Mekong Bistro Reviews

I read the reviews about Mekong Bistro which is just up the street from where I live and was really excited. We went on a Tuesday night. the place was totally empty. But I thought okay it's Tuesday. I was pretty disappointed in the food it was not as good as I was led to believe. ( the service was really good) the atmosphere was kinda spars. The previous week I had the opportunity to go to Shangdongs on 37th & NE Broadway. It was like apples and oranges. I would pick Shangdongs. The prices were pretty much the same but the flavor @ Shangdongs was way better and the variety on the menu was better than Mekong Bistro. I was looking for a local place I could just go to now and then but I don't think this will be it :(

Never again. Egg rolls were OK. Kao Soy was almost devoid of the promised ground pork and not at all spicy. The "special" Kao Soy with coconut milk also lacked a reasonable amount of ground pork - had to point out that there was no blood cake at all; the waitress eventually brought some blood cake that had been nuked for me to add - by then the soup was lukewarm. Nyum salad was not at all spicy and only had 3 medium shrimp with minimal flavor. We enjoyed the Hillsboro location before they closed and were looking forward to our first visit to the PDX location. Prices would have been acceptable but the quality was extremely disappointing. Service was attentive but what's the point?

fresh ingredients, brisk service, but the area is pretty rough - if you like noodles and spring rolls you will not be disappointed.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile, due to good reviews. I ordered the Kui Tiev Phnom Penh and a Vietnamese coffee. The broth was mediocre and lacked the complexity usually associated with Kui Tiev. The herbs offered were minimal and without birdseye chilies. The coffee, which was ordered hot, was served at room temperature. The dining room was nearly empty on a Saturday afternoon, which was telling. Probably won't be back.

Food and servicewas exceptional. Order the steamed fish in banana leaf. Camobodian soup and stir fry were delicious. Each time we go we ask the owners for their recommendations. Have not been disappointed. It's the only authentic Cambodian restaurant in Portland Oregon. It was even written up by the New York Times.

Our experience at Mekong Bistro was wonderful. The food was authentic and delicious, the portions were generous, and the service was very friendly. It is a new restaurant that is family owned and operated and we felt as if we were being treated like guests in their home. Staff went out of their way to please us. They have a large menu of Cambodian, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes and each and everything we tired was great-including the dessert of sticky rice and pudding.

Three of us had a fabulous dinner with drinks for a price I found hard to believe. It is very reasonable and the food was as good as any Asian food that I have had. The spices were subtle and the portions were healthy. I would go back to this place any time I am in the area!

After returning from a recent trip to Cambodia I was longing for Khmer cooking. Mekong didn’t disappoint.... well actually they did. I went for the Ah-Mok which I had thoroughly enjoyed while in Siem Reap. Unfortunately I was told they didn’t have it the day I was there. So I ordered something else off their extensive menu. Delicious. My girlfriend ordered soup. It was divine. I can’t say it was as good as much of what we ate while in SE Asia but it also didn’t cost us a plane ticket and jet lag.

This was the 2nd time I've come here for dinner with my family-- last night and today. And I'm not the kind of person who does the same restaurant back to back. Words cannot adequately describe how delicious my food was. Apps: Calamari Egg rolls Avocado wantons The squid was tender and crunchy, the sauce was perfect! The egg rolls were not from Walmart, and the avocado rolls with sweet chili sauce were the best thing I've had in a long while. Entrees: Beef Noodle Soup Mi Cha-- Cambodian pad Thai When you've eaten one of their many delicious meals you do not feel disgusting and bloated. You feel full-- that's a good thing! Most of their items are gluten free (didn't know this till the 2nd night, could have fooled me) and the service is amazing. This is a family owned and operated bistro-- literally, their mom is in the kitchen! Mekong Bistro is hidden away in a small shopping plaza, so it can be a bit awkward to find and walk into. But if you're a hesitant traveler and diner like myself-- please walk into this one! I'm almost hesitant to post this review as I want this secret food coma inducing Cambodian Mecca kept all to myself. If you're new to Cambodian food, they offer many Laos and Thai dishes for the wary American eater. But do yourself a favor and order something new the next time. It's worth it. This is not a chain restaurant. Do not expect to elbow your neighboring foodies. They're open late for the midnight snackers and paper crammers wanting something more than loaded cheese fries. And you can't beat the prices! Please, please, please stop in to Mekong Bistro and enjoy the food. This family deserves your loyalty and patronage. I'll be back.

