Caffe Mingo

08/11/09

Great restaurant... interesting service

by jackson98 at Citysearch

My wife and I have been coming to Caffe Mingo for years, and are always impressed with the wonderful food and stellar staff. However, on a recent Friday night visit to Caffe Mingo, the service left a little to be desired. The staff has always been very friendly and attentive, but on this visit, our waitress Rosy (?) seemed too preoccupied with sitting at the front door talking on her phone. Meanwhile, our wine glasses sat empty and we were not offered dessert. We felt like we were keeping her when she brought our bill, so we left and had dessert and wine elsewhere. We've always loved the laidback atmosphere at Caffe Mingo, but our waitress' attitude was borderline apathetic. We will always be loyal customers of Caffe Mingo and will still recommend the place to our friends, we just hope that next time the service meets the standards we are used to.

• Pros: Great food, relaxed environment
• Cons: Very busy, doesn't take reservations

02/15/09

21st little secret got out

by eezydiner at Citysearch

Awsome wine, found my new favorate barossa here. Food features northwest seasonal ingredients, and this place is a great place for a date. Just make sure you get reservations on the weekend.

• Pros: very good wine selection
• Cons: limited seating, bar mingo is next door though

10/13/08

Cafe Mingo is like an old friend that never changes, and always leaves you comforted

by sylviaplatt at Citysearch

Ah, Cafe Mingo, some things never change. I dont usually take the time to write these sort of things, but there is something about this loud little restaurant that merits a moment of my time. I use to eat at Cafe mingo all of the time, but I had not eaten there in 2 years because of post baby chaos. My family and I were glad to sit at a wooden table in the back, and reminisce about the many great Mingo memories. We had to sit and wait 25 min next door at the new,mod Bar mingo, before we could be seated. The cocktail was yummy, but I was worried that maybe with all of this expansion something at our fav little cafe might have changed. Not true, Cafe Mingo was all that we fondly recalled....loud, busy, fun, and delicious. They even sent us out little scallop 'cruda' bites, just to make us really hungary! Cafe mingo is one of those little gems that seems to keep true to itself with simple yummy food. Our server made us laugh, and had us talking to the table across the way, while orchestrating a great meal, and recommended two bottles of vino that left us full, rosy cheeked, and happily sedated. A great sunday night We wont stay away so long next time!

08/27/08

food was not as good as i was led to believe and the service was bad

by cupolove at Citysearch

I had heard about Caffe Mingo from a variety of people as one of the places "to go to" in PDX for Italian food, so I was really looking forward to our experience there. The place is fairly small, so it's noisy when it's busy, that is to be expected. But it took a while for our server to come to our table to even greet us to start the evening, at least 15 minutes. Then when I selected our wines for our group (there were 6 of us) they were out of both of them. Slightly frustrated at this point I order a couple bottles of bubbly. They arrived another 15 minutes later, or so, and then we were able to place our dinner order. The appetizers were o.k., but I'd stay away from the gnocchi, it was more like a casserole than gnocchi. But the worst was the entrees. I had heard so much about the beef braised in Chianti, but the food was mostly bland and lacked texture. The waitress actually forgot to order one of the two orders of it we gave her (you'd think that 5 entrees for 6 people would seem odd to someone), but I got my food on time, and it was just lack luster. My buddy dish was the same when it finally arrived. My wife got a mixed seafood pasta in a light white wine cream sauce that was equally uninspired. Dessert wasn't bad, even though they were out of both dessert wines I ordered (imagine that), but not enough to make up for a meal I still can't believe we spent over $500, before gratuity (which the waitress somehow rationalized to include). Maybe it was just an off night, but it was really off. It'll be a while before I go back to give them a second chance.

• Pros: not much
• Cons: service was bad and food doesn't make up for it

04/05/08

Fun Restaurant and Great Staff

by darren17 at Citysearch

I was recently back in Portland after a year of living in LA. I eat out quite a bit, and rarely do I walk away with the notion that the service was perfect, but it was a rainy and packed Saturday night at Cafe Mingo where I had one of the best times in a restaurant in my life. My friend and I had a fantastic meal of a Lamb special, and crab pasta that was ridiculously good. The food was simple yet divine, the atmosphere loud and fun, and our server, Katie, was amazing. She paired a bottle of wine with our food, and everything was spot on and delicious . She was obviously very busy and she made every table feel at home in the packed front of the restaurant. This restaurant is fantastic, and most defineatly worth the wait.

02/25/08

Awesome server

by artlova at Citysearch

My friend and I stopped in for an early dinner Saturday night. The food (including acorn squash flan and incredible baked prunes with marscapone) was delicious, but the service was truly exquisite. I often find Portland service to be lackluster at best, but Katie at Caffe Mingo is an exception. She is knowledgeable yet easy going, friendly, and gives off a vibe that says she is genuinely happy to be there. She really made our experience fantastic. She knows her wine and food. Thanks, Katie!

05/05/07

exceptional salad and dessert!

by mu at Citysearch

Don't get me wrong; everything (except for pizza) that comes out of their open kitchen is fabulous......but the salad and dessserts are exceptional! The greens are crisp and lightly flavored with their original dressing. The desserts are not overly sweet or too rich. They are also served in a right portion in a very simple manner. It a very sophisticated dining experience you can expect from this restaurant.

• Pros: whole dining experience
• Cons: crowded

04/21/07

Loved it

by pubandgrub at Citysearch

Everyone in Portland should go to Cafe Mingo at least once. it reminds me of NYC style crowded bistros. it is all class all the way, high priced but well worth it. You wait in line while people pass your drinks to you from the bar..fire-line style. You sit at community tables which is fun and they have some romantic ones but hey lets face it the place is tiny and the food is LARGE..go for the food learn to love the ambiance..it is great once in a while to get out of the safety of your big comfy booth.

• Pros: oozing style, fun and different great great food fabulous wine selection
• Cons: the wait time can be a while and if you are out in the rain it isnt very fun

04/18/07

Cute and quaint

by msnortheastpdx at Citysearch

Caffe Mingo was a nice way to spend a romantic evening with my husband of seven years. I love Italian food - and I love the trio of Italian restaurants on this block. This was the first time we had ever been to Caffe Mingo, but it definitely will not be the last!

02/05/07

Flavorful and elegant food!

by galgas at Citysearch

Caffe Mingo is one of my favorite dining experiences so far here in Portland. The atmosphere is cozy, romantic, yet fairly casual, and the food is excellent. Their signature espresso braised beef and penne is strongly recommended, but everything I've had there so far has been outstanding. It's a small space, so you may want to make reservations.

• Pros: Excellent food, romantic atmosphere, relatively casual
• Cons: Make reservations