Lardo

The only time you should hear the word Lardo is if you are driving a Gal-​lardo. If I ever became such a fatty that people called me Lardo I’d feel like the biggest loser. Problem is, places like this ain’t helping!
I ordered the Double Burger and the delicious fatty juices that oozed into my mouth almost made me forget about the dreadful rainy day it was here. The burger had delicious strips of pig wrapped by a very fresh and aromatic sesame bun. Was very tempted to order the dirty fries but then I would feel even more depressed about myself afterwards.
Until I walked down to street to Blue Star. Oh boy. This street is dangerous.

This spot was our first stop once we landed in Portland and Lardo did not disappoint guys! We ordered the porchetta, the tonkatsu sandwich special, the dirty fries and some draft root beer to wash it all down. The porchetta sandwich was amazing! The meat was juicy and fatty, just perfect! The tonkatsu sandwich was delicious, as well. The crust on the tonkatsu was extra crispy! And how can you not love fries topped with pieces of bacon, pork belly and other porky goodness — YUM! My favorite though — hands down — numba one — was the PORCHETTA! I want to go back! But I’m too far away! I’ll just have to come back to Portland then…

Didn’t think I’d find myself eating a sandwich in Portland with all the other options available but I guess I can still surprise myself. And I’m glad I did.
Came here after a wait at a nearby restaurant was too long. You order at the counter and can either get take out or eat at one of the small tables there. Was pleasantly surprised by the quick service and good food. I don’t remember what was ordered but I can remember feeling that I made a great executive decision coming here. Would def return!
You can find parking on the street although it may be a bit tough in this area. If you aren’t lucky with street parking there are garages within walking distance, too.

A must, if you are here in PDX. The staff was great. They were friendly, helpful with our food selection, and patient with us. Lol. The dirty fries was so good. I had the Korean shoulder with kimchi sandwich. It was crazy good. There’s also craft beers! What more could you want with your sandwich? Go. Don’t hesitate. Just do it.

I’ve been to Lardo many times before and always had amazing food and great service.
Today that all changed. We ordered at 1:10 and still had no food half an hour later. When I asked how much longer it would be there was no reason. No apology either. Just that it would be «up soon». It wasn’t rush hour and we watched people who ordered long after us get their food in 10 minutes.
I asked for a refund on my CC and we walked down a few blocks to Little Big Burger and were eating in 5 minutes.
The one star is for being refunded.

I got the pork kimchi sandwich. If you know what you want, you should call in and order before coming so that it is ready for you!
The sandwich was pretty well marinated and the service was quick since I called in to save time. They have happy hour beer deals too!

Lardo… can’t believe a restaurant with this name is so popular… but I’m glad Unilocal steered me to this place! We ate a lot of fancy food on our trip to Portland, so it was nice to dig into a high-​quality sandwich amidst a day of beer tasting. It’s a tiny order-​at-​the-​counter style place with seating, and it gets super packed.
I ordered the fried chicken sandwich, my boyfriend ordered the griddled mortadella sandwich, and we split dirty fries. It was way too much food… we could have easily split a sandwich with the fries, which was a meal within itself. The fries are topped with marinated peppers, crispy pork, fried herbs, and parmesan. How delicious does that sound? They were that good. I loved the bright, slightly spicy marinated peppers in contrast to the fatty fries.
My sandwich was delicious too. The fried chicken was super tender and not dried out at all. The hot sauce was awesome, and they use high-​quality bread. Yum!

3.5÷5. This is the first place we tried in Portland and the sandwiches were pretty unique and tasty. Notice the name because there is a lot of fat, oil, and juices. Most of the sandwiches are on ciabatta and their specialty is pork. Each sandwich had a mixture of ingredients but I wish the flavors stood out more.
Ambience ⁴⁄₅:
it’s located in the corner and all the windows and doors bring in good light to make the place feel spacious. There are tables inside and out. Chalkboard menu adds to charm. I like the «special of the day» written on a porcelain pork.
Food
Porchetta 3.5÷5: like pork belly with crunchy skin. The sandwich is juicy but a little salty. A little sweetness to sauce would help.
Korean shoulder ⁴⁄₅: pulled pork with kim chi. Very moist and the flavors are good.
Dirty fries 3.5÷5: love the pork scraps which is like bacon. The herb adds a unique taste to the fries. Like most of the dishes, it was a little salty. The fries could use more crunch.
Service ³⁄₅:
standard service. You order at the cashier and they bring the food to you. Cashier was nice. Nothing special.

