Yam Yam's Southern Cooking Barbecue User Reviews - Portland, OR 97211

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My dad came to visit my wife and I here in Portland last month. He LOVES BBQ!!! I have know about Yam Yams for years, Ive seen the commercials, and driven past it on my way home from Widmers countless times. I told my dad we were going to have a BBQ dinner beyond compare. I had no idea what we were in for later that evening. We arrived about 6 p.m. and pulled up to the restaurant. After looking around as we entered the building, it was obvious we were not welcomed. They basically refused to provide any kind of normal service, no greeting of any kind. My eyes wandered back into the kitchen and witnessed what can only be described as the filthiest mess I have ever seen. All types of garbage and food waste were covering all the surfaces from the floor to the counter. I was so uncomfortable there that although I wanted to lead my family straight out the door, however I was simply terrified of what might happen if we just simply left. To characterize the staff and customers as unfriendly would be the too kind. The decision to order To Go was easy. I ordered both beef and pork ribs with mac & cheese and cornbread. We quickly left and took our meal home. The sides were basically trashed, messy and filthy looking. The cornbread was rock hard, the mac and cheese looked fit to throw in the trashcan, the ribs were awful, AWFUL, they had no meat to speak of and tasted like death, and the worst part of all, our beef ribs had obviously been on the ground at one point as there were particles of every kind of trash on one side, hairs, dust, lint, and unidentifiable material. My wife actually cried looking at this meal. It wouldnt have been suitable to serve to any human being. Take my advice, do NOT dine here, its truly awful. :(

Pros: We made it out alive.
Cons: Filthy Dirty - Rude Staff - Shocking Atmosphere

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Greasy, FILTHY, and thats the good part

by bfloating

November 07, 2008

I went there last Sunday for their BBQ buffet and I literally left in mid-meal. I am from NC and I know great "Q" ! Believe me when I say that because I've owned a BBQ restaurant back there for several years. Before getting into the restaurant biz, I sampled BBQ from all the southern places I could including Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Alabama and so on. I KNOW GREAT "Q".

Yam Yam is anything BUT good "Q". with a few exceptions. The place is filthy. If you can, BEFORE you order, get a peek into their filthy kitchen. You'll probably have to "sneak a peek" as the Owner will most likely not allow you see it. Thats a VERY BAD sign, eh ?

There is nothing good about their left over, reheated food. Good "Q" has smoke rings, theirs had none. Their ribs are cooked in a microwave and then drenched in some god forsaken sauce to cover up the lack of taste. The collard greens were surprisingly tasty, as was the candied yams and the mac 'n cheese. But the meats were horrible. Nothing Southern about them. The tables were greasy as were the chairs. Food crumbs in every place imaginable, the bathrooms were disgusting and the service was horrible... a bunch of illegal Mexican immigrant kids, I would guess, who had no clue what they were serving and barely spoke English.

I took one bite of the greasy, undercooked beef ribs and we left in a hurry.

AVOID this sh*thole at all costs. Its a disgrace that they are still allowed to be open !

Pros: ample parking
Cons: GREASY food, disgusting cleanliness in the kitchen and bathroom, HORRIBLE unfriendly service.

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Embarrassingly Slow and Over Priced

by chihaimap

August 10, 2008

After just coming back from the South and having great Southern hospitality and great food we went to Yam Yam's. We stood at the counter for 10 minutes before our order was taken. Our presents was not even acknowledged and no apologies was offered. We then proceeded to wait another 25 minutes for food that was already prepared. I would have left had it not be embarrassing to my step son. When we got our food it was nothing that I could not have cooked better at home. I ordered the beef rib dinner and received 3 4-inch ribs. Where do you find cows with 4-inch ribs anyway? It was clearly overpriced and the quality was not good. My wife and I and her son all left hungry and went to Campbell's to get some real Southern food.

Pros: none
Cons: Very bad service, over priced, below arerage food.

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Reheated Meat!!

by needs2Bgood

May 31, 2008

This has got to be the most god forsaken BBq I've ever had!! No smoke present and smells like the "gas and go" grease deli!! Meat cooked hours if not days before then dipped in sauce and reheated when you order!! Gag reflex abound!!!Never eat here!!

Pros: None
Cons: everything you can imagine

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Not clean. Average Food.

by shyoot

May 30, 2008

I have heard good stuff about this place. Though it was a couple years ago.

