Coquine

One of the best new restaurants in PDX. Imaginative small focused menu with an interesting wine list. 4 of us ordered almost every item on the menu because it was all so good.
Dinner at 7 on Friday and we made a reservation whilst eating for the next Thursday!

Dined here a couple of weeks ago, and it was a very good experience. I’m not a serious foody type, but I have been in the restaurant business for over 30 years, and this was one of the best meals I’ve had in Portland. The food was very good, the cocktails were interesting and tasty, and the service was fantastic. Seriously, the waiter was «on it». He wasn’t chatty (which I appreciate, as I’m not there for his company), and we had everything we needed at all times. My only minor quibble was that the food wasn’t particularly hot when it arrived at the table — nice and warm, and perfectly fine, but I really like it a little hotter (and no, I did not sit chatting with my friends while it cooled, as I am the guy that will literally do the time out sign to my friends in mid conversation, so as to get at the grub while it’s at it’s best).

I go to the yoga studio next door and I’ve walked by this place DOZENS of time. I stopped in recently and I seriously want to go every day. I’m obsessed with this place. It’s so AMAZING. I don’t have the fancy foodie vocabulary to do this place justice, but it’s just SOLID all around.
Great décor, fantastic people, every damn item on the menu is prepared with skill and care. I haven’t felt this way in a long time about a place.
Go. NOW. Before it gets too crazy with lines!

Excellent service and super gracious and friendly from the second we dropped in with no reservation to the second we walked out the door. The food was amazing as well! A little on the pricier side but well worth it in the quality of tastes and the amazing service. A great addition to the neighborhood!

Beautiful interior design and aesthetic. Right next to Tabor Mt, so it makes for a perfect after-​hike Sunday morning coffee and breakfast stop.

One of the rising restaurant of last year, so we had to give it a try on our last trip to Portand.
Chef Katey Millard is so cute, sweet, and an amazing chef! She created delectable dishes, signed my menu, and even offered to bake my boyfriend a cookie when he was so sad that they had run out.
We got the Chef’s choice menu: 4 courses which was $ 55 which was amazing and such a good deal.
1.shrimp toast with biscotti crumbs which was so adorable and oh so delicious
2. late fall squash soup with black barley, melted onions, and pippin apple which was probably my favorite in terms of presentations
3. potato gnocchi with melted leeks, winter mushrooms, black truffle which really soft and the flavors all paired perfectly
4. braised beef short rib with coffee roasted carrots, parsnips, glazed shallots, and spicy greens. The carrots were my favorite part of this dish! I loved them, and just wanted a full plate of the carrots, the ribs were extremely good and were so soft.
5. dessert was amazing with choices of a main dessert and also some side desserts!
I loved the restaurant located in a cute area, parking was slightly on the tougher side.
Can’t wait to come back during the summer, where there will be an outdoor seating options!

Oh man!
If ever a restaurant/​café could take corporeal form so I could make sweet sweet love to it, I’d want it to be Coquine.
Perhaps it was the fact that it was snowing and I was all heady from it, but my little pit stop here was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in Portland!
I had their egg sandwich. It was the butteriest, cheesiest, smokiest (from the add on bacon), flakiest thing I’ve had in my 34 years. Divine, heavenly, transcendent. All those words would be too pedestrian to describe it. Go get one if you don’t believe me.
The location is so rad as well. It’s like, «hey this is just a neighborhood» and BLAM! here’s Portland’s smallest business district! It’s just a short walk up the hill for me so that helps, especially on the snowy day I went. The space inside is the kind of place that almost makes me wish I was a «hanger outer», meaning the type of person who can spend hours in a place. Almost. It’s very nice in there, charming even.
Such an asset to the neighborhood. Absolutely can not wait to give them a whirl for dinner!

