had a seat for one. Even on short notice, they were able to fit me in.
I started out with the smoked sturgeon. I was told that they smoke it in-​house. I could quickly tell from the first bite that this was a quality sourced fish. The flavors were perfect — not overly smokey or salty.
For the entrée, I ordered a lamb dish. I forget the exact name. Apparently they recently put it back on the menu. It was devoured in a hurry. I was almost embarrassed at how quickly I ate it. A must try.
For dessert, I had the chocolate chip cookie. It’s served hot, fresh out of the oven. Delicious. The little glass of milk is a nice touch.
I will definitely dine here again and try their other items.

One of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had In Portland. Let me preface by saying my wife and I have eaten at the majority of the «highest rated» restaurants in town. We continue our quest to try them all. And maybe my review is a little harsh because this was our Christmas Eve dinner and I had high expectations.
Here we go… My wife and I made our reservation about a week before Christmas Eve. We entered at about 7:40… About 5 minutes before our reservation. Upon walking in we enjoyed the décor and atmosphere. We noticed a handful of empty tables. The hostess went to seat is at the closest table to the door… Kind of out in the middle of the aisle. We asked if it was possible to sit at one of the two open tables by the window and were told that «the tables were reserved for customers who had requested the tables». We said okay and sat down to enjoy our experience anyways.
The restaurant was busy but not crazy busy by any means. We sat for a minute and the hostess asked us if we wanted still or sparkling water. We responded with still and were brought sparkling instead. Simple mistake, no big deal. We waited for a while and our waiter cane over after about 10 minute to take our drinks. Ordering drinks is a little tough because they only stock a very limited bar and none of their signature drinks were to our taste. We waited another 10 minutes and finally received our drinks. What we received was okay. A Manhattan and a Martini.
Next the waiter came back and attempted to explain the menu and the tasting coursed to us. He was very shaky and unsure of what was on the menu so my wife and I assumed he was new or maybe just flustered. Again no big deal… We do this all the time and know what we want anyways.
Around this time the next reservation showed up and were seated in the first empty table next to the window. The owner (I’m assuming) came up and personally greeted them and gave them a warm welcome. They were waited upon almost immediately. Then we understood the meaning of the table was reserved. The table was «reserved» for friends of the owners. Again no big deal… we have received special treatment before at our friends places.
Next came the food. I will say everything we orders was amazing and I would have given them 4 stars if it was based on just the dishes we ordered. The pasta dish we had was spectacular and the turkey and the flank steak were very good as well. Only problem with this was that I ordered the soup and we never received it. Bummer.
The biggest issue we had was when I attempted to order a bottle of wine, 2013 DUFRAITE Beaujolais (75 $). We were brought out the wrong wine twice, a 2014 Pascal and a 2014 les copines aussi… And told that it was the wine we ordered. Finally with the second bottle of wine we just agreed to drink it. They couldn’t figure it out and we didn’t want the hassle any longer. The wine was okay but nothing special (I usually like to order a special bottle on Christmas eve) Very strange the a high end restaurant can’t serve the correct bottle of wine.
Finally we finished and asked for the receipt. Upon receiving the bill we noticed that we had been charged $ 75 for the bottle of wine we never received. We asked for the bill to be adjusted. When we got it back the price had been change to $ 40. However we were so flustered at dealing with the wine I forget to check and see if they billed me for the soup… We paid the bill and still tipped 25% to the waiter who struggled because“hey, what the heck… It’s Christmas”.
We looked up all of the wines they had tried to bring us to make sure we weren’t making a mistake. Do you know how much the bottles we orders cost at retail? $ 17 for all three… That means the mark up was $ 48 for the bottle we had tried to order… Thankfully we didn’t receive it.
And finally the icing in the cake. After being there for 2 hours the second table by the window was still open… At 9:45pm. The table we were told was reserved for another reservation who requested the window… Was still sitting there empty! Are you kidding me?
Thanks Ned Ludd for ruining my wife and I’s Christmas Eve dinner, our family tradition in Portland for 6 years. Honestly next year I might cook at home and drink my own wine…

Wonderful and quirky setting with a side of great service. Food was stellar, as were the cocktails (weird and delicious). Standout dish was easily the charcuterie, very funky combos that worked sooooo welllll together. Trout came highly recommended, but was not as flavorful as expected. Regardless, best restaurant I’ve been to in Portland! Cant wait to go back. Shoutouts to a very nice waitress with platinum blonde hair.

