On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Real People. Real Reviews.®
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Old TownFrom 5:30pm to 9:30pm in our main dining room enjoy 3 courses for only $25. Choose from ten different selections. Not available to go.
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Loading...
this place is awesome.
the place itself is beautiful, very laid back and well-appointed but not fussy. the grey walls lend a calming atmosphere that marries the brick walls and the sexy modern art paintings in a very classy "portland" way.
the restaurant is separated into three distinct spaces that are open but can also be shut off from the rest, which is great for having private dinners or events. they told me you can even buy out the entire restaurant!
cocktails: they have a pretty classic cocktail list, they all looked amazing. my friend and i decided to try the most "out there" looking drink (out there for us, anyway), which was the black and blue. it has tequila AND absinthe, and blueberry, lime and mint. i was not too sure about the tequila/absinthe combo... but let me tell you this: it was delicious!
they have a prix fixe menu for $26 which i would totally do next time. that, and i want to try their HH...
this time, though, we went crazy and tried [almost] everything. i think i'm still full from this meal...days later.
we started with the oysters, because my friend had never had them before! they were extremely fresh, and these are probably the best intro to oysters, because they're garnished with cucumber, pickled shallots and roe. such a fresh and tasty combination!
if you have to pick one starter, though, i highly recommend the crab bisque. it was AMAZING. big pieces of dungeness crab and artichoke, and the bisque itself was flavorful and robust (i don't use this adjective very often, but damn if it isn't appropriate now), i think they used tarragon. succ-u-lent!
next up was the seared tuna starter, served with avocado and a really deliciously dressed watercress salad.
i also love the beet salad (which i now don't see on their menu online), it was a beet and chevre terrine, topped with arugala i think. i really appreciate that there was more beet than greens...usually beet salads are the other way around and i LOVE me some beets! not to mention goat cheese...nom nom nom.
the tempura calamari was good, but probably the least exciting. the aioli sauce was good and just-spicy-enough.
we followed with the sea scallops, which are served in their shells in a creamy coconut broth.
a lot of food right? oh, but it didn't end there...
the chicken breast was cooked to perfection (read: moist, flavorful). chicken is not usually my favorite, i think it's too bland. this was good though! AND it was served with the davis st. mac n' cheese which is so boring. i'm over the mac n' cheese trend! i know it's accessible and comforting but let's please not pretend it's gourmet. THAT SAID, the davis st. mac is pretty bomb. cheesy and creamy and an excellent side dish to the chicken.
if you have to pick just one meaty dish, though, get the rack of lamb!!! just do it!
the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, and so juicy and flavorful. the fat was all trimmed off too, thank goodness. it comes served with spinach and wild mushrooms and goat cheese (again, win!), and cauliflower. so good!
last be certainly not least:
a sandwich with aged white cheddar and dulce de leche (caramel), to be dipped in dark choc drinking chocolate!
i think i just died and went to desert heaven.
overall, while the food was hearty and comforting- the flavor/texture combinations are outstanding, and definitely make this place a food lovers' restaurant...in old town, no less!
Now I am no elitist, and I am fine eating at a dive bar, as long as the food is good. However, I have wanted to try this 'tavern' for awhile now.
We had about an hour to kill before my brother in law was arriving via Amtrak, so what a perfect opportunity to take advantage of happy hour! It was a perfect sunny day in February, so we walked in and it was suprisingly quiet. So we saddled up to the bar, and we were quickly greeted and handed HH menus. The selection of food was good, and we ordered our drinks.
Okay, this place got five stars just for the hot chocolate. Let me explain; I took a sip, and this luscious, velvety stream of chocolate hit my lips, then a rush of cardamom and creme soon followed; the texture, consistancy and aftertaste were pure bliss. I paused as I sat on my barstool; I had to regain my composure. Sound a bit naughty and orgasmic? BECAUSE IT IS!
Also had an awesome burger, topped with crunchy and slightly sweet pickle, house cured bacon, and a blue cheese spread; divine. The oysters and crostini were out of this world, the crostini was perfectly topped with a garlic and cheese concoction.
Service and food was excellent, would definitely go back again.
I love good food as much as the next person but if there's one thing I really hate, it's a lot of pretense around it and this place had more than it's share. I have to admit though, the seared ahi was excellent but at those prices I would expect nothing less.
The servers there seem to have a lot off attitude. If I'm paying a lot of money for good food, I'm assuming that includes the service. How can I see it as a good thing when my tea glass sat empty and I had to ask for a refill?
This restaurant is so spendy for what you get that we stopped at the appetizer. Not likely I will be returning anytime soon. The only way that's going to happen is if I'm with someone who really wants to go.
Last night I hosted a large group (25) dinner here and it was a fantastic experience.
