Trebol

10/20/09

What an amazing find!

by Caro5582

My mom was visiting from Newport and we decided to check out Mississippi St. for a new spot to eat. This restaurant is the real deal. We ordered 4 different plates and shared everything. The short ribs were absolutely unbelievable. The meat falls off the bone and the dish is perfectly seasoned. We also had fish tacos which were the best I ever had. The texture was amazing as the albacore was first lightly breaded in cornmeal which gave it a bit of a crunch. It came very simply with only guacamole on top but the flavor was so perfect that really was all it needed. Simply perfect. The drunken beans were savory and the boar tacos delicious. We also had the salad with mango, jicama, red onion and romaine and it was so refreshing, the dressing was light and went well with the different flavors. The flan was also a pleasant surprise and the margaritas were well balanced and with many to chose from I'm looking forward to returning.

My only warning is that this food is NOT Mexican American; you won't find cheaply produced massive plates of food where everything looks oddly similar yet has different names. This food is thankfully very far beyond that. I can't wait to take everyone I know to this restaurant.

• Pros: Best fish taco!!
• Cons: We didn't discover it sooner

10/05/09

Disappointing overall

by shirleysobrano

My husband and I visited Trebol shortly after it opened for dinner and enjoyed ourselves. We finally got an opportunity to try their brunch and were disappointed. Bloody Marias were great. Guac and chips great, but our entrees were so bland and tasteless-just not what we had been hoping for. Hopefully, their dinners have continued to be good, but brunch is, overall, no bueno.

• Pros: Great Bloody Marias and Chips
• Cons: Lacking in spice and flavor

09/04/09

the worst

by shoezies

This was by far the worst Mexican food I've eaten EVER! The Sangria was awful, the bun on my burger was literally crumbling into pieces and the fish dishes were super fishy. Not to mention how much things cost! We spent $184 for 8 people (2 of them children) and no one in our party was impressed at all. Not worth it:(

• Pros: homemade tortillas
• Cons: everything else we ordered

05/06/09

Wonderful

by rosegrrl

My husband and I ate here last night (Cinco de Mayo). We had a gift certificate, but were a little leery of the place, having read so many poor reviews here on Citysearch. May 5th is our anniversary, so we wanted to celebrate with a special dinner, but were a little worried that the place would be crazed with 'Cinco de Drinko' goers..

It was wonderful! We had booked a table and were seated immediately, the food was flavorful, fresh and beautiful, and the portions not at all as small as I had feared, after reading other reviews here. We ordered one appetizer to share and one entree each and were perfectly full by the time we were done. The ambiance also was great - they had a DJ and the decor was warm and comfortable.

I can only imagine that other reviewers were hoping for a more mainstream version of a Mexican restaurant: huge portions you have to take home, endless chips etc. It's not that. It's not cheap either, but the food is well worth the price - some of the best Mexican food either of us have found anywhere - and we'll go again, for sure - if only to take one of their cooking classes, or to taste one of their many, many tequilas!

• Pros: Wonderful flavors, attentive and knowledgeable staff.
• Cons: None come to mind

05/02/09

Such a Disappointment, We Had to Laugh

by hdigs

My boyfriend and I tried Trebol for the first and last time last night. The restaurant does have a nice ambience. We waited at the hostess desk for someone to put us down on the list, however, there was no hostess. Several servers walked by, but we were not greeted by one of them and our presence was not acknowledged. We stood there for at least 8 minutes. Finally, a man from the party waiting behind us got fed up and went to the bar to ask if someone could help us. He was informed that 'the hostess will take care of you'. Hmmmm. A bartender did come over eventually and he wondered aloud where the hostess was. Lo and behold, she appeared after around 10 minutes and told us we would be waiting 20 minutes. I asked her what about the three available tables we could see. After another few minutes she said that it would actually be only a 5 minute wait. We were seated. I would not discount a restaurant just for this initial horrible first impression and was looking forward to the food.