Pros: Stellar service. Nice ambiance. Delicious soup. Trout good. ‘Oregon beef’ good too, but it was ‘pot roast’. Too many potatoes, NOT enough vegetables. A bit salty.
Con: check your bill! Our’s showed a different price for a glass of wine (in their favor) then what was stated on the menu. We pointed it out to our server and got that ‘funny feeling…’

I’ve been back two times now and both of them were delightful.
I’m also happy to report that the door guy was absent.
I had quail most recently and a lovely Tempranillo. The bartender was charming and the atmosphere is cozy-​upscale casual.
The second time, my friend and I sat out on the patio… Which I was leery about because… MLK?! But no issues aside from the traffic being a little noisy (duh)
They give you a little blanket for your legs and it feels fantastic to be in the cool air otherwise.
Nice work! I’ll be back for sure.

This is a special treat. They do things to vegetables here I didn’t know you could do. Definitely a must try.
Don’t forget to try the Lavendar cocktail.

We recently visited Portland for two nights. Out of the plethora of great restaurants in the area this one made our list as one of two to try for dinner.
Upon arrival we were very excited. The ambiance is cozy and rustic with a delightful aroma in the air from the wood fired oven.
We were seated and ordered a few cocktails and appetizers, a clam dish and a beet dish. They arrived and both looked amazing. Upon my first bite of the clam dish I was met with a mouthful of grit and a small grain sent a jolting pain through my tooth. The pain was so severe we were forced to leave the restaurant. The clam dish was removed from the bill and noted ‘did not like’ while we paid full fare for the nearly untouched beet plate and cocktails.
Upon explaining a manager did stop by the table for a brief inquiry, but nothing more.
I was very disappointed because I had heard very good things about the food. However, restaurants need to realize that they cannot stand on food alone and service is an equal and integral part of the dining experience. The manner in which the situation was dealt with was fairly callous, almost snobby.
Its not that I ‘did not like’ the dish, I did not like improperly cleaned shellfish and a shooting pain in my tooth.
I did write an email directly to the restaurant with no response whatsoever.
With all the other culinary options in Portland, I would steer clear of this one.
Edit: received response. Almost as snarky and snooty as the restaurant. I guess that’s how they do things there. Excerpt:
Hi Patrick,
«…The „did not like“ is a discount modifier that’s automatically generated by our POS system. When discounting an item, there are several choices to enter as the reason for the discount (i.e. long wait, mistake, did not like). There simply wasn’t a „guest severely injured“ option to choose, or a way for the server to manually type that in…
…Some of our servers might consider this kind of information common knowledge; like telling someone to be careful of pearls in their oysters.»
I truly cannot recall a worst dining experience or post dinner communication with the restaurant. Maybe in PDX its trendy for restaurants to act aloof but we visited many others that were delicious and hospitable.
Ned Ludd, too cool for school.

Ned Ludd is a eatery in Portland Oregan known for it’s Monday Night pizza.
Summary: A bland eatery with poor service but fantastic drinks. Skip the food; grab a drink.
Read on for more detailed review:
Food: Was honestly just ok. I had the salmon tartar and the pork soup. The salmon was good but very little food (which is fine for an app) and the pork soup was just ok. My date had the trout which was covered in greens, bone in, and bland.
Drink: The drinks were easily the most enjoyable part. This place can make tasty drinks! I had the ‘Sweater Weather‘ which was perfect. Would recommend for any bourbon drinker who also likes eggs whites in their drinks
Service: The service I received was terrible. The place wasn’t busy at all but the wait times were fairly long for anything. Our waiter required prompting at every step: explaining the menu, drink ordering, food ordering, etc. Waiter never checked in see how the meal was going, if we needed anything, etc. Table water was not refreshed often and dirty plates were left on the table for a long time.
Atmosphere: Intimate and a very interesting mash up of plants, copper, and other rustic elements
Parking: Very little dedicated parking available however a decent amount of (free) street-​level parking is available near the restaurant
Special Notes: I didn’t have the pizza; perhaps it’s great. Otherwise, skip this place unless you want a good drink.

Came here on a wednesday night in May and OMG the food was delicious. Everything we ordered still makes my mouth water as I think about it. We had reservations but it almost felt like we didn’t need one considering that it wasn’t so packed when we were there (around 6:30pm).
Their sweat cream panna cotta is a must have.
Staff was just wonderful and informative. Price is a bit above average, but the is beyond above average.

Came here with some friends visiting Portland. I had been here for a work event in their event space, but it was my first time trying the restaurant for dinner. Overall it was good but not amazing. And at the price point, I would likely go elsewhere in Portland.
Our server was amazing, the ambience was VERY rustic (though maybe a little too overwhelming with all the little décor items everywhere). I appreciate the simplicity of the menu, i like that it changes, everything is wood cooked/​smoked etc. But overall, there is better in Portland and a lot of it more affordable.
Favorites:
Beef Tongue — unique, tender, tasty. Great appetizer and wakes up your palette!
Eggplant Dip — very unique, loved the smokiness
Beets — Gorgeous, simple.
Just Ok:
Trout — signature. very tasty but nothing amazing
Lamb — same, tasty not outstanding
Carrots — expected these to better given carrots that I had here prior
Peppers — Tasty, but a little pricey for what they were
Overall we had a good (not great) experience, and it just wasn’t stand out enough amongst all the other delicious food in this city.

