Po' Shines Cafe De La Soul Reviews

Loved the grilled vegie wrap! All kinds of goodies in it and what flavor. Hush puppies are out of this world- perfect. Biscuit, gravy and egg special- they were serving breakfast and lunch at noon on Saturday and that was nice. Friends had brisket, ribs- great variety of items. And lots of folks playing scrabble. Very comfortable place.

We are from the South and have been looking for good, authentic Southern food. This is a find! We have tried almost everything on the menu and the only thing I didn't like was the hoppin' John. The hush puppies are to die for and the brisket and pulled pork are very good. You can smell the smoker when you walk up to the restaurant. The Beignets are better than New Orleans. The service is always friendly. Be sure and try the sweet tea. We love this place.

Diner-style decor, with very friendly service, and amazing food. Anything from the BBQ'd items are delciious, as are the seafood dishes. The sides are also darn good, with the cornbread at the top of my list. Their desserts are classic southern, and if you're looking for hushpuppies you've come to the right spot. Tasty coffee brewed strong rounds it all out, and the prices are very agreeable.

we ordered off the appetizer menu so we couild experience a variety of soul food. Hush puppies/mac & cheese/ rice & beans/ barbecue/cat fish bites/and a soup that that I've never heard of. Then we topped it all off with peach cobbler. ALL were just wonderful! the cooking staff are remarkable

My mom and I ate here a few times and really enjoyed the 2 egg breakfast and the french toast. Next time we are in Portland we will need to try their BBQ!

we've been to the ne alberta spot, and decided to meet outside with friends all masked up for dinner yesterday at this venue....my partner and i shared the southern veggie wrap and catfish po'boy........ our friends shared the ribs, catfish, brisket, pulled pork and salad.....everybody was happy with the excellent dishes...plus water, lemonade, and sorrell beverages on a warm evening....the staff is the friendliest and the food was so comforting/tasty...we love kenton and this was a fun outing during covid....be sure to tip big during these challenging times....thx so much!

I've been to Po' Shines a few times before and they were pretty good, but tonight was a total miss in both food and service. Husband and I went here. I ordered the pulled pork, which was decent, but the cornbread was extremely dry (like made yesterday and sat out all day today kind of dry). Hubby ordered the rib basket which came with only 3 ribs instead of 4, and cornbread instead of the advertised hush puppies. It wasn't a bad meal per se, but with so many choices in the Kenton and St. John's area of Portland, we probably won't be making coming back here a priority any time soon.

There are a number of people in the world who fall all over themselves for "authentic" southern cooking - and the ingredients that go into it. I am not one of them. But I have driven by this restaurant for a long time and finally decided to give it a try with a small group. The menu is a challenge unless you really know what southern cooking thing you want. It is difficult to get just a simple breakfast without adding all the grits and other "southern" things that some taste buds require. I did manage to get an omlette put together without too much unusual stuff in it. Some of the wait staff here is enjoying there first job for some period of time. This is a church owned (next door) commercial enterprise that populates the wait staff from folks needing to restart their lives. They are not polished professionals by any means and revert to overly friendly kinds of behavior to cover for that. Back where the cooking is done, there is a boom box that is cranked up way too loudly so talking at the table, even at the other side of the room is competing with the noise. Standing next to it to pay the bill at the cash register you almost had to raise you voice to be heard. The floors are concrete, the wall as hard surface as well so you are dining in a echo can, and when folks at adjacent tables are speaking loudly to overcome the music, it can be next to impossible to have your own table conversation. For our meal we had to ask for butter (for toast), jelly, ketchup and refills on coffee, so customer service was decidely not on the menu. The food was OK - but none of the six people thought it was SO good that they would come back for another round. A decent Manager to pull things together a bit more like a traditional restaurant, and provide a few standard fare items would go a long way to keeping this operation in business.

If you are in The area you should really come by. And if not it is really worth The drive!! The Pecan pie is The best I have ever had and their special drink - Sorrel - is amazing! The atmosphere is relaxed and their purpose blew my mind!! If you don't come by you'll miss out!

Unfortunately, no fried okra was available this night. It is my wife's favorite. I especially enjoyed the rib tips, my wife her catfish. Brisket sandwich was very good. Service was friendly and attentive.

GOOD Southern cookin. I grew up in Kentucky; sis has lived in Tennessee for over 40 years; Ma was a first class, down home cook. This kind of food is what i grew up on, this is what Po Shine serves, with a wee bit of zest. The fried catfish was the best I've had, East of the Mississippi. Good hush puppies, which is also hard to find in the West. HUGE fried chicken wings, fine mashed potatoes 'n gravy + cole slaw. And quite good sweet potato pie. Dinner for two under $30. If this restaurant were in Memphis or Macon or Louisville, I'd be much more inclined to give it a 4. Really. But this good'a Southern Cookin in the Pacific Northwest ... make it'a 5.

