PoShines Cafe De La Soul

I have been here 3 or 4 times over the last 8 years. I thought I had already reviewed these guys, but I realize I kept waiting to be swayed one way or the other. Sadly, this last trip did just that. I had a great experience here my first time but have yet to recreate it either in take out or dine-​in.
Today my friend and I went for lunch at noon. The restaurant is half full or slightly more. Our waittress comes over after a bit and we order a chicken tender basket and a catfish basket. The food took a fairly long time — but it seems that is often the case with homemade fried stuff. Mt friend never got his tea while we waited. The catfish ws a little overcooked and very thin/​small. It’s only $ 8.95 with some hush puppies and a side. The slaw was tasty but a but mushy, the hush puppies a little overdone as well but they and the fish was quite tasty. No condiments were ever brought/​offered to us. I had to ask for tartar sauce (darn, forgot the lemon too) and my companion for ketchup.
I really love this place — the art, the location, the smell, the vibe, the people. So I want to like and tout and sing the praises of this place. But I fear they simply may not be trying as hard as they once did or I thought they once did. So 3 stars it is and that’s a bit of a push.

Todd or Ty was my gf and I’s server. Sorry forgot your name. He is very friendly and very funny. Food is absolutely delicious. If you haven’t tried southern cooking this is the place to go. They have yummy cakes too. The side of collard greens is just like grandma used to make. Every dish is worth trying and the portions are good for a good price. The place is in a nice neighborhood with places to shop after. I hope they stick around for a long time to come. Thanks Tyodd :)

This spot is historic. It’s great food, at great prices, made by great people. I love their breakfast, and their dinner’s are damn good, too.
And here’s where it gets political: PoShines is a bastion of what Portland was, and what it ought to stay. Unfortunately, a lot of people have moved into the Kenton neighborhood, St. Johns, and N and NE Portland in general. I don’t think these folks really understand what exactly makes establishments like PoShines so good. They are a part of a close-​knit community, here in Portland. And historically, that community has always been threatened by people moving in, driving up rents, demanding changes in menus, and flocking to the next hip thing. PoShines isn’t «hip» or «trendy» or anything newcomers want; PoShines is great food for a great community. I hope it sticks around for years to come so we can get the soul food we need.

I am new to the neighborhood, new to Portland, but not new to good southern soul food cooking. I drooled over the menu, smelled their smokers, did my research, LOVE the story behind PoShine and the relationship between them and Cecil… I love their efforts in the community and their relationship with the tabernacle next door. I wanted this place to be what the reviews and the pictures say it is… But it sadly was not. Maybe it was an off day, maybe an off time of day, maybe you need to eat in? Regardless I’m so glad I didn’t schlep my four children out to be so disappointed.
Here is what we ordered and here are the issues:
We wanted to order a half rack of ribs, macandcheese and two sorrels, but they were OUT OF MAC AND CHEESE AND RIBS at 3pm and the sorrel was just being blended and wouldn’t be ready for a few hours? The younger lady on the phone was definitely put out to take my order, but everyone has their bad days so I won’t ding them for that.
1. Fried shrimp Poboy, dressed up with a side of fries. The fries were sadly the best part. The batter was falling off the shrimp, the shrimp was over cooked, the lettuce was extremely wilted, no sauce or mayonnaise even. Tomatoes were mealy and the hoagie was nearly stale.
2.fried catfish bites: worst catfish I have ever had. Cecil definitely didn’t want them to show the Pacific Northwest this version of catfish. The cornmeal batter was tough and flavorless. Fish not seasoned. The creole sauce was the only redeeming factor.
3. PoRib tips: tasty, but a bit dry. The BBQ sauce was delicious, but the meat itself lacked flavor.
4.Order of fries… They were good.
5. pulled pork basket with red beans and rice. The portion of pulled pork was maybe 3 tablespoons of meat and SO dry, maybe they thought smothering it in BBQ sauce would moisten it up? It didn’t. The red beans and rice taste like weren’t seasoned at all. My husband isn’t a salt guy, at all, and he was first to grab it off the counter just to save the meal. The Latina in me grabbed my Tapatio and tried to save them, but it was a lost cause. I’d rather eat Popeyes red beans and rice.
6. Smokey brisket dinner, no gravy on my mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies were okay, but still no flavor and the the mashed potatoes were literally just plain potatoes slightly mashed… No flavor. The smokey brisket was COVERED in BBQ sauce and again dry dry dry.
7 side of hop’n Johns, the texture was great, but no flavor.
Who has ever had soul food with no flavor?! I was beyond unimpressed. And that was honestly heartbreaking, I was so so SO hopeful. I wanted to give these guys a glowing review and REALLY wanted soul food that claims to make Cecil proud, but we were all very let down. I wish that the people who run this joint read the reviews and saw that people who really know and enjoy soul food are disappointed. Seems like the people/​family who strive to put heart into their food and into the community would want to improve the quality of soul in their food.
2 stars for all they bring and keep in the Kenton neighborhood, but that’s really all I’ve got.