I was here for a quick lunch and overall it was great. The server could not have been sweeter or more helpful. She was young and seemed surprised when I asked her to recommend something authentic, but she took the job seriously. It was a soup reminiscent of a Thai soups only it was spicier and had a variety of meats I have never previously encountered. Seafood and organ meats (liver? not sure other than it was that dark). It was a delight. I also had their wings. Please don't judge. My love of wings borders on a mental illness. Their stab at the wing title had breathtaking SE Asian fragrant flavors that complimented the soup, but on wings they were a bright change of pace. My delightfully sweet server insisted on bagging up leftovers even though I told her to bring me a half order, but that I would pay for a whole. I knew I'd eat them all if I had a whole order. And in my rental car on the way to the airport later that day, I did in face snarf them down and loved every bite. The only drawback is the strange atmosphere. It has this great Cambodian food and Cambodian-American Fusion, but it feels like you are in a sports bar with wedding reception furniture. Food wins, but it is odd.

If you are a fan of Asian cuisine, I'd recommend at least giving this place a shot. They have a decent happy hour menu. Nothing spectacular about this place, but the food is good and cheap. Would definitely return.

Mekong Bistro is a great asset to the community. We have so many Thai options, its nice to have something a little different. The food is very similar to Thai cuisine - but definitely different. I'd say there is a greater use of vinegars and bitter flavors than in US Thai... this is not unpleasant at all & just adds some variety! The menu is VAST - I recommend sticking to foods you know you appreciate (stir fried rice, sweet and sour chicken), if exotic flavors scare you, I'd stick with the more common fare. Highly recommend the Angel Wings & beef skewers. Fried Quail is also very nice. Their hours are awesome - almost nothing worth eating is open that late. If you are on your way out of town - its a good spot to grab some unique asian take out on the way to the airport. 1 warning: they can spice things up really fast. Don't ask for spicy unless you are ready for the heat!!!

I had to drop family off at the Portland International Airport and I was looking for a great place to grab a bite to eat. This restaurant was very close to the airport, just off of 82nd, but outside of the Cascade Station area. When I first entered the establishment I noticed there were only a few other tables being served, but it was about 2:00 on a Thursday, just outside the normal lunch hours. I had my niece with me and we both ordered something from the lunch menu, as well as a salad roll with shrimp. The salad roll came out first and it was delicious, very much a Vietnamese style salad roll with peanut sauce. My niece ordered a dish that was made with bean thread and chicken, which reminded me of pansit from the Philippines; it had good flavor and was of a good size for a lunch portion. I chose the ginger chicken with rice... OMG! It was A-mazing! It was a nice sized portion and the flavors exploded in my mouth! The service overall was good; there was only one waitress, but she was attentive. The only part of the entire restaurant that was off putting was the décor. It was a mish-mash of pictures, colors and various Asian décor, but since the food was fantastic I can easily over look that part.

This Asian eatery is hidden as you drive past it on the highway, must be entered from side street so please, look for it!! Very pretty place, clean, lots of room and private dining space for groups. The food is wonderful, good selection, well made, flavorful! The pad Thai I had was luscious! My sister, who is vegan, was easily and graciously accommodated, with the server offering suggestions! I was visiting from Phila where we have (dare I say it) better Asian cuisine than on the west coast, but this bistro was my favorite meal of the entire trip and my sister continues to eat at Mykong Bistro! Don't miss it!

My neice and I were in need of an early dinner and stopped at Mekong Bistro for a quick bite. She had visited previously and we frequently eat Vietnamese food so decided to try something new. We chose Crepes with Chicken and an old favorite Spicy Chicken with green beans. Excellent! Both dishes were well seasoned, with fresh vegetables, nice amount of chicken and with an assortment of spices on the table we were able to add heat as desired. The wait staff was friendly but not intrusive. We will definitely be back!

