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Wilfs Restaurant & Bar
Categories: Arts & Entertainment Jazz & Blues Nightlife Jazz & Blues Restaurants American (New) Jazz & Blues, American (New) [Edit]
800 NW 6th AvePortland, OR 97209
Neighborhood: Old Town - Chinatown
(503) 223-0070
- Hours:
Mon 11:30 am - 6 pm
Tue-Thu 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 12 am
Sat 5 pm - 12 am
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Wed, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Romantic
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
44 reviews for Wilfs Restaurant & Bar
Review Highlights
"...nestled right next to Union Station is always a pleasure to..."
(in 6 reviews)
"The wait staff are always attentive."
(in 6 reviews)
"I had to try their savory mushroom bread pudding."
(in 3 reviews)
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44 reviews in English
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Review from Patti F.
1/15/2012
Yes it IS at the train station, but do not let this stop you! This is nothing like what I expected.
Super swanky - in a good way. Highly recommend happy hour, half price items on the bar menu - but the normal sized serving. Wine list is good, and includes some nice choices.
Sitting in the restaurant, the chairs are super posh, with high backs that are like individual couches - seriously, you need to see these to believe it. The bar is also unique, in that the "bar stools" are comfortable chairs that are not "bar height" - they are table height, as is the bar. I think I enjoyed happy hour more than dinner, which can be on the pricey side - but overall I really enjoyed it.
There is actually reserved parking in the lot across the street for Wilf's customers. This is nice because you can avoid the train station traffic/parking situation - and actually park FREE in a lot (which is unusual in the Pearl). -
Review from Cheri C.
Vancouver, WA
9/4/2011
I'm guessing Wilf's has seen better days. The only positive thing I can say about this place is that the wait staff was wonderful. Very attentive, timely (they should have been, there was only one other party in there at 5:00 on a Wednesday night), friendly and helpful.
The menu is tiny. I decided on the shrimp pasta, but probably should have gotten a salad. The shrimp were done perfectly, but I think they bought the pasta at Safeway - no quality to the pasta whatsoever. Nothing even remotely remarkable about the dish . . . except the over-inflated price.
My husband had a nice sized salad, but the crab it was supposed to have on it was almost non-existent.
We won't be going here again. Like another reviewer said . . . hold on 10 minutes and walk to much better restaurants. -
Review from Olivia T.
7/18/2011
We were waiting for our train and kinda hungry. Either we could eat Amtrak's food or stopped by at Wilf's and had happy hour. We opted for the second option.
$6 for small pizza which looked and tasted like frozen pizza (even Red Baron is better than this one) and $3 French Onion soup which supposedly the best in the Northwest (according to our non smiley server) which was just ok.
Service was fast and efficient without any personality. No smile, no kindness and maybe I should expected this. I don't dig HH at WIlf's at all. Prices are higher than other places with quality much much lower. At the end, I still had Amtrak's hot dog and it was better than food here.Listed in: I said NO NO NO to these…
Comment from Wilfs R. of Wilfs Restaurant & Bar 7/28/2011
Olivia T. I am very glad you brought this up to our… More » -
Review from frances t.
Honolulu, HI
11/30/2011
We went there for the first time with a friend last night, it was pretty crowded so we were seated at the bar. We had only come to have a drink. We were just finishing up our drinks and our friend went to the bathroom. While we were sitting there the woman who looked like the manager, curly hair middle aged came over to the bar and said to the bartender "I thought these spots were going to be open" Referencing that she thought we would be gone. We had literally just paid, and she comes over, close enough that I can hear her. Rude. We just had $11 drinks and now youre trying to rush me out the door. Not going back.
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Review from David O.
Corvallis, OR
7/6/2011
I've eaten here a few times. I think if it weren't for the train crowd, this place would fold under its own ponderously pretentious weight.
The food is decent enough, though overpriced even in the bar, and even at happy hour. And the service is never exemplary but on the last visit, after a wait of over 20 minutes without being greeted by anyone, that was the last straw. There's no reason to clean empty tables before you greet a customer who's been waiting!
So, the Bridgeport Ale House, while a bit of a schlep, got our money instead. -
Review from Maria S.
Brooklyn, NY
7/8/2011
If a place positions itself as a pretentious restaurant, and is priced as such (not $$, as the description reads), I expect it to live up to the expectations.
Well, the entrees and the wine were mostly pretty good, the atmosphere was nice and velvety, and the live music was definitely a plus, but as a restaurant the place failed (miserably) on most other basic points.
It took about 25 minutes for them to bring the bread, and only after we asked for it.
The dessert was at best diner-style, probably because we didn't order the flambe which comes with a table side fire show.
One of us ordered Macallan 18 whiskey, wich was brought.... in a shot glass (??). We later found out that they charged $30 (!!) for it, which is beyond unreasonable.
