Oba Restaurant

06/27/2008 Posted by ldgage

Having a reservation, we were quickly, courteously seated. The soups were somewhat exotic, but very good. Our entrees of prime rib and sea bass were delicious. The desserts were deadly. Service was that outstanding feeling when the server is always aware, quick to respond. Oba participates in the restaurant[dot]com coupons, so the higher prices are partially offset.

Pros: Unique fare, delicious entrees & desserts, service

Cons: parking in the Pearl district

05/29/2008 Posted by seto2424

We showed up to Oba for happy hour right at 4pm on a Friday. This must be the best time to go to this spot being it was pretty empty and I've heard it is usually difficult to find a table during happy hour. The prime rib coyotas were fantastic and the chicken tacos were very tasty! Cosmos and margaritas were great!!! We will be back for sure... maybe for dinner (the dinner menu looked great!).

Pros: happy hour, good looking staff, drinks

04/15/2008 Posted by pdxfoodwine

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Oba this past weekend and our experience was well beyond our expectations. First of all, we had been there before for drinks and tapas, but not a full course meal. It tends to be loud in the bar area, acoustics need some refining, but in the dining area it is much more peaceful. The atmosphere is nice. First, we ordered a bottle of Spanish red wine, they have many of Latin wines to choose from. Our only criticism with the wine list: it is more expensive than their many of their competitors. We don't mind paying 100% retail mark up, but 200++% is stretching it. The food: the calamari for starter, it was very, very tender, tasty and one of the best we've had. The butter lettuce salad with Spanish blue, bacon was also wonderful and was a great accompaniment to the wine. If you want bread, you have to ask for it, we didn't need it. Main courses: halibut (special menu), it was a harmonious blend of herbs and fresh flavors; the prime rib was perfectly cooked and side dishes were very tasty. Portions were about the right size (not huge, but just right). Dessert, we had an interesting baked Argentina, it was a fun dessert with fired marshmallow type cream arranged over ice cream, chocolate/caramel. Our server was amazing. He was attentive, but not overly. Very personable and went the extra mile. We usually get 1-2 excellent servers a year and he was one of them. Pedro was an absolute gem and made our evening extra special!! He never missed a beat and was always one step ahead of our needs, he is what service should be! On to the restaurant: because we want to provide an honest review, we have some constructive criticism: prices for the food are higher than comparable restaurants in the area. When wine prices and food prices are higher than competitors a restaurant is at risk for losing repeat "regular" customers. It is a great place for special occasions in our case.

03/09/2008 Posted by pdxhappy1

After reading some of the reviews, we were a bit concerned about trying a new place. However, we have been twice now and both times were absolutely perfect. The service, food and atomosphere all exceeded our expectations. We even tried the online reservations and they worked great, too. Thanks for being a great place! We will be back.

Pros: perfectly prepared seafood - excellent service

Cons: none

02/06/2008 Posted by jenl

Service was mediocre at best. Used to be one of my faves and have been very disappointed the last few visits. Don't bother!!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/02/2008 Posted by kickitover

My sister was visiting from outside the country and after seeing all the rave reviews, I made a reservation. While the service was pretty good, the food fell below expectations. We ordered the queso fundido appetizer. This was really good but it was downhill from there. My sister got the Roasted Jumbo Prawns and I got the Ahi Tuna. We agreed that the taste quality was just average at best. The tuna had too many flavours going on--a pepper crust, coconut curry, pineapple salsa, thinly sliced scallion.... Also like other reviewers say, the drinks are overpriced and weak. I will not recommend that place to friends. Maybe we had bad luck and ordered the wrong things but at these prices, I'm not going to take my chances and go back for something else.

Pros: service

Cons: Food, drinks, and we had a really strange and awkward seating set up

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/22/2007 Posted by ewinpdx

We had guests in from out of town and were looking for somewhere new to experience together. A coworker told me about Oba so it sounded like the perfect new place to try. We couldn't have been more impressed. Our reservations were for Saturday night and the place was buzzing. We were a bit early so started in the bar with a cocktail and when our table was ready moved seamlessly to the restaurant. They have a great system in place so you don't have to settle your tab in the bar before going to your table. We then started with appetizers and moved on to our entree and followed with desert. Eventhough it was a busy Saturday night, we never felt rushed which was wonderful. When you top it off with amazing food and attentive service, we could not be more happy. We will definitely be back!

Pros: food, atmosphere, service

Cons: a little noisy

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/06/2007 Posted by nothingnew2me

To get the full purpose of a review, I find it’s important to know the reviewer. I’m a man of 30 making a modest income. Dinner at a three dollar sign restaurant is a special occasion. Like the other night – my girlfriend & my year anniversary. We were looking sharp in new clothing & were exited to eat in a "sensual, robust and lively" place where "every guest is treated like family." We had 7:45 reservations. We arrived at around 7:40. I checked in with the host, he said it would be a minute, so we sat in the waiting area. As we watched 2 other couples and a 4 top walk in & get seated before us, we decided it would be better to stand adjacent the host desk. It’s now 8pm & the host comes over & asks if we’ve checked in! “Yes”, I reply & remind him of my name. We were seated shortly thereafter with no apology for the host obviously forgetting about us. We were then greeted by our waiter who brought us drinks & took our order, I decided on the salmon, my girl the scallop tamale. We ordered ceviche as an appetizer. A while later, we received 2 appetizers we didn't order. Shortly thereafter, the waiter returned – not to check on our appetizers, but to refresh his memory on our entrees. We confirmed & had to stop him to point out the appetizer misappropriation. He said he would comp 1 of the appetizers & leave us with both – we obliged. After finishing the apps & enjoying some conversation, we couldn’t help but notice other tables that had been seated after us were already eating their entrées. Finally, our dinner arrived. The salmon was overcooked & had the consistency of a well done pork chop. I explained the situation. He offered another entrée, or to remake the salmon, but it was then 9:20 & we didn’t have time to wait another 30 minutes for anything else. He did comp the salmon, and both appetizers when we did get the bill. I know, this happens to everyone on occasion, but this is my story & I thought I would share.

Pros: Great atmosphere

Cons: I certainly didn't feel "like family".

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

08/09/2007 Posted by cboen

A visit for dinner to Oba is worth it. My 2 friends and I went there during our visit to Portland. The ambient of the place was so cozy yet elegant. Our waitress was so knowledgeable about the menu. She explained what goes into our dish in detail and made the dish irresistible. The food was flavorful and beautiful. They really serve the food with a flare. One of my friends got the macadamia crusted halibut with cilantro pesto served over rice. My other friend got the flank steak served with mashed red potatoes and green roasted vegetables. I got the pork and mussels braised in white wine and piquillo pepper sauce served over rice. Then we shared a dessert, which was pretty good. It was chocolate cake layered with vanilla ice cream, plaintain, and topped with torched cream. It looks like baked alaskan. HOWEVER, the tropical fruits that they serve with the dessert were not fresh. They were mango and pineapple (they were tasteless and mushy).

Pros: Flavorful food, knowledgeable waitstaff

Cons: Not too flavorful dessert

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/05/2007 Posted by galgas

Oba's menu is delicious and innovative. One of my favorite dishes from Portland has been Oba's beef tips in mustard cream sauce over fried bananas and spinkled with bacon. The service was good, and the atmosphere lush and romantic. Highly recommended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful