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EaT: An Oyster Bar
Category: Restaurants Cajun/Creole Cajun/Creole [Edit]
3808 N Williams AveSte 122
Portland, OR 97227
Neighborhoods: Boise, Mississippi
(503) 281-1222
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
149 reviews for EaT: An Oyster Bar
Review Highlights
"Po Boy was excellent, with a nice creole kick to it."
(in 35 reviews)
"I am now even hooked on fried pickles, this place rocks."
(in 17 reviews)
"I'm going to try the red beans and rice next time."
(in 6 reviews)
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149 reviews in English
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Review from Eddie S.
Portland, OR
1/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'll be brief. Great northwest oysters, excellent Louisiana cuisine. The regional New Orleans drinks are a nice try, but a hair off. The location is crowded, and they could probably use an extra server, but the staff is friendly and helpful. The prices are standard for Portland.
We had an excellent catfish po'boy, spicy shrimp étouffée and assorted raw oysters. Finished it off with a nice bread pudding. Planning on coming back to see their oyster happy hour ($1 oysters on the half shell), and perhaps the Sunday Jazz Brunch.
All in all, worth your time. -
Review from Jesse C.
Portland, OR
1/4/2012
So I struck out at picking the first stop for date night but hit a home run with Eat!
My wife and I loved the baked oysters. her cosmo was perfect. we both got gumbo, her seafood and mine duck. both were very good. very good spice.
saw some of the negatives about the fried pickles so we had to try them. and I loved them.
The place was almost empty when we walked in so we had great service.
I will be coming back to try some of there brews and there smoking full rack ribs. -
Review from Beth C.
Portland, OR
12/29/2011
A friend and I went here for lunch. We were hollered at to take a seat from one of two people working. My lunch partner decided to try the fried pickles, the baked oysters and a beer. I had the jambalaya. The $3 beer was served in what I described as a "baby size" glass. My lunch partner was already feeling ripped off.
So our lunch came. The pickles were totally grease filled. It only got worse as you went down into the dish. There was not a crunch in the bunch. He stated that the oysters were not baked all the way through. Mostly only the toppings were heated leaving to an uneven temperature and texture of the actual oysters.
My jambalaya was DRY! The whole of it, the chicken sausage and rice. No flavor and EXPENSIVE for what it was and the portion size. My lunch partner stated that he could have made me better fried rice..........cause that's what it looked like
After the food was brought we were not checked on....come to think of it the only time the staff was at the table was when food was being brought or ordered.
It was just a very disappointing lunch. -
Review from David M.
Portland, OR
1/2/2012
My wife and I walked in and sat at a little half counter near the oyster bar. It did not appear that they had a proper bar, and we only wanted to check out the menu, have a beer, and watch the last 5 minutes of the Rose Bowl on one of their 2 nice TV's. The server brought us menus and I told her we only wanted a beer and take a look at the menu for another time. She said OK - walked away - and went to her POS terminal - rang something in. The restaurant was less than half full as you would expect on a Holiday Monday - so we certainly were not occupying valuable real-estate. She walked past us a dozen times in 10 minutes- never making eye contact with us or speaking to us again.
We walked out - I certainly will not return. I am used to urban hipster servers being too cool - but this is ridiculous. -
Review from Rick S.
Bottom Line - The oysters are great, but the food was terrible!!! I'm not sure I would come back for anything but oysters. I would definitely not order anything but the oysters.
Two friends and I came for a dinner tonight. We started off by ordering two ginger beers, but when it came, it was lemonade. The server insisted that it was ginger beer and that it was house-made,... I'm sorry, that's not ginger beer, it's lemonade. My other friend ordered a sweet tea, and it was just iced tea with no sugar... the table next to us had the same experience.
We also ordered the following foods:
3-dozen oysters ($23/dozen) - For this time of the year, the kumamotos are by far the best.
Catfish Po'boy ($10.00) - This was okay. The fries were completely cold when the food came out. I was SO DISAPPOINTED. The table next to us had cold fries, too.
Seafood Gumbo ($12.00) - My friend ordered this and she thought it was okay.
Turtle Soup ($5.00) - I ordered this and it was way too spicy. I only had a few bites. It was cheap, but I wouldn't order it again.
We noticed that there was only one cook in their kitchen. Perhaps they underestimated how busy it would get on the night before Thanksgiving. The food certainly suffered. Sorry to say that this roulette ball hit on a bad night and I would rather eat at other places, and would probably not come back.