Their upstairs balcony/mezzanine area is perfect for groups. Everyone was impressed by the menu, the service and the location. The staff was very flexible and accommodating... especially when a few guests moved around the table causing some temporary confusion about who ordered what. As always, the food was excellent and exceeded expectations.
Why only four stars? The space became a little warm after a while. And though they had an extra box fan to help with circulation somewhat, it's a cause for concern in the future... especially in the summer. (Then again, it could be that their HVAC system is a single zone, meaning it's trying to keep the main floor warm, and can't separately cool the upstairs. In the summer, it'll work better because it'll try to keep everything cool. Yes, I'm thinking about this too much.)
Finally made it out to try Davis Street for some Happy Hour. The space is very nice and comfortable. Our server was friendly. We tried: "OYSTER ON THE HALF SHELL"for $1 - we ordered 6 oysters and I thought they were darn good for $1!!! Only complaint, 3 of the oysters had shell residue that we had to pick out. "SAUTEED MUSSELS" - in coconut milk, could've been good, but our friend got a bad mussel and it totally ruined his appetite. "CLASSIC CESAR SALAD" - very good, the soft and crunchy croutons were great! "SEARED ALBACORE CARPACCIO" - very average and bland. Our friend ordered the "STRIP LOIN BURGER" - he ordered it medium rare and got very little pink. He couldn't taste the pork belly on the burger. He was disappointed. "FISH TACOS" - for the most part pretty bland with hints of rock salt here and there which made parts really salty. We walked away very disappointed!
I will probably be ostracized for this, but I did not care for this place...as a matter of fact, I will never be back.
First of all I think the drink pours here are weak, really really weak. 7 bucks for a rum and coke...was that a Ronrico bottle in your hands sir? The price would have been ok had it not taken over 15 minutes to get a drink...yeah I'm invisible and I can prove it....doubt me...take me here for drinks.
I over heard 2 servers talking and asked another of the group (UYE 30-40) if what I heard was right....I was...and I quote..."I'M NOT FUCKING WAITING ON ANY OF THEM."
The dinner menu looked tasty but the prices made my wallet cry just looking. Maybe it was my state of mind for the evening, or the patrons giving the group a hairy eyeball, but in my mind, I have been much better places, some with a clown for a mascot.
I had a beautiful beverage that tasted as if a dark beer had bred with a dark chocolate and created a beautiful blending that the resemblance of a Guinness, but yet it wasn't.
I came here with the UYE Bar Crawl, which seemed to be a huge success. I was satisfied with the service, I understood there was like 30 of us and 5 or 6 of them.
One waitress- I believe her name was Crystal- recommended the beer and she was ever so right.
She said it was her after-shift drink and it's the usual.
I got to talking with the staff and apparently all of them are like a family, very dynamic. They've been working together at the same place for a year now and watching them was entertaining.
I recommend.
Fantastic Bar & Drinks. Great Service & Beautiful Ambiance. Yes Ambiance! I came here for some fun & they served it up with a smile. Let's start with the affordable delicious drinks such as the "Hold the Mayo", Yum! But they really hooked me with their delicate presentation of Kumomato Oysters, Heavenly! And their menu is a pleasant change from boring bar food. Please also note the quantity & quality of yummy eye candy in your present company as well because this place really attracts attractive people quite well I must say. Haven't tried their HH but there's always tomorrow.
Cheers
I go here as much as possible, especially when it is Happy Hour. I usually get a spicy Bloody Mary and a half-dozen of their delicious Oysters.
They have Kumamoto Oysters, which are are my favorite. They're small, succulent, and fresh-tasting, especially with the excellent topping they put on them here. They're also a dollar a piece at Happy Hour. I apologize if you don't like Oysters. They have great Fish Tacos too!
Nice people, super clean and comfortable establishment. Somewhat newly opened. Attracts clean people as well, and Mayor Sam Adams, who I see here every once in a while. Good place for meeting people or going by yourself.
Also, they have a nice Foursquare special. Every third check-in gets you a free entree. If you dine off Happy Hour, the prices raise significantly, making thing Foursquare special worth it.
It's a whole heck of a lot closer to me than Eat on 3808 North Vancouver Ave-Williams Avenue Alley (which also has delicious Oysters), and there's lots of room to sit.
Oh - it sometimes gets packed. Even on Monday nights. I generally at around 4Pm and there's not many people there. It gets super busy as the night wears happily onward. I only went there once on a Saturday morning for a private event. Not sure about the weekends.
On a Wednesday night around 8pm this was a nice relaxed place to have some good food and wine, quiet enough to have a conversation and not feel at all rushed. Several vegetarian options - I had the wild mushroom salad and also tasted the beet-goat-cheese terrine, both good... Very close to the light rail, about a block. Easy.