They did not have espresso, and the coffee that was brought was... well, pretty bad. People, this is Portland. Bad coffee, really?
To top this off, when all of us have added cream and sugar to our coffee to our taste and have drunk about 1/2 of a glass each, the waiter appeared out of nowhere and poured in refills without asking if we wanted them!! This was just so outrageous we couldn't help but snicker... They should really know better.
Bottom line: the music and the atmosphere may be nice, but choose another place for a dinner experience worth the cost. -
Review from Jennifer W.
Hillsboro, OR
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Groupon brought me here and I have to say I'm pretty happy with their food and services. The waiter was attentive and the live jazz performance was good too. I ordered the catch of the day (pan seared wild salmon - with charmoula sauce (Moroccan style, tomato, paprika, cumin, cilantro)) and my my friend ordered the steak diane (Choice beef medallions, mushrooms, shallots, demi glace, flamed table side). Both turned out to be good and cooked right! We also ordered desert - berry cobbler-ish, warm and with vanilla ice cream. It was yummy..
One couple on the next table was celebrating their 22th anniversary and they were really happy with their Pork loin dish -- Coconut pineapple marinade, cilantro jicama slaw, coconut rum basmati rice.
I wouldn't mind coming back again to try their HH menu! -
Review from wendy s.
6/17/2011
I love this place - even though I actually have never eaten here. I go for the music and the ambiance. I have tried some of their bar food - which isn't really "bar" food, and its wonderful.
This place is CLASSY. It has old world charm and the service matches the ambiance. The host is gracious and friendly. The wait staff are always attentive. They even have some outside seating where you can sit, be served, and it is NO SMOKING....
Check out their music calendar which is an eclectic assortment of jazz, classical and blues. On a rare night you can catch Curtis Salgado (As Satellite Malone) crooning some low-down Chicago blues. (for a mere $6.00 cover last night)
One of these days I will get there for dinner. It is somewhat pricey and might be reserved for a romantic getaway. -
Review from June Y.
Wilf's, as a train station restaurant, is a pretty cool place.
The moment we stepped into the restaurant, our perception of reality changed. The bar/lounge area and the dining area is separated by a 4-foot divider, and upon walking into the space you can clearly tell that there are twoo different crowds that come here.
The bar/lounge area has a small stage and a piano in the corner. Apparently they do jazz and blues here quite a bit. That's always a plus in my book - live music + drinks. It looked cozy and at night, this place is probably pretty cool... like cats. *snaps fingers*
The dining area... in which we sat to eat our lunch, was a bit different. Starting with the red wingback chairs, which were uncomfortable as hell, the faux (I think) crystal chandeliers, which were gawdy as hell, and the red fabric draped across the ceiling, which was cliché as hell, the dining room looks like it was pretending to be a ball room in a castle in Norway or something.
Other than the cheesy decor, the food was tolerable. It's nothing spectacular - it's precisely a three-star quality. I had the Summer Pasta (seasonal) and my wife had a turkey melt. Summer pasta was "a-ok" (3 stars) and her turkey melt was less than desirable. The turkey was very dry. A turkey melt is not going to taste good if the turkey is dry.
The wait staff here is helpful and attentive. Our waiter that day was very personable, humerous, and we enjoyed his service.
Pulling into Portland Amtrak station and you are dying of starvation? Wilf's will do. But if you can hang on for another 10 minutes or so, a few blocks down the street holds better food. It's your choice.Listed in: Tourist's Seattle / Portland
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Review from Misty S.
5/17/2011
I've been here for lunch twice so far and have had them cater a lunch meeting at our office.
The restaurant itself is pretty cool. The old brick gives it a sort of "old Portland" feel. The giant red winged back chairs are incredibly comfortable too. The lunch menu is pretty basic. The reuben sandwich was great, as well as the dijon chicken sandwich. They both got a little messy because of all the wonderful juices, but it was well worth the trouble.
For catering, we just had the sandwich luncheon for about 14 people. I chose about 4 different types of sandwiches as well as a veggie wrap. The presentation was great. They used glass serving trays/bowls and picked them up a couple hours later, which gave it that special/sustainable touch.
I will say I was impressed. The sandwiches were made fresh with quality ingredients about 30 minutes before delivery, which means, no soggy bread and satisfied customers... yay!Listed in: Thank God they cater!
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Review from Amanda j.
Portland, OR
12/12/2011
This place is great. Amazing service, music and festive atmosphere. The best Christmas display we've seen in years. Our server was super knowledgable about wines and suggested perfect pairings with every course. The food was seriously to die for. Table-side Caesar and Steak Diane, it was a total performance. At the end of our meal the chef came out and asked us how everything was. She was so friendly we invited her to sit down with us and ended up planning the catering for our annual Christmas party. What a great experience, we were treated like we were family and we will definitely be back!!