The drinks were taken off our bill since we expressed how bad they were. With that, our bill came to $96.00 + 20.00 tip = $116.00 total for the 3 of us. -
Review from Amanda L.
Portland, OR
11/7/2011 1 photo
I once had an awesome vacation in New Orleans, so the fact that a visit to EaT is like a trip down fond memory lane is just a bonus to the delicious food.
We came here one afternoon for the dollar raw oyster happy hour, which was fantastic. Two fresh oyster varieties--one from Oregon, one from Washington--were the special of the day. It was fun to try the two oyster varieties side-by-side to see how they compared. We ended up preferring the slightly-sweeter Hama Hama, WA. oysters, and doused with the house infused hot pepper sauce and a squeeze of lemon made them heavenly.
The cocktails were nice, too and made nod to the Bourbon Street regulars, like their take on the Hurricane or the Old Fashioned. We also ordered a couple po'boy sandwiches--mine came with fried oysters. The sandwiches were great, highlighted by the spicy house sauce--some kind of mayonnaise and chili pepper concoction, perhaps?
I've heard that EaT also serves up a mean brunch and am quite curious about their beignets. Please, please just tell me they serve coffee with chicory! We'll be back soon to find out. -
Review from Vincci L.
9/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Excited about the premise of $1 oysters, we visited this spot after shopping on Williams Avenue.
We were really only there for the oysters, as we were going to have dinner soon. After seating ourselves, we were asked what we wanted to drink. We told them we were just having water as we wanted the buck a shuck oysters. The server walked away abruptly, and didn't return for another 10 minutes.
When she did return, she didn't seem to be in such a good mood, and asked what we wanted again. We told her that we wanted the $1 oysters. Again, she wasn't the friendliest of servers.
Our 18 oysters came, served with lemon wedges. The ones on special were Pebble Beach oysters, and they were quite salty. Guess we should have asked about it before ordering.
We felt like we were being ignored for the duration of our visit...so we got the bill quickly..but it still took a while to arrive. I think they need to improve their level of service in order to keep customers going back. -
Review from Marcail M.
Portland, OR
8/7/2011 1 photo
I took my boyfriend here for our anniversary and it made for an excellent date restaurant! The boyfriend loves oysters but I'm allergic, so I was a little worried about finding something to eat. However, I had the jambalaya (shellfish/oyster-free) and it was awesome. Well-flavored and not super heavy like other jambalayas I've had. The portion wasn't huge but I was still able to save half for lunch the next day.
My boyfriend had two oyster shooters and the seafood gumbo. He liked the shooters, although from the face he made after shooting them it was clear they were quite alcohol-y. Not surprising, since they're made with vodka. He said they were good, though and really liked his gumbo.
We debated on whether or not to get dessert at Pix across the street but we've had Pix so many times, we opted to try their bread pudding. Very good choice! The whiskey sauce was delicious and an excellent complement to the tasty pudding.
One star was knocked because they were out of their homemade ginger beer the night we were there (I have a thing for ginger drinks) and the service was a little spotty. Our waitress was great at first and then just kind of disappeared by the end - we had to wait quite awhile before we could order dessert. But overall, a great experience! We will definitely be back. -
Review from Venerable V.
Portland, OR
6/19/2011
This place is alright. Great selections behind the bar and being a Mississippi boy, would agree that they got some things right.
'Right' in that everything is fried and delicious! Will say that the shrimp po-boy could've come with a tad few more shrimp but the gumbo was great.
Our server was friendly and attentive and made it a fun time. My kid even tried frog legs! Those were a bit on the pricy side and arrived alone on a plate...maybe frog legs are expensive? Still, it was an experience for him and one I don't think we would find elsewhere. It made me miss the South.
Had a half-dozen oysters on the half shell which were small (as we were told - no surprises) and tasty. Aside from that, everything was fried. I left feeling drunk from my whiskey and greasy from fried okra, fried pickle chips, fried shrimp on my po-boy and fried potatoes. Definitely not a place to frequent too often but will definitely come back. -
Review from Jason L.
Portland, OR
4/24/2011
If I was simply commenting on the food I'd give this rating 4 star. But I'm not. I'm commenting on the whole experience.