I was looking for a romantic happy hour spot to cap off the wife's birthday festivities and the Davis Street Tavern came through big for me. (I was scoring points left and right on this place.) We walked in a little after 5:30 on a Wednesday and the place was pretty packed. There was one empty table for two in the dining area (there was a party of four waiting when we arrived). It was perfect. A comfy little corner bench seat, where we got to snuggle in and enjoy some private conversation in an otherwise buzzing room.
The setting was nearly perfect. The tavern is housed in an old building with high, industrial-looking ceilings. The room was wonderfully dim, with candles on every table, rustic chandeliers, and studio lighting touches at the edges. For a space with high ceilings and old windows (in January), it was quite warm inside. This is a big deal for the birthday girl, so it was definitely noteworthy.
The happy hour food selection left us making some hard decisions. We knew we were going to start with a clam and a salad, but had to choose two main(ish) dishes from this narrowed down list: pulled pork sandwich, burger, steak frites, and mac 'n' cheese. We knew we would be sharing, so we went with the two extremes. Steak frites and mac 'n' cheese it was.
I'm not a big seafood eater, but my wife enjoyed the clam, which was accented with trout roe and pickled shallots. We also really liked the salad. The vinaigrette was great with the fresh greens, the bleu cheese was not overpowering, and the fresh-ground pepper sealed the deal. The steak frites was our favorite dish of the night. The steak was perfectly medium-rare and fries were shoestringed excellence. The mac 'n' cheese was riiiiiich and delicious. As good as it was, I can't imagine how anyone could eat it solo. It was hard for us to eat more than two consecutive bites... and we love cheese. If we were to order it again, I think it would be shared by more than two people.
The fresh-squeezed lemonade I ordered was probably the best I ever had... and I've had many. I should give the caveat that I love sour flavors. This lemonade had the perfect mixture of lemon and sweetener. (Man, I am using the word perfect a lot here, aren't I?)
Finally, I should note that our service was really good. She was friendly, she checked on us often and most importantly, she didn't have that even the slightest hint of that anti-happy hour attitude. We have definitely ordered food at other places and felt like the server couldn't get away from us fast enough so he could get back to his/her real tables. Our service (including water refills and check processing) were indistinguishable from the better dinner service we've had.
Wow. This is actually 4.5 stars. I have not been to happy hour yet which I hear is amazing. That maybe the final .5 star this place needs.
Anyway, Davis Street Tavern. I think I love you.
I mean really, Chinatown is a little sketch, you must admit. So this is a VERY pleasant surprise and a wonderful addition to Chinatown.
I love the exposed brick, the bar, the lighting, the service, the tables, the decor. Love.
The beer selection gave us a San Diego IPA that should have Oregon breweries worried. It was freaking good and I was a little tipsy after one and half beers. That's some good sh**.
The mac and cheese was just as they describe it. Velvety and delicious.
Great sirloin burger with a pork belly topping. I do feel that while it was most tasty, the bun kinda flaked and fell apart which was disappointing. Hence why I must try Happy Hour b/c I think the price is more fair for the burger during HH rather then dinner.
Great great place. A definite return spot and a great reason to visit ol' Chinatown.
Mac n' cheese....Mac n' cheese.... Mac n' cheese...!!.
Three cheers for mac n' cheese! Hands down, the best happy hour mac I've had. SO creamy and smooth and delicious! BF had the pork sandwich with blue cheese potato salad. Yeah, that's a big yum (he liked it). GF had the butter lettuce salad (she liked it). And I had the mac and yes, I loved it.
Great HH menu with lots of interesting choices.
Great decor and great service too! We will be back...
(This review pertains solely to happy hour.)
I've been to Davis Street Tavern twice within a week--and am impressed. This restaurant doesn't get five stars from me for glitz or glamour. It's the very fact that it lacks it--and takes a different road--that I find remarkable.
The surroundings are warm, subdued and tasteful (wood and exposed brick dominate), anchored by excellent service and food.
The wine glass pours were just OK, but the mixed cocktails were fantastic. Excellent draft beer selection.
I decided to splurge and spend north of $5 for a HH item. At $9, the Steak Frites were completely worth it. The modest portion of hangar steak was grilled to perfection and came with a generous fistful of shoestring potatoes which were expertly fried, crunchy and finished with just the right amount of salt. The green chile hollandaise accompanied both items together perfectly.
Simplicity don't always get the respect deserves. The sublime qualities of the Davis Street Tavern will hopefully help change that.
Friends of ours from Seattle (a couple that love to eat) come south every now and then to graze on the PDX food scene and grab a case or two of wine to haul back north. They came in on the train in the late afternoon so, DST was the perfect place to meet and plan a weekend of Chomp and Gulp.