I came here for lunch, and there is only 3 other people here. That says a lot about a place. I am the forth one in here and the service is bad. It took her forever to get my drinks and food order. There are only 2 tables. Imagine if this place was packed for lunch. Maybe other people have figured it out not to come here. My food wasn't bad it also wasn't that good. I ordered the Mee Ka Tang, also known as Thai Drunken noodles. The gravy on it was very bland. The broccolini was not even cooked, it was still hard. The noodles, they weren't even separated. It was all one clump all on the bottom. I would not reccomend this place. My bill came, apparently they didn't have what I wanted (according to the server) so I ordered something off the lunch specials, and magically they had that item. So she charged me full dinner price of the dish and not the lunch special price. After looking at the menu again, it still wasn't there, where are they pulling all these prices from.

You have vietnamese, thailand, chinese, japanese and then you have Cambodian. Best chicken wings I've had in a while. Boat Noodle for soup and Best service ever. Mom in the kitchen, husband and wife up front. Late and long hours for the night owls.

After a long night in Portland, we found ourselves looking for food. Lucky enough, Mekong Bistro was open after 1AM. The staff was very helpful and charming. Mekong offered a full bar and even has a banquet room. The food could have been better, but we couldn't complain. The restaurant is a good home styled Cambodian place, for someone's late night hunger.

the food here was very tasty! The service was quick, friendly and professional. Though we had a very large group, requiring a few big tables, the staff attended to everyone quickly and happily. We were impressed!

The food was fine. Service was fine. It was not a bad experience, but I probably would not go back or recommend. It was rather bland. I don't know if I would consider this "cheap". It seems to be average price for Asian food. There was some kind of event going on in the "party room" so it was really loud. There are TV's on all over. I suppose it is trying for the sports bar affect which was really just distracting. Too bad they did not have somewhere for people to dine, not interested in that.

We were looking for Indian cuisine, which was three doors down, but it did not look appealing. Since Thia is our second favorite we stopped in at Mekong. We were met right away by a smiling hostess who led us to a room tastefully appointed. The music coming from speakers was soft, which is how I like it. The wine was decent, at the typical going rate. The menu had all the Asian favorites plus items new to us. The waitstaff were all nice and spoke softly. We rarely go to Portland but would not hesitate to return should we do so. You must try this treasure!

We asked the waitress (the chef's daughter) for suggestions as to what to eat. We were delighted by the different tastes, textures and sauces. The lettuce wrap with chicken was divine, the sour soup delightful, and the pork labb amazing. Each dish had its own distinct sauce and flavoring. It is a true gem of Cambodian food. The ambience was clean, lovely, and quiet. We will definitely go here again. I think they are open from 11AM to 12PM.

Just off the main drag, we loved this little find. We started with avocado-mozzarella deep fried wontons. There's a combination you can't go wrong with! For dinner I had savory Cambodian crepes with chicken and fresh basil and lettuce. It was delicious and not something I expected from this type of cuisine. Careful when you order "extra spicy" because they really mean it! My boyfriend's pork coconut milk curry was delicious but so hot we could barely eat it.

The Mekong Bistro is a hidden gem on the east side of Portland. Across the street from Madison High School at 8200 SE Siskiyou St (97220) it resides in the small retail shopping center on the east side of 82nd. Their menu includes mostly Cambodian dishes, but also has very authentic dishes from Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. They list close to 80 different dishes so there is something for everyone's taste. Be careful to note the 'spicy' notations - they are HOT, but can be cooled down upon request - mild for them is still a little spicy. Stop in, you won't be disappointed.

When we read there was a Cambodian restaurant in Portland, we got excited and drove the 20 minutes to get to Mekong. It was worth it. The food was consistently delicious. I was with a group of five -- all of us had traveled/lived in Cambodia at some point -- and we were all pleased with our meals. I had the amok, which was not only delicately spiced, but too big to finish. We enjoyed the frogs' legs and vegetarian fried rice very much, as well. I can't wait to go back and try more dishes, although I think it will be difficult to visit again and not to order the amok -- it was *so* good. (I'm practically drooling on my keyboard thinking about it.)

