Expatriate Reviews

We followed Kyle from St. Jacks and happy we did. We love the bar food, Taiwan beer, and wines expatriate offers. Staff is friendly and efficient. They spin vinyl records in an eclectic mix. Great for a dinner of small plates, appetizers, or late nite snack. Watermelon Napa cabbage salad is da bomb and get there early or late for the nachos.

Expat was recommended as a quality "undiscovered" brunch venue, and I couldn't have been happier or more satisfied. My arrival was 11, my party (the type of folk you lie to about the reservation and give them an earlier time) was late. No matter...I was sat almost immediately, no list, no matter that not everyone was there. The service was gracious, the menu limited to 6 items (I prefer a small menu) and delish, and the two cocktails we tried very good. Our food items, a modern play on congee, rice waffles smothered in toasted coconut glaze and black sesame ice cream, and a spicy shrimp breakfast burrito with kimchee, were priced well and incredibly satisfying. My love and I left making plans to return. Our cocktails were certainly delicious, but as other patrons here have mentioned, felt overpriced. Every cocktail on the menu was more expensive than my brunch item! But, no one is making you buy a drink! Oh also, the coffee was very good. I look forward to my next visit.

Small bar, hard to get a seat, but great drinks and really interesting menu. Only tried 2 dishes, looking forward to going back to try a few more. Contrary to what I hear about terrible service on the East side of Portland, everyone that we interacted with was just great!

Came here to enjoy some drinks before dinner at the Beast, their sister restaurant. They have a nice drink list and the place was packed, which is a good sign. Their bartenders are very skillful and it was fun watching them prepare drinks. Can't say too much about their food since we were waiting to dine somewhere else.

This is one of my favorite cocktail bars. The food here is excellent. A tasty unusual collection of dishes that will set your senses on fire. There's an overtone of fusion Asian. We shared the spicy "Indian curry" fries, the special Brussels plate and their 1/4 lb burgers. We chose Chardonnay to go with that. They have an excellent cocktail menu and a terrific bartender. The waitstaff is delightful. The atmosphere is cool, darkly lit and they play a collection of 33s. Perfect for a romantic evening.

Went there for a cocktail after dinner across the street. It was a busy Sunday night. Drinks were of very good quality, but over-priced in my opinion. Bartenders were not friendly to us at all. Definitely will not return because of that. I get friendlier service in Manhattan!

This place was exactly what I wanted! Yummy delectable dishes and handcrafted cocktails worth having 2 or 3 😜

This place is dark and dank. Has a SE Asian vibe that flows into their cuisine. We had amazing cocktails that were priced high but the experience was worth it. These were not your average cocktails. Then the food...we had the Laotian Tacos and Brussel Sprouts. Both tasty! Highly Recommended.

Wow. My boyfriend and I spent one night in Portland on a PNW roadtrip, and ended up here for late night dinner and drinks. Wow is all I can say. The entire experience was awesome. First of all, the look of the place is great. Very stylish. I love any bar/restaurant that is candlelit, so that was great. The music was fabulous and I loved the live DJ. Drinks were incredible. Wish I could remember the name of mine so I could recommend it specifically - it was similar to an Old Fashioned. Finally- the food. OMG. I have literally thought about this food every day since we were there. We had 3 of the small plates: the Laotian tacos, the shrimp toast, and the corndogs. They were SO GOOD. In particular the tacos and the toast. Just incredible. Great mix of flavors. Different than anything I've eaten recently. I also just really enjoyed the texture of the tacos, which are wrapped in betel nut leaves rather than tortillas. I will be thinking about those tacos for a long time to come... We will 100% go back to Expatriate next time we're in Portland!

I had a great time here. At expatriate they make you a cocktail to your liking. I had a vodka ginger drink, it was dynamite. The two best dishes we had were the shrimp toast and Laotian salad. I can't wait to head back for drinks/ food.

Recently visited the Expatriate with friends for an evening cocktail and some snacks. Great atmosphere, delicious drinks, nice place to keep the night going after a nice dinner.

Sat at the bar and enjoyed watching the bar tender. The cocktails were good, but not death dealing, but the prices are a little steep for the neighborhood. Place has a cool retro kind of vibe. I'm on the fence, you will either love it or just meh?

I simply Love this place. I could watch the bartenders work all day. They are talented, friendly, and always stay focused on their customers--no matter how busy it gets.