S.U. and I have had quite a few H.H.'s at this point so we know that the mussels are a must. Add a crostini, a seared albacore salad, a sausage plate and two pulled pork sam's cut in half and you'll get no complaints. The H.H. red was a perfectly nice tempranillo for $5 but we ordered a better bottle of Argentinian syrah for almost the same price.
We sat, we ate, we drank. We caught up on the last several months and planned the weekend. The service was great. Very friendly, no pressure. I had arrived a bit earlier than the rest (in bike gear) and was seated right away rather than being made to wait until our entire party was there. A nice touch that not all restaurants manage.
A year ago I was wondering if opening a new restaurant in Old Town as the economy was crashing all around was a good idea. I think they've done an incredible job. Bravo you guys, "As good as it gets!"
Since the try-out went so well, we were back with another couple before a show at Portland Center… Read more »
I've been to the Davis Street Tavern a good handful of times now, and there are four things that keep me coming back to this very Peal District-esque joint: The Mac'n'cheese with Three Cheese Béchamel, the wicked selection of beer, and the solid atmosphere, and the service.
The Tavern menu (which I find myself ordering from more often than not) is more on the affordable side of the spectrum, offering dishes in the $5 - 11 dollar price range, than the dinner menu where entrees often exceed $20.
The portion sizes and quality of the food are better than average, and their beer selection (both bottled and tap) is pretty damn good, which always helps to make a place a winner in my book - I enjoy discovering stouts that I've never heard of that when combined with that three cheese Béchamel sauce, *really* make me feel full.
Are you a Recessionista? Me too. Not to worry, fab foodie.
Davis Street Tavern is your place for a great happy hour that will make you feel like a million. Old brick, lofty rafters, plush fabrics, and crowd-pleasing beats (albeit at a respectable volume) light up your senses while steals like $5 albacore, $4 salad, & $1 oysters will perk your spirits big time and won't crush your budget. Oh, and did I mention the beer and wine menu, too? Do enjoy.
Bon appetite.
Plans were to have dinner at Ping, but someone in our group (I won't mention names) insisted we walk up the street to Davis St. instead. Once inside we opted to eat off the bar menu as the dining room was kinda empty, and the bar area was more inviting. I had a burger which was good, but not mind-blowing. Friend had the crab soup which she loved. Happy hour is apparently the thing to do here, but we missed it. I would come back for that.
Since the Elite event at Davis Street Tavern the Tuna Melt BLT has been on my mind. When my birthday rolled around I treated myself to an extended lunch hour and headed into the city to satisfy my craving.
Perhaps it was my love for all thing mini (travel size items, fun size candy..etc) that made the tiny Tuna BLT sample so alluring, but the full sized sandwich was a let down. Maybe they put a little extra TLC in for the Yeeps that night? The french fries were great, but shit I paid 10$ for them they should be.
Easily the best part of my experience here was the ambiance. Without a doubt Davis Street Tavern is a beautiful restaurant. If nothing else I felt super fancy sipping my whiskey mash...which was all due to the aesthetics because the actual mint in my drink was wilted and turning black which was a downer.
I hate to say it ...but it's all hype.
Really great atmosphere and decor, fantastic happy hour. There are some great places for Mac N Cheese in P-town, and this is by far one of the best. Great for a classy night out.
Me & my wife did valentine 4 course meal. Food was very dood. Service was wonderful. Will do it again. Oyster was really fresh, Steak was done right. Try Salmon! That was my favorite!
It's a little sterile.
But maybe you don't always need warm fuzzies when you're eating a lamb burger and downing a beer before a show.
When we bypassed the busy-ish bar for the desolate dining area, I was really unsure of what I was getting myself into. As everyone's pretty much stated, the Pearl is oozing it's cooties into Old Town. It makes for that awkward transitional puberty phase. You know the one. We've all been there.
The food, while well prepared, is a little expensive for my liking. I perused the menu with the quickness and found myself back to the "tavern" menu pronto.
Burgers. Burgers and beer. That's much more my style (and price range). Even still, $11 for a burger? Damn. While the burger was good, I'm pretty sure my eyes rolled at the pile of shoe string fries next to it. You're going to charge me over $10 for a burger and give me one of my most hated side dishes? You're a classy establishment. Please tell me that you're not taking my Hamilton and just putting it toward the rent. Ouch. You can do better than some Ore Ida's, I'm sure.
It's not a must, but it's alright. It's okay. A-ok.
Just go. And please, if it's on the menu and you're not allergic to chocolate, order the dark chocolate bread pudding with black pepper bourbon sauce and cardamom whipped cream. Next time, I'm not sharing.
