(503) 231-7373
1752 SE Hawthorne Blvd
(Southeast 20th Avenue)
Portland,
OR
97214
45.5121
-122.6481
Neighborhoods: Hosford - Abernethy, Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program
Hours:
Wed-Sat 5:30pm-10pm
Price:
$$$
Parking:
Lot
Castagna Restaurant
What People Are Saying About Castagna Restaurant
The Editor
Ashley Gartland
Citysearch
Although Hawthorne Boulevard is an undeniably gritty, hipster ‘hood, this diamond in the rough attracts the high-brow tastes of middle-aged Eastsiders with its innovative cuisine. In the understated dining room, dressed up date-night couples slip into chocolate brown booths situated beneath bold artwork, then sample elegant farm-to-fork cuisine from the seasonally driven menu. Executive Chef Matthew Lightner tends herbs, flowers and produce in the restaurant garden, then transforms them into elegant dishes such as pickled, grilled and smoked onions served with fork-tender salt cod and a small…
11/05/09
My favorite restaurant
by Clarissa Fielding
We have enjoyed many memorable dinners at both the restaurant and the cafe (I won't discuss the cafe here since we continue to love it - we can still get many of the dishes in the cafe that used to be on the restaurant menu). I loved the former restaurant menu with the lightest agnolotti in town and so many other favorites. I wondered if I could adjust to the new approach. We have now eaten there several times since the change of both chef and menu and have not been disappointed. My crab dish was light and delightful, the mushrooms flavorful, the lamb rich and satisfying and the apple dessert out of this world. This restaurant is blazing a new trail and I, for one, would like to continue to explore it.
- Pros: food, service, decor/ambiance
- Cons: it's not near my house
11/03/09
Not a fan of the new menu
by ptownfood
OK. Friday Oct. 30, 2009 turned out to be a sad day for me. Castagna Restaurant has been my personal favorite Portland restaurant for years. I've eaten there easily 20 times. On Friday, I experienced the new menu for the first time, and it was not a good experience. I never would have imagined myself saying this, but it is possible I have eaten my last meal there. I ordered off the menu, rather than the chef's tasting menu, and it is possible that I ordered poorly (crab salad, agnolotti, lamb) but the food just was not that good. I enjoyed the simplicity and great flavors of the old menu. They still use great ingredients, but not to the same effect. The concept is to order several smaller plates (generally priced between $14-20). The crab salad was pretty, but literally 3-4 bites and the lemon flavor was overwhelming. You could always count on the agnalotti on the old menu, but the new version is miniaturized and missing everything that made the old version so great. The lamb was an interesting dish, and the dessert was the best part of the meal and saved this from a 1-star review. I fear the Oregonian review will be the death of the restaurant.
- Pros: Same great service, same great minimal decor
- Cons: The food
10/20/09
It use to be great, why change?
by tjleavitt
We had a great dinner there in the past it was the best ever, So we came back to do it agin,they made changes , not good changes, a very short meun. They now have big plates with tiny teaspoones of food.
We won't be back..
- Pros: Great service
- Cons: tiny bits at big prices
The Details on Castagna Restaurant
Save Money:
Join the rest of the neighborhood at the bustling Cafe Castagna next door where a lower priced bistro menu--and a buzzed-about burger--attract a nightly crowd.
Where to Sit:
Ask to sit at the back table, the only seat in the house that gives voyeuristic diners a peek into the busy kitchen.
Parking:
Finding parking in the neighborhoods surrounding the restaurant can be challenging. Fortunately, the restaurant has spaces marked for its customers in the Hinnson Baptist Memorial Church parking lot on the corner of 17th and Morrison.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
B.Y.O.B., Date Spot, Upscale Casual Dining, Notable Wine List, Prix Fixe Menu
Cuisine:
Smoking Permitted:
No
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