Came here around linner time and Lardo was fairly empty. Everything on the menu looked delicious but I ended up getting the Korean Pork Shoulder over the Phở-​Rench Dip. I wasn’t too sure what I was getting myself into with the combination of sandwich/​phở, so I went with the safer bet.
The pork sandwich was served on a crunch ciabatta roll with smoked pork shoulder, kimchi, mayo, lime, and cilantro. The pork was rich in flavor and paired well with the spicy kimchi! My friend ended up getting the Phở Dip and I had to try it! Besides the sandwich itself, it also came with a bowl of phở broth. Dipping the sandwich in the phở broth?! Definitely something out of the norm, but it actually wasn’t bad at all! The prices are reasonable and portion sizes are on the generous end. If you love yourself some lard-​o and greasy food, this is a must!

Lardo, the name didn’t sound appealing, it didn’t ring out appetizing, but it’s a must in Portland. I’m also not a big fan of sandwiches, but this place definitely does things right. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of what we ordered, but I can imagine if everything else on the menu tasted as good as the sandwich we ordered, this place is good in my book. A crispy bun jacketing layers of ham and cheese. Add a side of the macaroni salad and a soda pop, you have one heck of a fulfilling meal.
It was elegant, tasteful and modern. A sandwich artistically built to fulfill the hunger within. For some reason this place with it’s funny name, after you take one bite, really draws you in. The service is great, friendly, welcomes you with a smile. I definitely recommend, its a place you have to try anytime you make your way to the America’s weirdest city.

When someone hypes up a place, it’s often times hard to live up to expectations, and this the case here. Not knowing what I was walking into other than a friend saying «great sandwiches» I was expecting a bit more robust of a menu, and more traditional sandwiches.
The food here was good, don’t get me wrong, but as far as being «the bee’s knees» — — and maybe my expectations were unreasonably established too high, as the hype might have over promised where maybe it could never have delivered, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be.
I think I was expecting a robust of traditional selections, but it felt a bit more artisan and foodie styled for hipsters, like a gourmet take on comfort food at slightly higher, but not overpriced, prices.
The service was fine and friendly, and food was tasty, so I’d not, not recommend it, but I’d say I’d not over-​hype it and would recommend checking it out if you’re in the area, looking at the menu and if it floats your boat, then indulge, if not, then simply know that there’s lots of sandwich options in Portland, which seems to be the mecca of putting things between 2 pieces of bread for a delicious meal…

It you love pork, Lardo may be what you are missing in your life. I have a love/​hate relationship with pork myself because I really feel bad eating such smart and emotional animals. If only they weren’t so tasty!
Anyway, they do usually have one or two items on the menu without pork, so I try to stick with them. The Tuna Melt I had today was decent, but had a bit too much oil on there for my taste.
The one pork item that keeps calling me back here is the Dirty Fries. These bad boys are all you need to fill you belly and make it sing with joy. I was able to avoid ordering them on today’s trip, but I know one day soon they will come a calling and I’ll stuff my face with delicious pork scraps.