Portland Monthly dubbed Coquine as the «Rising Star Restaurant of the Year» (October 2015 —
) and I couldn’t agree more! They’re a great addition to the already awesome food scene in Portland and it was a joy dining here. Chef Millard used to be a sous chef to Daniel Patterson’s Coi (a famous Michelin-​star restaurant in SF) so those who know Michelin will know that she has quality, taste and plating in her repertoire.
My mom & I both ordered their Chef’s Choice Menu ($ 55/​person). On the menu it says it’s a «4 course» prix fixe, but we ended up with 7 dishes each; 5 dinner dishes + 2 desserts … which is an exceptionally great bang for our buck! :) There’s 2 kinds of prix fixe options: Omnivore or Vegetarian/​Pescatarian … we went with their non-​omnivore choice & it was outstanding! We had:
+ ARRANCINI DE FARRO WITH BLACK KALE, SECRET DE COMPOSTELLE, & LEMON AIOLI (dish #1) — great amuse bouche-​type of dish. Deep-​fried farro balls piping out with a great aoili sauce. I esp liked the crispy shell.
+ SQUASH SOUP WITH BLACK BARLEY, MELTED ONIONS, & PIPPIN APPLE (dish #2) — small sampling of their warm, mildly sweet soup. The little bits of barley, onions and apples really elevated the dish and harmonized with the squash flavor.
+ ROASTED SUNCHOKES WITH PEAR-​WALNUT BUTTER, CELERY ROOT, SUGARLOAF CHICORY, & COGNAC VINAIGRETTE (dish #3) — I’ve never heard or tasted a sunchoke until this dish but it was THE BEST starchy thing I’ve ever tasted! Cooking it brought out a naturally sweet taste & when baked, it’s crispy and soft; like a marriage between potato, yam & apple, but way better! This was a nice salad dish and the vinaigrette was thick and delicious.
+ POTATO GNOCCHI WITH MELTED LEEKS, WINTER MUSHROOMS, BLACK TRUFFLE, & PARMESAN (dish #4) — super pillowy gnocchi! «simple» ingredients but oh so tasty!
+ BLACK COD WITH TOMATO, CHICKPEAS, OLIVE-​CAPER RELISH, & CRISPY SEAWEED (dish #5) — super buttery cod and the tomato sauce was amazing. The chickpeas provided a bit more texture to the dish and was cooked well, too.
+ DELICE DE BOURGOGNE BAKED IN BOUCHEE A LA REINE W/​BLACK PEPPER-​APPLE COMPOTE & BROWN BUTTER PECAN CRUMBLE (my dish #6) — aka their savory cheese + puff pastry dessert. It had a very creamy but distinct cheese taste. A lil overwhelming but good tasting altogether.
+ CHOCOLATE BUCHE DE NOEL WITH ALMOND PRALINE, CHOCOLATE FEUILLETINE & ORANGE (my mom’s dish #6) — aka their take on the yule log. Loved the praline mousse and the chocolate cake part… I’d prefer this dessert over my savory option
+ for our dish #7, we both were able to choose one of four «sweet ending» item. I chose their famous chocolate chip cookie and my mom had their fruit jelly thing. Their chocolate chip really was good. Roasted almonds with chocolate chip with a hint of sea salt sprinkled on top. It was thick but chewy at the same time. A definite must try!
Coquine just opened in July 2015 but it’s definitely a place to bookmark and try. They’re located on the 69^th block of Belmont, which is a sleepy residential area, but I’d travel for good food, and this place serves GOOD. FOOD. Hats off to the chef, sous chefs, prep chefs, and other staff members for an amazing dining experience and outstanding service!!! :)