Come here if you eat like a bird or are on a diet.
Teeny tiny portions, but really good quality fresh ingredients.
I ordered the smoked trout hash; great flavour but had very little actual trout in it.
Their iced tea was really tasty but came in an extremely small glass, on ice, and a refill was never offered.
The service was great and their patio is mostly shaded and the air circulated well, it was ideal for a Summer brunch.
It wasn’t bad, just wasn’t my favourite and I can’t recommend it and it is unlikely I’ll be back.

3.75. This place was fair for the food. It didn’t blow me away. I did like the veggie dishes more than the beef dish which could have been rarer and hotter. Just a little too lukewarm for me. I think it sat in the pass a little too long.
What I did love was the service at this place. Friendly and attentive. Additionally, they had the best r&b spotify mix going on and that just made it for a fun Sunday night wind down.

This is a review for brunch — I have not had dinner. But our table ordered almost everything on the brunch menu.
The outdoor vibe, for lack of a better description, feels like Mother’s Day There’s flowers and crates and wooden tables and cool lights and it’s bright and airy and open. Sunday morning brunch fits perfectly. (Side note: the bathroom feels like the line to Splash Mountain. Be sure to go at least once. End side note.)
But enough about that. Let’s talk about how the food is very flavorful, very balanced, and overall just GOOD. Ok, good talk. It’s small though, so don’t think you’re gonna leave stuffed. But order an entrée and some sides to share (or another entrée to family style) and you’ll leave happy.
Also, dip the $ 8 cookie (which is more like a pizza pie, pazooki style) in the Vanilla bean milk. Just do it. And don’t ever look back.

Ned Ludd is phenomenal. My friend was visiting from SF for the weekend and we took her here and she said it was her favorite restaurant in Portland annnnd her best meal «in a long time».
We were late for our reservations, and the staff was still so accommodating and friendly when we showed up nearly 30 minutes late. They sat us right away in their patio area, which is nicely tucked away from the busy street the restaurant is on. The ambiance here is so romantic, casual, and inviting. Our waiter was super friendly and very knowledgable about the wines and food.
We started with the cheese and charcuterie plate. It was delicious with some awesome rabbit pâté, which took me by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. The bruschetta was also wonderful… but let’s talk about the lamb for the entrée. WOW. Their menu changes all the time, so who knows if this lamb will ever be there again (sorry guys!), but it was INCREDIBLE. melt in your mouth tender and drizzled with a sauce that was worth licking the plate clean.
Finally, we ordered the chocolate chip cookie for dessert which was cooked and served in it’s own personal skillet. It was warm, gooey, chewy, crispy in all the right places, salty, sweet… basically everything you want in a cookie.
Overall the meal and ambiance was some of the best in Portland. This place is on the pricier side, but WORTH it.

Celebrate the vegetable.
We’ve been here twice and for some reason I wanted to wait for the second time to do my review. It’s kind of a waste to comment on some specific menu items as their menu does change.
I love the atmosphere. It’s very funky weird Portland kind of thing going. But not hipster loud impersonal. Even the bathroom has a ton of personality.
For starters you gotta get at least one order of the flatbread with olive oil. Very simple, but flavorful and hot right out of that oven.
They also take a lot of pride in their pickling. The pickled veggies show up on lots of the plates as well as the pickle plate. A little sweet and vinegary and a really good accompaniment. We like the rye whiskey with the Pickle back. Yup, it’s exactly what it sounds like, but with the sweetness of the pickle back it makes for a tasty, but strange combo.
There are always great vegetable side dishes that really celebrate each individual vegetable. One of my favorites is the carrots with harissa and yogurt sauce. Every vegetable dish is well seasoned and well thought out to accent each vegetable.
The butchery is quite impressive. The birds have been deboned to a point which make them very easy to eat, but the integrity of the bird has been preserved.
Desserts are delicious as well and rotate on a regular basis. The oven kissed cookie is kind of fun. Be careful though, it is flaming hot when it arrives.
We got the same waitress both times and she is very good. Knowledgeable friendly and attentive. There is a very professional atmosphere with the staff that I truly appreciate if you’ve seen any of my other reviews.
It’s not cheap, however you can survive on the yummy sides and salads for a reasonable total for the table. I’ve seen much much worse.