Lardo has a strong and well-​deserved reputation for its sandwiches. We had lunch at Lardo around 1:45 on a Friday. We walked right up and ordered, but we did have to wait a few minutes for one of the picnic tables outside. They were steady the entire time we were there, which was about an hour. After ordering, we got our drinks and waited on the delivery of our food. This took about 15 or so minutes. But, given the reputation of this place, as well as how brisk business was, I didn’t think the wait was unreasonable.
To eat, I went with the pork meatball banh mi and the famous dirty fries. I also had a bite of the double cheeseburger and the Don Johnson from my family. The banh mi was fantastic, a sort of upgraded version of what is already a very good sandwich in my estimation. The roll was a nice crusty roll that stood up well to the ingredients. The sandwich is packed full, so it might not look enormous, but it is a filling sandwich. The pork meatballs were flavorful and juicy. I could have eaten them on their own. The veggies were sliced well and were very fresh. The sriracha mayo added a bit of a kick, but I did miss the heat of raw jalapeño. That being said, I loved the sandwich and would absolutely eat it again. Can’t believe it was only $ 9.
The Don Johnson is basically Lardo’s interpretation of a cuban sandwich. The «mojo» pork included on the sandwich is tender and seasoned very well. The entire sandwich was grilled and pressed. People may balk at paying $ 11 for this sandwich, but it’s a great value when you consider the quality of the ingredients as well as how much the people at Lardo cram into the bun.
The double cheeseburger was a large but basic burger. It was seasoned well and served with fresh veggies. The burger wasn’t overcooked and there was some pink to the meat. I would order this burger again at a burger joint, but not at Lardo because it’s not as good as the pork meatball banh mi.
The dirty fries lived up to their reputation. The pork scraps were crispy and fatty and added a ton of flavor. The herbs and parmesan along with the peppers would have been enough, but when you get a bite with all of the ingredients, it’s really something. Definitely one of my favorite version of topped fries I’ve ever had.
Like a lot of joints in Portland, you bus your own table at Lardo. Every employee I came into contact with was very helpful. On my next trip Lardo will be at the top of the list for restaurants to visit, I’ve gotta have that banh mi again…

A friend and I arrived in Portland, checked into our hotel, and immediately began hunting for food. We initially ended up at Tasty & Alder, but our hungry tummies told us 2hrs was way too long to wait. We stumbled upon Lardo and ventured in.
This location is pretty small, with tightly packed tables, and a smattering of seats outside. We decided to go halfsies on the pork meatball bahn mi and the Don Johnson, which was essentially a cuban sandwich. An order of dirty fries rounded out our lunch, and we were on our way.
Sadly, the sandwiches were far from life-​changing, but they were decent. I found the bahn mi to be pretty boring and tasteless, and the meatballs had a flavor I wasn’t fond of. Thank god we went halfsies, because the Don Johnson was tasty. Fries were cold and didn’t really pack the punch I was expecting. Not worth the $ 8.

Pork inspired x Fusion sandwiches x Craft Beer = Lunch destination after landing in Portland.
Arrived during the lunch rush but my group of 4 was able to find a couple seats at their communal table. Took about 15 minutes to order at the counter and another 15 minutes to get the goods. If we weren’t doing brewery tours the rest of the afternoon, the beer flight for $ 8 had my name all over it.
1. Phở’rench dip ($ 12) ⁴⁄₅ — Shaved beef, hoisin sauce, sambal mayo, and it comes with this phở like dipping sauce. Fun to eat! Favorite one of the day.
2. Pork Meatball Banh Mi ($ 9) ³⁄₅ — Srirachi mayo, crusty bread, and pickled veggies. Ehhh, it was aight, rather get a regular banh mi at a ¹⁄₃^rd of the price.
2. Korean pork shoulder sandwich ($ 10) 3.5÷5 — House kim chee, chili mayo, cilantro and lime. Kim chee was toned down, pungent.
4. Smoked coppa cubano ($ 12) ³⁄₅ — Just ok. The bread they use is a little too crusty, so most of the fillings would spill out the side.
Dirty fries (fried in fatback — basically bacon with the meat) with fried pork scraps, peppers, parmesan and herbs were tasty.
After checking out the food pod scene in Portland, it’s easy to see how Lardo’s was able to parlay their fusion ness into a brick and mortar. It’s a fun, unique, spot to check out. Solid 3.5 star joint.
*There’s a Blue Star donuts around the corner.

I was expecting big big flavors but left slightly disappointed and wanting more. This spot is hip and poppin but aside from your food being delivered its pretty self serve. Now onto the grub…
1. Dirty Fries: They were delivered cold so not very tasty just based on the temp. Nothing overly amazing about the fries. Maybe if they came out piping hot they would’ve been better?
2. Phở-​Rench Dip: WAY too much hoisin sauce so it overpowered all other flavors in the sandwich.
3. Pochetta: I love me some porchetta but this just didn’t cut it sadly. Just tasted like a fatty sandwich. Needed more meat and not as much fat. Meat wasn’t seasoned well either left is wishing for more.
4. Pastrami: This was also just super greasy and lacking in flavor.
Bread was crisp and held up to all of the sandwiches but the flavors overall just weren’t there: (

Went here with hubby based on someone’s advice. Hubby loves great tasting huge burgers but who doesn’t? This place fit the bill go ahead and try it.

