Arden Reviews

This is a very cool restaurant with a good vibe. The food was outstanding. We had a steak that had to be one of the most flavorable steaks we have ever eaten. All of the food was good. I was not impressed with the wine selection and wine was very expensive. There were 2 separate glasses I ordered and they were out of them. I would recommend that they carry more local wines on the menu and price them more reasonable. However, the food was AMAZING The employees were really nice and welcoming

Our first dining experience was interesting and filling! We had the chef’s course and it was quite a fun experience and very delicious. We did feel that some of the dishes were similar in terms of content but mixed with different/delicious ingredients but felt that there could be more distinction in the dishes through the crunchiness or temperature, etc. some were truly amazing. Like the fact that they frequently change the menu. We will go again. Ice ambiance and great staff!

That is saying a lot in a foodie city. Arden is intimate and the food sublimely cooked and presented. You will not be disappointed.

Lovely dinner on a Saturday night. Bookings essential. Staff was awesome, from host to servers. Warm, knowledgeable, gave great advice on the menu, knew the wines. Appealing menu with sharable plates of various sizes. Food was excellent. Carrots were delicious, with a nice char and great sauce. Pasta was okay--not bad, not a showstopper. Middle Eastern-inspired chicken was delicious--moist, served with flavorful sauces. Cocktail game was strong! Atmosphere was very PNW...beautiful, casual, rustic yet modern. A nice evening in the Pearl.

Every bite of every item was a mix of flavors that were amazing... it just kept getting better! And the wines that were paired with each plate - perfect. Desert was Blue Cheese ice cream with a tart that i wasn't sure about but I absolutely loved it. We definitely will be back!

We have followed Chef Erik Van Kley from Le Pigeon, to Little Bird Bistro, to Taylor Railworks, and now to the small-but-mighty kitchen at the ultra-chic Arden restaurant. We started with a Gin and Smoke (Arden’s signature martini), a Mexican Lager and Ken’s Artisan Bread. Our first courses were the Citrus Salad for hubby (with whipped goat cheese, almond salsa macha and mint), and Raw Oysters for me (with spicy herb mignonette and hot sauce). We both chose the McFarland Springs Trout (with tahini chili butter, citrus, chickpea panisse, almonds) as our entrees. For dessert we shared the Panna Cotta (fromage blanc panna cotta, vanilla, pears, sesame-pistachio candy) with complimentary scoop of coffee-cardamom ice cream and flutes of champagne to celebrate our anniversary. Everything was amazing, the restaurant, the atmosphere, the staff and especially the food. Arden, you will be seeing us again.

The food and ambiance of this restaurant was definitely worth a visit when you're in Portland. We ate the tuna crudo, chickpea fries, and steak. Each course was better than the next.

I learned about this restaurant and decided to go for dinner one evening. We ordered the chef's prix fixe dinner menu looking forward to the surprise dishes. Every plate that came out was beautifully put together and the flavor combinations were amazing. I was perfectly full at the end of the meal and would call it more of a dining experience than just a meal. The staff was all smiling, very friendly and sharing information about the dishes which I really enjoyed. I signed up for their email list and was excited when I got an email about a special Mother's Day brunch event they were going to put on. I quickly signed up and brought my mom excited to share the experience with her. We had 4 people at the table and it was perfect for us to just order everything on the menu to share among us. Again, was a phenomenal experience and I left feeling full, happy and taken care of. I would highly recommend this restaurant for someone who appreciates flavor and quality and attention to detail. Thank you to the team for always doing such a great job! I'll be back again for sure!!

For whatever reason this place didn’t quite rise to 5 stars for me. My sister has been staying nearby for business and has been here several times, so she recommended it for dinner tonight. It’s a wonderful place with a nice atmosphere and great servers. High end service and high end dining but very comfortable. You can order dishes to share or to eat by yourself. We shared trout crudo, crab salad, fried freekeh, agnolotti, bread, and purple scallions. Two of us had steak and one had duck. The shared dishes were excellent- I especially enjoyed the crab salad and the scallions. The steak/duck not so much when compared to the others. We tried the makrut leaf lime sherbet, apple sorbet and persimmon ice cream for dessert. I think the apple was my favorite of the 3. I would definitely return and would recommend this place to others!

I am from out of state, and this was my second visit. The vibe is cool and fun. The service is personal and caring. The food is creative and delicious. The prix fixe offering is fabulous. I loved every dish. From start to finish, it was delicious.

This place was divine Popped in and ate at the bar Very good atmosphere and great red wine list ! The food is very eclectic and delicious It is a small menu but not limited - each dish is unique and you are sure find something you like if your a foodie

The dinner was a spectacle of flavors, with creative and mega tasty food, the service was attentive, cordial and wine suggestions for harmonization was perfect. Immaculate desserts! Very cool to sit on the counter and see the dynamics of the team working and giving a show!

