Jake’s Famous Crawfish

When you’re in a seafood casual/​fine dining mood, Jakes Famous Crawfish has both setting options for your needs. Located in a quaint intersection where seating outdoors, people watching on a nice summer day, and grubbing on seafood can be quite nice. Definitely check out their happy hour, since they have their regular dishes on the HH menu as well. Salmon and Dungeness Crab Chowder was delicious with nice chunks! Étouffée was good and beautifully presented with a lovely crawfish on top. Steelhead I had was on the daily special for $ 9, so definitely worth the try as our extra dish.

If you go for only one thing, please get the crab and artichoke dip… you will not be disappointed. It’s been weeks and I’m still thinking about that darn dip. The pieces of bread that come with it are little pieces of heaven. Get in my mouth. I also tried the clam chowder which was pretty tasty as well. My son had crab cakes and my hubby had the shrimp étouffée (probably didn’t spell that right). Everything we ordered was really good, down to the blueberry Arnold Palmer! I only gave 4 stars because our waiter made us feel like he was doing us a favor by waiting on us… didn’t seem like he wanted to be there. That kinda kill the vibe for us.

Holy hell you have to try the dungeness crab bisque! Heaven in a bowl. Seafood isn’t normally high on my scale of food love but this topped 11 out of 10.
The waiter was brilliant, constantly available but never annoying. Food service was fast, steak and dungeness crab over the top good.
Yes, yes, yes! I’ll be back.
The locally bottled (and waiter-​recommended) Pinot Noir was fabulous. I’m not a five-​star kinda guy, but this place…*earned* it. OUTSTANDING!
For the woman that complained about «looks from other patrons when her kids made too much noise…» This isn’t the kind of establishment where a _​responsible_​parent would bring their pre-​teen child unless that child was precocious, brilliant, and well-​behaved Spending 100.00 on a nice dinner should not include your laughing, mouth-​breathing, food-​spilling noisy brat that can’t sit still for an hour. Leave em’ at home. This is a restaurant for ADULTS.

This place is kind of sketchy. Food quality seems strangely poor compared to the high prices. I wouldn’t mind if it were just that, but… there are always hoards of drunk baby boomers staggering in and out of the restaurant, and the 3 times I’ve been in there’s been a major incident of some kind or another. As an example, last time I was there, someone passed out in the bathroom and an ambulance had to come haul them out. I think their bartenders are over serving people, or maybe their ambiance just generally attracts weirdness.

Fantastic food, service and atmosphere! Our waiter Keith was exceptional! The best service we have had in a very long time. The food was fresh and delicious. The dessert was fabulous, so glad I saved room!

Best chilled crawfish I’ve had somewhere that’s not Louisiana! EXCELLENT parm crusted rockfish! Fantastic price too! This is our Portland favorite! Every kind of fish possible it seems, is on the menu.

Each time I visit Jake’s Famous Crawfish, I like it less and less. We had 2 kids with us (2 and 4) and every time they laughed loud or made any sound, we felt embarrassed based on the looks of surrounding people. Our server was friendly but covered too many tables. We had to stop her numerous times to place our order, ask for bread, the bill, etc. The crab Louis salad was mushy and drenched in dressing. For $ 30 it was a small portion on a giant plate. The swordfish was over seasoned, the fish and chips were cod instead of halibut (it was halibut season and the high price would warrant halibut). The steak, clam chowder, and crawfish ettouffe was good. The food seemed very chain quality, but with a nicer presentation. The restaurant was very busy by 6:30 on a Wednesday and also quite loud. It’s dark inside (I had to read the menu for my mom). Next year I will try to talk my mom into a different restaurant for her Birthday.
This is a popular tourist destination restaurant in Portland, but it can be SO much better than Jake’s.

I have eaten here twice now and loved it both times. My sister and I visted last year and had a great experience. When I brought a friend for a second time, we had another great experience. We started with the popcorn shrimp and had fish and chips and one of their specials. The only feedback I have is that the bread doesn’t live up to the rest of the food, but the service was great and I loved it!

I ended up at Jake’s based on a recommendation and they did not disappoint! It was slow given that I was there in the early afternoon, and I happened to be there during happy hour. They have awesome prices during happy hour and a good selection of food to choose from for happy hour and on the lunch menu.
I got the gumbo appetizer and the salmon entrée. Both items were incredible and if I could give this visit more than 5 stars I would. I am a huge seafood fan, and the salmon was quite possible the best salmon I have ever tasted! You can’t go wrong with fresh salmon that is cooked well.
I sat in the bar and my server was very nice and friendly, as well as helped me with recommendations for food. 5 star service and 5 star food. What more can you ask for?

This spot has the old school vibe that I appreciate, including white coat servers. Service is attentive, helpful and just available enough without hovering. I ordered a local porter for my drink, enjoyed some sourdough bread and asked for help narrowing down my choices. I finally selected the Grilled Washington Steelhead. The fish was good and the asparagus was perfectly cook. It was topped with a little too much basil butter for my personal taste and the sautéed Oregon bay mini shrimp was a little over cooked. The roasted red potatoes that accompanied it were fine. This place is considered a local institution and I am not sure if it’s unique now that it’s owned by a chain. It was overall a decent experience and the oysters looked amazing so I would definitely go again to try these.

