McMenamins Hal's Café

Wife and I decided to go for a drink on a Friday night. We ordered a pint and a mojito. They were average. The mint leafs were still on the stem (you be the judge) 🤨 overall the drinks weren’t something we would go back for. I gave 3star for the outdoor space and atmosphere.

We were here 4th of July weekend and just discovering Portland and walked into here based on some of the other favorable reviews. My wife and I however were quite disappointed. Pictured is their idea of Chillaqulles. Two whgs cooked as hard as rocks. And a drizzle of Chile verse sauce. I had the Hilo Kine Grinds. The menu said it had kimchee, fried rice, ground beef patty, gravy and an egg. AKA Loco Moco back in the islands. I did not see any kimchee in my dish. Our server was very attentive but I just think this cafe is a little mismanaged.

Lovely understated art deco interior. Elevated bistro fare. Two blocks from Powell's City of Books.

Best place for the Crystal Burger and a great Yoshimi’s Punsch. Really enjoyed the time Everything with all the sanity cautions!!!!

Cool establishment with very friendly service. Enjoyed a Saturday brunch, turkey sandwich with a sour beer. Food was very good! The inside is a cross between 20's era, Egyptian, Aztec...I don't know. One would assume by the name, it would be some sort of Irish or Greek type of theme. They do have an interesting corner bar for outside drinks, not sure if food is served in that area. Overall good time, but it didn't blow me away.

In short, we adored this place. It was a good value for the money, and one of the best meals we can remember having in a long time. We came into this place by happenstance. Originally we had stopped to eat at a salad bar but found out they'd run out of lettuce. Zeus Cafe caught our eye on the map as an alternative and we headed in. First up, the decor: It's a charming eclectic interior with high windows, stained glass, decorative chandeliers, and cozy comfortable booths. Walking in, I immediately liked the look and feel of the place. Next, service: Jacob was our server and simply a delight, very warm and friendly, asking us about our trip, and very attentively seeing that everything about our evening was proceeding well. So much of the menu looked fantastic that we had difficulty making our selection, but Jacob talked us through what we were after and helped put together an amazing dinner. Drinks: Beer selection is almost all in-house brews that all turned out to be excellent beverages. We got the Ruby (fruity), Purple Haze (touch sour and refreshing, and the Diamond Dog Kolsch (very crisp, clean). We wished that these were bottled/canned and available back home. Food: After Jacob's recommendations, we settled on the market greens salad, steamer clams, the wood-fired zucchini, and the Kurobuta pork cheeks. And my god, what a meal these made. Salad, simple but perfectly dressed and vibrantly fresh. The clams were briny and excellent, and after Jacob saw me spooning the broth he set down a plate of fresh bread to help soak it all up. The zucchini was unlike anything we'd seen, wood-fired with bleu cheese, crisp bacon crumbles, and a maple-stout vinaigrette. It was spreadably soft, decadently rich, a hint of sweetness from the maple deliciously offset by the intensity of the cheese and bacon. Lastly, it was the Kurobuta pork cheeks, something new to both of us, served with oyster mushrooms on a bed of pureed cauliflower and topped with romesco. I can't remember how Jacob said the cheeks were prepared, but I do remember him saying you could cut them apart with a spoon, and he was absolutely correct. These were the epitome of tender - flavorful morsels that defy adequate description (really, I'm sitting here at a bit of loss as to how to do them justice). It was one of those "take a bite and then sit back to marvel at what you've just eaten" kind of moments, and I'm still thinking about it the next day. Whenever we pass through Portland, we'll be sure to stop by Zeus Cafe.

Ok breakfast, many options. Both the scramble and eggs Benedict were ok. The sautéed Spanish on the side had lots of yellow leaves and did not taste good. Some of the side fruits taste stale.

Very friendly stuffs And beautiful atmosphere American styles Cheese cake is very delicious and not too sweet

We came here for some breakfast and drinks and Kaylee (spelling might be wrong) really made the experience here. We ordered two bloody Mary's and to be honest, flavor wise, it was one of the best my fiancé and I ever had. She was very friendly, had good humor, I would return if I wasn't an out-of-towner just because of her. The food I was a little less than impressed with. I ordered the biscuits and gravy, the biscuits were colossal and didn't really have enough gravy for the amount of biscuit given but it was pretty tasty. My fiancé ordered some kind of eggs, I think it's called Has amigas and it was good but the portion for him was really small, he could've eaten three more servings of it. It's a quaint place, cozy inside and friendly atmosphere. Limited menu but for drinks especially this is the place to go.

We got stuck at this hotel during the ice storm January '24. Couldn't ask to be stuck in a better place. Under strenuous circumstances all the staff were friendly and helpful. The photo is of the Buffalo Billy Signature Cocktail. Fantastic!