Haven't been to dinner yet, but our two visits (lunch menu and tavern menu) have been very positive. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendly, attentive service (we had the same server both times and she was delightful). First time I had a rabbit pot pie special. I usually jump at rabbit when I find it on a menu and this offering was quite good. Yesterday I tried the lamb burger from the tavern menu. While it could not touch Broder's lamb burger, it was quite tasty. Measuring anything against Broder's heavenly lamb burger is simply unfair. Both times Ronda had the spaghetti squash patties on a bed of garbanzos. What a dish! A five-star winner.
Go ahead and hate me, but I welcome the gentrification Davis Street Tavern brings to this neighborhood. I have nothing against their price point either - I won't be visiting regularly for dinner at what they're asking, but will try it out for a special occasion. I'll report back when I do.
What a gorgeous yet casual and unpretencious space! I love that they don't try to pack you in like sardines -- you know what I'm talking about, the NYC style restaurants. My coworker and I had a reservation and were seated in a comfy booth promptly. The server was extremely helpful. As soon as we placed our orders, we were treated with salmon on top of a cucumber slice on the house. Yum! Free things always taste better!!!
The bread was served with house made butter with Hawaiian red salt. Sea scallops were cooked to perfection. The halibut was a bit overcooked but the shitake mushroom cake was divine!
We were too full to get dessert. :( This always happens to me.
Wow. That's all I got for ya. Wow.
But no, seriously. Leave it to Catherine to drag me (defenselessly DRAG me) to these exquisite establishments, that I adore, and in no way can afford...
The initial air upon walking into the Davis Street Tavern is what you'd experience in many Pearl District businesses: a sleek sophistication. But give it a minute. Don't succumb to the automatic desire to curl into a ball and cringe. Just wait. Look around. Admire the comforting brick walls. Talk to the knowledgable and capable barkeeps, owner, and servers that are equally personable, accomodating, and easy to chat with. Enjoy the big band music (that surprisingly switches to Queen and the such after 11pm).
Have a drink -- they're delicious. I'm certainly not a natural fan of Manhattans. Honestly, bourbon and whiskey generally give me a headache and cause an instantaneous puckering of my face. But Davis Tavern's Manhattan? It's as smooth as silk. As smooth as a baby's butt. As smooth as any silly metaphor you can come up with. It's effing smooth. And good...
The La Amarena (Godiva, Bailey's, espresso) is a dessert in its own regard, and the Acai-pirinha encompasses all that is great about acai, but with an added citrus kick. AT $8 a pop, you'll force yourself to enjoy every last drop, which isn't all that difficult.
But the kicker of my evening at this place that seems to be beyond such terms as "tavern"? The macaroni and cheese. We'd talked about mac n cheese at the beginning of the evening. I'd claimed to have had some good mac n cheese in my days. But when Davis Street Tavern's mac n cheese was gently introduced to my palate, I think that time might have actually stopped. Or at least wavered. String theorists have been trying to figure this shite out for years. Well, I say the unpredictability and chaos that's studied in string theory is all relative to the Davis Street Tavern's mac n cheese. It really is amazing. Despite being full and distended, I couldn't resist the temptation to get an order to go.
So here we are. Sophisticated cocktails. Delicious meals. Jivin' music. Dim, cool ambiance. Upstanding restrooms. And sultry heavily tattooed, skilled cooks.
Yeah. I'm all about it.
Yum! I had a delicious meal from the tavern menu that was 2 spaghetti squash and mushroom cakes on top of curried chickpeas. It was really delicious, and although not super cheap at $9, it was really delicious, elegantly prepared, and a good serving size. The waitress was really knowledgeable about the menu items, and was patient with my big group about splitting the check, etc.
The only thing that bugged me a little was that the least expensive glass of red wine was $8. I ordered an $8 syrah, and it was not a huge glass of wine, by any stretch of the imagination. A nice house red for $5 or $6 would be nice especially in today's financial climate.
Overall, it was a nice atomsphere, good food, and I'll probably go back!
Over-rated by these reviewers! Were most of the 4-5 star posts from employees or friends of the owner? My husband and I with some friends were there for dinner the other night and we were very un-impressed. The atmosphere was o.k, typical with not much warmth and the service was fair. We started with the sweatbreads, they were too soft and mushy , overcooked; the bisque was good and the oysters were good but big deal! I can buy fresh Kumamoto oysters at the seafood market myself or if I want to experience different expamples of outstanding freshly shucked oysters I will go to Dan & Louis or Jakes! Now for the dinner; I had the lamb and my husband had the strip steak, friends had scallops and pork. My lamb was decent, a little too strong in flavor (maybe not as fresh as it should be), and the risotto was again overdone, too thick and pasty, could have passed for a dry mix. My husbands steak was, in his words just o.k, a little overdone, dry and not much flavor; certainly not a prime peice of meat, possibly a lower grade of a choice cut. Our friends didn't go into much detail about their food other than most of their dinner was left on their plates and when asked by our server "do you want the rest to take with you/" the answer was no. Too bad we read so much about this place, like I mentioned many of these reviews must be from employees or friends. We might give it another chance but with so many other outstanding places, maybe not.