On Saturday the 23^rd, I went and took a max ride from downtown to go to this place, I have been wanting to try it so, I was to meet up with my friend Laura and we were going out of town so I had breakfast here before I met up with her. I had the chicken fried steak with over med eggs, home fries and english muffin since they were out of biscuits, a coke for something to drink I asked for a refil 2 or 3 times and never got one and it was never that busy. The CFS was dry and flaky and steak looked old and dry and burnt, not much gravy on it, it is was just bad, I ate it all anyways because I was hungry. I am rating this place a 1 star for bad customer service and 2 cfs appeared to be old.

Spent a day in Portland and looking @ the reviews, we decided to try this place (Wish we stayed with our first decision cuban food). Take out was a bad idea. I walked back in multiple times because they forgot an item. I ordered the chicken & waffles (syrup missing), Johns sampler platter (burnt, dried, old tasting), gumbo (missing an andouille sausage & chicken, corn bread/​tasted like can chili), red beans and rice (lack rice & tasted spoiled). $ 45 in the garbage. Even the sorrel tea was over hyped. They still managed to forget my utensils, syrup, and corn bread. Would never recommend this place. After visiting New Orleans, this place is not even close, not even on a good day.

Don’t go within two hours of closing during the week. Food was lukewarm and minimally seasoned at best. To make matters worse, service was slow although the young man who eventually took over for our party’s first server was kind enough to apologize and offered to charge my phone at one of the restaurant’s working outlets. Wanted to like the place but it was an overall bad experience. Might be better during a busier time when the food is fresher and everyone isn’t ready to home for the day. In town for just a few days so I wouldn’t know. Two star ranking is for the service. Regrettably I wouldn’t give the food itself any stars.

The food was a Southern delight and prices were friendly. Casual atmosphere in the trendy Kenton neighborhood. Thumbs up

The food was down right bad. Service was not good, but I would have happily gave that a pass if the food was remotely decent. My advice would be to have someone that has nothing to do with your family or circle of friends rate the food for you. It may help you notice the problems.
As far as going back, no chance.

Service was un-​attentive and the food that I ordered arrived cold, including the rib tip appetizer and the mashed potatoes that came with the brisket dinner. Both arrived cold. The brisket and rib tips were mostly fat. I ordered wings to go and they smelled so horrible that I had to get them out of my apartment immediately. They smelled like they were saturated in garlic and overcooked. The waitress had to come back three times because she could not remember what I had ordered. At one point she was just yelling to me from behind the service counter. I was never given silverware and I had to steal them from another table.

This place is horrible. First off the service was shitty and slow and the food OMG was not soul food I’ve ever had. It was the blandest tasting meal I’ve ever had and I’m not sure why people are raving about this place. I was very disappointed and will never dine at this place again and I advise you to do the same. q

Hosnestly the longest I’ve ever waited. My nephew and I walked in for lunch at 12:45. There was only one table with customers. A couple walked in a few minutes after we did and was asked for their order before us. We ordered chicken and waffles afterwards. Four other tables ordered, was served and ate before we did. We left at 1:30 with out eating. I wouldn’t recommend this place. Sad cause I was looking forward to trying their food.

Fried catfish and grits!
I love that this place is run by the church next door. People are always in here hanging out and connecting — it’s a great community place in Kenton.

Service was friendly but sooo slow. I had the pulled pork basket with sweet potatoes. The pork alone would have been good, but it was slathered, and I mean, slathered in BBQ sauce. It ruined the meal.
The sweet potatoes were pretty much sugar, butter, and cinnamon with a side of potato.
And the place could really use a good cleaning. Yuck. We won’t be back.