Cant say enough good things about this place. The whole staff is friendly and attentive and they are generous. The food is terrific too!

WOW! This little gem has been in my backyard and I am just finding it. Please, don't take as long as I did! My wife and I went in for breakfast over the weekend and we will be regulars from now on. The staff was SO friendly from the moment we walked in till the moment we left. The food....Oh man...Amazing! My wife had the traditional breakfast (eggs, bacon, potatoes and added a slice of french toast). It was all stellar. I went with the chicken and waffles. Fantastic! I'm afraid I wont want to try anything else. The chicken was delicious and seasoned perfectly. The waffles were so tasty. And just another plus....The prices are SO reasonable. Give it a try, you wont be disappointed! Thank you Po'Shines for such a great experience! We'll be back soon!

The we ordered was phenomenal. My gf ordered the catfish while I ordered a sandwich, and both were indescribable. I also had a side of fries. Sweet tea was awesome too. The best seasoned fries that I've ever had. The staff was attentive and welcoming. The decor gave the ambience of southern dining. When I make the trip from Boston again, Po'Shines will be a mandatory stop.

The food is very good, particularly the ribs. Service is pleasant and genuine, albeit a tad slow at times. Food takes a while to get to the table, but the wait is worth it. Nice ambiance inside the cafe as well. A little pricy, which prevents us from going more, but a nice one in while treat.

Tried this cajun restaurant in north Portland and really enjoyed the food and service. There were two of us and we were served by Heather who was a delightful waitress. The restaurant has some interesting art on its walls and one of the benches is a pew from the adjacent church. Had the chicken and waffles for the first time; huge fried chicken wings and corn meal waffle - delicious and filling - I could not finish the dish. Also had a huge soup bowl full of grits topped with bacon bits, scallions and topped off with blackened shrimp - very good and much more than we could eat. i wanted to try the peach cobbler but was just too full - but will try it next time. We were just in New Orleans a couple of months ago and the food in this restaurant is very comparable to some of the better breakfast places we visited in the French Quarter, but the price was far more reasonable at Po' Shines. There are so many other things we would like to try there - the bbq, the brisket, the po boy sandwich, the desserts... We will come back on our next return to Portland.

Historic Kenton is very lucky to have this little slice of heaven!...Catfish is fantastic, no matter which way you get it-i've had both blackened and deepfried (deepfried that i did get served by accident when i ask for blackend-but it was deep fry worthy! not greasy at all) and those hushpuppies... everything is good, but don't be in a hurry! just wish they were open an Sunday morning for brunch. i have not had an opportunity for the Beignets yet, next on my list.

Visiting family and WOW just the name alone we had to check it out! My boyfriends son said it is a must try and as soon as he said the name I said absolutely a must go! We decided to go for breakfast and the breakfast burrito was to die for...my boyfriend had the chicken fried chicken and wow was it delicious, but the best of them all the catfish omelette so flavorful and filling the portions were outrageous!! Love this place so much I had to buy a shirt!!! Service was friendly and inviting!

I had dinner at Po Shines my meal (Beef Brisket with Mac and cheese) was excellent soul food. Neat little place, staff very friendly great little neighborhood, plus the profits from this Restaurant helps support at risk youth. I like to support small local restaurants and this is a must visit, highly recommend. May 10, 2017

This Louisiana style restaurant has fabulous food and is very reasonably priced. I have eaten here 4 times and have always been pleased. The menu also contains some rather exotic suggestions like a catfish breakfast omelet which I am going to build up my nerve and try next time. Delicious !

This is a delightful community restaurant in the increasingly hip area of Kenton in Portland. Visiting from the UK, we were looking for somewhere with authentic character and good food - and we certainly found it here. The menu is short and simple, but with enough variety to inspire. The food is fresh, well prepared and absolutely delicious. That goes for the puddings as well. This restaurant really is a hidden gem. The service was excellent, and probably the most friendly we have ever encountered. It was not until afterwards we found that this is a non-profit operation, established partly to provide development opportunities for community members. Frankly they could teach staff at many other restaurants a thing or two about customer service. While we ate, the heavens burst and rain poured down. As the street began to flood, we saw the manager hurry out and unblock drains. Not just outside his restaurant, but also across the street for others. Now that’s what a real community spirit looks like.

I went to this small restaurant from the advice of a co-worker. If you like southern food, you'll love it. They had a smoker cooking outside that you could smell from blocks away. Inside was cozy with cultural pictures. The food was awesome. I went for breakfast and had the chefs omelette. Great! $7.95 was all. The service was unbeatable. Was greeted with a smile and a little chit chat food was quick. I'll be going back for dinner. Catfish, greens, hush puppies and more. Truly a must.