This place is casual and great food and atmosphere. Wandered in while on vacation. So glad we did it was all delicious.

Awesome sandwich spot for late night eats in downtown PDX. Service was pretty quick for a table of 7. Loved the $ 1 pickle! My Banh Mi sandwich was awesome. It definitely brought out the vietnamese flavors found in a traditional banh mi sandwich.
Restroom is in the corner on the far right, hard to see. Self seating. So tempted to try the Phở’Rench sandwhich. I love phở!

Saturday, 9:30PM.
Quickie:
+ Food quality
+ Friendly staff
— Turnaround
And then???
If I eat here as much as I plan to, I’ll certainly become a Lardo (not like there’s anything wrong with that!).
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. Fried chicken sandwich
+ Succulent meat.
+ Disparate flavors without the distraction.
2. Double burger
+ Ingredients melted together without losing flavor.

Oh man. Lardo. Sandwiches are a plenty everywhere but there is something so good about your offerings. Most fusion food can get really diluted and just meh but you keep the integrity of the food while giving it a new twist.
Mo and I come to Portland regularly and Lardo ALWAYS comes up as a somewhere everyone wants to go. There is something delicious and accessible for everyone.
Décor — Does this really matter when food is this good? Jk clean and piggy! Make sure you PRAISE THE LARD before leaving.
Service — Friendly, good. Can get VERY busy though which is not a surprise since this place is a Portland MUST.
Eat up ya’ll!

This place is bringing FAT back. Like seriously. Like Ike’s Sandwiches on a whole ‘nother fatty scale. The sandwiches are a 4 but the store motto, the spiciness, and the variety of hot sauce selection deems this place a 5. YES one of the best foods we’ve had at Portland and it did not come from those over-​hyped brunch places!
We had the Korean kimchi fatty pork shoulder sandwich and the meatball banh-​mi. The best flavor goes to, hands down, the Korean kimchi with fatty pork shoulder. The kimchi tasted like it was homemade with some legit spices and made with some intense fermentation process. They definitely didn’t use the mediocre jar from Costco. The fatty pork shoulder blended very well with the spices and the pickled cabbage. The sandwich itself had a mild/​medium spice kick to it. I added some random hot sauces that Lardo had as their condiments and boom, extra spice.
The banh-​mi meatball sandwich was pretty good. It definitely needed hot sauce to add some spice to it. I personally didn’t like the sauce and felt like it needed some liver pâté to add some Viet taste to it. But it was a delicious sandwich nonetheless.
We had the dirty fries and OMG, I am giving it 5 stars. 1) The taste was absolutely flavorful. 2) I don’t know any places that puts a sick amount of pepperoncini/​peppers in their food to the point that I don’t want it anymore. I normally put at least 20 pieces of peppers in my food but I was not able to finish Lardo’s generous amount!
This all resulted in a wonderful stomach pain that required a bathroom visit. Lardo was our last meal of the trip and I’m so glad my BF pushed me to go here. Must try for all your spicy/​fatty lovers! Sandwiches were about $ 9 each. I would advise groups to buy different kinds and share the halves. It’s not a super generous portion but trust me, you do not want to eat too much of this for your health’s sake.

What a great little place. Loved the dirty fries. Might have to come back again tonight. Had their version of a cubano and it was delicious. The services was great and wish they would put one in California.

Double burger all the way. Porkstrami? Yes, please! Every bite was amazing and the burger was big but not too big. Really great bacon Mac salad but in retrospect I really wish I’d have gotten the fries with parmesan and herbs… Guess I have a reason to go back now!
Was really bummed that I was on a work lunch — the two huge boards with cocktails and beers was ultra tempting. Loved the feel, great location… loved it more than the location I’ve been to on Hawthorne.

