Navarre

Popped in late night. Such a cute spot, dimly lit with candles. Service was great. Food is tapas style. Tried the duck confit, greens, chicken, turnips, potato pancakes and berry pie. Left happy & satisfied.

Feel like this place flies under the radar and it’s so good. Doesn’t get the hype, but always delivers interesting flavors and a great wine list.

Atmosphere was nice and the waitress was very helpful. Ken’s bread was good. However we were pretty disappointed in the rest of the food. It was just ok. The trout has way too much dill sauce and was undercooked. The chard with gruyère was bitter and tough. Potato pancake was soggy.

Navarre is hands down one of the best restaurants in Portland. Both in terms of food & service, they consistently wow me. I have been here several times in several different contexts and always leave feeling like I can’t wait to come back.
The most stand out moment for me was when I called a few years ago to make a reservation around the holidays. One member of my large party, a family member from out of town, has severe food allergies, which lead to an unusual and very strict diet.
When I called Navarre, they were not only able to accommodate our party of 7, they put me on the phone with the chef, who TOOK NOTES about my family member’s dietary restrictions and promised to have a special menu ready for us when we arrived.
Sadly the chef was out sick on the day of our dinner, but he CALLED IN and spoke to the stand-​in chef and explained the situation. When we arrived there was a special menu for us which noted which menu items were safe and which were not.
Everything we ordered was AMAZING and my family member was stunned. She said that she had never had a restaurant staff go so out of their way to make her feel welcomed and had not enjoyed a dining experience so much in years.
We came back again this past year over the holidays and again they blew our minds with their hospitality and deliciousness. Not only does Navarre stand out in terms of their fresh and delicious menu items, but they genuinely care about their customers. Thanks, Navarre!

Best weekend brunch spot in Portland. Not traditional brunch items, but there are plenty of options that are similar. Usually there isn’t a huge wait to be seated and theater vice is terrific.

I wish I could have enjoyed my time here a bit more. I went with a small group and we ordered the tasting for the table ($ 32 p/​person). All said, it was about 4 courses, each course involving 2 – 4 small plates. The first course was bread and radishes with butter. The second course took far too long to come out. Meanwhile, my wine glass sat empty with no offer for a second through more than a course of food. ALL the water glasses also sat empty while the wait staff stood around in the kitchen chatting idly. The food redeemed itself with a few highlights (namely the tuna and the leeks). The tuna was amazing. Some of the best I’ve ever had. The beets were disappointing at best. The gratin was ok but not particularly appetizing. No sweets /​desserts were included with the tasting for the table. I would not return here. If interested in small plates for a group family style dining experience, Toro Bravo, Mijo or a range of other restaurants does it better.

Small and intimate but extraordinary. Open shelves of home preserves, pantry and wine.
Small plates are distinct and flavorful. I love the squash with brown butter. Hubbie enjoyed the potato nettle gratin.
Desserts are awesome. Don’t sit at the bar or you will want one of each. We like to sit at the bar for the view of the kitchen at work.

Truly delicious shareable small plates! The atmosphere is intimate and cozy, perfect for a date of any kind, or meeting up with someone you really care about. The staff is so welcoming and kind, I half-​thought I had died and maybe this was heaven. A rare unpretentious find in Portland.
My date and I shared what must have been 6 – 7 plates, some which were large, and I had two glasses of wine, yet it all clocked in under $ 65. I couldn’t believe it!

I loved this place — until our last visit. Service was terrible (crabby waitress who was very inattentive), and the food was disappointing, especially when compared to previous visits. From stingy quantity of olive oil for our bread to dishes that were uninspired, we left vowing not to return. Maybe we’ll give ‘em another try in a year or so.

