10/16/09

Very Consistant

by manfish28

We frequent Oba and find the food always consistant that is why we are repeat customers.

The Chef is imaginative, the flavors are amazing that he is able to blend together its a feast for the eyes as well as the palate .

It is still the best restaurant in Portland in my opinion.

• Pros: Great service and creative food
• Cons: Bar is a bit noisy but rocking

09/14/09

Original and unpredictable

by supsonic3

The first time we went to Oba, we had a three-course meal that was pretty good-- but the service was inattentive and bordering on rude.

The second time we went was amazing. We ordered appetizers (the gazpacho was so unique and refreshing on a hot summer day) and drinks. Their main room was closed for an event, so we sat in the crowded bar. We had no trouble finding a quaint window seat; when we were asked to move to accommodate a 10-top, we did so gladly. When we were asked to move a second time, our $60+ bill (for two people) was taken care of by management! Now that's what I call good service.

• Pros: Very original menu, good dinner packages
• Cons: Lack of parking, erratic waitstaff

07/17/09

Disappointing

by bnor24

This restaurant is hyped as one of the best in Portland, but I found it to be below average and way overpriced. The best thing that could be said about the food is that it's "interesting". However, in this case "interesting" doesn't translate into "good". Also, we felt rushed by our server during the meal. Maybe I'm just not hip enough to get this place, but I wasn't impressed.

• Cons: not as good as the hype

06/21/09

Nice happy hour!

by PON

Sunday happy hour -- what could be better?! We'd not been to Oba before, so thought this would be a great way to sample before we commit to the pricy restaurant, especially after reading some of the reviews here. We have no complaints! The room was comfortable and pleasant; our waitress was sunny, helpful and pretty quick; the drinks were fabulous, and the food was very, very good. The caesar salad wasn't what we were expecting, but tasty; coconut shrimp delicious (ok, maybe a little heavy on the sweet sauce, but shrimp were cook perfectly); the tostada sort of dish was FABULOUS; and a deep fried something with beef was very tasty. We'll definitely go back. Tip: the people beside us had the $7 happy hour burgers, and they looked great!

• Pros: Great happy hour!
• Cons: Will get back to you when I think of any

06/21/09

Charged us for birthday dessert we never ordered

by Breezygirl

The food is always great at Oba i'm not complaining there. The service is usually slow although the wait staff is always plesant. Just know you can't eat and run because drinks take forever to make it to your table. However when I went here for dinner this weekend for a friends birthday I was very let down. Service was slow as usual but whatever we weren't in a hugh rush. When the meal was finished the waiter brought out a chocolate cinnamon cake for my friend who's birthday it was. It had a candel in it and since we had not mentioned dessert or placed an order for it we assumed it must be competed. I was kinda of confused because I came here a month prior for my birthday and I ordered dessert after I was brought a menu, it was never just given to me. When the bill came there was her dessert on the bill. Her friend was buying the birthday girls dinner and she didn't want to say anything so the waiter was never asked about this. However if you go here for your birthday be warned that dessert is not free for your birthday and if they pull this sceme on you please say something, Its just not right!

• Pros: great food
• Cons: slow service, brought out bday dessert without asking

05/30/09

had a great time

by HansenB

My spouse and I chose Oba for a Friday dinner and were dazzled by the menu choices. We were both seduced by the mesquite steak, which arrived just the way we wanted it. I ordered the recommended red wine, which was appropriately assertive. The poblano-sweet potato soup was great. Wish I had some more right now.

• Pros: delicious food, friendly service
• Cons: parking is iffy

05/14/09

Overrated

by HonestFeedBack

I tried Oba last night to celebrate my husband's birthday and was sadly very disappointed. The service was decent and professional. However the food was not very good, and really over priced for the actually taste/value of the food. My husband had tuna, which was good, appies and drinks were okay. I had chicken with BBQ sauce which was horrible....I wanted to send it back along with a very poor quality Malbec, but did not want to ruin my husband's birthday. Dessert was decent, very sweet though.

Overall, things were chancy and over priced/rated for what you are getting.

