Departure Restaurant + Lounge

Doesn't Recommend

ForkInHand

Joined 4 years ago

Not all it's hyped up to be but views are great. Located inside the Nines Hotel on Morrison Street in Downtown Portland on the 15th floor, this is where those wanting to be scene flock and frequent. The implication is dress to impress - this is not a casual fine dining restaurant. Very trendy and very spendy (even for those who don't mind throwing down some cash). The portions are VERY small but taste good. The servers and bartenders seem indifferent, which no one seems to mind. THE VIEW from the outside patio or windown dining seats are INCREDIBLE! My recommendation: take a date here for pre-dinner drinks to enjoy the design and the fabulous views, or gather up your girlfriends or buddies for a couple Friday/Saturday night drinks. Esthetically pretty, but not down to Earth. TIP: If you expect to get in after 9pm on a Friday or Saturday be prepared to drop a $50 or $100 bill to the hostest near the elevator or you will wait in line indefinitely - this comes from personal experience of myself and friends. Enjoy!

Doesn't Recommend

mark humphrey

Joined 8 years ago

Nice View - That was about it. Was disappointed in the extremely small food portions for the price, and each meal came out for our table of four at different times. Maybe the way it is supposed to be, but just so you know what your getting. . .Kobe meatballs ordered for dinner ($15). Served on a tiny appetizer plate with "only" 3 meatballs. Lamb chops ($21) - two little chops, mostly bone and sized for a toddler. We also ordered sashimi for an appetizer ($15), a total of 5 small pieces of tuna and yellow fin.

My wife ordered the Harami Garlic skirt steak which was very tasty. The meatballs had good flavor.

There were 4 of us having dinner - -my meatballs came out first, then about 5 minutes later, another meal, the a few minutes later, another meal and then my wifes, which was about 10min after my meal.

Maybe we mistaked how this place works and everything is really appetizers and shared at the table at different times. Still not sure.

Again, just so you know what you are getting into. The view from the outdoor bar is quite nice.

Recommends

Ashley Gartland

Joined 5 years ago

Rooftop bar and modern Asian fare lure the see and be seen.. The words dive bar don’t factor into the vocabulary of the polished urbanites who convene in this slick white and blond wood space fit for after-work cocktails. Large-scale wall maps and white leather captain’s chairs at the bar hint at a travel theme; the small plate menu draws inspiration from Asia with offerings of juicy pork buns, rice cracker crusted fatty tuna, and Wagyu short ribs. Inside and out, there’s plenty of space to sit and mingle including the substantial center bar, coves of tabletops for two, a lounge area done up in punchy royal blue and two rooftop bars with stunning city views.