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Review from Barbarella F.
Redondo Beach, CA
1/7/2011
My boyfriend & I were really looking forward to a special New Year's Eve celebration! We were excited to step out for a great evening at Wilfs & enjoy one of our favorite musicians, Tony Pacini. Did it work out like that?? HEAVENS, NO! NOT even close!!!!
We were very undeservedly & rudely mistreated by the maître d' because of his apparent confusion as to what the situation for cover charges & two evening shows was going to be. We were asked to leave our seats at the bar because there were supposedly people waiting with reservations - in a bar that is first-come, no reservations taken!?! He poked my bf sharply on the shoulder & rudely asked him to pay our bill & leave!
WHAT?!? When we gladly left after being spoken to so disrespectfully, there was NO ONE waiting in the lobby to get in! It was almost 10:30 - no one else was coming in. Many people had already left & those there were settling in for the rest of the evening. Our "rude dude" was in such a hurry to get more people seated, he apparently didn't notice the food & drink service had slowed way down & people were just enjoying the music. We would have bought a couple more drinks had we stayed.
We spent a lot of money & left with a very bitter taste, a ruined New Year's Eve & will gladly tell others of our lousy time @Wilfs - never to return. Which is really disappointing - it's a nice room and the music by Tony Pacini & trio with Rebecca Kilgore was wonderful.
But we couldn't enjoy it after Sherman ruined our evening with his rude attitude. Server Michelle attempted to smooth things over (thank you!), but it was too late. He had some crazy idea about charging us (and another couple at the bar), a second $15 cover charge & a second $20 bar tab minimum, per person. If there were to be charges for a second show, it was NOT mentioned anywhere: on the website, on the phone or when we first arrived.
Booted out on the street @10:30 on NY's Eve!!! Now what?? We didn't want to go somewhere else & pay yet another cover charge & bar minimum. Our evening was ruined by an establishment that fancies itself "high class"? Hardly!
Actually, the evening started out on a sour note. There were several empty tables in the bar area where supposedly no reservations were taken. Those tables remained unoccupied until later in the evening. Meanwhile, we were seated at "Table X" near the kitchen & bathroom traffic areas. Excuse us for not wanting to buy the pre-fixe dinner. But the $35 minimum per person should be sufficient to warrant a decent seat & respect as paying customers. Two waitresses were kind enough to find us seats at the bar when two became available. The food choices beyond the dinner menu were nothing to write home about & my wine pours were really stingy.
Even people who bought dinner got moved out quickly. There was a young couple celebrating their 7th anniversary who got bumped from their dinner table. They lingered around the bar area & found new seats. That is until "Mr. Rude" told them to get up! They left soon after, no doubt disappointed. How many others felt stranded after spending a good chunk of change & then had to leave?
The management needs to take better care of their customers if they expect to have repeat business. We've been to Wilfs several times & enjoy the ambiance of the room & the caliber of performers. Sorry to say, we'll not be back & will make sure to tell our jazz-loving friends about our terrible experience that night. -
Review from Zuzana K.
2/1/2011 2 Check-ins Here
One of the last old fashioned classic places where the maitre d' wears tuxedo and prepares steak diane and bananas foster table side. Very unlikeley place to find this restaurant - right next to the Union Station, but I advise to look past that and get inside.
Food is delicious. Sure, there are places in Portland where the food is superior but you cannot beat the atmosphere. Full package in my book. -
Review from jikaiah s.
San Francisco, CA
9/14/2011 1 photo
Quite happy w my experience. I went today for lunch after seeing a Groupon for this place and was really glad I did. Walking in the atmosphere was nice, and the staff was friendly . After ordering I was delighted by my selection and it's speed. I will definitely be back to see live Jazz in the bar and I also look forward to trying it out for dinner. A great diamond in the rough area.
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Review from Sherry S.
5/7/2011
I hear the lonesome whistle blowing.. that's the kind of feel this place gives me, nostalgic, dark, a little surly, old smoke still lingering of times gone by - i.e. you could smoke anywhere at this train station. It had a comforting feel though in some ways because of it. We got there super early, and sat on the bar side and watched folks come and go, off the train, or to get back on the train. I'm sure there are "regulars" that come here as well.
Their menu is a little hard to navigate. They have a casual menu, which is also a happy hour menu, and then, at 6pm you get to pick ONLY THE ITEMS IN RED for half off. This did NOT include their version of Crab Louie for 24.00! Yikes! I decided not to have that. That's also the general feel. Very spendy, and well, for the prices, the size of the orders should have been bigger. I had to try their savory mushroom bread pudding. For one, never had it, and for 2, I like that kind of thing. It was not half bad, though it basically reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing. It was also a small portion. We also shared the brussel sprout salad. I expected mostly brussel sprouts but instead got green salad sprinkled with about half a dozen halved brussel sprouts. Their menu may have been written by someone that actually did not serve, or eat the food because what it described, was not exactly what I got. We also got their calamari. And for dessert, we had their creme brulee because I'm a sucker for that dessert. It was creamy and sweet, though they did not serve it warm and crunchy on top.