Such a great fusion idea, everything was seriously DELICIOUS.
Tried the phở ranch dip and the kimchee brisket!
The atmosphere was super laid back withs lots of windows, very open and casual.
I will definitely come back next time I’m in Oregon and will not ignore the specials of the day!

Pork Meatball Bahn Mi ($ 9) with pickled vegetables, sriracha mayo, cilantro, cucumber. This sandwich is amazing. The flavors are such a great combination and I can have this over and over again. The meatballs are not some regular everyday meatball. It is packed with so much flavor that the meatball alone can be a great appetizer! I had it with dirty fries which everyone raved about. I think I could have just the lardo fries to go with this sandwich. The sandwich in itself was just so great.
Seatings open up fairly quick and there are additional outdoor seating available. Service isn’t snappy quick, but the wait time wasn’t bad at all.

5 Stars, pure and perfect indulgence! Tried the Korean Pork Sandwich with Kimchi. I asked for the kimchi on the side, that worked because my husband is not a huge fan. This delightful sandwich is definitely splittable. I had to have the Dirty Fries as I have been salivating over the Unilocal high rating reviews about these in planning our Portland Foodlandia ;) trip here, boy… they did disappoint! Crispy and well seasoned, the pickled peppers add just the right amount of tangy zest, the pork scraps totally add to the yummy goodness! I am a fan, I am, I am!
The service was on point, of course you order at the counter, it’s fast food folks but delicious fast food. The staff is friendly.
Craft draft beers we had were icy cold.
In closing, yes 5 stars indeed. Just to mention, this is definitely a treat meal kinda place. I will be adding this to my list of favorite treat meal, fast food trip, destinations!

Cute little sandwhich shop tucked around the corner of blue star donuts
Sandwiches
$ 10 korean pork shoulder with cilantro house kim chi chili mayo and lime. A little on the spicy side but their bread is oh so good.
$ 8 dirty fries loaded which had everything in it. Sounds better than it taste. Slightly on the drier side but so crunchy. I love the crispy rosemary in it.
They also have cocktails and beer on draft.
Free wifi
Please come home to cali with me.

We’ve walked by here many times, and finally we treked over here for lunch, feeling too cold to eat at the food trucks just around the corner. The taste on the sandwiches is very good, but the greasiness factor is not totally offset by the acid that is present in the mayo and other condiments. The fries were not a show stopper — dry and the cheese was just sitting there on top.
It’s not a bad option if you want to get out of the cold and have a bite to eat. But of all the restaurants in this group, Gruner remains my favorite.

I’m sufficiently blown away, Lardo is a-​ma-​zing.
Pork Shoulder Kimchi Sandwich: I have absolutely never had anything like this before, the flavors are fantastic. The kimchi melds with the pork perfectly, and the sturdy-​but-​not-​chewy bun keeps everything together and easy to handle. No sogginess detected.
Dirty Fries: Start with fries, then add tons of cheese, then add tons of sliced banana peppers, some more cheese, and top with rosemary. Any questions? Perfect for 2 people to share!
Atmosphere: Honestly, the dining experience is a bit lacking to me. The seating is quite cramped and feels as if they played tetris to make the most seats vs. keeping it comfortable. Additionally you’ve got to buss your own plate — which doesn’t bother me in smaller establishments, I’m *happy* to help — but this is in fancy town, and they’re making bookoo bucks. Hire a busser IMHO.

I wasn’t completely thrilled about coming to this place since I’m not a huge fan of sandwiches/​burgers but it was a pretty interesting experience. We came here during lunch and it was bustling! I was worried there wouldn’t be any seating left but luckily people are always coming and going.
We ended up sharing the Lardo fries (based on Unilocal recommendations) and the Double Burger. Definitely on the heavy side for me but my husband loved everything about it! (he’s a meat fanatic)

Worth the wait.
And by that — bring your ipod and a great playlist — you will be here a while.
My favorite, by far — the Porchetta Sandwich. Thick, gorgeous bun, fresh as can be — with caper mayo and two thick slices of Porchetta. Crispy crackling, a band of pork fat, tender meat and with a nice helping of Gremolata.
Incredible.

