Mother's Bistro & Bar
(503) 464-1122
212 SW Stark St
Portland,
OR
97204
45.52
-122.6736
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighbors West - Northwest
Reviews & Ratings for Mother's Bistro & Bar
138 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 138 reviews
Questionable wallpaper... great crabcakes.
by artichokequeen
January 13, 2008
I don't know about the neo-Victorian ornate black velvet wallpaper in the lounge area or the shivering little glass chandeliers in the dining room- but thankfully the decor did *not* reflect the food--
Mother's had a *really* great selection on their menu, ever for an ultra-picky eater like myself. The servers were pleasant, the atmosphere was comfortable, and we didn't have to wait for a seat (two of us, Tuesday night 7-ish).
I read other reviews of this place and saw repeated complaints of the service and of their treatment of families with children. Again, I thought the service was more than accommodating so i cannot complain. But I agree that bringing kids here cannot be a fun experience for any of the parties involved.... you can find a better, more child-friendly place with squashier seats and less glass objects hanging from the ceiling than Mothers.
....However if you're looking for a nice not-way-too-fancy-and-overpriced dinner with friends or relatives or -ideally- just as a couple, I really suggest it. Portions were a little large, but we still managed to get down a slice of pumpkin cheesecake at the end.
- Pros: comfy food, comfy ambiance, apple-scented soap in the rest room!!
- Cons: probably not good for kids, probably not great parking (we walked..), weird velvet wallpaper
Great breakfast
by lrolka
June 20, 2009
My wife and I went here on a Saturday morning and for two the wait was not bad. The ambience is cheery and the wait staff seemed to be in a good mood if not a bit harried. I am willing to forgive a little sloppiness if the food is good though--and it was great. Simple and delicious. We had the Eggs Benedict and Blueberry pancakes with apple pork sausage. The eggs benedict was some of the best I've had: the eggs were perfectly poached, the english muffins were well-textured and the hollandaise sauce was extremely fresh. The red potatoes were a good compliment and had that desirable carmelly-crispy exterior. Recommended.
- Pros: Food was cooked perfectly
- Cons: Busy--but there are lots of tables
Made my boyfriend sick...
by lilajax
June 03, 2009
A couple months ago my boyfriend and I went to Mother's Bistro for a romantic anniversary dinner. The food was delicious, I got a pasta dish and he got the chicken and dumplings and we shared crab cakes. Unfortunately within a few hours he was holed up in the bathroom with his head in the toilet. I don't know if it was just an off night for Mothers, but he was feeling very sick for the rest of the night. Don't get me wrong, this is one of my favorite restaurants and I personally have never had a problem there other than the occasional slow service- but my boyfriend is too scared to go back with me. It's unfortunate.
- Pros: Delicious food
- Cons: He was throwing up all night afterwards
Mmmmm :)
by USNkimMarie
April 30, 2009
I've eaten at Mothers many times and I love it. They have lots of vegetarian options, the food is served quickly and all the servers are friendly and personable. The only (and I do mean ONLY) con is it's always busy. I would make reservations if you dont want to be waiting 45 minutes for a table.
- Pros: AMAZING food, nice people, cute atmosphere
- Cons: Busy busy busy
Reviews not helpful
by ILiketoEatOut
April 10, 2009
I have been reading these reviews trying to decide what then next great place to eat out would be and found these to be completely uninformative. The positive ones all look like a bunch of Sh*t.
- Pros: Some Real
- Cons: Some Fake
Screaming and rude....
by queenbee06
March 09, 2009
My fiancee and I had made reservations (a party of two) over a week before. When we came in, fifteen minutes before the reservation, we told the host staff that there would still be a wait. Being that we both have been in the service industry before, we were fine with that, and went to the bar to get a drink. However, about 45 minutes later, we still had not been sat. We asked the host about it, and were told that we should be next. Then, people who we know came in after us were sat. We asked again, and were told they were friends of the manager!?! Already offended, we were finally sat. Our seat was right next to the kitchen. We could hear f-bombs coming left and right in the kitchen, and a woman yelling at everyone. Our server came to the table, and she was sweet as can be. Very nice, rather soft spoken, but knew her menu when we asked questions about it. Of course, after placing our order, we heard the same woman yelling at someone in the kitchen again, and our server came out and was obviously shaken up. We got our lunch, it was disgusting. I had a potroast thing, but it just tasted like salt. The chef (we found out also the owner) came up to the table to ask how everything was, and low and behold, it was the same voice as the woman yelling rudely at everyone (including our server). I told her the server was great, but the food was horrible. The woman left, and we heard her AGAIN screaming at people in the kitchen. This just made my fiance so angry, it ruined his lunch. We just left cash on the table and left. Never going back, unless it's to offer the server we had a better job where she is not treated so badly.