The service was TERRIBLE! It took 10 minutes for them to take our order. It took 35 minutes after that for them to bring us 6 oysters. We asked for cocktail sauce. The waitress said they didn't have any and started to walk away. We stopped her and asked for horseradish. She said "sure" and never came back with it.
It then took another 15 minutes to get a po boy (50 minutes total). The po boy was good - but nothing awesome. The waitress never checked on us until we were finished. At this point she starts trying to be all nice. It didn't work. $0 for the tip. I won't be back.Listed in: Best Lunch Spots in Portland
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Review from Brian C.
Portland, OR
7/9/2011
Great place, kind of small and reminiscent of a neighborhood joint in NOLA. The food is really good - I've tried a number of things over a few visits but the red beans & rice is great, duck gumbo was good (and the other members of my party thought it was phenomenal), and the catfish po-boy was also very good. Jambalaya had nice spice and good ingredients but the rice was much too dry for my taste - people in New Orleans say that the best jambalaya is always the one you make at home and I have to agree with no exceptions here.
Service has always been fine on my visits to EaT but even if it's bad that's about par for the course across much of both Portland and NOLA so I wouldn't worry too much about it or expect too much. This is a small neighborhood-type place with good, reasonably priced food so as long as you don't expect 4 star service I have to recommend EaT Oyster Bar to just about anyone. My friends who typically frequent downtown restaurants were blown away by the food as well as the cheap prices. Check it out. -
Review from Lili S.
Portland, OR
8/19/2011
Can't find many places to get your oyster craving satisfied in Portland. So glad to have an "oyster bar" nearby.
I certainly didn't realize that oyster shooters were actually supposed to have booze in them. Now I know. And at EaT you can pick between 4 or 5 awesome house infused boozes to gulp down, and at the bottom of the glass is a cute little oyster. So maybe the oyster is pointless because the chili infused tequila dominates the shooter, but it's all about the fun!
Catfish Po'Boy was fantastic and plentiful! Got a dozen Kushi oysters on the half shell...mmm, so good.
The cocktails hang in the category of early post-prohibition style drinks with campari and rye and bitters in most of their drinks. Delicious.
Pricing is moderate, but I can't really expect oysters to be dirt cheap this far inland, and with the spilling of oil.
I have a feeling I'll be popping in to suppress my craving more often than I think. -
Review from Lana S.
Portland, OR
7/27/2011
I love this place for the right food at the best price. Drinks are excellent too! Extra: the place is never jam-packed on a evening (maybe weekends but I've yet to see it).
The pictures barely do this place justice. The Po' Boys are delicious, as well as the rest of the menu. And the comeback sauce is devilishly delicious - always keeps me coming back for more. - I literally crave it.
Prices are perfect for inexpensive night out and a must for out-of-town friends, even though it's southern food, it's part of what makes Portland great. -
Review from Jenny F.
Portland, OR
2/26/2011
Went there last night. Go there with frequency. Hosted my husband's 40th birthday party there. Love these guys.
If you're looking for the type of place that serves oysters on white tableclothes with linen napkins and snooty diners pretending to have interesting conversations when deep down they secretly hate their lives? This is not your place.
If you like a laid back, come as you are, eat some kick ass oysters and the most amazing debris po-boy and fries this side of the Mississippi (I lived on the other side for a long time, actually... they may be the best fries on BOTH sides)? This is your place.
If you have time to just chill and be served by eclectic folks who move at an easy-going pace and will have unpretentous conversation with you as they pass by? Also your place.
If you wonder if there's life beyond the Pearl for dinner? The answer is hell yes, and this is also your place.
If you want to jump a party bus for Mardi Gras with some folks who were raised in the south and know how to do it up for Mardi Gras? Yep... EaT.
I love this place. Yes, as the other reviewer said, it's sometimes a little cluttered, but it is never (the other reviewer is crazy) dirty. Trust me, I'm a gal who chases everyone around with Purel. If this place freaked me out, I would not be a regular.
Oysters are amazing. Wine and beer are well-selected. And the owners are downright cool.
Worth an adventure over to that side of town. And right across the street from Pix, so you can end the meal with a superior dessert.
win. win. -
Review from Aubrey P.
Seattle, WA
4/26/2011
I've only been here for Sunday brunch a few times, but I'm always in the mood to go back. I'm not really an oyster fan, but the menu offers a small, but enticing selection of non-oystery food. All the food I've had here has been exceedingly delicious. The trio, "Box of Chocolates" plays here Sunday morning, and they are brilliant! Not in a hurry for anything, even the up-tempo songs seem languid and relaxed as these venerable Portland talents play.