I have no idea how this gem slipped past us for so many years. We came for brunch on the recommendation of our babysitter. She said it was affordable and very good quality and rarely had a wait. She was right on all accounts. We have an amazing collard greens eggs Benedict and a trout egg dish with pickled radishes on top. Incredible. The greens were so flavorful, eggs with the deep yellow orange center of a quality farm and the hollandaise had the taste of good quality butter. The potatoes were indescribably good. They even have my favorite tea my Steven Smith. We will be back especially with the amazing service and open kitchen to watch and interact with the chef. The cake selection looked fabulous but we were full. Next time

A conglomeration of too many dishes made for a disappointing meal. wWe were encouraged to order the pork shop ($ 16!). It was NOT a white meat pork chop but a big piece of pink ham! Salty and boring. No sauce even. Way, way too much money for a slab of breakfast like ham. Sautéed greens were awful! Another BIG $ 7 rip off. We could hardly choke them down. The potato gratin with celery root was very tasty though. Of course, they ‘ran out’ of rabbit in mustard sauce (at 6pm!) right…
All in all, we are tired of their food. This isn’t our first visit. Will be our last for a while.

There is such a thing as «the best turnips I’ve ever had». The food here is spectacular. The chef’s choice for the table dinner was so much food and all incredible. I recommend throwing caution to the wind and going this route. I don’t usually… Well I have never spent $ 30 on a dinner. But I would do it again.

I should’ve written my review right after eating here because I don’t remember ALL the dishes but I remember my meal was delightful! I came for dinner with some colleagues and a vendor. We went the chef choice option. Sadly I don’t know how much it cost and have looked everywhere. Based on some reviews it may have been $ 32pp? If so that is a ridiculous deal!
It was great because we didn’t have to worry about having «enough» food which can be a challenge when ordering small plates and sharing with a large group (7 of us). Additionally we got to try SO many dishes. If you love amazing veggies/​produce this is a place to go — though the protein dishes were also fabulous and I remember many different tasty seafood dishes.
From what I do remember that was fabulous:
Cabbage! I’ve never had it prepared so well
White fish (maybe it was a trout) baked in paper
Chicken Stew — I believe this is one of their specialties. Delicious
There was plenty to go around and I loved all the options. The restaurant was also very cozy and our server was fabulous. I definitely need to go back in a non-​work setting so I have more time to enjoy everything!

My husband and I did not enjoy our ridiculously expensive meal and even went home hungry. Ordered 7 small plates as recommended by server. Each plate was miniature sized but very pricey, $ 10 or $ 11 minimum. Two of the dishes tasted good (and I literally mean tasted – we each had perhaps 2 small bites) and the rest were bland and uninteresting. Service was indifferent. The desert was a joke. We shared «chocolate mouse» for dessert. It consisted of a very small plate with «Jello”-like brand pudding and consistency, with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Very unappealing presentation for a top ranked restaurant – looked and tasted like cafeteria food. We left hungry after paying $ 100.00 plus including tip.
Also, the tables are extremely small and the restaurant serves everything you ordered all at once so there is no room for all the plates. We were urged immediately to empty one small plate to make room for the other small plates. Chaotic meal and very unsatisfying. At the conclusion, we were not presented with a bill. My husband put his credit card down and the server took it and brought back the charge receipt. We then asked for a bill and the server returned with a checklist with numerous dollar amounts but no corresponding menu items. When we asked how we were to briefly scan and approve our bill, i.e., amounts charged for items we ordered, the server brought us a menu and suggested that we use that to figure out what we ordered, the items’ prices, and whether those corresponded to the dollar amounts on the «checklist.» We were very disappointed by this entire experience.
We last ate at Navarre about a year previous to this visit. While the table size was an issue then too, overall the experience was much better. Portions were bigger, most dishes truly outstanding and service very attentive. We can only surmise that the restaurant has gone downhill or it was a very very bad night!

I can’t believe I waited so long to come here! Navarre is officially in my top ten restaurants in Portland. Each dish was more divine than the last. My favorite was probably the cheesy beet greens, but the foie gras was also a show stopper.
I heartily recommend Ken’s Bread with olives, cheese plate, and grassy olive oil as an appetizer.
Our server, Amy, was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, not to mention very attentive. The epitome of perfect service.
The vibes are extremely romantic; I’ll definitely be back as soon as possible on a date!