Pros: Our waitress
Cons: Host staff, reservation policy, food, and most of all, the Chef/owner
Mother's food is fabulous,atmosphere not so much...
by dlockpdx
February 25, 2009
I recently spent a Sunday morning waiting my turn to eat at Mother's after the male host had told me it would be 45 minutes to an hour before he could seat my party of 4.He had informed me that in the future,we could make reservations in advance,at least 2-3 weeks ahead of time,but not on the same day for saturday or sunday.After 40 minutes,he apologized for the wait and seated us.Shortly after, our server took our order and was very thorough.We were sitting next to a kitchen door,and repeatedly heard a woman's voice barking out orders, and belittling kitchen staff.Shortly after our food arrived,a woman came out of the kitchen,asked us how everything was, and lo and behold she had the same voice as the one we heard earlier,except this time she was pleasant. Come to find out she was Lisa Schroeder, owner and chef of Mother's Bistro. Had I been spoken to in that manner, like what was overheard from the kitchen,I would have quit there on the spot. No employee should be talked to in that manner, let alone where patrons and customers can hear.In this time of economic distress,I pity all of the employees that have to work there and be treated in such a manner.On the upside,the staff,from the host,to the server, and even the busser, are pleasant and attentitive,and the food is the best I've had in Portland.Worth the wait.
- Pros: Great staff
- Cons: Overheard kitchen conversations, apparently high-strung owner/chef
Horrible service!
by Ptown84
February 01, 2009
We went there on 01/30/09 for a friend's birthday and the group of 12 will never go back there again and will be sure to inform our friends. The gentleman that brought our water and bread was in a bad mood, we asked him how his night was and he replied with Shi**y. The lady that was our waitress seemed bothered all night when we were ordering and getting drinks. They only allow 4 debit/credit cards to be ran, so I had everyone give me their cash and we split the bill with two debit cards. My total came to 123.00 and the other total was 47.00, they ended up charging me 227.00 and the other guest his 47.00 ( our bill was 171.00 not 274.00) I was told that they get calls about this all the time and that my money should have been in my account on Saturday. It still hasn't happened and when I called to speak to the Manager I was told that he has to call me back. I'm still out 104.00 and horrible service. I work in Customer Service and hate complainers but this one really got to me.
- Pros: Macaroni and Cheese was really good.
- Cons: Employees, service.
Lousy Service
by kesh
December 10, 2008
**I'm revising my rating because Lisa, the Executive Chef and Owner actually cares about customer feedback. I'm giving this restaurant a recommended because it sounds like she is going to work with her staff to rectify some of the following. However, the review remains the same because this actually happened.**
The food here was good BUT the service is horrible! The hostess told us a 5-10 minute wait time. After 20 minutes, the same hostess said we would be next. Then a couple of minutes later she seats another group that got there after us. When she did call our name we went up and she asked us for the name. She then tried to put us on the wait list again. Does she have short-term memory loss? The water person dumped a lot of water all over our table, wasn't very apologetic, dabbed at the spill a few times with a disposable napkin and then took off. The waitress or kitchen screwed up the order for the table next to us. This sent the waitress into a frenzy which meant that our table was pretty much ignored while she returned over and over again to their table to apologize, and then would leave in such haste you couldn't get her attention. We wanted boxes for our food and to leave. She finally boxed up our food but neglected to run my card. We finally hailed down another employee who ran my card and then we were finally able to leave.
- Pros: Food
- Cons: Terrible, horrible service
we LOVE Mother's, and will certainly be taking out of town guests
by jennavv
December 08, 2008
We love to go try new places in Portland and Mother's is a recommendation we're only too happy to pass on to others! We love this place. I love to cook, but it's nice to step out and have some home made tasting meals served to me so I don't have to do the dishes. The portions are just right, the food is cozy and delicious; I had a cream of turkey soup one night that I would replace Thanksgiving dinner with it was so decadent and tasty! We love their drink menu, the biscuits and rolls they serve before dinner, and the cookies that come with the receipt. We loved dinner so much we had to go for breakfast, and they didn't disappoint on that front, either. Their specials are fantastic, and we cannot wait to go for their lunch menu. We have plans to take out of town family and friends here, for happy hour, for dinner, for brunch! This is a real little gem. Yes, you might have to wait for a seat. So take a walk, have some small talk. Once you're seated it's just a short wait to an enjoyable meal!
- Pros: the food, the interior, the warmth, we've always had great service
- Cons: the wait can be bad on a Sunday morning, but it's worth it
My favorite breakfast place.
by bumpskier1
December 06, 2008
Mothers serves up the best breakfast. Everything I have had there has been amazing. Usually you have to wait for a table and the staff is always great. The service is always good.
- Pros: Food, Service & atmosphere
- Cons: Parking