At Mekong Bistro late last month, I had my first exposure to the national cuisine of a country that is close to other countries whose food I eat often (Thai, Burmese), but is pleasantly different. For example, I found the beef jerky an interesting contrast with Burmese and Vietnamese versions of this dish which I have been cooking lately. We had a group of four and hence we were able to sample several dishes (plus the friendly proprietor treated us to dessert). Some food was spicy, but some was sweet; some chewy, some delicate; some mixtures of many elements. I hope to come back on future visits to Portland because there was much more on this menu that I hope to sample. Some photos of the food are posted here: http://paulalanlevy.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-few-days-in-portland-for-working.html

The food was fantastic and authentic cambodian. What a great find! Fresh food full of great taste. I will be back eat time I am in Portland.

My Mom, niece & I went to the Christmas Festival of Lights; the World's Largest Choral Festival. We stayed an hour and a half, got hungry and went looking for a good place to eat. This place has Cambodian, Thai, & Vietnamese Food. It was like a converted warehouse inside; I wasn't sure what to expect. We looked at a menu, I remembered it had gotten good Reviews, and we decided to go-for-it. It was DELICIOUSO😃👍 WOW--All Three dishes were around $10 for dinner. We were getting tired and very hungry, but there were a lot of interesting dishes to choose from. I have very strict food limitations and had to screen it carefully, and have it altered slightly: she was accomodating (I cant have starch, wheat, sesame or peanut; difficult at an Asian restaurant). We spent quite a while perusing the menu and settled on a Curry, chicken Phad Thai, and a salad. There is a lot of Cambodian food on the Menu, which received positive reviews on the app I was checking; it is apparently difficult to find. Also some Vietnamese and Thai. We were all very pleased with the food: it was all absolutely Delicious. We shared off each other's plates-family-style, and it was all excellent. Prices were $9-$22 . Every thing was fresh-made and very flavorful, and generously portioned. Can't wait to go back.

We live in Montavilla and we love out little strip of shops and restaurants but we have eaten them all to bordeom (3-5 time through a menue gets me bored). We stumbled on this place on the way to the airport and it was great. We had a Labb salad that was delicious (and not over dressed for change) and we had the Jrook (chicken porridge) my stomach was a bit upset and I wanted something kind of basic...it was fabulous and I Have found my new "honey go get me soup" when I am ill place! (Life has not been the same since Kapayya closed and there is no more Kappaya Udon. They have a full bar (=) and a few too many T.V.s but the atmosphere was nice and the place was clean. Also the sever (owner?) was very polite and helpul and the happy hour menu looked like a great deal. We will be going back SOON Mel and Mike.

I was excited to finally find a Cambodian restaurant. I really did not know what to expect. I went with my family around 7:00 on a week night. We were seated immediately. There were a few other people there besides my family. Besides Cambodian dishes, there are some Laotian and Thai dishes. I ordered the angel wings and my father ordered the steamed catfish. I enjoyed the angel wings. They also came with a side of noodle salad, which was sweet, but also very spicy. My mother ordered the Cambodian crepe, which was served with herbs on the side and a sauce. The portions were also quite large. Our server was quite nice and helpful about picking dishes. Overall it is a fun experience and somewhat reasonably priced.

Drove by this one day and noticed their sign. Friend was visiting, had visited Cambodia and wanted to give this a try. We all enjoyed the food. I had the "Cha Kreung", Cambodian stir fry, with tofu. I was perfectly spicy, which is a real art, and I thought it was just delicious. Also, got the beef skewers and the salad rolls. Skewers good, but the salad rolls were fresh and fabulous. I loved the sauce too, which was less peanut than I've had before, different and tasty. Husband got the fried rice with several different meats, topped with egg. That was good, not my favorite, but he really enjoyed it. The service was fine, but the appetizers were delivered after the main course. Would have been bit unhappy, but the salad roll was so fresh and delicious, it was worth the wait. The place has an industrial feel, clean enough, but there are 7 or 8 televisions, so I wouldn't consider fine dining with that many TVs

Good portions of Cambodian favorites. Always too busy and seems to be short staffed. One server for 100+ people, so she was running. Food is average with Ok prices. The place could use some remodeling.