My only complaint: NEEDS MORE BEIGNETS ON PLATE PLZ!
Oh, and the service can be inconsistent. -
Review from Joseph H.
Portland, OR
4/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
4 stars as a place to hear live Jazz on Sunday morning and pre-funk with a bloody mary and an oyster shooter to kill the wait before getting into Tasty's next door.
If I stumble back in on another lazy sunday, I could see myself hanging out anyway. It's got a good vibe to it. The Jazz was spot on and hooked in street music straight to the ears. No elevator tunes here.
Good.good.good. -
Review from Chris A.
St. Helens, OR
3/2/2011
The oysters, while a bit over priced, are fantastic. ( I may be spoiled by Elliott's here but it is hard to go from 50 cents at Elliot's to $1.50 no matter how you look at it.) This is the first place that I have ever had an oyster shooter that was actually a shot. An oyster, sauce and Tequila, very good. If you are looking for upscale decor with candles and mood lighting this is not the place for you. If it is a sleeve of saltines and good food at reasonable prices, then come on in.
We are the kind of group that is equally at home with either a 1998 Silver Oak Cabernet and foie gras or a PBR and a burger. This place definitely falls into the latter and the more of these places we go to, the more we lean towards leaving the foie gras for good. As long as the food doesn't disappoint and it most certainly does not disappoint here, the friends that share in the memory are what matters the most. You and your friends can have a good time here. They make a great hurricane here but be warned, one is enough!
Good Eating Everyone! -
Review from Rob D.
Portland, OR
Updated - 11/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
MHW (my hot wife) and I found ourselves breathing a sigh of relief; kids were back in school (after a week of having them home), we had some quiet and we were needing to do something fun... We had to sneak away for an afternoon... LUNCH date (get your minds out of the gutters people).
EaT: An Oyster Bar it was.
Wanna know why?
I'll give you 3 simple reasons:
1.) Their oysters cannot be beat. Today's madness on the half shell came to us in the form of Tillamook Sweets, Hama Hama, and Chelsea Gems. If you're hot for good raw oysters these are indeed to die for.
2.) The mother flippin' deep fried pickle chips. I am convinced that there is an addictive chemical in these things (maybe there is a chemical reaction that occurs between the light flaky batter, the copious yet perfect seasoning combination of salt and pepper, and the vinegar dill goodness of thin sliced pickle chips)? Seriously - try them (if you're a pickle freak).
3.) Short mugs of consistently kick ass beers on tap. Today we found that they had Double Mountain's Vaporizer - a light golden aggressively hopped but oh so easy to drink (and fall in love with) beer in a chilled short mug.
There you have it.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/12/2009
Hello little green fairies and oysters on the half shell!
My wife and I ended our anniversary evening… Read more »
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Review from Will F.
Medford, OR
4/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
A nice place, as far as I can tell now the best oyster bar in Portland. They had a great selection of incredibly tasty and fresh and the prices were reasonable. A lot of very small sweet specimens, my favorite. ($21 a dozen if I recall correctly..)
2 complaints: The drinks really need work. See below. Also, there was an above average amount of shell fragments, presumptively due to poor shucking technique. Other than that I was very happy, and I'll definitely be back.
New Orleans gin gods- contains egg whites, a big plus in my book. Appears to have been made with a blender rather than in the traditional manner with a shaker. I'm all for innovation, but in this case the cocktail was served warm rather than ice cold as would have fitted it. It was served in a classic glass (props) but was garnished with 2 skinny straws... Needed to be cold and garnished with bitters. At this point the worst egg containing cocktail I've ever had.
Whiskey smash- Oddly bitter, basically unpleasant and totally incompatible with oysters.
Besides 2 dozen oysters, I had:
Cajun bbq'd shrimp - generous amount of midsized head on shrimp in a delicious pan sauce. Didn't try the bread but the staff was very kind about providing rice to go with it. Great flavor, this dish is a real winner. -
Review from Mia M.
Novato, CA
8/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'd come here a couple times with my girlfriend and the first time we went we had a good experience. The last time was the last time, I'm afriad. The oysters are great and they come out relatively fast (or at least on par) compared to other seafood places we've gone. So no complaints there.
