Vindalho

Recommends

Snappysan

Joined 4 years ago

Fantastic setting, wonderful, creative food, professional service.. My wife and I have been to Vindalho quite a few times. We really love the bar and we've done the bar probably more often than we've done a booth or table. You can see the whole room and it's fun to people watch and just observe. We've gotten to know Shannon the bartender and she is just terrific and very friendly. It's been incredibly consistent - some of our favorites are the mussels (coconut curry! fresh chiles!) - not to be missed, and the naan with chutneys which are fantastic. I've had a Steelhead special (unbelievable) , the pork Vindalho, Lamb Kofta, and the Somosa's which are divine. The tandoor flat iron steak is great too. This is a first rate restaurant operating at a very high level doing a modern interpretation of classic Indian dishes. This is one of the best and most creative restaurants in Portland. Don't miss it.

Recommends

zucharo

Joined 4 years ago

What a great night. Such a wonderful night!

Had a visitor from Seattle and decided to go to Vindalho for dinner when we heard they were gluten free friendly as my friend is extremely allergic to gluten. She was blown away! We went in expecting a couple of gluten free choices, and was more then pleasantly surprised when there were lots! Our waiter, Tim, heard "gluten free" and he immediately went over the entire menu and said yea or nay to choices. All she kept saying during the meal was, "this is sooo good.." I didn't have any restrictions, but decided on a prawn dish, and must say it was THE most perfectly cooked prawns I ever had. It was quite busy, and we never felt neglected. And if you like Martinis.....the Ginger Lemongrass Martini is a must!! Loved the vibe of the place, loved the food, loved the service.....can't wait to go back!

Doesn't Recommend

t7_george

Joined 5 years ago

Is that my entree? I already ate my appetizer.. Take everything you love about Indian food and throw it out. Then turn around and pick out one of two notable spices, starting with clove. Then make a dish that reminds you more of the Mediterranean then a fully engaging and satisfying Indian dish. I have never been so disappointed by Indian cuisine. The price was unreasonable for the portion size. I initially thought the waitress had forgot the rest of my plate. Another classic example of Portland's pretentiousness without justification. In you are really after Indian food stick to India House, Swaggat, or New Dheli.

Doesn't Recommend

gabrielsm

Joined 5 years ago

Mediocre establishment, which has somehow fooled a great number of people. I can only take the success of Vindalho as an example of the fawning that can haunt Portland's food culture and its better judgment. Because of the success of Lauro, its chef gets preemptive raves for his next spot, Vindalho, which is, essentially, mediocre Indian food that has been jacked up in price and served to you within a chilly, chic setting that strives to convince you that you're eating on the cutting edge of creative cuisine. Had Vindalho come out of the blue, with no connection to an established chef, it probably would have been dismissed. I've been there three times with a party of four, so I've tasted the bulk of its dishes. It's menu is never particularly interesting, some standards with a flourish or two. For all its talk of the glory of spice (or whatever), its dishes are bizarrely bland, often insipid. A chicken tikka, while moist, simply tasted like a grilled chicken kabob, with nothing to distinguish it from what you might pop out of your backyard grill. A mixed greens salad was a standard, drab affair. A pumpkin samosa tasted as if filled with an anonymous, starchy filling, not particularly recognizable as pumpkin, and without flavor. A couple of curries were middling, certainly not terrible, but bland and uninspired. Paneer pakora is the standard version, which you can find at any Indian spot in the world (or this city) for a lesser price.

Look, Vindalho is not actively awful. It's edible, sometimes remotely pleasing. The ingredients are of high quality. The staff is pleasant, a bit aloof. But it's simply a scam: a bland, mediocre, extremely overpriced Indian restaurant, dressed up in a chic but unwelcoming space, the whole package carefully promoted and well-publicized, a venture in skilled business but not skilled cooking. Skip it. There are better Indian restaurants in this city.

Recommends

technogeeku

Joined 5 years ago

Best indian-American fusion. + excellent indian-american fusion food, moderately spiced. People should know that not all Indian dishes are mouth-scaldingly hot and spicy.