They serve water from glass wine bottles - the water tasted extremely stale. I ordered a margarita, which was ok, but not extraordinary and took 10 minutes to get to the table. Our server brought us a complimentary plate of 2 tortillas which couldn't have been more than 4 inches across. So, yay! we each got one mini tortilla to dip in salsa. It made us laugh, it was so ridiculous. They were out of the turnovers, which is what we wanted to order for an appetizer. Instead, we ordered the halibut ceviche. It arrived with 4 tortilla chips. Wow, 2 for each of us. Of course, when we had eaten them, we still had a huge plate of ceviche left to eat. We asked for more chips to eat it with. The ceviche itself was bland, not enough lime, not enough salt, not enough cilantro. We also felt that, though the meat in our tacos was well done, and the presentation was nice, they relied too heavily on spiciness over real flavor. The crowning moment of the night was when we got the tab and found out that they charged us $2 for the extra plate of chips that made it possible for us to finish our ceviche. We felt extremely nickel and dimed for food that was just ok. If you want amazing tacos for a great price in NoPo, go to Por Que No!

03/24/09

biggest tequila bar in Portland

by gurrli5

I go back regularly for the great tamarind margaritas.fabulous! They also have tables outside for when the weather is nice. Its also kid friendly.

• Pros: good happy hour,fun staff,tasty food
• Cons: kind of spendy

11/04/08

Great little spot.

by Mogwine

I ate at Trebol back in Early September with a coworker of mine. It was a short bike ride from 30th and killingsworth to Missisippi. We sat outside so I can't speak for the atmosphere experience or service inside but we had a great time all the same. We sat on the nicely designed patio with several other tables. The food was great. I have never had barley at a mexican restaurant before and it was quite refreshing. I do admit, they are a little stingy with the tortillas, but heck if you really want some more then ask, we did, and they arrived shortly. We had a tres tacos platter and an abacore tuna dish. All ingredients meshed well together and nothing was overbearing. The beans might be a little to spicy for the faint at heart. All in all our experience was enjoyable. I'm not raving with excitement but I wont complain. It's a fine establishment. I shall return.

• Pros: Great patio with neat built in speakers..
• Cons: Patio chairs seemed a bit flimsy and wiry.

10/25/08

Yum!

by rockems

Delicious camarones appetizer - great sauce, spicy, garlicky, tasty. The Draper Chicken was great - meat falling off the bone. I really liked my seared tuna. The chanterelle enchilada was also very good - not a typical enchilada, though, so be warned. I would describe the food as Mexican Inspired Oregon Cuisine. Fresh, local, seasonal produce and I think everything is Organic. The owner spent a lot of time describing the menu to us by phone and you can tell he is a food lover. Portions are quite generous. Prices reflect the great produce, skill in preparation, flavors and quantity. I say the prices are fine for what you get.

08/27/08

I'm still Hungry

by steve681

The food is good, but I would definitely recommend that you eat prior to visiting this high end Mexican restaurant. It's also quite expensive, we spent around $70 for two persons. It started off with the waiter presenting three mini soft tortillas in place of bread with some spicy salsas. The fact that they only gave us three mini tortillas was kind of funny, but I liked the thought. The tortillas were good but I fought to have my partner split the other half with me. We dined on 3 Entree's (two were not enough for two) an appetizer that was good but comprised of 4 Tortilla chips with shredded chicken, tomato and parsley. That came to $11, it was very tasty just way too small for what we spent. I had the Albacore Tuna Tortillas, three small tortillas with toppings, $15.

The restaurant itself is very cute, nice outside area and the food is very well executed, just know that you might have to order a couple of Entree's.

• Pros: Nice interior
• Cons: Tiny Portions

Oaxacan cuisine made with seasonal, local ingredients is the focus at this Mexican hot spot in north Portland.

by Ashley Gartland

In Short
A glam bar, pendant lighting, and wooden wagon wheel chandelier make this open space appear at once comfortable and sophisticated, while the heated outdoor patio makes outdoor dining and imbibing a year-round option for fans of up-and-coming Chef Kenny Hill's flavorful Mexican cuisine. Dishes play up the local bounty, like traditional enchiladas enanced by wilted chard, wild mushrooms and zucchini and manila clams spiked with Serrano chilis and housemade chorizo.