We love jazz, but because we got there right after work we did not get to imbibe, as they don't start until 7:30pm. There's a piano in the corner just waiting for the music to start. Maybe we will come by again and sip on some drinks in the dark, by candlelight, and hear some music next time.
We did go outside as National Train Day is the next day so we snuck a look at one of the cool trains that were on the track! It was a 1941 Lima steam locomotive! Talk about going back in time. I was hoping to hear the whistle but it snuck in without a sound. -
Review from Karen E.
Portland, OR
10/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
Fine dining next to the train station? Yep! It was a jewel to find. We had a 4 hour delay in our train leaving so luckily we were very happy to wait here in the lounge. The drinks were plentiful and the atmosphere very pleasant as was the wait staff. We had a fancy cheese plate along with our mojitos and it was all very good. I would love to come back and try some of their dinner items while sitting in their comfy looking booths.
There is live music there during the evenings, with an additional cover charge. -
Review from Varena V.
Portland, OR
11/21/2011
The food was very good, the service was OK, the prices were completely insane and the portions for the price were sad. We had already had two appetizers before the waiter asked if we wanted bread. I had the pasta(shrimp) as an entree and it was quite good but so very not a $29 meal. My friend had the pork tenderloin. Again, it was delicious but only 6oz of pork it wasn't worth the $30+. The cheese plate my friend ordered for an app was about 3 pieces of cheese and $13.50. I ordered the truffle bread pudding(again it was delicious) but over priced as well. The lemon drops were good but $8.50. I had a groupon and they automatically tacked on a 19% tip because of the groupon. Something I wasn't aware of before hand. I asked if it was a suggestion or required, we were informed it was required. They do the same thing for any of their promotions. The atmosphere was nice, the jazz was good. There are far cheaper places that are just as good if not better and have larger portions.
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Review from john h.
Portland, OR
3/12/2011
First time here and we had a great time. The jazz was some of the best that I have heard in town. Venue was great, located in the train station it was like a step back in time. The staff was very friendly and helpful. maître d' was great, he also makes the salads
The food was very good, We had the tables side prepared Caesar Salad, highly recommended. I had the ribeye steak, it was a bit thin for the price but it was Painted Hills ranch and tasty.
They also have a bar menu available
Great night of fun -
Review from David W.
Manhattan, NY
11/28/2010
A surprising find. Located next to the main train station.
Very atmospheric and comfortable. You'll meet a mix of locals and tourists. I stopped-by for a beer. With its high-backed love-seat chairs it looked like you could even bring a Valentine's Day date there and they'd be happy!
Favorite Dish: Try the local draft beers.
P.S.. I only drank and did not try the food. -
Review from Marge B.
Vancouver, WA
12/28/2011
Made reservations on open table. Special request to sit close to music because it was wife's birthday... Maitre D couldn't find reservation. Sat us behind booths that section off dining room from bar. Not great seats. Birthday never acknowledged. We ordered Caesar salad for two. Woman doing table side salad never spoke to us. Acted preoccupied at one point looking at another wait staff and pointing at her watch. Never asked if we wanted fresh pepper....We are very appreciative of wait staff and the job they do. You are paying for the experience and they dropped the ball. We ordered the Banana Foster for two same woman same attitude. Oh and black pepper was on cart for the banana foster...hummmmm! We were trying to watch the table side preparations but red high back chairs were hard to move so we could get a better view. And wait staff didn't help. We knew it was a little pricey but $38.00 for steak and $26.00 for porkloin I think just a little to much. But we usually don't mind prices if the dining experience is superb. This was not. Our waitress that took order and took care of us was good. It was mainly woman doing the tableside that might need to take a vaca...
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Review from Elana S.
Portland, OR
8/7/2011
My company has our holiday party here every year- not only do they have the best decorations in the city, but the staff is super friendly when we are completely in their way while setting up for our party.
So I needed a place to take some friends from out of town for dinner and I thought this would be a really fun jazzy/old school restaurant. My friends thought the Steak Diane (prepared at the table) was awesome. It's a little expensive, but a fun experience if you get in when they have music. -
Review from Eric B.
Chicago, IL
7/18/2011
Fantastic calamari. Great atmosphere!
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Review from Stanley T.
Portland, OR
5/2/2008
I can't go with the flow on Wilf's. We stopped in for a small bite before the 6th Avenue Street Fair. The salad was quite good. The "house made" tamales much less so. The tamales themselves weren't all that bad. The rice side was meh. The refried beans side was close to disgusting. The sauce on the side was out of a can. And nothing on this plate was hot - closer to luke warm. $7.75 glass of Pinot Noir was fine.