While visiting with family, the made a reservation here at Jake’s for Valentine’s day. I was very overwhelmed at first being that there were 5 things on the menu that I could eat because I have a fish allergy. I decided to get the filet mignon and my hubby got the NY strip steak.
It definitely did not disappoint! I completely cleaned off my plate. The filet mignon was perfectly cooked to a medium temperature – very pink on the inside and browned on the outside. It cut like butter and was perfect, especially with the butter sauce it was drizzled with. For the sides it came with grilled veggies and potatoes. The veggies included string beans, carrots, squash and a tomato. All were grilled to perfection with the flavors shining. The potato was actually 2 potato croquet patties on top of mashed potatoes and oh my were they delicious!
For dessert I got the crem brule because it’s my favorite! It was nice and crisply candied on top and smooth on the inside.
I can’t speak to their fish, but they can definitely do a steak right!

I just don’t get it.
Maybe I just don’t like American-​style seafood, but this shit was 100% flavorless.
Ended up ordering a few items from the HH menu and the Large Seafood platter which had dungeoness crab (deshelled — yuck!), crawfish, smoked salmon, oysters, jumbo shrimp, and baby shrimp.
The only thing enjoyable was the crawfish, but there were only 3 in the whole tray. Everything else was blasted with water to the point of having no flavor. I feel like American-​style seafood removes all the flavor and just compensates the lack of with just slathering a shit load of cocktail sauce on everything. HH mussels were decent, oyster shooters were nasty.
The baby shrimp was mushy and inedible, just a few bites were enough to have us push that thing far away.
Ended up spending $ 120+ for the meal and was extremely unsatisfied. Went to Bamboo Sushi across the street and redeemed the horrible food.
+1 star for the service. Although the food was terrible, the waitress did her best to accommodate our needs.

We had grandparents visiting so that allowed the hubby and myself to escape to a nice restaurant sans a crying toddler.
We looked up the pictures and reviews and I thought that this place looked like a Portland icon.
We were not disappointed! Our waiter provided excellent service. After I told him that I was pregnant he suggested that I try the fresh squeezed grapefruit and cucumber juice with lime. It was beyond fabulous and refreshing and served as a nice non-​alcoholic cocktail.
We started off with a classic wedge salad. Honestly I have never had a bad wedge salad.
I ordered the crawfish étouffée which I first tried a few years back while visiting New Orleans. This rendition did not disappoint. It was so creamy and delicious! It was a generous helping that easily could have fed 2 hungry adults.
My hubby ordered the bouillabaisse. It was brimming with mussels and crab and seafood galore! The soup base was incredibly flavorful and delicious.
I absolutely loved the dark wood and décor. It was really cozy to go here when it was down pouring outside. I would recommend reservations on a Saturday night because this place was jam packed.

Jake’s was recommended by the hotel concierge, which I usually take with a grain of salt, but the advice was on point in this case.
The wine and beer list is extensive, and that’s always a good starting point. I went with the Full Sail Amber, which is a great beer for shoving huge amounts of delicious seafood into your face.
We started with the calamari appetizer. I usually groan when someone at the table suggests calamari, because it’s usually a frozen joke, but it was a good call in this case. The calamari was fresh, not overly breaded, and served with three homemade dipping sauces (horseradish remoulade, traditional cocktail sauce, and a rich sherry sauce… all delicious).
My next course was an oyster stew. Being a west coast transplant originally from the south, I am immediately skeptical about certain dishes that we have perfected on the east coast. Oyster stew is definitely one of those. Jake’s did not disappoint. The stew was milky, not too rich, and featured fresh, plump oysters. I was impressed, and would consider the oyster stew for a meal in itself.
My main was the Dungeness crab tortellini. It came with a generous portion of Dungeness crab (my favorite crab by the way), piled high on the tortellini, but also mixed within the dish. It was tasty, but very rich. Maybe a little too rich, but that’s probably what you should expect with crab, tortellini, and cheese in a cream sauce. I had to call mercy in the end because it was just too much.
Jake’s has been around for a while, and has a great reputation in the Portland area (to the point that our Über driver was excited that we were going there). Most locals have likely tried it (if not, shame on you), and visitors would do well to give Jake’s a shot.

The food was very good. I forgot the name of my plate, but it was penne with shrimp and tomatoes. Portions were large and flavorful.
We are from out of town and didn’t know that this restaurant was more of an upscale place. Everyone was in button ups/​slacks, etc. Our waiter seemed a little arrogant/​rude, not sure because that was her personality or because we were not dressed up to the standards. Sorry we’re from out of town and just stumbled in… That was the only problem we had where we felt out of place and the server was not so accommodating.
I would definitely come back for the food, and now we know to dress a little nicer!