Had read a bunch of great reviews not just on Trip Advisor, but also Portland Magazine, etc. My brother and I decided to have brunch here. The menu is very exotic. It is a place where you want to try several dishes because they all sound so creative and new. My brother ordered the Pork Katsu Fried Egg Sandwich and I ordered the Smothered and Covered Expatriate Hashbrowns. The orders came out and they were new and creative. Both brimming with flavor, so no complaints on the food side of things. Now the coffee was a different matter. We both ordered coffee. The coffee came out in beautiful tiny fine china type cups. They were petite cups so to speak. The taste of the coffee was just fine. It was easy to empty the cup before the food arrived. The waitress was kind enough to give us refills. I was feeling really good about the whole thing and then the bill gets delivered to the table I notice they charge $2.00 per cup and since we got refills that equated to 4 cups of coffee at 2 dollars a piece, so the total price was $8.00 for what in reality was two cups, since the cups seemed to come fresh off the movie set of "Darby O"Gill and the Little People" or "The Hobbit" and were only half the size of regular coffee cups. It's not like the coffee was fresh from a Civet Cat's backside, so I don't understand the pricing on that. It really personified "greed". Like I said the food was very good. It had outstanding flavor, the service was fine, they allowed us to sit where we wanted too. The only depressing thing was the ridiculous price of that coffee. I plan on returning to eat, but I will make sure to tank up on coffee somewhere else and then just order water at Expatriate. There is plenty of time to do so since they don't open until 10:00 am. There are more important things to do then worry about coffee.

Try the James Joyce. It's the owner's inspiration, and with one sip you'll understand why. The clientele was mostly young and hip, but all seemed welcome. Skip the "award-winning" butter sandwich. Mostly, try the James Joyce. Really.

If you're looking for brunch modify expectations and you'll enjoy Three dishes were good, but not special. My expectation is the night is an elevated venu. Expatriate offers a tasty selection of cocktails, and great service. The interior is a bit industrial and craftsmanship.

Our waiter at Adena wrote out a list of restaurants we should try while visiting Portland. Expatriate was at the top. This little place was amazing. The cocktails looked delicious and the wine was impressive. The food was outstanding! Don't miss the shrimp toast! This restaurant is located in a fun neighborhood with a cool vibe. I loved the two-turntable music system that played great tunes. The staff was friendly and happy to help with recommendations.

We stumbled upon Expatriate while out (toddler free) celebrating our 12 year wedding anniversary. It was a pleasant surprise and perfect mix of classy and grunge. We aren't super into pretentious restaurants with cool, modern vibes and overpriced, small plates. Expatriate was perfect! Not only was The White Album playing when we walked in but staff were friendly and helpful. The food was cozy and full of flavor and the cocktails were simple and delightful! Would recommend this gem of a spot to anyone looking for something cozy yet unusual.

We went to The Expatriate with no expectations and thought we would just pop in for some food before hitting some bars. The joint has a menu split into small plates and main dishes. The four of us ordered 5 of the small plates and were regaled with an extraordinary array of flavors and tastes. Favorites were the Ruben Roll and the Tea Tree salad, but the Brussels sprouts were also incredible. Intensely tasty food with an eclectic feel. In addition, the service was excellent. One of our group was not happy with her choice of cocktails and it was replaced without hesitation. We felt very taken care of and spent a good couple of hours there. Absolute top.of my list when I return to Portland.

This is rated as one of the top places to get cocktails in Portland . We decided to try it . The location is in N Portland off of Killingsworth , in an older neighborhood. It is a bit hidden behind trees , but is right on the street ! Your phone will say ... you have arrived ... but you will say ... where ?? parking is tight. The feeling inside is very casual and low budget. There are perhaps a dozen small tables and a bar with about 10 stools . The mixed drinks are very creative and unusual . You can view their drink and food menu online . Their food is very creative and unusual also . I had a glass of bubbly wine from Argentina I believe . It was very good . I also had a sandwich called "who the f... is David Chang "! Had to order it because it had such a weird name and because it sounded good and the waitress said everyone loves it . It was pork belly with basil leaf , cilantro , ginger , lime , etc.... between really soft unusual "bun" . It was xlnt. The owners have a restaurant right across from this , called The Beast . Its fun to try new places ... do it!

brilliant savory cocktails, surprisingly good bar food. try the onion/butter tea sandwiches and the watermelon salad. staff is thoughtful and attentive. terrific vinyl library makes for a wonderful audio track; great library of books and magazines. loved this place.