We were super disappointed in the service. The person was cool when we first came in. We were sat quickly and had water in no time. We decided to just stick with cola instead of ordering alcohol. Sodas that came in $2.00 cans, by the way, which we found out when we got our check. I'm not saying it was her responsibility to downsell us but it would have been nice to know that we were about to pay that much for a can of cola with no refills. On top of that, since we didn't get anything with alcohol in it, we basically got ignored the entire time after our food came. The place was almost completely empty save for us and probably less tables than I could count on one hand. Once we finally got our check (which I had to physically get up and walk up to her just to ask for), she dropped it by without saying a damn thing or asking us how anything was. Then she ignored us for about 25 minutes.
That is WAY too long to wait to leave a restaurant especially after she had probably spoken fewer than 25 words to us since we arrived.
We'll never go back there again because of that. Which sucks because the food is actually pretty awesome. -
Review from Morgan O.
Portland, OR
8/15/2011
Nice bottle of Gascogne white with some of the freshest oysters in town. Happy hour has $1 oysters. Damn good deal.
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Review from Alisha B.
Portland, OR
8/9/2011
I had my birthday party there last night and they kicked ass! Not only was the food the bomb...the oyster shooters rocked everybody's world! Drinks were good and came fast! The service was top notch and I will be going there again for sure! I heard breakfast is awesome so that is my next brunch spot. Order the catfish ... It's perfectly cooked with the right amount of spice. Try the Cowboy oyster shooter... Pimp!
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Review from Erica L.
Portland, OR
9/14/2011
I went here with my boyfriend who is a huge oyster fan and he would prob give this place 4 stars...but me on the other hand not so much. There was not one healthy choice that I could choose from which is very odd in this day in age! The bloody mary was good, which was its saving grace.
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Review from Sonja H.
10/14/2010
LOVE this place. I had one of the most fun dining experiences of my life here and have since unofficially made it my laid-back-special-occasion place. Was it the amazing array of tasty oyster shooters or the unbelievable fried pickles or possibly the intoxicatingly tasty bourbon soaked cherries that they use in their O'Brien (my EAT drink of choice--shooters don't count as a drink, right?). Maybe it was the po boy special and the perfectly cooked fries...
I was there for what was supposed to be a shooter or two and because of the warm, joyous energy, I ended up having a full evening of Southern-style gluttony (my favorite kind)!
I highly recommend trying whatever Po' Boy special they have, which has included pulled brisket and fried green tomatoes and a perfect dollop of their "comeback sauce" (I'm not much of an oyster Po' Boy person, so I've happily tried the debris, which I'd also recommend). This is one of the messiest and tastiest things I've ever eaten and I always end up with meat and sauce all over my face and fingers, so if you are trying to be dainty on a first date--beware! These sandwiches should probably be served in private chambers...
My only complaint is that sometimes the amazing fried pickles aren't fried at a high enough heat and sometimes come out greasy and soggy and a little too salty (but disappear surprisingly quickly, nonetheless). I also always walk away spending around $60 for drinks and food for two--but very, very satisfied. The service is not the fastest, though once I get around to getting my order in, the food always comes out quickly (you just might have to wave down the server a few times). -
Review from browse n.
Gresham, OR
9/30/2010
Excrutiatingly slow service. My hilarious girlfriend says, "This place should be named "Wait and Eat".
(Subsequent addition): And my stomach was unhappy all night long. This may be my last visit to this restaurant for quite some time. -
Review from Ashley B.
Portland, OR
4/24/2011
I have only been to EaT for brunch but each time I am NEVER disappointed. Their Sunday New Orleans Jazz Brunch is amazing. A great New Orleans style jazz band plays in the background as you eat perfectly made creole brunch.
So far I've tried almost everything on the menu and it's all delicious. I've discovered you really can't go wrong. The poached eggs sitting in an artichoke heart on a bed of creamed spinach with hollandaise sauce is absolutely to die for.
My husband and I also love ordering The Big Mimosa that gives us a bottle of champagne and mason jar of fresh squeezed OJ.
The service is great and we just love spending our Sunday mornings at EaT. I highly recommend this restaurant. -
Review from mary anne l.
Portland, OR
11/1/2010
It's raining. A lot.
It's November 1st, and I partied a L-EEEEE-TLE too hard last night in a huge pink costume. LOVE Halloween. But man am I paying for it today.
My car was recently smashed into, so soon I will be hopping on my bike in the aforementioned rain and riding to work. Blech.