Po'Shines offers a cheese omelet, with cheddar, jack, parmesan and bleu cheeses, with cottage fries, grits or hash browns, and choice of toast, English muffin or a large biscuit, for only $5.95. The food took a while to come, but we were visiting and didn't mind. It was delicious. The waitress was very pleasant, and checked on us a couple times to see if we needed anything. We'll be back.

Great food and very reasonable prices!!! Everything we ate was great and we can't wait to come back to try more!!

The place is a cozy neighborhood nook on the corner; many of the patrons seem known to the staff. Today there was a cook and a waitress. Our breakfast took 30-40 minutes to prepare, but we weren't in a hurry. If you are, this may not be the place for you! I had the Louisiana Scramble, which was hearty and filling--unfortunately, they were out of biscuits at 11 am.

The food was more than ample. We shared a philly sandwich. Had lots of pulled pork and the sauce was perfect....not too much, just right. Was made to order. We also took ribs home and they were delicious. We want to go back and try some more sides as well. We also want to try their beignets as they were out of batter.

Great food, had the Bayou breakfast burrito and it was amazing followed by the peach cobbler. Not as good as Moms but definitely worth it. Service was good. Coffee was never empty & we were never kept waiting. Will definitely be back.

I have occasional business out in the Kenton area of North Portland and have lunch out here somewhat regularly. Po' Shines Cafe de la Soul has become one of my favorite destinations. First, the atmosphere is kind of laid back, and the place brings in a wide variety of clientele. Second, the servers are friendly. Now, sometimes the servers or the kitchen can be a tad slow, but then this is one of those places with a relaxed feel to it. I have enjoyed everything I have had here so far, but their brisket sandwich, a recommendation from my server, really stood out. The meal was tender and delicious with most of the fat rendered out. Yum! In the coming weeks, when business takes me to this area, I look forward to trying other things on the menu.

This Kenton-area restaurant is operated by a local church as part of a mission to train young people for employment. The southern food is delicious, the staff is friendly and energetic, and you meal supports a wonderful opportunity for the community. It's a win-win!

We were not completely impressed with the food here. Most of what we ate was average, except for the hush puppies which were exceptional. We were hoping for some beignets as well, but they were out. I gave this 4 stars instead of 3 because the staff was so friendly.

I am far from an expert, but I will say that the food was delicious. I went with a coworker. We split the hushpuppies as an appetizer which were really good. He ordered the catfish which he said was excellent and I had the chicken po'boy which was crazy good. My coworker had the coleslaw which he liked alot and I had the potato salad that was just ok. Overall, the prices were good and the food was noteworthy. I am not in the area very often but would definitely go back if I was.

My fiance and I stop by this little gem all the time and it is well worth it. The prices are cheap and all the food is amazing! the catfish and the greens are amazing. the hop and john is incredible and I cant wait until we go again. We could eat here daily if we lived closer!!! Keep up the good work Po' Shines :)

Was visiting a friend in Portland over the weekend and we decided to go get some Southern food, This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you enter it has a lively atmosphere. The hushpuppies are excellent, the fried okra was the best I have ever had, it was crisp not mushy and greasy. I also ordered the brisket, it was very good as well. The sauce they had it smothered in was pretty good as well. Great place to stop by for lunch if you're in the area!

Well, these are the nicest folks you'll ever meet. The restaurant is a community charity reaching out to at-risk young people. The manager may come over to shake your hand and introduce himself. The staff seems to be comprised of these 'at-risk' men. The corner location is very cool and decorated with Afro-art posters. We were forewarned that the service would be very slow. The food: I believe the recipes stay consistent. We went for breakfast. She had a pulled pork sandwich, I had the combo breakfast platter of blackened catfish, scrambled eggs, hash browns toast ( they were out of biscuits) and a cup of smoked salmon chowder. The soup was great, the fish was very good, the pulled pork was a bit dry, the eggs were eggs. It was easily an hour from start to finish and although he place filled up, we were the first order to go in. Go with a sense of humor and grace. These folks are doing good work and we will be back to support them in the future. We had fun.

Had a great dinner of red beans and rice with their trinity greens. The beans and rice were better than most I have eaten in Louisiana. Prices were very affordable and pleasant atmosphere

Please note this review is for the Moda Center Location- I ordered a Catfish plate and the Moda Center and it was literally inedible, I ended up throwing 90% of out before eating it. The Catfish was cold and so rubbery that I literally could not tear a piece off the fillet. The fries were ICE Cold. They should not have served this food but should have thrown it out themselves and made something fresh that could be eaten.