I was visiting Portland from LA for the USC-​Oregon game and upon arriving, the hostesses knew right away that we were out-​of-​towners and exchanged witty banter about us being there. Everyone who greeted/​served us was extremely hospitable and welcoming (you don’t get that a lot where I’m from) and this place offered such a comfortable atmosphere upon arrival, so my family and I decided to stay and eat. The restaurant had a classic and vintage vibe to it, although I was a little sad the giant crawfish on the roof wasn’t there!
I started off with the Northwest Salmon and Dungeness Crab Chowder, which only comes in a larger bowl size, so my family and I shared it and it was probably the tastiest chowder I’ve ever had! I’m used to the traditional clam chowder, so a salmon and crab chowder was definitely different and very appetizing. There were very large pieces of crab and enough for my family of 5 to have a good amount to taste. Unfortunately it’s about $ 11 for a bowl… pretty steep compared to the rest of their lunch items.
For my entrée I ordered the Seafood Fettuccine, which had scallops and shrimps in a creamy garlic sauce. It was a well-​prepared, good sized lunch portion. The flavors in this dish were excellent and all of the seafood was fresh.
Everything about Jake’s was satisfying and unique. The food and décor had a timeless feel to it. I’m glad I tried this place while visiting!

Our last dinner in Portland! A classic seafood/​steakhouse ambiance with superb service and tasty food. They offer an extensive selection of oysters. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the 2 kinds our server helped him to select. I enjoyed my horseradish crusted Steelhead. Unique and cooked to perfection.
We couldn’t decide on just 1 dessert so our sever suggested the dessert trio. Perfect portion sizes for sharing. The chocolate truffle cake w/​raspberry sauce was my favorite but the chocolate mousse and berry cobbler were also very good.

My friend was craving for crawfish and this is the only restaurant she requested to try on our trip. It has a lot of good reviews, so we came here for lunch on our last day in Portland. I didn’t see the giant crawfish décor outside the restaurant, so I asked our hostess what happened to it… She said everyone asks her about it, but she never saw it ever since she’s been working here…
This restaurant has a fancy old vibe to it. There was also a fake? payphone behind our table that would be great for photo ops. Our server’s attire consists of a white coat, so I thought she was the chef at first LOL. We received complimentary sourdough and quickly browsed through the menu. My friend already knew what she wanted, but we didn’t see it on the menu. It was only available for dinner, but our server said she can still order it! I decided to try the Étouffée and our server returned to let us know that crawfish is not in season!
She recommended the Classic Dungeness Crab and Bay Shrimp Louis salad, so we got that and shared both entrees. My Étouffée came with two crawfish on top and was very filling and had a nice kick. My friend’s salad was not what we expected at all. The dressing was not put on the side like we asked and was too tangy. There was hardly any crab and the shrimps were too small. For $ 20 plus on a salad, I was hoping for something tastier.

Last night my friend and I just decided to grab seafood and we stumbled around this place in Pearl District. We found table for two by the bar ordered drinks (mine was delicious Lemon Drop, my friend ordered margarita something) both delicious!
Appetizer we had calamari and king crab legs cocktail both were super delicious!!!
Dinner my friend got the Ahi dish and side of vegetables I got seafood fettuccine with substitute of mussel and it was delicious!!!
We couldn’t stop eating and got full really fast but the serving were big so we had to go boxes :)
The service was great and the valet folks were nice they kindly offer to place our to go bags in our car while we went to Henry’s.
I will return!

Joe’s Crab Shack-​I mean jakes famous crawfish.
We made it as our last stop in Oregon. We made it just in time for the butt of happy hour.
We ordered the triple berry margarita which was very berry. Not much alcohol. So tasted like a smoothie. I did like the touch of sugar on the rim.
We had the calamari. A slight bit too salty. But nice and crunchy. And they use the bigger squid. They give two sauces, marinara and an Asian sauce. I like the marinara much better.
We then also had the salmon cake. My bf was very skeptic. I was too but I was willing to give it a try. Many places I. The bay use bread as a filler and don’t really use the seafood in the cake. I’m glad Portland proved us wrong again! Mostly salmon! So fresh and tasty. It came with tartar sauce. We had to ask for another serving of lemon. We were being jipped with baby wedges.
Then we finally received our clam chowder. Of course we wanted to compare this last thing to SF. I’d have to say, it was pretty good but hands down, SF has it locked. The difference was, it was more meaty. More bacon, not much clam. It also was creamy but not buttery. But still good.
Service was a bit lacking. There were only two ladies handling the bar section. They did have their hands full. We weren’t getting much attention. Also, they were getting confused at who ordered what. Definitely add more people around happy hour. It also took awhile to receive our orders.

Das Essen ist ein Gedicht. Wir haben selten so guten Meerfood gegessen.
Alles frische Zutaten.
Die Bedienung (zumindest unsere) ist ausgezeichnet. Hilfsbereit und auch für ein Spässchen zu haben.
Unbedingt reservieren (wir waren am Samstag um 20:00 Uhr und es war voll…)