Anne
Young Davis Street Tavern is what I had once expected a more established Portland eatery/lounge to be like. I won't tell you what that place is, but it rhymes with "gluehour".
Being casually dressed for a show two doors down at Backspace, I worried a bit walking in, it definitely has that "Pearlish" feel to it. But after looking around soon realized that, like many new & swanky spots in town, jeans and a sweater are just are just as acceptable as being dressed to the nines... God bless the unspoken Portland Dress Code.
The dining room in back is quieter with a dinner menu instead of the bar menu in the lounge in front. What you get in terms of spacious seating and ability to hold a conversation you pay for via non-happy hour prices. A Strip Loin Burger paired with fries is inexplicably appealing... maybe because the shoe string cut and seasoned spuds just go so well with sharp cheddar and braised pork belly. Paired with a pint it's a decently priced dinner that will defiantly leave you full.
I'll commend 'em for sticking their neck out in Old Town. Given that it's a neighborhood that predominately thrives on weekend bars and venues where dashing or crawling from one to another is more of the protocol for a night out, it's cool to find a mellow spot to hang with friends, family, or a date.
I guess no guts, no glory.... and Davis Street Tavern certainly has both.
Has anyone else found that the Pearl is like creeping ivy into Chinatown? 3 years ago could I not pick up a hooker at 5th and Davis? I'm OK with this though, it gives Old Town a sense of safety and trendiness.
What I am not OK with is paying $21 for 3 largish scallops in a bed of parsnip puree, 8 snap peas, and candied pancetta. Oh it was really good, but not enough. And the hombre ordered the $28 lamb, which produced two ribs, 2. Two. The poor guy was sucking the bone. I enjoyed the champagne cocktails on this hot as hell Starlight Parade night, I lovingly downed them because it was like the surface of the sun in the front part of the restaurant. Regardless, I was with sublime company and had a wonderful time.. but of course, like the rest of us, I was plotting my review in my head with fervor.
I would definately try the HH here, as it sounds good from my fellow Yeeps; but the dinners, not so moishe. And on a hot night, not at all.
Seriously overdue for an update. Having discovered the Davis Street Tavern some time ago, I've returned on a couple of occasions, drawn magnetically to the warm and comfortable surrounds, and always enjoyed the entire experience. Plus, I've become rather fond of Manhattans, and these folks are tied with Bamboo Sushi for the best in town.
Here's the list of things I love about the Tavern:
1) The drinks. Wonderful, well-made, with high-quality ingredients and great creativity. Did I mention the Amarena cherry in the Manhattan? Love, love, love.
2) The mac 'n' cheese! Best in town, hands down. Creamy, terrifically cheesy (made with sharp, aged cheese, not bland mild stuff), with big fat noodles perfectly cooked and not all stuck together in a congealed mass. Easy to eat, and I ate way too much of it.
3) The burger, with pork-belly and crispy shoestring fries. Wow! Poooooooorrrrk beeeeeeeellllly... you know you want it. Perfectly medium-rare, as requested.
4) The service: seriously cool people, here, and know the service biz. I never wanted for anything, including excellent company and conversation. Thanks, y'all.
5) The ambience: sleek, modern, warm, cozy, pretty. Easy to loiter here for hours.
The Tavern has become one of my favorite destinations.
So after the hubby and I left Backspace, we wandered, discontented, the winter streets, and decided… Read more »
"Blah"...Went there for Happy Hour. It wasn't awful but I probably wouldn't return.
First, the "pros": easy to find; it's right on the max line; there's street parking and parking lots close by. It wasn't super crowded and we found tables easily.
Now, the "cons": I ordered the Steak Frites (Grilled Hanger Steak, Shoe String Fries and Green Chile Hollandaise ). I didn't like my dish at all. The steak was extra chewy and grisly, and lacked any seasoning or flavor to it. The hollandaise sauce was also plain and had no zip. The fries were decent.
My boyfriend got the Velvety Mac and Cheese. It was definitely creamy and "velvety" but again, lacking any flavor in my opinion.
The drinks on the happy hour menu were not discounted for happy hour, so it was misleading to have it on that menu. A glass of wine for "happy hour" shouldn't be what the normal cost is. In my opinion.
There seemed to be a fair amount of wait staff, yet they were never around when we needed them. I was asked if I wanted a second drink after I'd finished my food. Um....where was she 10 minutes ago when I wanted a second glass?