I literally stumbled upon Coquine during their 3-​day preview while hiking up Tabor to watch fireworks, and was beside myself the moment I stepped in the door. I’ve been back weekly, if not daily — primarily daytime and a few evenings, since they opened (and now work here).
Overview: A revelatory experience. Come visit. Despite hailing from numerous previous haunts country and world-​wide, the chef-​wife and restauranteur-​husband team utterly comprehend and epitomize every element of what feeding people in Portland aspires to be, and cite them among their primary reasons for choosing Portland as home. Coquine delivers in droves: impeccable and impeccably sourced, organic, primarily local ingredients prepared with imagination, attention, deft skill and unrelenting love in a comfortable, cozy, yet sophisticated (without being the slightest bit pretentious), atmosphere. Every member of the staff, cook to barista to dishwasher, is a part of a family focused on feeding people fantastic food. And what fantastic food! Nourishing to every part of you.
Food:
The ingredients are, as noted, impeccable and impeccably sourced; hailing primarily from over 20 local and regional farms and additional markets that chef Katy Millard visits regularly. While most restaurants of any note in Portland concern themselves with organic produce, and possibly meat — few consider organic wheat (conventional wheat being one of the most RoundUp/​Glyphosate ridden products out there). Delightfully, Katy sources non-​glyphosate treated wheat for the in-​house baking, and bread from bakers (Roman Candle and Little T) who do the same. The raw ingredients of the meals alone more than justify the near-​obscenely affordable prices.
Then comes the cooking. Lets start with Katy’s training — no further proof is needed of the belief that experience is the best teacher. As Katy puts it, she «just cooked.» For 10 years, across kitchens in Paris, after a tableside conversation and gutsy request for a kitchen job at Guy Savoy. This, combined with her world travel and experience cooking stateside in California and Portland culminates in artful french inspired world cuisine. Simple clean and clear flavors gorgeously balance, counterpoint and highlight each other with each bite. This is food, elevated not to art, but to bliss bordering on an occasional transcendental experience. When I say it nourishes every part of you, I’m not telling tall tales.
The butter and ricotta cheese are both house cultured, and are themselves potential religious experiences. But, as in the case of one of my favorite daytime menu items, these simple cultures reach exalted states. Two slices of toasted pecan-​raisin bread from Roman Candle spread with house ricotta topped with poached quince, olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. The description is a sentence unto itself. Moving past the ecstasy embodied in this obscenely affordably priced $ 5 dish, is my other favorite offering on the menu simply by number of times ordered: the moan inducing potato salad. A towering pile for, again, $ 5. Chunks of skin-​on-​potato freshly tossed to order in mustard seed vinaigrette, celery, and charred scallion. Do not not get at least a side of this when you go.
Other food highlights: the entire menu. I’m not kidding. I eat every item on the daytime menu at least once a week. How to choose? The ham and cheese sandwich is a gorgeous nod to classic simplicity. Ham and cheese on Little T Baker baguette with house cultured butter and dijon. Tremendous. The granola is Pastry chef Liz’s possibly most stunning achievement among a field of solid contenders. Toasted hazelnut and cocoa nib granola with pear compote and sheep’s milk yoghurt. Almost too pretty to eat, no one will look at you sideways for licking the bowl.
The final food item I will mention is the Coquine chocolate chip cookie. Katie has been perfecting this recipe for over 10 years. Over that time she tested nearly $ 1000 of chocolate, winding up with one that the cook-​staff hand-​chunks in restaurant. But the most important part of this cookie is the almonds — smoked and then pan caramelized. Both crispy and gooey, topped with sea salt.
Beverage:
Prior to quietly running Roe’s front of house to great outcome, Ksandek Podbielski spent the better part of a decade learning Willamette wine production bottom to top, just like his wife Katy — by experience — vine to vintage. His broad and nuanced knowledge of alcoholic beverage production and palate reaches extensively into beer, cider, liquor and cocktails. What I have already learned from Ksandek in just a handful of brief conversations regarding bar and pairing has drastically increased my understanding and appreciation for the right drink — as well as the ability to make that choice well.
I would prefer to go on, but it appears I’m reaching my character limit. Lovely people, love-​filled food and service. Exceptional in every regard; Food, Beverage, Coffee, Space, Service, People.

A friend and I checked this place out after the mention they grabbed in the Willamette Week regarding upgraded toast. The mention was about bostock, which is sort of like French toast (less cinnamon and no maple syrup or powdered sugar). It’s brioche, simple syrup and in the case, currently, pear jam and pecans with a crunchy coffee cake crumble on top. A slice runs $ 4.
We also split a cardamom coffee cake muffin with a bit of butter on the side.
Jeeeeesus. The food was spectacular and this was just a snacky type small bite, it wasn’t even hot food! The butter was fantastic, I wondered if it was made in house. Salty and rich, soft and curled in a sweet little dish. I get kind of excited about small things or mise in place/​à la carte side items in general.
The bostock was crispy and crunchy on top but gooey and sweet in the middle. Daaang. Staff reported the bostock offering changes up «seasonally».
Stumptown was available.
The folks after us ordered egg sandwiches and I had some conflicting feelings about my bostock, regretting slash requiring additional food.
I would go again! Sweet spot in a tucked away location.
No open WiFi, I didn’t ask for a password. Limited seating. Cards accepted via Square. Parking on the street. Friendly staff, slightly elevated prices compared to other coffee places around ($ 4ish for a 16 oz cold brew?). Cute, woodsy/​industrial feel inside.

The food is delicious, elegant, and comforting. This is definitely a hidden gem in the Tabor neighborhood.
The only reason I give ⁴⁄₅ stars is because unfortunately, this lovely restaurant/​café has followed the awful trend of ordering at a counter and busing your own table.