Atmosphere is pretty cool (as others have pointed out). Service was fine. I've been here once before for drinks and jazz with a bunch of friends - I'm factoring that good time into an overall 3 star review, but I'm not even tempted to go 4. -
Review from Stephen S.
Washington, DC
11/21/2009
Serendipity.
If so many events hadn't led me to miss my train on Nov. 11, I would have never had the chance to experience Wilf's.
Who would have known that Paris and Portland have so much in common? Some of Paris' best eateries are found within there palatial train stations, take Gare de Lyon for example. Citing this reference I decided to spend my extra time waiting for the next train to Seattle taking in a lunch at Wilf's.
I checked their menu outside and saw that they not only had French Onion soup but a Reuben as well. I knew this would be an event to remember! Especially after being so disenfranchised from the Portland dining scene the night previous at my Birthday dinner. I will never travel east of the river again for a Birthday.
Here's what I like about Wilf's: They take staple menu items and work them to genius. I've had quite a few Reuben's before, Wilf's understands that there's a ratio between meat, bread, cheese and sauce, they nailed it! The onion soup paired very well, I would have liked a little more cheese, but that's just me.
Wilf's wine list is what qualifies them as my new favorite. They bring out quality in their selection. They don't hand you a 20 page menu and expect you to pour over it, They have taken some of the best representations of the varietals and composed them on their list. My La Sirene Syrah from Elk Cove went wonderfully with the meal, and I can't wait to come in for a bottle of the Rombauer Chardonnay! Glad to see it on the list!
Thanks Wilf's for turning my Birthday Bummer into a Birthday Blessing! -
Review from Wendy S.
I asked my fellow Yelpers where I could find a taste of old Portland, and Wilf's seemed to fit the bill. Located inside Union Station, you're immediately transported back to a time where men wore hats, women wore fur, and people dressed up to take the train.
The space is large, yet cozy. It's difficult to choose between the fantastic seating options, including circular leather booths, oversized red velvet wing chairs, and leather bar chairs on wheels. There is a small cocktail list and food menu in the bar area, but nothing really stood out. This is the type of place where one's best served to stick with the basics, which are served up strong and swiftly.
Wilf's instantly became a staple on my list of drinking destinations when I crave a taste of old Portland. -
Review from Catie L.
5/29/2007
This restaurant, nestled right next to Union Station is always a pleasure to dine at. My first visit here included a couple drinks, and some scintillating jazz from a local trio. The atmosphere seems that it would be a little more upscale, but the staff keeps it friendly. A lot of their menu options are a little pricey, but OH so tasty.
My boyfriend reserved a table for dinner one evening and the food was absolutely the best food that has ever touched my palate. I ordered some New Zealand lamb and it almost melted in my mouth. The potatoes and veggies paired with them were masterfully prepared. My boyfriend ordered their Steak Diane, which was prepared on a cart right next to our table. I tried his delectable entree and almost cried because it was incredibly flavorful and tender. It should really be called "Steak Divine". The waiter was very attentive and mentioned several times how nice it was that we were joining them for dinner that evening...so many times it was almost comical. The prices are steep, but the quality of the food is par with it. I have mixed feelings about the mixed drinks because a Mojito I had there was super tasty, but I tasted a Whiskey Sour my BF ordered there and it was nasty.
All in all, go there for excellent food, stay for the jazz.Listed in: Top Restaurants, The Places I Go Out
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Review from Tres B.
Denver, CO
2/14/2010
First I am a rabid jazz and blues fans, so this place earns a spot in my heart for their dedication to those arts. But lets first start with the food. I would call his old school continental. Sturdy steaks and the table side Caesar service is a dying art and this was done very well. The service was friendly and on spot. But I wouldn't call the food especially noteworthy.
The room itself its historic and fun, having been an eating establishment for over 80 years.
And now for the music. The opening act was very amateurish and discombobulated. I will spare her name, but it was truly awful and her rambling interludes of small talk and chit chat compounded the misery. Even our waitress was emabrassed by her and apologized for the poor showing.
My tip is this: Arrive late or come early and be willing to wait because the evening performance which included some super stars from the audience who were obviously regulars, was nothing short of stupendous. Terrific scale surfing vocals.
All in all a nice esperience. -
Review from Julie M.
Multnomah, OR
3/24/2009
One of the best reasons to go: fine Music.
As if the elegant atmosphere, easy public transit, mellow, tolerant Bartender, excellent food and service weren't enough already...
Appeaing about monthly, including this Saturday:
Richard Arnold, from Detroit-City,
wih his GrooveSwingers Lounge Band.
Richard's group is a great reason to :
Call a Date,
Dress Up,
Go dancin,
hold hands,
and um, proceed - to - you know....