This is simply a great bar and they have some wonderful food. They have added a brunch service on Saturday and Sunday and that is already a huge success. The dishes I saw at the pass as I sat at the end of the bar looked wonderful and I did not see Any food coming back to the kitchen. You could come here 10 times and each time spot something on the walls or shelves that you had not noticed before. The music is outstanding--delivered via actual spinning records. But I have saved the best for last. The owners and staff are extremely engaging. I live off the Southeast Coast and can only visit rarely but each time I visit it is as if I am a local "regular" patron. Do yourself a big favor and check this little gem out. You can thank me later.

Great cocktails, delicious bites, hip (but not too hip) atmosphere. Often a small wait for a table, but well worth it

This place is fun. The decor is amazing. The bartenders are friendly and make great cocktails. The DJ plays an eclectic blend of music. The food is not bar food or an afterthought. It is terrific food. The noodle dish with tuna blew my mind.

Wow this place blew me away! Food is served family style which is perfect for a group of four The Cab Rangoon was delicious and was sitting on a sauce that had just the right amount of "kick" . We also had spiced fries - with dipping sauces Other things I can't remember - there is more items than the on line menu indicates. It is a bar but the food is worth it Eclectic decor - good serivce

This place is owned by Naomi Pomeroy, the chef and owner of Beast across the street, and her husband. This is a great place for drinks and snacks. I would warn that everything is decenly spicy and probably some dishes were too spicy for me but all of my friends enjoyed the spicyness. The inside is fun and they play old indian? movies on the wall. There is usually a wait if you go during high time but they will call you when your table is ready if you go across the street to another restaurant for a drink.

This was a favorite recent find and we'll be returning regularly. Our favorite dish of the many we tried, was the Crispy Brussel Spouts. The flavored were delightful from all of the accompanying ingredients. The fresh mint was special.

It's a hard little spot to find, it's tucked off of Killingsworth on 30th across the street from beast. What a delightful little find, really yummy salads (in not always a salad fan, they're to predictable) but the salads were unusual and spectacular. Had a yummy coconut noodle ramen dish, it was delightful. I wasn't a big fan of the corndogs – a tad too much batter for me and not enough dog. Really kind service I was particularly fond of our waitress Emily this evening. Cocktails were yummy nice wine and a sweet atmosphere. I highly recommend

Awesome, attentive staff! Try the shrimp toast - it's the right balance of flavors and textures. Cocktails, well, I went for another. Fresh!!

After watching a segment on the best bars in the country, we decided to go try some chinese sausage corn dogs. Luckily we found ourselves with more of an appetite and ordered some additional food items. The first thing we noticed was that the bar tender is not from this planet. She states she is from Arizona but that is very close to Roswell New Mexico. I don't drink a lot but when I do have a cocktail I usually get an amaretto sour. The alien in disguise as a human produced the single best drink I have ever had. The spot on television raved about the Chinese sausage corn dogs and rightly so they were expertly spiced, warm and left you wanting more. I also hc the fried cod sandwich that was just as masterful. Lightly breaded and fried to a flaky goodness, the sandwich burst with flavors and just right amount of acidity. The dish was served with curry fries that brought back good memories of visiting Christmas festivals in Germany. I am not sure how you could wrong with a visit to this bar for drinks and amazing Asian flare dishes. Just be careful at end of the bar as this is were the record players are, yes, record players and they add just the right amount of warm feeling music to this exceptional destination.

This relatively new bar across the street from Beast is a nice collection of oddities: classic Chinese cabinets and framework around the bar, vinyl LP's played continuously, and creative mixology make for a memorable experience. I had the Ornament and Crime, which uses the Czech national tipple Becherovka as well as bourbon, which took me back to my days visiting Prague. We visited early in the evening before our reservations at Beast so it was pretty quiet, but we had a nice chat with the bartender. I'd go back again for sure.