Our dinner at Navarre was interesting and enjoyable. We were celebrating our youngest son’s birthday, and the ages of the diners at our table ranged from 7 to 89. We ordered seven large plates to share amongst all. Each offering was tasty and I heard no complaints. Some at our table were surprised that there was no full bar — wine and beer only. That didn’t bother us though, as we are wine drinkers. However, most of the wines on the long list are imported and unfamiliar to us. After hearing a description of our taste in wine, the waiter brought three sample wines. We chose one and were more than satisfied with it. Deserts were had all around, and the birthday candle on our son’s cake was a nice touch. The only negative comment is that each individuals plate could have been a little bit larger — to hold all the good food we were cramming onto them!
BTW: we were there @ 6:30PM, by the time I went to bed close to 11:00PM, my stomach was growling. Was it because, all those food, didn’t really made me ‘really full?’

Really good, authentic and creative menu. Pricey for Portland and service was a bit slow (took 40 minutes to get our lunch) and unfriendly. So basically, it felt just like being in Europe~

The boyfriend and I came here with his best childhood friend and his little family, while visiting Portland. We wanted to take them somewhere nice, so we searched Unilocal for some hip and happening restaurants. This one got great reviews and looked interesting, we were excited to give it a try! They wouldn’t take reservations, so when we got there we had to wait an hour to be seated, no biggy! We just went to a place next door to have a beverage. We finally got sat, and waited for someone to come by and explain their… very unique menu to us. Although the food was very unique, that wasn’t what I was referring to. We had no idea how to actually order the food. We waited for quite a while until our server finally graced us with his presence. He asked with a smirk «need help ordering from the menu?» …um yea. Is that what you gathered from leaning on the bar doing nothing for the past 10 minutes? We finally ordered some food and a couple bottles of wine. The food, like I said before, was very unique and boy did it come with a price! Everything tasted all unique and lovely whatever, but it was nothing special. It was nothing special considering the price you paid, and what you got. We had a couple meat dishes and one of them came in a broth. We were lit-​trah-​lee fishing for tiny scraps of meat in the bowl. It tasted great, for those of us lucky enough to snag a piece. There were only four adults eating from this plate, which was a large amongst other large meat dishes. Let’s just say we didn’t leave feeling too heavy. The dessert was wonderful, I have to say. We got the apple rhubarb pie and the crust was to die for! The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is very chic, hipster, and quaint. It was warm and inviting with open ceilings, and rows of mason jars containing fruits and veggies sitting on rustic wooden shelves. I would’ve given a better rating had our service been better and our food a fair price.

The food is well cooked and incredibly rich. It was the last rich meal of the weekend and it totally did me in. I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day and would have skipped dinner if I didn’t know any better. The flavors were mild with richness being the most prominent. Who doesn’t love rich fatty food?
The menu is mostly small plates and at separate costs, including bread. We were able to order some entrée dishes in small plate form (rabbit, short ribs…). The jam was really nice, you get a small jar for $ 2 which is plenty for the bread.
My friend loves this place, especially for a nice meal. It’s an intimate, bright restaurant, where the décor is part pantry. The food is presented like it should be photographed for a magazine or Unilocal!Share a nice meal with your date and watch the cooks come out for onions. :-)
Maybe because it was unusually busy, I was illogicaly put off having to pay for bread and the food was simply too rich for me after a weekend of eating junk, but I did not fall in love with this place.
It’s best with groups of 2 – 4. And they take reservations for 6+.

Came with two girlfriends for dinner, and we shared a bunch of tapas. The food was very, very good. My favorites: hanger steak (very juicy and tender!), cheese plate, crab cake, olives.
Chocolate mousse for dessert was just okay, consistency was too fluffy for my preference.
Friendly, knowledgeable staff, happy to make recommendations. Prices are decent but creeping toward the higher side.
Restaurant was smaller than I expected. Bunch of jars and bottles on shelves lining the wall.
The bathroom was a big turnoff that night though, there were a lot of some type of insect on the wall. Glad I went after dinner instead of before eating.