So why am I not cursing the universe?
Because I'm about two thirds of the way through a debris po boy and half way through the amazing fries from Eat.
I'm feeling almost charitable, in fact. (Insert sigh of contentment here).
I'm so glad that this place is simply named "Eat", because that's what I do here. As often as I possibly can. Po boys, Etoufe, COLLARDS!!!, locally sourced oysters, and the most amazing french fries ever in the history of the planet.
Throw in a little bubbly occasionally, and I'm in Cajun heaven. Straight up.
Had to shout out my love for this place. I will now oh so willingly go soak myself in the rain on my bike ride to work.
Ciao! -
Review from Orian I.
First, I loooooove the large openness of this building.
I love that they have 4 different kids of hot sauce sitting on the table as well as a house made spicy vinegar.
I like the grumpy server.
The service was very "European" it was takin' your time service, but we were in a takin' your time kind of mood.
it was a weird time anyway, 2pm on Sunday requires long drawn out meals, cards, cocktails, laughter,stories, kisses and hand holding. We were in no hurry so it didn't bother us, but then again, it never does.
We did order beignets as soon as we sat down cause we were right on the edge when they'd stop serving them. they were so hot but i couldn't stop eating them, they were fantastic! light fluffy, crunch. the lemony vanilla frosting on the side will be dumped on top next time.
ordered bloody marry, very Tabasco heavy, nice pickled veggies, good overall flavor. I told the server how good the drinks were, my man chimed in she's a bloody mary connoisseur, I said what he means is I'm bitchy about it. the server laughed and said no, he mean connoisseur, all connoisseur are bitches not all bitches are connoisseurs. loved her immediately after that.
watching football, mary in hand, munchin on beignets perfect and more was to come. We ordered greens, shrimp po'boy with fries, 1/2 dozen oysters, and two oyster shooters.
the greens were done correctly with nice hunks of smoked pork, the shrimp po'boy was perfect, crunchy well cooked shrimp on a toasty chewy roll. the fries were awesome, almost like chips thin cut seasoned with salt and pepper. lovely.
the oysters on ice, well, that's oysters on ice, the presentation was how it's supposed to be, lemon dusted with old bay was a nice touch, and i zealously drowned those slimy buggars in vinegar chili sauce.
the shooters - be warned, the tequila shot is extremely spicy, the original is quite nice with cocktail sauce. I was a little surprised at the complain that the oysters on ice were served without cocktail sauce, I've never had oysters on the half shell with cocktail sauce, ever, only in shooters. all in all this was a pleasant experience. I will come back.Listed in: Brunch!!
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Review from Daniel S.
Portland, OR
9/13/2011
I signed up for yelp to give these guys a good review.
Bottom line, great oysters at a good price, great southern food, and friendly service.
I don't know how other people have had bad experiences here, I have been four times now and everytime I get good service (people who are efficient and helpful and ready with recommendations for the oysters (and not pissed or even slightly put out when you ask them to identify each of the 3 dozen you just ordered)) and excellent food, even when they are absolutely packed.
The oysters are amazing and fresh and come on only a bed of ice with lemon slices, the way it should be.
I avoid oysters in the off season, but that is okay here as their frog legs are the best I've ever had, their po' boys are amazing and their red beans and rice is rich and wonderful, complete with house made sausage. The soft shell crab po' boy (when they have it, sundays usually) is one of the best things I have eaten in Portland, hands down.
I do not lightly hand out 5 star reviews, this place is my favorite place to eat in Portland and the only 5 star review I have written or plan to to date.
The ambience may be lacking for some, but hey, it's a bar.
The service apparently hasn't been good for a couple reviewers, but not for me. However, for the food alone I would go back no matter the service, thankfully the service is good. The beer selections are solid, not too many but not too few, although the 8 oz. glass is a bit small for me, but that's okay as it is priced accordingly.
Go there for the oysters when they're in season, for everything else when they're not.
Highly recommend. -
Review from Brian N.
8/15/2010
Wanted to go to Tasty n Sons today but the wait was waaaaayyyy too long so we decided to walk down the street...
Heard some great Jazz coming from EaT and decided to check out the menu. Offerings for their Sunday brunch were definitely comparable in terms of unique and hearty food. Not only that they had a wading pool out in front, outdoor seating, and live music (Reggie's Box of Chocolates, jazz trio). We were sold and not only that...we were happy.