Totally enjoyed dinner here last night--second Southern-style restaurant I've tried in Portland. This was a hidden gem, in newly refurbished Denver Ave area of N. Portland. I had the blackened catfish basket, fish very light and fresh tasting, not overly blackened. Tasty hush puppies, not overly greasy or too hard to enjoy. Also opted for the "Trinity Greens" = collard, mustard and turnip with smoked turkey. They do not serve alcohol, but on a hot Portland night what really hit the spot was Sorrel, their signature “purple drink” made w/ hybiscus flowers, green tea and fresh citrus juices. This restaurant attracts families and couples, and seemed reasonably prices.

So glad to have found this New Orleans find in Portland! Soul food for your head and your heart. History noted and felt through framed Ebony, Life, Rolling Stones magazine covers and photo portraits of important black artists and culturally important black statesmen. Plus the owners are were engaging in interesting conversation. 5- Star experience for the whole heart. Can’t wait to bring our grandson here to feel history in all its soul

We had some friends mention this restaurant while in Portland, OR. It's a small place, but wow, the food is amazing and the staff were so nice. Be sure to read the history on the menu. The portions are huge so keep that in mind! They are not open on Mondays, so be sure to check their hours before visiting. And I suggest you visit early in the morning for breakfast. Yummy.

Who knew that you could get hushpuppies in Portland that are as good as anything you'd find in the US? Sweet little restaurant with great food, good service, low prices, and funky decor. We wanna move nearby just to eat here more often.

I have traveled for business to the south many times and have longed for the real deal southern food, I also will add my Grandmother who raised me was Southern and to my surprise I found chefs who can serve up a steaming plate of soul food better than Grammy flo and any Atlanta diner! You can come for grits in the morning, smoked brisket with homemade coleslaw for lunch or shrimp creole for dinner they have it all and then some! The prices are great and the service is five stars. If you are on bus get on the 4 and the bus drops you at the front door (there is a ramp for wheelchair folks and strollers all are welcome come as you are and leave happier and full, that is the attitude). There are veggie dishes something for every taste bud and walk of life. Hot coffee and espresso bar if you are in a hurry. The neatest thing about this place other than the epic soul food and homemade bbq sauce is the fact that they are also training kids how to work hard and be empowered by obtaining real life working skills (http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/po-shines-cafe-de-la-soul/Location?oid=398157 this is an article in the mercury about the non profit) and you will always see a happy teen or young person at the counter pouring over homework at break or culinary home work. This is Heaven on earth...the best community and example of people of all walks of life with this in common, love of food, love of life, love of doing good! God Bless, Thank you I have officially been "PO SHINED" If you want the full experience, have diner on Wednesday night and go to their church next door at seven for the soul experience of a lifetime!

Great place, but limited seating. Went in right about lunch time on the weekend. I had shrimp po'boy with sweet potatoes on the side. Also tasted the fried catfish with red beans and hush puppies. Excellent taste, good portions, and great causal atmosphere. Service is friendly and prompt. A great dining experience.

I was pleasantly surprised when I went to this quiet neighborhood, Kenton District, and found this jewel. I went because of Restaurant.com, I returned the next day and had a business lunch because of the fantastic service and amazing food.

Ate lunch with a friend. I had Creole seafood, she had the grits with shrimp added. We added a side of hush-puppes--too much food but we wanted to sample them. Both of us were delighted with the food, the portions, and the presentation. The price was good too. Service was a little slow, but worth the wait. The seafood dish was tasty, and came with rice, a biscuit, steamed greens, and a great portion of shrimp with possibly catfish. The grits were cheesy, with bacon and my friend added the shrimp for extra $. Both dishes were different , fresh, and really tasty.

Amazing. Truly amazing. We always hate when you go to a wedding and are forced to pick at dry chicken, then leave hungry. Truly good food was so important to us and Po’ Shines beyond delivered. Our guests raved about the food, and we even were able to work out a “late night snack” of chicken and waffles to send home with each guest. The staff were so friendly and helped me fluff out my dress before I walked down the aisle! We got brisket, catfish, veggies, beans, potato salad, mac&cheese, corn bread, and hush puppies. It was to die for! They provided all the catering supplies and clean up for the food. For a little over $8k, it was truly an amazing price for even better food.

501 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211/during covid 19, we stopped on to get some food to go for lunch yesterday....usually we catch their cart at the dawson prk concerts...we each had the veggie wrap and added grilled catfish...they take care of the community, as they are cooking for seniors on tuesday he said....the food was delicious as usual...he had some customers walking by ordering food to go..be sure to tip big, as it's a struggle for some to remain open...thx so much!