The Original Halibuts Reviews

Came here with my Wife and we each enjoyed a basket of cod fish and chips. It was a little greasy (but then again its fried, what would one expect?) The service was good and they have a nice Long Islandish drink... I can't remember the name. It was tasty. We left before the Saturday night entertainment started but it would be fun to listed to some tunes in the evening some other time. We have wanted to come try this place for a long time but this was our first visit. I hope we can go back another time in the future.

We visited Halibuts on a Sunday morning just prior to opening. The gal running the bar told us they opened at 11:30 a.m., so we went outside and sat at a table in front of the restaurant. Shortly, she came out with water for us. We really appreciated her gesture since it was hot outside! At 11:30 a.m. she invited us in to the small restaurant. There is a take out section and then the restaurant proper with a well stocked bar. The young lady also doubled as the order taker. She recommended the halibut dinner for two which was amazing: started with two cups of excellent cream based clam chowder. I've had chowder in San Francisco and Halibuts was far better! Then we received a generous shrimp cocktail (small shrimp) with a cocktail sauce that kicked butt--opened my sinus instantaneously. Once the halibut and fries w/coleslaw arrived, this tall, enthusiastic guy walked past us, gazed at the our lunch, and said, "Looks really good, think I'll have some of that Halibut!" Well, needless to say, this was the owner! He was as friendly as the bartender/waiter gal. He took the time to tell us about some wonderful stories concerning the restaurant and the great jazz performers who have played his stage. I know the next time I'm back in Portland, I will make it a point to visit one evening to take in the entertainment. The Halibut is expensive, but that's the market price. The quality of the fish is outstanding!!! I haven't had fish and chips like this for years! Later, we received key lime pie but in retrospect I wish I would have taken up the owner on one of his special turtle or mud ice cream pies. His description of the specially made to order pie was priceless. All in all, the service is fantastic, the food is top quality, and the atmosphere makes you feel as if you have stepped back in time when jazz music permeated the air, great beer spilled down your throat, and happiness thrived everywhere. If you pass up Halibuts, you might as well vacation somewhere else. A trip to Portland requires a visit to Halibuts--! Enjoy.

I have to confess, I have been sort of a regular at Halibuts - stopping in every couple of months. Each time I do, I wonder why I waited so long to return. I ordered the cod fish and chips as an economy move - the halibut has become far too pricey. But, the cod was excellent! Perfectly prepared in a batter coating and cooked just right. Served hot with some tasty fries. Washed it down with a regional microbrew which they have on tap.

Walked in to the restaurant by chance and discovered a unique experience! We we're greeted/waited on by the owner who is quite the entertainer. We followed his recommendations and received a wonderful/tasty experience; definitely try the Clam Chowder(wow) and if the Ahi Tuna fish and chips are available don't hesitate to order. I'm still amazed at how the get a crispy flavorful batter and the tuna at medium rare! On Thursday nites they have music to add to your fun. Will try other items on menu.

Very good food, it takes awhile to get your food. It was worth the wait, every thing is basically fish and chips. My wife and daughter had the halibut and I had the oysters. Best I have had in a long time, I was told the halibut was great to. Half order was plenty to eat. The two guys playing music were very good. We hope to return next month.

Stopped in at this Portland spot for a guide snack before my daughters graduation, and to say we we impressed doesn't even cover it. Wonder full happy hour menu, quick and very friendly service. A definate repeat spot everything we come to the town.

Went on the newly poppin' Alberta street district for some music last Friday night. Stumbled on 'the Halibut'. The place was gently rockin',' the wine was 7.00 per glass and decent, I might add. The layout is wierd and they could sell a lot more product if everyone could see the 'stage' better. But we had fun and will go again next time we are in the area. Oh yeah, the band was great and there was no cover charge

Went here for lunch. Its more of a bar that serves food but its pretty good food. Great chowder and excellent fish and chips. However, not cheap. 1/2 portions of Ahi and Halibut and chips with two cups or chowder was $40 bucks. We will be back.

2nd time around. Both times were great. I have only had their Halibut (market price) & chips. Yes, it is expensive, but the sounds are good , the ambiance is open and accepting--some quiet and some not, but it works. Our waitress was fast and pleasant. I had an PBR for $1.50 (Happy Hour). The neighborhood is upscale hipster.

Good Fish and Chips, a cozy bar and regular live blues. Alberta Street is a funky, humming place and a pleasant bike ride if you are staying near the Convention Center or Downtown (Portland IS bike-friendly).

This place is average; average service, average decor (none), average food quality. In short, AVERAGE. I probably won't be back here; there are simply too many excellent establishments to try first...

The best pizzaria ever !!!

We went here on the recommendation of friends. The place is divided into a pub/bar take out counter. Unfortunately they do not indicate that when you enter. We finally got set, and tried the fish & chips, halibut, and 2 one-half orders, plus 2 draft beers came to $45.00. The fish was excellent, but the "breading" , although light, didn't hold up to the traditional use of malt vinegar. As a result, the fish, and the fries, got soggy quickly. The food was very good, but the prices are a bit high.

Great stuff, friendly staff, nice seat out on the street - worth the drive across town from our hotel!

We ordered a full order of halibut and 1/2 order of the cod. The bill comes to .... wait for it - $ 42! This is the most expensive food truck fish & chips EVER! Quality of the fish is average to below average. Chips are typical seasoned french fries which you can get at a frozen section in your grocery store. Stay away

But we go for the music. The best of Portland music shows up here on a regular basis. Check their schedule. If you are lucky friends of the best musicians 'sit in' at Halibut's. Try the salmon chips and sweet potatoe fries. YUM!

