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The Top List of Romantic Restaurants - Portland, OR
There is no better way to show your significant other how much you appreciate and love them than a nice romantic dinner
by Katie Shimer & Jason Berzow
You are seated in a dimly lit restaurant, the melodic overtures of a hi-fi stereo quietly sounding above you. You look across the candlelit table into the eyes of your loved one, raise your wineglass, and smile. Relationships, whether years old or only a day, demand celebration, and there is no better way to show your significant other how much you appreciate and love them than with a nice romantic dinner. Below you will find a listing of Portland's top ten romantic restaurants, a compilation of intimate food establishments sure to whet your palate as well as sweep your loved ones off their feet.
Farm Café
10 SE 7th Ave., Portland, OR 97214, (503) 736-3276
Hours Mon-Sat 5 pm-midnight, Sun 5 pm-11 pm
Located in an adorable 1880s farmhouse, this owner-operated Portland café is a staple for a romantic, yet affordable meal any night of the week. Polished wood floors, dim lighting, and rolling leather chairs give the Farm high points for comfort and ambiance, as does the food. The melted Brie with fruit appetizer is amazingly sweet, creamy, and great for sharing, as is the cheese ball coated with nuts. Menu staples include the tofu marsala swimming with fresh mushrooms, and the salmon or halibut with whatever brilliant sides the kitchen has decided on. With your meal try an affordable glass of Oregon wine, or an inventive specialty cocktail made by the highly skilled barkeeps. After dinner you simply cannot pass up the chocolate soufflé with coffee ice cream, which tastes like a molten brownie, and is simply one of the best things on earth.
Estimated Cost per person: $21-$31
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas Day-Closed
Collosso Restaurant and Tapas Bar
1932 NE Broadway St., Portland OR, 97232, (503) 288-3333
Hours: Sun-Thurs 5 pm-midnight (or later), Fri-Sat 5 pm-2 am
Stylish yet intimate, Collosso is a great place for a steamy first date or a five-year anniversary dinner. With small, well-spaced tables lit with candles, dramatic draperies, innovative rotating artwork, and modern music Collosso wins big points with the both the hip and neighborhood crowds. Spanish tapas food fills the innovative menu with items like the spicy nut appetizer, a pear and apple salad, paella with chicken, chorizo, prawns, clams, and calamari, the Moroccan chicken with pistachios and couscous, or the pepper-rubbed sirloin. A massive drink menu is filled with creative delights like the Smells Bells made with mint, house-infused orange vodka, and cranberry juice or the powerful Lime Richard, made with a variety of liquors, plus lime juice and coconut milk.
Estimated Cost per person: $25-$35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Open (Subject to change)
Navarre
10 NE 28th, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 232-3555
Hours: Mon-Thurs 10:30 am-10:30 pm, Fri 10:30 am-11:30 pm, Sat 9:30 am-11:30 pm, Sun 9:30 am-10:30 pm
When you love someone enough to share your dinner with them Navarre is the spot to celebrate. This sleek industrial space has plenty of small wood tables, a couple larger ones for bigger parties, and a bar for those who are eating small. Dining at Navarre requires teamwork; you and your loved one build the perfect dinner together by checking off items on their paper menu, much like ordering sushi. Try the trout steamed in parchment, or the beef in wine sauce (menu changes regularly), and don’t miss out on the greens or assorted olives. The food is basic, but utterly delicious, and hearty enough that you’ll feel full without feeling sick. Along with your dinner Navarre offers an extensive, and intelligent wine list that can be ordered by the glass, quarter carafe, half carafe, or bottle. For dessert, the restaurant serves fancy chocolate with port wine, as an elegant end to a perfect dinner.
Estimated Cost per person: $21-$31
Holiday Schedule: New Year’s Eve-Open, New Year’s Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas Day-Closed
Chart House
5700 SW Terwilliger Blvd., (503) 246-6963,
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:30 pm, Mon-Sat 5 pm-10 pm, Sun 5 pm-9 pm
Perched above the city of Portland and outfitted with huge windows, The Chart House is as romantic a spot as any to enjoy a steak or seafood dinner. Enjoy a view of the Willamette River, the newly built space-age tram, and on a clear day, Mt. Hood. While dinner can be pricey, this is a perfect venue for an anniversary or special occasion when salmon, prime rib, lobster tail, or surf and turf are in the budget. Reservations are recommended, especially to secure a window-side table.
Estimated Cost per person: $31-$40
Holiday Schedule: New Year’s Eve-Open, New Year’s Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
LUCY'S TABLE
704 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209-1305
(503)-226-6126
Hours: (Mon-Fri) 5pm-9pm (Sat-Sun) 5pm-11pm
This dimly lit renaissance-style eatery situated at the heart of trendy NW 21st offers a plethora of mouth-watering treats for even the most cultivated pallet. From the moment you enter you are swept away by the deep-purple tapestries and stained glass lamps. The royal ambience is perfect for any troubadour seeking to woo his princess with savory treasures and aesthetic décor. The menu is constantly changing, owing to the creative juices of the restaurant's chef, but nevertheless the menu never fails to please. Current mouth watering treats include cured salmon with spiced crème fraiche and served with grilled soft bread or the veal cutlet cooked in a fine Marsala wine with wild mushrooms, mustard greens, soft polenta, and concord grapes. No romantic night out is complete without surrendering to the cravings of your sweet tooth, and Lucy's Boca Negra, a warm dark chocolate cake served with frangelico whipped cream and port-soaked cherries, is enough to make your head spin! Recommended seating: Ask for the corner seat under the large painting, it's the most intimate seat in the house.