This review is for breakfast only, not for any other meal.
After reading a glowing and poetic review in the Oregonian, we chose Coquine for our weekly weekend breakfast outing, and having loved the previous restaurant in that space. Good juju.
The menu is extremely limited for breakfast until 11, when they begin lunch service. (Breakfast items are available until 3.) Aside from a couple baked goods, you may choose from one breakfast sandwich, a hash, and a parfait. That’s pretty much it. I ordered the sandwich, and my husband the hash. Both were delicious, but very small, and my sandwich arrived alone on a plate without garnish of any kind. I’m not a huge eater, but I was left hungry, and aside from that the presentation was weirdly careless and unappealing. My husband was still starving.
I would probably have ordered a side salad if one was available before 11, but ordering is done at the counter before choosing a seat, and the one person in line behind me was very, very impatiently breathing down my neck. Also, we ended up being stared out of our table just as soon as we finished eating. Like, immediately. The tables are also uncomfortably close together.
I don’t like eating at Grassa, which has the same order and seat format. And I didn’t like it here. Especially since with the limited menu, it really seemed like more of a coffee shop. One where you can’t linger AT ALL.
In summary, if you live in the neighborhood, go for it. The food is great. But don’t drive. You’ll be rushed and hungry. Go to a coffee shop or to an actual breakfast place, whichever you’re in the mood for.

Chef Katy Millard has out done herself. Love to see her success and continued attention to her food and the care she shows in her presentation. Love the fact that she moved from a pop up format to a brick and mortar. She continues to interact with her clients and often will be your server describing her food — love that! We were dining with friends and decided on the four course prix fixe that was stunning. I would highly recommend that you let the chef take you on a ride for your first visit to taste the scope of her food. Very seasonal with strong attention to combining foods that you would think would not work, but with the chef’s deft touches you are swept away on her journey. The sommelier was excellent and the wine pairings were perfect. The staff are attentive and very knowledgable making your experience fluid and comfortable. This is my pick for restaurant of the year in Portland. Get your reservations early because they will be going fast.
Food: ⁴⁰⁄₄₀
Ambience: ¹⁸⁄₂₀ — work in progress
Staff: ²⁰⁄₂₀
Value: 20÷20− a little costly, but more than worth it
Total: ⁹⁸⁄₁₀₀

The food was well prepared and delightful ambiance.
I can’t fault any of the food technique, it was flawless. But I was disappointed. I based my reservation on an old menu, and when we came in it had changed. As everything is seasonal and scrumptious!
My other half had delightful cod. I did have a wonderful matsutake mushroom soup that was to die for. I will definitely return in summer when my favorite things are in season! (Read: tomatoes.)

My husband brought me here for my birthday dinner and we had a wonderful time. They have a really inventive menu with seasonal ingredients and interesting combinations.
We opted for an a la carte menu and ordered:
Pork Short Ribs — Delicious
Strip Steak — Great
Potato Salad w/​Artichoke — This was surprising and we loved it
Carrot salad — OK
Bread & Butter — OK
I tried a fruit watercress soda that was refreshing. I would definitely recommend this place and come back just for the short ribs.

Guys, go here.
My husband and I set reservations for a Wednesday night (and it was quite full, so I’d recommend you do the same) to celebrate our anniversary in this lovely Mt Tabor, neighborhood gem. It was just a perfect experience in every way.
We opted for the chef’s tasting menu with wine parings. The «four course» meal featured two opening «snacks,» a delicious small savory pastry and sip of artichoke soup. The salad course was an amazing heirloom salad on a tarte with an absolutely incredible white pairing. We then had cod over a bean stew of sorts. Main was a melt-​in-​your-​mouth-​pork rib. We opted to try one each of the sweet and savory dessert options, respectively a fresh fig and fig ice cream and a cheese dish, both expertly paired with dessert wine/​ciders. The meal wrapped with a small confectionary tray to choose from.
What made the experience spot on (aside from great food and pairings) was the details of the service. Flawless for such a young space. The gentleman who delivered each of our wine pairings had the most wonderful explanations of source, flavor profile and reasons for the pairings. Our server checked on us frequently, but not too often. Kitchen staff actually delivered the plates giving great insight into their preparation and flavors.
The space is simple, clean and warm. We felt welcome, almost like we lived in the neighborhood and knew the owners of the small restaurant and had come to dinner there for years.