When I arrived, I was greeted as I entered the door by a few flies. Hmmmm.... oh well, it was summer and flies sometimes get in when the door gets opened. OK, fine. I sat down and my arm stuck to the table from somebody doing a shoddy wipe-down. When I scooted across the seat to let my husband sit next to me, I got what looked like cornbread crumbs all over my legs. When my husband was brought a high chair for our toddler, he was handed a crusty wooden high chair that looked like it had been used at least a dozen times before we got it. It had rice, beans and macaroni and cheese smeared in all cracks and crevices. Must have been the same person in charge of wiping it down as the booths.

We started with chicken wings as an appetizer. They were average. Nothing to rant and rave about. They were pretty large though. Then I moved on to the catfish. Not bad. But not impressive either. The mac and cheese was pretty good. And my son liked it. My husband ordered brisket. It was a little dry but the flavor was good. He also got succotash and it was pretty good.

Make sure you don't have to use the bathroom when going there. It's a scary endeavor.

Overall I was not impressed with this place. I figure if they can't make the dining area presentable and comfortable for their patrons and they can't even keep the bathroom up, what kind of shortcuts are going on in the kitchen?

The food wasn't great enough to overlook the shoddiness of their cleaning and prep for customers.

Pros: Parking.
Cons: Dirty.

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Avoid until they have better SERVICE

by chilango26

April 29, 2008

I think the amount of food you get for the price is not good. The SERVICE is horrible. I dont think this place welcomes new customers. :( I drove 30 min to get the worst service.

Pros: Easy to park
Cons: too many to list

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Prepare To Not Be Blown Away

by JodyGrinder

April 07, 2008

Collard greens, okra, yams were all good. The sauce was tangy but for my taste too sweet. I ordered rib tips. The meat left on the tips was on the thin side (bone to meat ratio) and the barbecue flavour was far from stellar. Not much smoke ring, the meat was firm and required cutting, the meat tasted very under smoked/cooked. However, staff was nice. The price is cheap. For cheap neighborhood soul food it is o.k..

Pros: Staff, sides, price

Cons: Barbecue

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Can't stand the heat??

by strangewink

January 03, 2008

SO... After reading the terrible reviews for one of MY favorite places on here, it occured to me that maybe Yam Yams is not for everyone. The food is standard BBQ as you would have it at any stand or small order joint in the south. The staff are not friendly to some, but if you go in there and act stuck up or scared you might have a reason for their behaviour. On the whole I have been to YY many times, I go whenever I am in the area and although the staff has never offered me a fresh hot towel or a back rub, they deliver my order and leave me alone, which is exactly the experience you should be expecting. Their deep fried pork chop is one of the best things I have had to eat in this town, and yes there mac and cheese is not the best in the world, but their okra makes up for it. The place is not as repulsive as some reviews here would lead you to believe, its not a dentists office, but its not a trash compactor either. This is the place to go if you are craving good soul food at a damn fin price! Its not a French bistro, so all you food network quoting arm chair enthuisiasts should go somewhere else!

Pros: Great deep fried pork, great okra, no over-enthusiastic wait staff
Cons: small booths

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from the rooter to the tooter

by budderfly

October 26, 2007

like we know what that means, rooter to the tooter anyone that has that as a saying describing their food BEWARE, excatly from who's rooter and tooter. this so called southern restaurant make southern cooking taste and look bad. it's dirty,nasty not to mention filthy, been on 'DIRTY DINNING has failed every inspection if u ask me yam yams deserve a big fat from the rooter to the tooter ZERO who wants to eat dirty food,, look out of dirty windows sit on old dairy queen seats walk on a hazardous floors and eat from a contaminated kitchen and lets not forgetthe filthy bathroom. the owner needs to give it up or hire some professional, and not his family or people off the street who has know idea of what their doing, if u ask me its a law suit n the making perhaps that would close yam yams doors. remember every thing that comes out of the tooter SMELLS BAD KINDA LIKE TEMPLETON THE from CHARLOTTES WEB ' look mr owner get it together, you nedd to be on CHEF RAMASY"S KITCHEN NIGHTMARE! who in their mind wpu;d give yam yams 4 stars what a joke rea; funny who thought of that a family member or an ilegal ailen, oh stop using illegal people, if you keep it up us american may make u run for the border! lol!