We only stopped in for drinks to check the place out. We were surprised at so few TA comments, but then found out it has only been open about one-year and is really more of an upscale neighborhood restaurant. It must be popular as it was jammed on a late Friday night. Although we are in “ Wine Country” we enjoy our spirits and Arden clearly passed the test with excellent “Sidecar” & “Cosmopolitan” preparations. We also enjoyed sitting at the bar where we could watch the chefs prepare the meals ( and learn a few tricks)! The menu was intriguing. Service was prompt and professional and the decor very handsome. We plan to be back to check out the entrees!

My partner and I went to Arden this past Saturday night because it was on The Armory's list of suggested restaurants. We wholly regret that decision, and we won't be coming back.  We arrived at 6pm because we had a show at 7:30. We had both wondered what we were going to do with all that time before the show, as certainly dinner wouldn't take 90 minutes.  We were very wrong.  First the server shamed us into ordering three courses when we only wanted two, saying that it was a "very light dinner" ... if that's what we were going for. There wasn't a vegetarian option for an entree, but he said there was one off-menu, so we ordered that one, thinking we would have the tiny portions one often receives in a gourmet restaurant.  The first course came a good 30 minutes after we ordered, and it was a generous portion. We were already regretting getting the entree, as we would be stuffed for the show. It was now 6:45, so I told the waiter we had a show at 7:30 and that we needed to leave in 30 minutes.  My second course came about 15 minutes later... but my partner's didn't come until **twenty-five minutes later**, so not only were we not eating together, we were very stressed that we were going to be late.  The server then had the audacity to ask us if we wanted another drink!!! I told him (again) we need to be out of here in 5 minutes, so he said, "shall I cancel the entrees then?" ... Um --- ya think?!?!? On top of all of that, the food was mediocre. I've had better food almost anywhere else. It was underwhelming and overpriced. The service was poor and the server was condescending.  That was a wasted $100 for two people. We will not be returning. 

Using a short visit to PDX as a good reason to try a new spot, we were intrigued by the idea of a new Portland wine bar...that had a chefs view! Reservation made on line (worked perfectly) and from the moment we sat down, the great staff AND chefs took great care of us! We had the Chef’s special Prix Fixe menu and matched wines, and were treated to 8 great dishes (4 courses but a different feature plus different wine per course)! Every dish was better than the previous one, and all inventive, unique and outstanding. A great overall experience for what is classified a wine bar... don’t miss it!

Loved this place. Their Dining Month offerings include a winter chicory salad with sweet potato, shinko pear, bleu de laqueuille, maple and walnut; or a red trout crudo made with pickled apples, horseradish cream cheese and puffed quinoa. Decent rose to pair with it, but the winner was the salted caramel brownie for dessert. This place is great and at dining month it is a steal.

From start to finish this place exceeded expectations! The food is inventive - from a fun play on a bagel lox and cream cheese to a perfectly cooked steak, this was one of the best meals ever! Everything was inventive without being “over the top”.

small place not particularly quiet nor romantic food wonderful fresh, local, carefully prepared though an item or two (butter and one vegetable) had too much salt for me. Staff courteous but not bothersome, capable bar tender

We stopped-in for a later dinner in October 2020, drawn by the focus on wines. Our experience was average. The interior was completely closed; they were doing all service outside due to COVID-19, which we appreciated. However, compared to some other establishments, they hadn’t put a lot of effort into their outdoor ambience: no heaters, no lights, etc., just some picnic tables. Given the focus on wines at Arden, we were really excited to visit. Unfortunately, the by-the-glass wine list was very small. To accompany our drinks, we ordered a couple of plates. The grilled carrots were excellent; they had great texture and the yogurt sauce that accompanied them was tasty. The gougeres were not very good; with the dish being called gougeres, we expected a light and fluffy French cheese puff; instead, what we got tasted more like cheesy hush puppies, with the predominant flavor being the fried crust rather than the cheese. Arden’s biggest problem was the service. I think it was a case of how, sometimes, service at a restaurant is worse when they are not busy. We were one of only a couple of tables, and our server was a lot more interested in chatting-up his buddies in the open kitchen inside the restaurant than helping the patrons seated at the outdoor tables. It took a long time for him to acknowledge us, take our order, bring our check, etc.; it just wasn’t a very good service experience, given the price point. Fine, but not spectacular; our impression was that Arden had potential, but that there were other restaurants in Portland doing both a superior job with outdoor dining during COVID-19 and with service and food overall.

Arden offers a 4-course prix fixe served in the Dining Room and at the Chef's Counter. The prix fixe is $64 and is made up of local Pacific Northwest ingredients cooked simply and attentively by Executive Chef Sara Hauman. Each guest chooses their dishes for each course. To elevate the dining experience, I recommend the carefully curated wine pairings (20z with each course). Our group loved the choice of flavors and ingredients. Very unique with attentive service.