DO some romancing!
http://www.grooveswing...
often, AT WILFS...8 PM - MIDNIGHT
http://www.grooveswing...Listed in: Live Blues
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Review from Paula W.
Portland, OR
9/15/2008
Waiting to pick up a love interest at the Greyhound station (and of course the bus was late), I stopped by this little gem. Fortunately because it was a love interest I was picking up, I was dressed a little nicer than normal. Good thing too because this was definitely a snazzy jazzy kind of place.
The first thing I noticed was the sign that said $5 cover for live music. Since no music was playing, I was like "okay". Walking into the actual dining/bar area I was hit with the feeling of deja vue. I felt like the Eddie Murphy character walking into the good old boys club of Mortimer and Randolph Duke in Trading Places. In fact, I swear those boys were sitting at the table next to me. Dark colored walls, black tables, linen napkins, the whole nine.
The wait staff was very friendly and brought me a decent (I won't say good, just decent) Mojito and about 15 minutes later asked if I wanted to order something to eat. I settled for the bacon-cheddar fries. OMG these things were killer. A medium sized stack of crispy fries topped with pieces of crisp bacon and cheddar cheese along with ranch and ketchup for the dipping.
About 10 minutes after arriving two men at the bar walked over and started playing piano and stand-up bass. It was then that I realized that it was the Tom Grant duo. They were very good and played some funky jazzy version of what would not be considered jazz hits but I liked it. At that point I realized, "shit, they're gonna charge me the cover now." Oh well, I was enjoying the music, the mojito and the fries.
The thing I was not digging was the 6-8 people in the back of the room who decided it was their right to talk over the music and talk they did. I swear to god they didn't shut up the entire time I was there. There is nothing I hate worse than people who feel if they've paid to get into a place, this gives them free rein to act like ignorant a-holes, disregarding anyone else's enjoyment. Because the staff did nothing to try to discourage the over-loud conversation, I deducted one star.
I also deducted a star for the fact that the band played for exactly 30 minutes and then took another break. What? I paid a cover charge to listen to 30 minutes of music in more than an hour? Hmmm.
My total was $19.75 for a mojito, some chessy bacon fries, and a half hour of music. This was not what I would consider a value.
I doubt I will come back here. -
Review from David R.
Portland, OR
6/6/2007
Barely out of college but living on my own, a good friend of mine called me up one day and asked me to meet him at the restaurant down by Union Station. Up until this time in all my years in Portland, I had not once set foot near that train station, let alone the restaurant that was located within it.
The minute I was walked in I knew there was something different about this place: red high-back chairs in lounge, a large dining area filled with people who looked as old as my grandparents, and a lounge-singer playing piano beside the bar. The performer was a musician by the name of John Gilmore. It wasn't too long after our initial visit that he would join us for a drink each night, recounting tales about his father who produced many of Frank Sinatra's hits when at Columbia records, his experience at meeting the Chairman of the Board himself while at UCLA, gigs he played, commercials you might recognize him from, and generally being an overall generous host. An outstanding artist in his own right, John still takes any and all requests from the audience; from the Rat Pack to Lionel Richie.
For the next couple of years we spent our time at Wilf's as regulars. Our Manhattans would be waiting for us as we arrived every Friday, John would take our requests, and in those times we lived on top of our world. Times have changed for us since then, some friends have come and gone... and however soul-crushingly sentimental this may be - those days of good friends, cigarettes, Maker's Mark and The Chairman's 'Wave' are mine...to my final round.
Founder Wilf Nofield established the restaurant in 1975, and today his three daughters (Adele, Candace and JoAnne, who all manage the restaurant) preserve his legacy.
http://distilledpublis.../ -
Review from Elizabeth P.
Edmonds, WA
4/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
The service was quick! I love being acknowledged right away! The food came out in a timely manner. I had the sandwich and soup of the day which the presentation was lonely, yet the order itself is. Awesome sandwich! Mmmm, ham, sun-dried tomato, onion and compote! The beer and cheese soup was pretty good too. I'm not supposed to be eating cheese but going out to eat, it's bound to happen! Thank you Wilf's! I love the high back red chairs!
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Review from Graham B.
1/16/2010
I am never on time for the train. I am usually much too early or running very fast to get through the gates before the locomotive becomes mobile. On the former occasions, when I am with Tatiana M., we often deliberate on what to do with our time before departure. This usually consists of a couple minutes of sitting, then talking about going somewhere, then actually going somewhere with far fewer minutes to spare than originally planned.
After a couple of these deliberation sessions, we've decided to mosey on over to the always strange-to-me Wilf's. Weird hours and weird location (seriously, connected to a train station? I thought that was for pinball machines and weird Chinese takeaway).