The nearly empty restaurant during Sunday brunch in Portland should have tipped us off. We love Beast and have wanted to try this place for awhile. I suspect night time is better. Cocktails were heavy and really sweet. Get a glass of wine if you go. We had the Nachos which sounded wonderful but were slightly above fast food quality. Greasy won tons, tasteless cheese sauce and "spicy lemongrass beef" which was unseasoned overcooked ground beef. Breakfast burrito was also just ok. Deep fried flour tortilla with tasteless, greasy shrimp fritter and scrambled eggs stuffed inside. Service was perfunctory and unfriendly. Even though the place was empty we waited for quite a while to be seated and then were pointed to a table. One more tip. Don't bring kids here for brunch. The soundtrack playing was a lot of Drake and lots of F words. Just a tip.

Spectacularly crafted cocktails. I swooned over the DISTANT COLONY: El Tesoro Reposado Tequila, Combier Pamplemousse Liqueur, Cocchi Americano, Fresh Lime, Ginger Syrup, Local Honey, Angostura Bitters. Deliciously crafted food, delivered by a chef to the bar. (love that) We were delighted by the Chinese sausage corn dog and tempura cod sandwich.

This is a small, casual restaurant with an Asian style menu of small plates and very inventive cocktails. It requires several small plates for a full dinner but it is worth it for the chance to experience the most innovative menu I have ever run across in all my 6+ decades. That said you must like Asian food, as the Mexican food names aren't mexican. My son and I had 6 small plates between us as we are both over 240 lbs. The biggest standouts were the Lao "tacos" made with raw fish and crispy veggies on a Betal leaf. For those not familiar, a Betal leaf is a stimulant chewed by SE Asians somewhat like Coca leaves but not as strong, more like coffee in its effects. I had some in a coffee bar in Maldives once. (these make their teeth black). This makes the taco the size of a regular Baja fish taco easy to roll and eat. Has the tang of the chilis and fish sauce instead of salsa. The next unforgettable is the tea leaf salad, made with fermented tea leaves and asian veggies like cabbage and crisp wonton strips, with a sesame ginger vinagrette dressing. Hands down the best salad I ever had. The happy hour "nachos" are the asian version made with wonton chips instead of corn chips, with marinated ground beef, crisp veggies and a creamy sesame-fish sauce based sauce over all. Off the charts delicious. The other standout was the shrimp toast, ground and spiced shrimp with a single on top on a slice of seasoned bread. Everything was a 12 on a 10 scale. The drinks are nowhere else to be found, many with coconut cream, and even a house made curry sauce added. Never had anything like it and I love curry. They will create a drink based on your preferences, the bartender will ask what you like then use that to mix up a totally unique drink. The only debit I can think of is in a beer brewing city, there was no beer at all except a Taiwanese which is not worth drinking. We are spoiled here with all the great beer made in town. This place is not inexpensive but well worth a visit, at least for a special occasion. Service is quick and timely and reservations not necessary on week days. Off the beaten path from downtown, but well worth the trouble. My favorite restaurant EVER.

Having been to Beast last year, we decided to give the across-the-street sister bar a whirl. (We were BIG fans of Beast last April.) This place has an uber cool vibe...I think I said out loud, "is this place TOO cool for us?" but no worries. The service comes at you from all directions- bartender, plus servers on both sides of the bar...everyone is constantly moving and making you feel welcome. Watching Edwin, the bartender that evening work, was fascinating. His drink mixing was an art AND a science. And the cocktails were GOOD. The Replica was like a modern spin on an ultra top shelf margarita. With just a spritz of mezcal, it had a smoky, earthy nose. My favorite, though, was the Lost Weekend. Dare I say, a more sophisticated version of a whiskey sour? Yum. The food..."drinking snacks," they call it carries on the sophisticated spin on bar food classics. Each thing we tried was better than the next. The corn dog made with Chinese sausage was quite good. The Dungeness crab rangoons were outstanding. The shrimp toast? SHOW STOPPER. The buttermilk fried game hen? I've never had anything like it, and oh my gracious was it superb. That night, there was a special item- fish sauce glazed pork ribs. Home run. We loved it so much, we returned on our last night in Portland. The shrimp toasts earned a re-run, and we tried the Brussels sprouts. Un-freaking-believable. I will say that all of the food is heavily seasoned. Some might say salty. I don't feel that it was overly so, but I did manage to down a few of the delicious cocktails to quench my thirst. :) Overall, a wonderful experience.