Great food! Why is this place not on every list of best places? Lots of small plates and a few entrees - all very good. Beef tartare, pate, trout crudo, cheese plate, cod, and ice creams were all amazing. We will be back!

Son took me here for celebratory dinner. He's a Sonoma/Marin foodie. He ordered and every dish was a knock-out. Pork & Beans their way; starters included Marana almonds, smoked olives, Burrata and Foi Gras. French red wine. Superb plating. Attentive server with personality. Not too noisy. Fun to watch the open kitchen work. Best dinner in Portland in years. Shall return with the entire family. Can't say enough about the food flavors.

We were visiting Portland for one night and upon suggestion, went here. It was incredible. The most incredible dish was a ravioli dumpling that was filled with an incredible sauce - I could have purchased gallons of this for future use. We also had some wonderful unique wines including an orange wine from Slovakia. Really superb service too.

The Good Food is excellent and creative. My wife had the halibut and it was cooked very well, while I had the port tenderloin and polenta, both of which were nicely done. Service was also good. The Bad On line reservations showed only seating at the bar, but we arrived early and requested a proper table. They said no table was available, so we sat at the very uncomfortable bar stools. However, throughout our time at the restaurant, multiple tables remained empty. The restaurant should have offered us a table instead of making us sit at the bar. The Ugly Throughout the evening, we watched the cooks prepare food. None of the three cooks wore gloves, and only one cook used plating tongs occasionally, when handling fresh vegetables, greens, meats, fruits, or anything. However, Oregon legislation says that food handlers should wear gloves. It was actually disgusting to see so much food handled by bare hands.

Enjoyed the cozy decor and lovely service in a large group dinner (15+) at Arden. We enjoyed a fixed menu designed by the chef, which included some tiny (and delicious) appetizers. Highlights were the chopped chicory salad (chickpea miso 'caesar' dressing with furikake), the pan fried potato gnocchi and the koji brined ribeye, which was presented rare, seared beautifully on the outside. I will absolutely come back on a future trip to Portland! The service was also exceptional for the large group meal; servers were attentive, thoughtful, and knew the wine list well.

It's a very small space (we actually opted to sit outside). The service was really good (very knowledgeable server) and the cocktails were delicious (I had a Black Forest). Food: The standout dish was the squash gnocchi (a small plate), which melted in the mouth. The Tokyo turnips were also good -- but they were pretty cold by the time they came to us. The halibut was overly salty (and I like salt) -- it was expensive, a very small $38 portion, and nowhere near as good as other items on the menu. Dessert: To die for Basque cheesecake.

The small bites are better value than the Main. All dishes are serviceable and plated nicely but they can be better with more layers in flavours and texture (add capers instead of just vinaigrette or add some chunks of meat instead of just meat mousse). The pleasant surprise is the frozen black tahini dessert, full of flavour and texture. Wine list is ok. Service is good.

This is the first time we've been back at the restaurant in about two years. What a treat it was. The food was inventive, wonderfully prepared, but not fussy. The wait staff were knowledgeable, enthusiatic and friendly, steering us to some wonderful appetizers (Burrata and cherries and a Little Gem salad with mystery crunchy ingredients--see if you can guess), main courses (Lamb Neck and Watermelon, Cornmeal Crusted Halibut, and Papardelle with Spicy Pork Ragu), and desserts. There is an excellent wine list as well.

This has become our new favorite! The food is divine! Wine selection terrific. It is on the expensive side but worth every penny. It is located on the street car line so no parking issues.

My husband and I had one of my most favorite meals here. Everything was fabulous including the service! The succulent bites of the red trout crudo were to die for.

One of the finest restaurants in Portland. Not only is this at the top of my list for especially fine cuisine, it’s where I’ve come to truly appreciate fine wine. The passion on display here is both visible and inspiring. The wine tastings hosted by the remarkable Kelsey are the best I’ve experienced. I’ve actually encouraged area wineries I frequent to benchmark Kelsey (even if my feedback is not always enthusiastically received). Anyone with a passion for wine and a thirst for wine knowledge is strongly encouraged to partake of her amazing presentations and tastings of the world’s wines. Virtual wine tastings are recorded and streamed on Instagram and (I think) YouTube. Strongly recommend

The menu is not very elaborate, limited choices. However, everything we had was delicious. Very tasty. The service was courteous. Downside: a little expensive for the result.

My family and I randomly decided to walk in to this place on a weekend trip to Portland and holy crap, I'm so glad we did! Excellent food, amazing wine and great service! The food menu changes almost daily based on the fresh ingredients that the chef is able to find that day. The chef comes from a Michelin star restaurant and it shows. The food was delicious, fresh, local and super unique. The wine pairings were equally excellent! I recommend getting the prix fixe which is a four course meal that is randomly decided by the chef, you get a ton of food and you get to try a bunch of great stuff. Portland is known for it's great food scene and this place definitely exceeds the bar. I can't wait to eat here again and try something else.