The dining room is split into barely discernible sections. A more fancy dining area, the bar, and a group of booths that are a mixture of the two and placed in the middle as a divider. The drinks are strong on occasion, and they've beer on tap. The food is decent for the bar menu, but much too expensive. Actually everything is too expensive for a restaurant attached to a train station. There is an identity crisis going on at Wilf's. The chandeliers are so gaudy that they're hip, but the air of the place screams former-old-money patronage.
Still, when you're early for the train and you don't have quite enough time to get out of the weird no-man's-land that the Amtrak station inhabits, Wilf's will do in a pinch. I know we'll probably choochoochoose it again sometime in the future. -
Review from Lyle W.
Santa Clara, CA
2/3/2009
Service is always great and if you get lucky enought to be served by one of the sisters who run the place, be sure to ask if they have any good jokes to tell. Typically they always have a joke or two :-)
Highly recommend Wilf's -
Review from Belinda G.
Portland, OR
1/1/2011
The four of us who inhabit our little New Year's Eve group have been trying to go to Wilf's for the 'Eve' for a several years. One year got derailed by an injury, one by Tony Starlight and we just haven't gotten it together during the other years.
But this year, we finally made it happen. And while it's probably not fair to judge a restaurant solely based on a fixed price meal on New Year's Eve, our food experience last night was so disappointing, I'm forced to do so.
We had three food choices for the evening: Veal Chop, fish or NY Strip Steaks. I'm not sure what vegetarians were supposed to do; fortunately all of us are meat eaters. We all ordered the steak, two mediums, one medium well and one well done.
Three of us chose the Lobster Bisque for a starter and one chose the Mushroom Bread Pudding. After our wait staff left to put in our order, he returned to tell us that the Lobster Bisque would now be Lobster and Crab Bisque (which tells me they ran low on the bisque and had to quickly make more without more lobster). It wasn't bad - and did have a few small chunks of crab (couldn't identify any lobster). My SO had the bread pudding which he says was very good.
Then, the steaks were delivered. The first thing I noticed was the steaks were bigger than I expected them to be. The second thing was the NY strip steaks had a bone in them. (So this is probably the time to say that I don't eat steak every week or even every month - and much of the time when I do have a steak, it will be a filet. Still, I have had NY Strips before and all of them were deboned). The third thing was that none of us had anything more knife-like than a butter knife, which we all dutifully picked up and began to saw on the meat, without much luck. We asked for steak knives, and got what appeared to be butter knives with a sharp point - so maybe some kind of steak knife, but not one that made much headway on the meat.
When I did manage to carve off a piece of my steak, it was full of gristle, dry and rather flavorless (no, I did not have the well-done steak). It had no juice at all and no hint of pink. The medium steaks likewise had no juice, though there was some pink to the meat. All of the steaks at our table were full of gristle - there was no way to get even a nibble of meat without it.
One of our party complained and was brought another steak (and a real steak knife this time) and it was the same. Trying to pick through the meat to find something edible was so time-consuming, none of us gave much notice to the rather routine mashed potatoes and spoonful of mixed vegetables.
After we told another server how bad our meat was, she summoned Adele (one of the owners) who came to the table. When we told her our story, she said, "It's Carlton Farms - the best beef you can get", and then when our spokesperson told her it was full of gristle, she apologized and left. Later, we found out she comped one dinner for our party.
I suspect that our late seating (9:30pm) put us at the tail end of the food they had to serve for New Years. Hence the lobster-crab bisque and what appeared to be the last five steaks that were sitting in the warmer for five hours.
On the plus side, the wait staff were very pleasant, the atmosphere was great and the music very good. We had good drinks (Dirty Martini, Manhattan and Cosmopolitan) and a nice wine.
On the minus side - $70 per person is too much to pay for a cup of soup, a small piece of chocolate cake and a completely inedible piece of meat. Even with the comped meal, our per person price came to $55/head which is still about $40 too much for what we got.
I don't know if we'll venture into Wilf's again to see if they are better when not in New Year's mode. I'd like to like them, but the complete lack of quality in the beef makes me think they are too willing to compromise quality and there are too many other great restaurants in Portland for me to compromise as well. -
Review from Tatiana M.
Portland, OR
3/22/2009
I've always been curious about Wilf's; wondered every time I dropped Graham B. off at the train station. I nearly jumped for joy when Magalyn F. invited me to dinner with her family. When I met them, I felt like I was transported into a Clue board. (no segregated spaces on which to move). It's dark, with two side rooms, a piano stage (hence the name) and accents of red against warm woods.
We ordered, from the surly but hyped waitress (who was convivial to the "adults" at the table) a eggplant fritters, baked cheese fries and calamari. Don't worry, we're not on a diet. But, Wilf's thinks we should be, because they were out of the latter two! My friend ordered a drink, and they were out of some juice. No calamari because they were out of... calamari. No fries because they were out of... potatoes? (Who has killed the sous chef who puts in all the orders? ...with a cheese grater? Tea light candle? The piano lid?) When we received our orders, another person at our table had ordered a sandwich, which had some nice tasty fries on the side.