+ non-traditional items on the menu. we found a Bengali fish curry which turned out to be very authentic (my wife is a Bengali)

+ non-alcoholic drinks are great and innovative

- expensive

- the ambience is not suitable to bring a date

Doesn't Recommend

Soldierchild

Joined 5 years ago

A waste of resources..... A fancy box with absolutely no substance. The menu is small, with very few vegetarian options. The service was weird - I couldn't tell if the woman that was serving us hated us or was just that way... The dahl was burnt, the fancy veggie item we ordered could have been made at home with little understanding of Indian cuisine and for ten dollars less. When you order the Naan, be warned its only one piece, the server could have told us. The chutney's are good.

If you are one of "those" people, that need to be in a new fancy spot, go, waste your money. If you truly like traditional Indian food, go to a proven source.

This place needs to get it together. Walk the talk or we will walk up the street.

Doesn't Recommend

adinamatasaru

Joined 8 years ago

What happened to customer service??. Where do I start? First, if you have a baby, "DO NOT ENTER!"...they'll look at you like you're from another planet. The hostess informed us the wait would be roughly 15 minutes until she saw the baby...15 minutes quickly turned into 45...did I mention that there were four open tables with no one waiting? The waitress was pleasant at first, then from out of no where appeared Mrs. Hyde. Shortly after the appetizers arrived we decided that it would be best to take our meals home due to the fact that it was way past the kiddo's bed time. She was very understanding and accomodated our request. We stayed at most half an hour...the bill came to around $100 and with that a $15 tip was appropriate (not bad for 30 minutes of work)...so we thought. The waitress took the bill and arrived soon after with our carry-out...she was not happy! My wife tried to thank her, but she abruptly handed her the bag of food, turned and walked away without saying a single word. What about the food you ask? Decent at best and definitely over-priced.

Recommends

uchylisa

Joined 5 years ago

Reminded me of a resturant in Vegas!. We ate at Vindalho on a Saturday night we made reservations on Saturday morning and had the choice of 5:00PM or 8:30PM. We took 8:30. We were seated promptly on arriving, our appetizer came quickly after ordering. Watch that chili sauce it's pretty spicy so be sure your water glass if full before you begin. I had a specialty drink I was not happy with, but was assured that they had a bar tender in training and eventually after the people at the next table also didn't like the same drink she took it off our bill. My husband had the pork and I had the flat iron steak, both were delicious. The wine, Gamay Noir, that they suggested with the pork was fine with the food, but not so great otherwise. The naan was a bit tough and doughy. Dessert was VERY good, Chai Creme Brulee and Choc. Banana Samosas. During our meal there was a great lightening show and we were seated upstairs in so we had a fantastic view.

Recommends

twocatsblack

Joined 5 years ago

Elegant, high quality, innovative dining.. This is another of my favorite restaurants, especially when I am wanting to choose healthy, tasty Indian-influenced food. The selection is not huge for vegetarians but there are enough vegetables on their menu to be happy. And the vegetarian dishes, vegetable side dishes and appetizers are unusual and exquisitely prepared. The fish specials are amazing and they have an excellent cocktail and wine selection. The portions are generous, yet so healthy that you do not have to leave too full and feeling bad. Unlike most Indian restaurants, the menu is not heavy in the starch category. In addition, they have specials. Non-vegetarians will be quite happy here too. The service is very friendly (unlike the "other" restaurant of the same owners) and wait staff appear to be long term and experienced.

Recommends

PLocal

Joined 5 years ago

great indian fusion and service. What a find! We LOVE indian food but are always having a hard time finding a decent place, besides Bombay Cricket Club. This one was advertised in a great magazine that keeps coming to our house, MIX, don't know why it is but I'm glad it does. Anyway, it was listed as a great place because of it's chef. It was right on the mark, and it's located in the most tucked away cute spot in SE. It has great ambience, good for family or for just the two of you, like us. The food was fantastic. The price was steep but that seems to be very common anymore here in Portland. But I like being treated like a queen with incredible good food set down in front of me. Also, on a side note, they serve beer from this great microbrewery in Hood River that we really like - Double Mountain I think it's called. Yummy! Glad that little place has a foothold now in Portland.