Estimated cost per person = $25-$40
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
WILD ABANDON
2411 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97214
(503)-232-4458
Hours (Fri-Sat) 5:30pm-11:00pm (Sun-Thu) 5:30pm-10:00pm
From the outside it looks like a normal restaurant, another indistinct eatery in the up and coming Belmont district, yet one look inside will make you see why its name is more than fitting. Upon entering you are greeted by a colorful display of wall murals depicting nude Grecian nymphs frolicking in paradise. If that's not enough to get those passion juices flowing perhaps a taste of their sensuous food will. For starters there's Ginger's Prawns, a juicy delicacy of lime and ginger flavored prawns served with chilled daikon radish and cucumber salad. Entrees deserving of mention include the Winter Chicken, a free-range chicken with a cranberry-walnut chutney, and The Filet of the Wild, a free-range and organic beef tenderloin, grilled with wild mushrooms and port wine. For desert there's plenty to choose from but the Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Tort is a perfectly sweet finish to an evening of romantic splendor.
Estimated Price per person: $40
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
THREE DOORS DOWN
1429 SE 37th Ave Portland, OR 97214-5103
Hours: (Tues-Sat) 5pm-10pm
Located in the heart of hippie Hawthorne Blvd, this small quaint Italian restaurant can be a lengthy wait, so be sure to wear your walking shoes. Hawthorne Boulevard is chock full of interesting shops to divert your hungry stomach while you wait. Nevertheless, the wait is worth it. Perfect for candle-lit dinners with your sweetheart, Three Doors Down has a simple yet elegant décor to match their simple yet exquisite food. Recommended entrees are the Penne with Vodka sauce served with a fine meaty sausage, or any chicken dish on the menu. Plus, for the wine connoisseur in you there is a lengthy menu of choice vintages, locally and from around the world, to match anything you order.
Estimated Cost = $15-$25
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Closed, New Years Day-Open, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
CAFFE MINGO
807 NW 21st Ave
Portland, OR 97210
(503)-226-4646
Hours (Sun-Thu) 5:00pm-10:00pm (Fri-Sat) 5:00pm-11:00pm
Portland's Northwest district is bustling with all kinds of culinary establishments, and so it is no surprise that here is yet another unique northwest bistro sneaking its way into the top ten romantic restaurants in Portland. The café's unique design allows for a roomy compactness that adds to the intimacy while not making one feel claustrophobic. In addition, a wall of windows at the front of the restaurant lets in the evening twilight and provides a perfect place for street watching. As for the food, which is inventive without being eclectic, I would recommend the Spiedini Di Gamberi for starters. An exquisite appetizer of shrimp seasoned with red pepper flakes and fennel seed and threaded on a skewers with croutons. The entrees, Italian infused with a heavy touch of creativity, makes Caffe Mingo one of the more scintillating places to go for an interesting meal. Where else can you get Maiale Ai Ferri, a seasoned, double-cut pork chop grilled and served with pear sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes, and house vegetables or Penne Al Sugo Di Carne, a penne pasta served with beef lightly cooked in Chianti and espresso?
Estimated Price per person-$30-$40
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
IL PIATO
2348 SE Ankeny St
Portland, OR 97214
(503)-236-4997
Hours Lunch (Tues-Fri) 11:30am-2pm Dinner (Sun-Thu) 5:30pm-10:00pm (Fri-Sat) 5:30pm-1:00pm
This fine Italian restaurant, snuggled cozily in Portland's close-in Southeast, defines the ambience of its dining room as one where "daydreaming is inevitable." With hanging candelabras, flickering candles, and a rustic Italian wall design, that is certainly no understatement. Along with array of small dinner tables for outside eating, Il Piato is a perfect place for summer romance. The restaurant's standard Italian cuisine is complimented by an eye for creativity in such amorous dishes as lasagna filled with layers of roasted eggplant, yams, grilled zucchini, and ricotta cheese and topped with béchamel, mozzarella cheese, and a pine nut crust, or home-made made ravioli stuffed with roasted pumpkin, gorgonzola, caramelized hazelnuts, and fresh thyme and served in a prosciutto and sun-dried tomato cream sauce. If you're experimental like me, the marinated rabbit cooked slowly in a sauce of red wine, orange juice, raisins, and prosciutto will be right up your alley. When it comes to combining a romantic setting with equally passionate food, Chef and owner, Eugene Bingham is certainly no novice.
Estimated Price per person -$21-$35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
MARRAKESH MOROCCAN RESTAURANT
1201 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209
(503)-248-9942
Hours (Daily) 5:00pm-10:00pm
Take a ride on the "marrakesh express" to this traditional Moroccan restaurant complete with long couches, pillowed stools, low-sitting tables, and an array of customary rugs, urns, and tapestries. The astral sounds of Middle Eastern music as well as the no frills dining make this traditional eatery an inexpensive, yet sensuous choice. Maybe it's just me but there's just something so sensual about eating with your fingers! Plus there's belly dancing every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening. For just $17.95 per person you get Traditional Lentil Soup, Salads Marrakesh, B'stellela Royale, and a choice of entrees, including braised Cornish hen served with preserved lemon sauce and olives, braised lamb in tomato sauce served with fried eggplant, or the catch of the day baked in tomatoes, bell peppers, and garlic sauce. After dinner you just might feel like breaking out the hookah!
Estimated Price per person-$20
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
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