• Pros: Good Service
• Cons: No Value

02/18/09

PLEASE READ AND MAKE THIS RIGHT

by smile4u

Dear Oba-

I hope you will take the time to read this and make up for this particular situation. My Birthday fall the on the 13th of February. Every year my fiance finds a nice place to take myself and several friends; unfortunately this time things didn't end up as smooth as we thought.

Our server was awesome, the drinks were coming and the food was just to be as expected; wonderful.

Towards the end of the night each person paid for their bill; it wasn't until the next night that my friend noticed that she was not only charged for her portion $40 some dollars but an additional $600 dollars was deducted from her account from Oba.

This was on a Friday night, caught on a Saturday evening which means banks are closed Sunday and go figure Monday was a holiday.

Normally I would say to be double charged is a hassle and a pain but it gets straightened out but to be charged an additional $600 and several hours put into researching the charge and straightening out NSF fees due to this charge is an incredible inconvenience and waste of time. Not to mention when she called to speak with the general manager he wouldn't speak to her.

This is disappointing to me because I'm in sales and work for a cruise line and we pride ourselves on service plus my friend is also a manager of Chang restaurant.

I feel this could have been handled better and think she deserves some type of compensation for her time and additional charges that were posted to her account due to Oba's error.

Thank you for reading and we look forward to hearing from you!

12/28/08

Disappointing Food, Disappointing Service

by beths75

My husband and I love Oba so planned to celebrate our 9-year anniversary there last night. What a let-down. While our favorite appetizer, the queso fundido, was fabulous as always, my pork mole dish was incredibly bland. Our server never came to ask about how the food was and we had to wave down another server just to get some salt to make my meat edible. My husband's steak dish was the complete opposite - succulent, flavorful and cooked exactly as he ordered. Why the inconsistency? He agreed the pork was awful. It seemed to take forever to get a dessert menu (probably 15 minutes or more), then just as long to get our server to take the dessert order. All in all 3/4 of the food we ordered was up to Oba's usual superb standard, but the remaining 1/4 was so awful it tainted the whole experience. The absent waitstaff is also subpar for Oba. Oba, I hope you pull it together soon. You're one of our favorite restaurants in Portland and we want to come back but to the old Oba, where the whole experience is divine.

12/06/08

Great Expectations Dashed

by ryely

Just returned from theater and dinner at Oba!; I'm writing while impressions are fresh. The play was wonderful but, except for the drinks and Ciappino special, our experience at Oba! was disappointing. Service began with a promising enthusiasm, but as soon as the large table next to us filled, we practically had to do handstands to get the attention of any of the wait staff. Crabcake appetizer arrived just AFTER our salads, though it had been ordered and expected to arrive before. Crab was pulverized, so cakes were mushy. All 3 prime ribs were much too well-done, though we'd discussed our preferences thoroughly with the server, who advised us which preparation to choose. One member of the family sent hers back -- well-done -- not even close to medium rare. Pear sorbet was offered to keep her busy while she waited for a new dinner. Though overcooked, the other two were so hungry, they ate theirs anyway. Mashed potatoes: too salty to eat. Green beans: uncooked -- not tender-crisp. Does anyone really like RAW green beans?There was no problem with drink orders -- obviously the big profit maker for this restaurant. After dinner, coffee arrived well after dessert, and lukewarm. Ten minutes elapsed and desserts were mostly gone before we could get someone's attention to request hot coffee, though staff passed by in a steady stream. Then, as we were finishing the last of our desserts, there was a perfunctory, "No more coffee? Anything else? Thank you for coming," all spoken as I was asking for more coffee! It was obvious the server needed to "turn the table" for the next seating. We felt pushed and rushed. In all, it was not what we'd hoped: Not the food, and not the service. This was once "Restaurant of the Year?" Stick with Happy Hour and don't bother with the overpriced dining room. A $35 prime rib should probably include a salad, but that costs an extra $7-$10. Oh, and that $35 hunk of beef should be prepared the way you clearly requested and discussed at length.

• Pros: Happy Hour Menu, Drinks, Cioppino Special
• Cons: Overpriced, Below average service, Meal too salty and overcooked, Felt rushed.