Came here on a lovely Thursday evening that was made even more lovely by a truly memorable dining experience at Coquine!
We started with the Gamay and Noir and the Pinot Noir — Pinot was outstanding and flavorful. Bethel Heights, «Estate,» Eola-​Amity Hills, Oregon 2012. I plan to pick up a bottle this weekend!
We then opted for the Chef’s Choice Prixe Fixe. Our waiter stated: «Let’s begin.» .
House cultured butter and Contadino bread
Chilled Charentais melon and cucumber salad with almond, shiso and celery leaf
Oil cured Oregon Albacore with new potatoes, cucumber, and sorrel-​scallion vinaigrette
Many tomatoes with fromage blanc, olive oil pasty, summer savory, olives and, pine nuts (stand out!)
Pork short ribs with black pepper molassas lacquer, charred onion, corn, green beans, and padron peppers
Pecorino Sardo with fennel-​shallot agrodolce and black pepper candied walnuts
Fresh Figs with fig leaf ice-cream.toasted milk chocolate marshmallow, and malted graham (stand out!)
Candy Tray assorted candies and sweets
I’m full just re-​reading this! I can’t believe we consumed it all, but it was all so delicious! Everything was timed perfectly and our waiter was attentive but not leering. The chefs came out and brought and explained the courses to us one by one. In addition to the menu items above, we were also brought amouse bouches I don’t even see on the menu. Really extraordinarily lovely.
My one piece of slight criticism was that the pork short ribs were a little dry, and a few of the starters were slightly over salted for my taste. Small prices to pay for such a delectable overall experience.

One word sums it up… phenomenal.
Service was spot on. Not too much, not too little. Excellent beverage and wine list. Food was amazing. Perfectly cooked and executed. Pretty sure the pork short ribs, were my favorite 2015 dish. The sugar snap specs were killer as well. Hesitated writing this, because I’d like to be able to get a table, in the future.
Portland’s best new restaurant???

Coquine looks to become a strong contender in the growing list of restaurants in Portland. I’d say that although pricey, its dishes are full of enticing ingredients, are beautiful and well-​plated, and more often than not quite delicious. You won’t be feeling stuffed here unless you are willing to drop a few Jackson’s.
Gnoccho Fritto ($ 4) — Six small pieces of fried, yummy goodness topped with a slew of sharp ingredients. Definitely considering starting off here!
Fried duck wings ($ 11) — Tender, tasty, unique, and gorgeous! Try if you like duck, but the 3 wings won’t satisfy.
Brown-​butted Artichoke ($ 12) — Perfectly prepared, but its small size leaves so much to be desired.
Pork short ribs ($ 22) — Again, so delicious, tender, and packed full of flavor. This might’ve been might favorite dish of the night.
Full chicken ($ 40) — delicious, but for $ 40, not worth it at all. Strangely it’s accompanied on the side by a beautiful plate of pesto and greens, but on the actual plate of chicken is a cup of aioli. Not sure what to think about that.
Assorted candies and sweets ($ 2 ea) — We got to pick from olive oil marshmallow, blueberry macaron, and a sweet gelatin thing (forgot the name). Highly recommend the macaron!

If you like true and expressive cuisine with character, then this place is for you. I was there with my wife and two friends yesterday and we went for the menú degustation. We decided on the wines ourselves with great help from the Sommelier, which happens to be one of the owners!
Their wine list is very focused around natural/​true wine and several bottles caught my eye like the Occipinti Frapatto 12′ or the Chenin Petillant which you don’t see on your average wine list.
Before the first course they offered us a little cold appetizer, it was a little fried dough with purple cabbage and some lemon for acidity. We really enjoyed it with our first wine (an Oregon blend of several grapes like Gewurstraminer and Chardonnay).
A succession of four courses followed, the first one was a cold soup with peas and some other vegetables. The texture was creamy and it was the perfect way to start dinner on a pretty warm evening (~95 F). The second dish was a fresh salad with carrots (some raw and some boiled), the mix of textures was super fun with some breadcrumbs in it (the Chef, who is the wife of the Sommelier came to say hello by then).
The third and main course was a really well done grilled pork chop, super tender and delicious. We paired it with a fantastic Italian red from Punta Crena, really good recommendation from the owner… So much flower notes on the nose.
For dessert we had a Panacotta, which was paired with a sparkling muscat. Also, really well made, with some black berries that were just delicious and so fresh.
The service was super nice, the food was excellent and we had a great evening. Will definitely come back