All in all, it was pretty disappointing.
Don't judge book by its cover...
Don't judge a Tavern by its regular dinner menu...
Judge it by their Happy Hour...
$5 for food menu, from oysters, ahi tuna, mac & cheese, pork belly burger, and more. $5 drink specials and $2 - $3 beer specials, HELL YEAH!
I tried their pork belly burger and it was good, but I don't really care for the tomato jam that they use as dressing for the burger. Also, maybe next time I should ask for it to be medium well. I love my meat on the rare side, but this particular burger seemed like it will taste better if they cook it medium well.
The service was very friendly and they offered to split our checks which is an extra star for me. 20% gratuity is included for party 6 or more. I'm not complaining at all, I rather give 20% tip and get separated checks.
Seems like there will be more HH at Davis Street Tavern for me. You just can't go wrong here and it's so affordable. LOVE it!
We came here for the 20.09 dine downtown deal.
The chefs started us off with a tasty amuse bouche, salmon tartare on top of a cucumber slice. It definitely amused our bouches. Next came the appetizer. I had the Butter Lettuce & Baby Spinach Salad with Grape Tomatoes, French Radish, Rogue River Blue, & Cider-Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette. The pink peppercorn vinaigrette was superb! The misses had a Classic Caesar Salad with Roasted Garlic, Boquerones & Warm Foccacia Croutons. Both salads were fresh and tasty.
The entrees were a huge disappointment after having such great openers. The seared chicken breast with velvety mac'n'cheese & pancetta broccolini. It sounded so good but tasted so bad. The sauce tasted like a salt lick. Super salty and horribly inedible. I had the Strip Loin Burger with Braised Pork Belly, sharp Tillamook Cheddar, crisp Romaine, tomato Jam, pickled vegetable salad and shoe string Fries. Not that great, but not that bad. The burger was juicy, but it lacked all the fixin's. I opened up the bun and saw a measly one-inch piece of pork belly, a sliver of tillamook cheddar, and a small smudge of tomato jam.
We ended the night well with dessert. I had the Alameda Stout spice cake with candied ginger & crème fraîche and the misses had the warm apple tart and hazelnut crusted cinnamon gelato. Both desserts were refreshing and sweet but not good enough to salvage the disappointing entrees.
Davis Street is a book with a great introduction, horrible body paragraphs, and a good conclusion. I would only come back to Davis Street for Happy hour and a dinner coupon.
Uhhm, what am I missing here? My experience was marked but a couple slightly better than average elements, balanced by a few slight miscues, resulting in a solid 3*s in my book. Would I come back? Sure. Would I go out of my way to do so? Probably not.
I was meeting a buddy the night before he left for a few weeks in "Darkest Peru", and we wanted cheap happy hour beers and food. Given it's proximity to Old Town, right on the not-yet-operational Green/Yellow MAX lines, I hadn't realized the Davis Street Tavern would be so...upscale?
It certainly is polished. Nice wood tables (each one branded on the end with a symbol that looked vaguely like the Deschutes Brewing logo) benefit from the faux tatami-like placemats. It's a wide open space with soft tan walls, contrasting with old exposed brick, and seating is a variety of black leather (or leatherette, I couldn't tell) or light wood chairs. I didn't like how my chair kept slipping all over the polished hardwood floors, but no biggie.
So, aesthetically it's pleasant. Not ground breaking, and with perhaps a slight character deficiency, but a-ok and certainly inoffensive.
The happy hour was a grave disappointment though. They apparently have many beers on tap (at least one on nitro), and a variety of bottles...but for HH you only get TWO options. One draft for $3 (last night it was Terminal Gravity ESG...meh) and one bottle for $2 (Full Sail Sessions...which aspires to "meh" status).
This may have been the first time I've seen a "Tavern" discriminate against which beers they'll discount for HH - and it better not be a trend that others start adopting! Flat rate discounts on your taps, and let us decide what we want to drink please! They did have a variety of $5 glasses of wine, which could might be the way to go in the future.
I have to give some points for the HH food menu - everything's $5 (I dig simplicity) and you can see that they are clearly aiming at the "haute cuisine" label, but in all honesty much of it didn't appeal to me. I'm not a huge shellfish fan (so mussels and oysters were a no-go), nor do I generally enjoy mac 'n cheese (no matter how fancified it's made). The seared tuna sounded good, but ultimately I (and my pal) went with the Strip Loin burger. This is more a subjective thing though, and I'm sure some would LOVE the menu.
As for the execution of the burger itself, I'd have to say "close, but no cee-gar." We both agreed that, in many ways, this was the closest approximation of a good "backyard" burger we've had in a bar/restaurant in pdx. It was a thick, hand-formed patty with decent charring - not terribly large, but bigger than some pancake-flat patties served elsewhere.