Our eggplant fritters were actually entire garlic cloves with a sprinkling of eggplants. My Sapphire martini was watery and had ice cubes in it. My second Sapphire martini (took starvation into my own hands), for which I requested "with a twist" got a "what is that?" and when I told her "a lemon rind" she came back with an entire wedge of white bitterness and a tiny bit of rind. If I am at Applebee's or Stanford's in Hillsboro, I expect this (I also just get beer). When I am at Wilf's, which has the words "piano" and "bar" in the title and boasts "jazz greats," I don't expect this. (Especially considering I think that it's Ms. Scarlet's favourite drink, whom I once dressed up as for Halloween. I had a Wüsthof bread knife and Airsoft revolver strapped to my leg, don't worry).
In addition to the starvation and sobreity of the evening, Magalyn F. and I don't care much for soulful jazz whining, so the child prodigy didn't do wonders (Wilf's is all about this bourgeois atmosphere, so I'm not knocking it for this). While it is a jazz club, Wilf's is for the social jazz listener, not the ballzonthebassC#minor7 arpeggio jazz freak.
The food is outdated and too-easily-86ed (omg, lay off the truffle oil already. It's offensive to the truffle. The whole point of truffle is the taste and omg truffle oil tastes like oil, not truffle), the ambiance of another century and the service dull. Maybe once their clear their Bodys [sic] out of the closet and replace it with some missing produce, Wilf's will shine like it once did (insert unresolved chord here). Until then, I vote to pay for a buy-out, host a mystery dinner (where the food is catered) that involves a Murder on the Amtrak Cascades. -
Review from Jodi V.
3/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was pleasantly surprised by this place. We went because it was conveniently located to the train station. I had the French Onion Soup and a salad. Both were excellent. The vibe is a little fancy and the decor is kinda gaudy, but it works for them. I kinda want to go back for dinner.
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Review from Tara T.
Portland, OR
6/18/2011
My incentive to go to this restaurant was to hear Michael Allen Harrison perform. Actually, the original reason was to see my drum teacher, Israel Annoh, Allen's drummer. Let me say right off that the entertainment was the best part of our experience. When we entered Wilf's there was a small room where you'd normally see a host or hostess, but was empty. We waited a minute or two expecting to be greeted. No one came. It was a little after 7:00pm and mostly empty, so it wasn't a matter of being busy. We walked through the restaurant and almost into the kitchen and no one acknowledged us. I finally asked an employee where we could sit and was told anywhere. Not a good start.
The restaurant was dark, cave-like and somewhat forbidding. After sitting we were pleasantly greeted by our server and told her we wanted to take advantage of the half-priced Happy Hour items. We were told they ended at 7:00pm even though their website (http://www.wilfsrestau...) said 5:30 - 7:30pm. After telling our server this discrepancy she said she would give us 50% off EXCEPT for the shrimp on my Caesar salad, which seemed weird. My partner ordered the Savory Bread Pudding. The Caesar Salad was pathetic. Half the romaine lettuce was the somewhat bitter white parts, the dressing was nearly tasteless and the shrimp, though plentiful, looked and tasted like it had come from a can (I used to work in a fine-dining restaurant where I made Caesar salad table-side, so I know what it's supposed to taste like). The bread pudding was good, well presented with a light, savory gravy. The drinks were tasty and strong.
I watched some of the other dishes being brought out and the portions looked small, especially considering the prices.
For dessert we shared a fruit crisp ala mode. It was also well presented, topped with fresh berries although I thought it lacked sweetness. Considering the dark atmosphere, menu prices, portions and $10 cover I would not go there again for dinner. However, I would for the entertainment. -
Review from Christen M.
Portland, OR
2/7/2007
My SO lives in Seattle, and I live in Portland, which means we spend a lot of time at and near the train stations in both cities. And it's good to know where we can duck in for a quick drink once he rolls into town -- or where I can go if, once again, his train is late. This place is riiight next to Union Station in Portland, so it's extremely handy for these purposes.
Sometimes this place is way to really consider -- absolutely no room. However, I've also brought big groups here on a Friday night. This being a piano bar, we were easily the youngest folks in the house -- which is kinda refreshing in this very young, very hip town. Yes, there's goofy live lunge music playing. Most of the clientele look like they've been coming here for years and years. But the atmosphere is elegant and the drinks are tasty, so it gets the thumbs-up from me. -
Review from Todd P.
Portland, OR
6/8/2011
Wilf's has live Jazz Piano playing during the lunch hour today, WOW!
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Review from Karen C.
7/30/2008
The jazz was good but the food was ok. My pate was very so so. I'd go again for cocktails and jazz.