If Sammies could be beautiful, then we have found a winner. It is not necessarily the esthetics that make these massive meat carriers so lovely, but rather the quality of the ingredients that fit between two slices of anything!
I went with the chef special of the evening, which was smoked brisket w/​a kimchee-​esq slaw. Meaty, barbaquey, salty, spicey, with a finish of sweet smokey goodness. That with some Brussels pan-​fried in a combo of garlic & the pungency of some sort of dijon/​mustardy/​vinegar dressing; and You are good to go. Get a beer, drink, eat, lick, slurp, smile… Repeat.

Lardo not Lard
Huge difference between the Italian sense of Lardo which is a type of salumi made by curing strips of fatback in Italy, yum… pour it all over me. Not to be mistaken for lard, which is what I am at this point, pig fat.
Perfect eclectic restaurant for a weird and strange city that accepts all different cultures and cuisines. The menu offers an array of super savory sandwiches that you can throw back with your favorite beer straight off the tap. Life hack, the sandwiches are heavy, order with a friend and share. Phở sandwich is actually amazing, capturing all that a true bowl of phở has thru a different medium. Phở Banh Mi!
Phở-​Reek-​En Delicious!

«You HAD me at Hello, Portland»…
Even before the food cart/​truck craze was hitting the Nation, Portland had set up «pods» around town with all sorts of creative and tasty food vendors. So, when we planned our recent trip up to the City of Roses I arrived with plans in hand to get my tastebuds revved up at several exotic and/​or comfort food carts. On my «food-​dar» was Lardo, that was one of the more popular food carts, headed by a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) graduate that went to brick-​and-​mortar.
From our hotel, we walked over to Lardo, while making note of other restaurants and cafés that seemed to beckon and distract our tastebuds. However, undeterred, we pushed on and entered Lardo. The restaurant was packed with Downtown workers, residents and tourists (as it was pretty much daily). While standing in line to place our order, we looked at the menu board with its daily specials and beverages on tap list.
We ordered their Porchetta and Korean Pork Shoulder sandwiches. Dang it! Right from the first bite, we hit Pork Nirvana… it was THAT good!
— The Porchetta (savory, FATTY, boneless and moist Italian pork roast) with gremolata and caper mayonnaise was simple, tasty and genius! The hearty-​textured bread roll was a nice compliment to the rich pork roast.
— The Korean Pork Shoulder sandwich was filled with tender, moist and slow-​roasted pork. It sort of reminded me of Bo Ssäm except that this pork was put in between bread. This behemoth was topped with house made kimchi, spicy mayonnaise and cilantro. It was sort of messy to eat because it was such a big sandwich.
The usual compliments to our sandwiches were Lardo fries (coated with Parmesan cheese and fried herbs) and of course, a couple of pints of local brews on tap.
During our stay, we returned to Lardo several more times and tasted our way down their menu board. We were saddened to leave Portland but we sure filled our bellies. Oh, Portland. oh, Oregon… I hope that you wouldn’t mind seeing two more transplants from Hawaii!
#410

After 400 reviews of Lardo is mine really going to make much of a difference? It’s weird, I’ve been to the Hawthorne location but I never ate there. A beer yes, but I was there for a fundraiser and I ate the food they were making. So I finally had the opportunity to eat at Lardo with fellow Unilocaler, Jewel. She made the suggestion of Lardo or one other place. Granted Italian food is always appealing, but I went with a place that I’ve known about since before I even lived here in PDX.
I know about the fries and the bahn mis and all the other porktacular goodness but Jewel made the suggestion of the double burger with porkstrami. So that is what I got along with the house made potato chips. She got the pork shoulder sandwich. At 1pm, the place is still busy so we did have a wait. It wasn’t too bad, and it was worth the wait. My picture is proof of that.
The burger could have been a little more on the pink side (there’s a statement on the wall saying that they cook the burgers medium) but it was large and in charge. I liked the house made dill pickle on top and I’m not a dill pickle person. The burger was great although the porkstrami kind of got lost in the shuffle. It was there, but it didn’t stand out like I would have thought. Overall a really good burger and the house made chips were seasoned really well.
I now can’t wait to go back to try the bahn mi, the pork shoulder, the dirty fries or any other item they have because it all looks great. YUM.