Unfortunately, like some backyard burgers, neither my "medium-well" nor his "medium-rare" burger was cooked evenly - with portions of mine noticeably undercooked. I rarely send food back (and didn't this time), but I get the heebie-jeebies with undercooked ground meat. Rare steak = fine; rare burger = greater e. coli risk than I typically enjoy.
The toppings were a mix of awesome (perfectly melted white cheddar), mediocre (pork belly, rather than bacon), and huh? ("tomato jam" = chunky, pulpy, relish-like ketchup) All packed on a seeded bun that crumbled and broke apart as it soaked up the jam (which I should at least be grateful it wasn't some mayo/aioli hideousness) and burger juice. The pickled veggie salad was more of a throw-in to garnish the plate. Overall, I was just not that impressed.
The service was good; prompt, attentive, friendly and super efficient - we noticed that immediately upon each party leaving their table, a staff member would do the swoop and wipe down, leaving each surface spotless - again, very polished! They brought us the bill without asking, but offered to add another beer, or anything else, if we wanted to hang. We decided to book it as the place was getting crowded with lots of suit 'n tie folks roguishly venturing to the cusp of Old Town, before retreating to the the safety of the 'burbs or their sterile Pearl-a-rrific lofts.
Ultimately I guess I can see how people can freely toss 4-5* ratings on this place, but for me I just can't do it. Even though it wasn't quite the vibe I was looking for, it worked and probably saved them from dropping down to the 2* "meh" category - especially since the HH drinks and my burger were way underwhelming. My recommendation would be to give it a shot and judge for yourself.
I recently hit up this place for happy hour and I experience what I would call a "happy two hours". I ate the pulled pork sandwich and it was tasty. The pork was cooked at about 90% as good as it can get. There is a painting on the wall with naked boobs so I could stare at them while I ate.
I'll hit up several more happy hours and regular hours here and I will enjoy it. It's a nice place.
My second trip to the Davis Street Tavern happy hour removed some of the bloom from that first look infatuation. I guess the moral of the story is don't review off the rebound.
HH is still not a bad deal, but it's not the bounty I recall from my first visit. The mac & cheese was smaller than I remembered and the cheese sauce less intense. The latter is not necessarily a bad thing, you'll recall I thought it was rather strongly flavored. It was still good but a bit small for $5. I tried the burger and it was mediocre even at $5. That tomato jam is wack, too.
The service was pretty good, but certain orders took inexplicably long. There was a burger that was a memory by the time the fries that had been ordered with it were delivered.
DST is still okay. But that's it. If you're in the area and have time to kill between 4 and 6:30, stop in. You won't be disappointed, but it won't rock your socks off.
Win!
Oh, I should keep going? Okay. I came in for happy hour and this is a rocking deal. $2…
Read more »
I love oysters so much (raw, not cooked) and Davis Street served me some of the best oysters I've had in a long time. Portland has been a surprisingly deficient source of good oysters.
Definitely a good start already. To keep things going, we were given a complimentary salmon tartar snack, which was amazing.
Then I ordered the lamb burger. On a high from the flavor of the previous dishes, I think I liked the first bites, but then I had a hard time finishing it. It seemed pretty straightforward, but something about the lamb burger and pine nuts just made it not-so-tasty. Even the leftovers I ate the next day were unappetizing. I don't know what went wrong.
So there you go: I'll be back for sure, but avoid the lamb burger. The cocktails were very good!
I dined with a somewhat large group for a bday dinner. There were 8 of us in all. The staff was very friendly and accommodating!
Our meal started out with an amuse bouche, which I think is always a nice touch. It was a delicious golden beet and goat cheese tartine. All the plates came out looking great, nothing looked too small or too fussy. I had the halibut which was great. Everyone at our table was very pleased with their dinners. Excellent food and wine for a very reasonable price.
After dinner a few others joined us and we hung out around the bar for an hour or more having drinks. Great overall experience. The space is warmly lit, comfortable and relaxed - it feels upscale yet unpretentious at the same time. Nicely done!
How's this for a ringing endorsement? My credit card statement has FIVE transactions for Davis Street Tavern in the last month.
We specialize in offering fine dining cuisine and service in a casual, warm and beautiful environment.
Yelp customers save 20% off…
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Happy Hour
Neighborhood: Pearl District
Neighborhood: Old Town
Neighborhood: Old Town
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Neighborhood: Pearl District
(1) Card and earrings from Presents of Mind, (2)…
I go to the same places over and over again... I…
Exploring Portland, one inexpensive beverage at a…
Start by the river, work up to the Pearl, finish…
Places suitable for suits, or not, but to plan…