Some great food, accompanied by some great music and great staff. Only one star off b/c of the lack of staff, which made service a little on the slower side. The staff we did have though, were full of energy, which really only added to the spectacular dishes we had.
Dishes:
Softshell Crab Po Boy
Beignets
Eggs Sardou
Veal Grillades
Every single one could be recommended. I wish the beignets came with more than 3 for the price ($5). The bourbon sauce was great, but we couldn't eat it all because we didn't have enough beignets. =[
Veal grillades came at a comfortable portion for $12. Really flavorful stewed veal with rich country grits and gravy.
Eggs sardou was a poached egg in an artichoke cup, over creamed spinach. Probably the best creamed spinach I've had in my life. Would prefer more flavorful artichoke cup, but that's still a solid dish that I probably can't find anywhere right now in Portland. Same with the veal grillades.
Definitely recommend it. Will be easier to get into than Tasty n Sons and will deliver an equally good experience for their Sunday brunch. -
Review from Andrew C.
7/7/2010
Argh.... at the risk of sounding like the guy who orders chicken in a steakhouse, full disclosure is that I haven't had an oyster here (that wasn't fried).
Now that that's over with.... what a monumental letdown.
To start... why is there an open bag of saltine crackers on my table? I know kitchens aren't the cleanest places in the world either but I know for damn sure I didn't wash my hands before I came here. In a town where showering seems to be optional, I guarantee no one else did, either. I'd much rather have some appetizer crackers brought out to me on a plate by a server than to deal with an open bag sitting on a table. Sitting on a table for how long? Touched by who? I know this is coming off really germophobic but that's just a bit too far over my line of comfort. Right up there with an open jar of pickles waiting at a table. Disgusting.
Next...
"......"
"what?"
"......."
"Oh....
That little non-existent text conversation is a textual representation of how loud our server talked from the time we walked in and "told us" to sit anywhere (something I pretty much gathered specifically through her body language more than through her speaking voice), through the ordering process and out the door. Why are we whispering when there's loud music pumping in the background? Asking for repeats should be a queue to speak up. Apparently it isn't.
While no oysters in the traditional sense were ordered, a fried oyster po'boy was; along with the seafood gumbo (cajun stew in crab stock with a smokey dark roux, tasso and okra). Seafood gumbo here means three shrimp, two mussels, one oyster, a lot of rice and a lot of broth. While what I ate was good enough, it was pretty sterile. I think Montage does a better gumbo, larger portion, more flavor, same loot. The seafood gumbo at EaT is $12 for a plate it was a let down. I've had larger portions out of a Progresso can and leaving hungry after chowing down on an entree is lame. Really, really lame. Jack in the Box in an hour to fill the void, anyone? Oh yes, it happened. And it happened for $2.
Back to the server... after dropping off the food, there was not one check up to see if things were alright. Things were fine and that check up is usually just a pleasantry but in a restaurant where one dude is sitting at the bar and one other table has two people eating at it... I doubt it would have been much of a strain to come by.
First impressions.... total blah...
I could see myself going back once more but unless things dramatically improved I'd be well over it.Listed in: North Portland, N Williams Ave
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Review from Michelle H.
Portland, OR
7/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
Oysters are like sushi. While absolutely friggin' delicious, I have to eat -a lot- to get full. Both also like to hoist a price tag that makes a meal solely of these items a tad expensive, at least if you do it on the regular.
I know, I know, get a filler. I'm lazy. If I order something, it should come with everything I'm expected to eat with it. This is why small plates and I don't get along.
That said, I walked into an oyster bar knowing I didn't want to shell out the cash for a bathtub full of oysters. This is the place to do that, though. Fresh selections. Sold by the dozen.
It was hot the day, and while the doors were open and the fans were on, this place just gets hot. The setting sun pelts it. I guess if you're going to eat some Southern food, you had better get the Southern weather. It's all a part of the ambiance.
Service is ghost-like. Even when your server shows up to take orders you wouldn't notice that they were talking unless you were watching their lips move. It wasn't even busy. God help the day it's full of people.
I ordered the po' boy because something about fried oysters and carbs just sounded good. And it was good. There was no denying that. It wasn't overly greasy or salted with a heavy hand. The bread tasted fresh and didn't rip my teeth out of my mouth. It wasn't loaded with sauce, either. The problem, though, was the fact that it was small. Maybe 6"? They're definitely doing my waistband a favor, but for the price, it didn't seem like it was a fair compensation. The only reason I left remotely full was the pile of under cooked shoestring fries. I can't stand shoestring fries, but I ate them anyway. A little mustard goes a long way.