Best fish and coconut shrimp in the neighborhood at a great price cooked fresh to order by the owner himself!

GREAT fish and chips. We went on a Sunday night. There was no wait. Service was prompt and the food terrific. There also was no blues band, but we went for the fish and were NOT disappointed. I had the salmon and my wife the cod. We traded pieces---both were excellent, light batter, not greasy.

A great food cart pod on, NE Killingsworth and 7th avenue. The original Halibuts is a great restaurant in the pod. Heated seating makes this a year round stop.

Had lunch there and the crab cakes were out of this world delicious. The blues venue is an added bonus.

Cute bar on Alberta Street. We like to go here when they have entertainment and for the fish and chips. Fabulous fish. Pricey but ya get what ya pay for!

Good food, in a good atmosphere.

Very average food at a premium price. It was highly recommended, so may be this is why we were so disappointed. The atmosphere seem to be nice and very laid back and the place was pretty empty, so at least we got to relax and eat with no rush. Service was nothing special too. Wont' be back.

No question just Go NOW! They skimp on the decor to provide you with Fresh flavorful deep fried fish.Try the Salmon or Catfish for an adventure and yes you are welcome!

The restaurant is no longer located on Alberta Street, but is a food truck at 625 Killingsworth Street. It's still great food with the best batter. Delicious Halibut and really good chowder.

If you've ever seen the original SNL cast do the Greek cafe skit ("cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger...") you can understand that Halibut specialises exclusively in fish & chips. The menu variety comes from what kind of fish you want and I went soley for the catfish. It was lightly battered, not oily at all and the sweet potato fries were very good, as was the beer. You can get a half-order if you like (2 pieces) which is nice.

Best Fish and chips in Portland, if not the world!

Want me to come eat? List your hours on your website...up front. Or maybe answer your phone? Seems pretty basic to me.

The address of 2525 NE Alberta Street is the address of this overpriced place we ate--although the sign out front read, "Halibut's II." Not just "Halibut's." We were so displeased, though, that I have taken the time to search through TripAdvisor to write up a poor review for them. And please realize my husband and I are not finicky eaters. We'll typically eat almost anything and pronounce it "good" or "fine." We are not picky about food. There was nothing terrible at this place. But we ate out almost every night of our almost month-long stay in Portland this past July and this was the *only* place that disappointed us. We felt pretty angry by the time we finished our meal, in fact, which is rare for us. So I suspect they've really gone downhill since some of these other glowing reviews were written. The selection was very limited. The food was nothing special. Mediocre at best. And it was very expensive for what you got. I mean, we both ordered seafood. I was prepared for seafood to be expensive. Fine. But for the price we paid, I would have expected better quality, taste and level of preparation than what we had had just a few days before for 1/4 of the price at a roadside stand. Bottom line is there's nothing terrible about it, other than just being way, way, way overpriced.

Best overall experience. Halibut and salmon were excellent; batter was light, not greasy, fish was flaky and perfectly done. Fries were yummy. Chowder was amazing! Tartar sauce was really great. Owner was super friendly and fun to talk to. Woman waiting for her order next to us drove from Tigard just for these fish and chips. Great little place with lots of food trucks and plenty of room to sit down. It was cold out, but there is warm indoor seating. Wonderful and friendly, outdoor atmosphere.

Halibut was very lightly battered and deep fried to perfection. It was all about the fish and there was plenty of it. Skin on fries were done nicely. Clam chowder was outstanding. Beware of the cocktail sauce for the shrimp cocktail. It's good, but try it slowly as it will bite. Overall a wonderful meal.

Ate here when location was on Alberta Street and loved the food and the atmosphere. Came back to new location and the food was just as fantastic out of the food truck. Chowder is to die for as well. You will not be disappointed!

The Original Halibuts has relocated to a food court at 625 NE Killingsworth Street in Portland. Based out of a truck, David is once again cooking up what may be the best fish & chips in the United States. Popular orders are two generous pieces of cod, halibut or salmon and a pile of hand cut fries served with sides of tarter and David's unique cocktail sauce with a touch of horseradish. Seating is outside and limited but shared among the dozen eating establishments that are laid out in a horse shoe around an old gas station where there are still two immaculate restrooms. Not the Ritz but really good fish fried in wonderful batter leaving a flaky yet firm fish that is literally worth driving an hour to enjoy.

This is very good fish & chips. My favorites are the halibut, of course, the Tiger Prawns, and the Ahi Tuna. Never had Ahi Tuna fried? This is pure genius. The cubes of battered, sushi-grade Ahi are frozen solid when they go in the frier. So when you get them they are crunchy on the outside but sushi in the middle. Terrific! Pineapple cole slaw is too sweet for my taste but the sweet potato french fries are excellent and the Unfiltered Organic Fishtail Pale Ale on draft is the best! Some weekend nights they have live blues at 8pm. Some very limited sidewalk seating available.

I'm going on 70 and justbgot back from being treated by my son to the absolute best Chowder I have ever had, and I had eaten a lot of chowders. Everything about it is most excellent and the prices, more than fair; we got two 32oz containers to go. The Halibut was fresh off the boat, super moist, full flavor and a great thin batter coating that was not oily, it wad perfect. And their tarter sauce, mmmmm; and the cocktail sauce, the best ever. You gotta go there. Thanks son.

Great fried food with lots of variety in the fish. Try the salmon!

we returned to halibuts on a cold morning and had a bowl of clam chowder....we received some crackers too...the soup was so good, and full of flavor...the cart pod si fun and relaxing....the man who runs it is so funny and quick...the service is great, and nice and serene..............we love eating there...thx...