Great place. So glad I saw it on the delta in flight tv program last week. The food is clearly the best part - the brussel sprouts corn dog shrimp toast and cod sandwich were all awesome. The music (Bowie, grace jones, talking head etc) on good old vinyl give it a great ambience. Love it. We will be back.

We stopped here for a quick cocktail before our dinner at Beast. My mom and I had a delicious wine chosen with the help of their staff. My fiancé had a beautifully crafted cocktail that he very much enjoyed. The food smelled and looked amazing, but we did not try anything. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming. It was very enjoyable to sit at the bar and watch the bartender craft the cocktails.

Craft-made, pricey, drinks paired with quality bar food while the DJ spins actual vinyl amidst dark wood and dim lighting with Asian decor, what's not to love? The best menu item is "The Diplomatic Pouch" which is basically "bar tender's choice." Give just a hint of direction, then sit back and watch a master go to work. For the last round of our most recent visit I simply pointed to the bottle of Celery Bitters and enjoyed a cocktail using ingredients I never knew existed. Trust them, they're professionals.

Enjoyed this little place with a girlfriend for drinks/snacks. Cool ambiance, dark, brooding. Tried four drinks between us. All good, two great. Also tried the onion butter sandwich on recommendation of friend. Like a cucumber sandwich only w onion and salt. Yummy but probably would've enjoyed more late nt, after a few drinks. Loved the coconut curry noodles we shared. My only averagr was the hipster wait staff. Not bad, but definitely seemed impatient with our menu and drink questions. Still, they tolerated it better than some. Will come again.

This was one of, if not the only bar that I visited in Portland that still had my drink of choice on their menu. The Charleston was really good, and I appreciated The Expatriate for not changing their menu recently.

Okay, so you can get these Nachos during happy hour, or after ten pm. The after ten version is full size... so go that route... these things are amazing, but non traditional. The atmosphere is swanky and the drinks are classic. A perfect night cap place after a date.

Great place to share small plates and try it all. The Burmese tea leaf salad phenomenal flavors. Shrimp toast awesome! Fun Music from LP's. Tasty drinks.

This place makes the best cocktails! If the options on the menu don't strike your fancy you can just tell the bartender what does....and magically a drink appears that you have never had before! What could be better? Good to go with booze is always nice. I am sure the food is great, but I am a vegetarian and the options for me are pretty limited so I will leave that review to someone else.

This was on our must do list and we are glad to have gone their the first night. I heard that you should just tell the bartender flavors and alcohols you like and let them go for it, and they were right! One of the best drinks I've ever had. We only ordered the Shrimp Toast but the flavors were amazing and unique. Would happily go there again for some small plates and delicious drinks!

As far as the cocktails go, they were spot on. There was nothing wrong with the quality of product or service. I would go so far as to say both were outstanding - more on the side of service. The few problems I noted were first and foremost the overbearing smell of urine as you walk in the front door. I first shrugged it off to maybe being a strong curry or something from the kitchen, but it got worse. My wife said it smelled like a portopotty, and she wasn't far off. Secondly, it was ridiculously dark inside - which isn't necessarily a bad thing in the right environment, but coupled with the loud music it just didn't have the intimate feeling I would have expected. Third - the price of the cocktails... $13 for a daiquiri? $14 for a manhattan variant with not expensive whiskey? That's pushing it. Considering the price range for most craft cocktails in town is in the 8-12 range, seeing drinks above and beyond that, without using "premium" (read justifiably expensive) spirits just didn't work for me. Maybe it was an off night or a homeless person peed on the door, but the combination of overpriced cocktails and stench will not bring me back. I'd love to go back because everyone seemed very nice and the drinks were good, but damn...

Came here randomly for happy hour by myself while I was in Portland for work. The Airbnb I stayed at was two blocks from Expatriate. Graham was a fabulous bar tender/host who not only told me about the bar and his drink creations but was lovely to chat to (not bad to look at either) .and also introduced me to a regular who I loved talking to. I had the Black Magic cocktail. Super smooth, mysterious and satisfying. I had such a nice time I returned the next night with a girlfriend and we had the Indian Spiced Fries and more drinks. Also - no lie on the music vibe. Such a great collection of vinyl. Will be back next time I'm in town!

Interesting and tasty bar food but, I felt I was paying more for a show than a well made cocktail $10 a drink makes it hard to swallow more than one drink!