Speaking of that, why is it when a business is slow, they always seat you at the table that has almost empty condiments? It drives me nuts. If I worked there, I'd be so bored out of my mind that I'd have checked all the bottles over six times. That might be OCD, though...
Anyway, it's good stuff here, but between the sauna, the weak service, and the smallish portions, I'd only be back to grub on oysters. -
Review from sharone n.
Manhattan, NY
12/17/2010
Fresh oysters, good.
Cooked oysters BLECH!!
We ordered 3 different varieties and we finished 2 from each plate..left 3/4 of our food..collards were gross too.
The only thing I enjoyed about Eat was the company and the bubbles..
I'd much rather go to Tapalaya or Miss Delta. -
Review from Shirley W.
Hillsboro, OR
9/15/2010
Great cheap place to get fresh oysters for a dollar on tuesday nights!
p.s. try the fried okra too -
Review from Lilly G.
Portland, OR
2/6/2011
The oysters here are fantastic. I can't say the same for anything else on the menu.
With the oysters: great selection, good prices ($1 oysters every day from 4-6pm and all day Tuesday!). Also, they have all the sauces to make your own cocktail sauce, as well as fresh shaved horseradish. If you're a fan of oysters, this isn't to be missed.
Staff is extremely friendly and pleasant as well. -
Review from Bob S.
Updated - 5/31/2010 ROTD 6/14/2010
It just gets better and better. S.U. and I were putting her new electric bike through its paces on Sunday. We were finishing a ride from NE to Sellwood and back when we were pedaling (me more than her) up N. Williams. The rain had stopped, and the N. Williams neighborhood was hopping. People were lined up outside of Tasty & Sons, Ristrettos was full and Bob S. needed an 0yster fix.
It was Brunch time at EaT. We walked in (sit anywhere she said) and took seats inside on the main floor near the band, Reggie's Box of Chocolate (awesome 3-piece jazz trio).
We ordered a half dozen fresh Wilapas, S.U. ordered a crab po-boy, I had a hang town fry and we both had the IRA, a hoppy golden ale. I love Wilapa Bay oysters. These were good sized, fresh, crunchy and very tasty. The hangtown fry was basically a bacon (home cured) omelet with 4 perfectly pan-fried oysters on top. S.U. loved the crabs but wasn't too pleased with the fries.
As the band started, we finished our food, ordered another round (10 oz so no judging!!) and kicked back and listened to great live jazz while the sun streamed in the front.
Should be 5 stars but, damn, they've got to nail those fries!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/3/2009
Oysters. Much can be, and has been, written about them. I grew up eating them, lot's of them, fresh… Read more »
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Review from Mary G.
Hillsboro, OR
12/31/2010
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. Whenever I visit my brother, I always stop in for a meal. I love the fried pickle chips (sooo good!) and fried okra ( I thought I hated okra, I guess I was wrong) The shrimp etouffee' is awesome, and the hoppin' john is good, too.
The only cocktail I tried was a bloody Mary and it was perfectly spiced. -
Review from Sheree E.
Brooklyn, NY
8/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nice find ^_^ The Hangtown Fry was three levels of deliciousness. Friendly staff and live jazz music =)
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Review from Tomas A.
Portland, OR
6/28/2011
Took my folks here while they were in town over the weekend since they don't get great oysters where they live.
The oysters were fine, we had baked and raw. Fresh and not too expensive.
But it was the service that did not impress. SLOW, to offer us tables, while they had plenty of empty ones for a Friday night, then waited again to get menus and then again an order in. The baked oysters order was wrong and they tried to take the whole plate back to the kitchen to "re-make it", rather than just give us the two wrong oysters and deliver the others. Not sure why I would want to wait again while the rest of the order sits under a heater.
Will say the bread pudding was worth the 15min wait. -
Review from Andria H.
Vancouver, WA
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hama Hamas are a must. Great oyster selections. What a great down-home atmosphere with a nice wine and beer selection, and someone has good taste that is picking out the bourbon. This place is a great escape from the trendy Portland spots. Good food, good drink and good service. Love the neighborhood, looking forward to my next visit.