My husband and I had tried this place previously and it was good. So we took a friend here. We were there early on Friday with a total of 3 tables in the restaurant and two servers. It took forever to get our food and we had to ask for our drink orders which she eventually brought after we got our food. My friend and I had the gumbo and it was barely luke warm. After waiting so long and there being no reason for it. Inexcusable. All the reviews of bad service have the same theme if you read through. Weird will not go back. Only time I can remember where I did not leave a tip. Hush puppies were good though.

Fried catfish and hush puppies are always a must when I visit these guys! Great service with wonderful smiles, as always :)

Well, here it is: the first negative review I’ve ever written. I’m giving this place three stars, because the food was awesome. But the service… Holy crap, was the service terrible.
We arrived around 10am, on a weekday, one of two tables in the place. There was no reason I could see that our coffees took twenty minutes to arrive, and our server offered no apology.
After that, we didn’t see her again until our food arrived, another half hour later. Again, there was no apology, no explanation, and no clamoring crowds of people distracting her.
She dropped off our food without a smile — in fact, there were no smiles out of her at all. There were no inquiries into other needs, and no offers of coffee refills or condiments. A few minutes later, when we flagged her down to ask for a coffee refill, she tersely told us to wait a moment, and then, when she brought out the coffee pot, also brought out the phone! She was literally on the phone, at our table, while she filled up our mugs. It was surreal.
In an industry where timing is everything, and a smile goes a long way, the wait was inexcusable, and the attitude deplorable.

Really enjoyed this place. Had some great food. The staff was super friendly and answered my questions. Hush puppies were yummy. Beef brisket was tender and had flavor. Can’t wait to come back for breakfast, which is served all day!!!

Yum! Best fried chicken i’ve had in Portland. Not overly battered, flavorful, crispy and juicy. Oh and did mention the delicious hush puppies. Mmm I’ll be back for more.

PoShines was a disappointment. Service was awful. We had to ask for something to drink, server seemed angry the table needed to be cleaned, and never once checked back. When we were served we were the only people there. Food took forever to arrive. We asked for an extra plate because we were sharing two dishes but she never brought it. Biscuits and gravy were just ok. Grits were lumpy and had no flavor. Bacon was ok but there was so little cheese you had to look for it. We had looked forward to trying PoShines but will not risk it again.

The breakfast is incredible. The best restaurant eggs I’ve ever had. And the catfish breakfast burrito is woah good. Good coffee, happy staff, happy regulars.
Also those hush puppies are so good.
Coming back for the chicken and waffles very soon.

Well the food was delicious after we waited for close to an hour to get it… I got the ½ fried chicken dinner and I have to say that it was very good. Also because we waited so long, they brought us hush puppies to tide us over and they were the best I have ever had. They had a honey drizzle which added that extra yum to it. I have tons of leftovers! They really need more help though because it wasn’t packed and there is no reason we should have waited that long. So make sure you have a good 2 hours to spend out for dinner!

I went back for Chicken and Waffles — and oh mah gawd!!! They were in a word — incredible.
There wasn’t a whole lotta talking to going on at that table — just a lot of chewing and those lovely lovely yummy eating sounds:)

Warm staff, well seasoned tasty food. Worth the wait if you aren’t stArving. Not always terribly busy, but go prepared to wait, just in case. Excellent soul food. A true Kenton gem.

One star, because I have to. Came in today and was blown away with how awful the service was, especially for a soul food place where hospitality is key. There were a total of 6 tables and for some reason with two servers the service was non existent (no refills offered, unless asked for).Can’t even say who it was because we never got a name. Food was average, nothing you can’t find done better at so many different restaurants in Portland. I’ve never left a Unilocal review, but as a service industry worker myself I couldn’t go without from how god awful this place was.

The food was good. I had the brisket. The people here are very friendly. I will be back for sure to try other things on their menu.

The food they served us was not what the menu said; I ordered a fried shrimp po boy which should have been served on a ciabatta bun, but they must have run out of buns because they used dry toast instead. I didn’t eat most of it, it was dry and flavorless.

As a southerner, I can safely say that PoShines is probably the most authentic southern food in portland. The hush puppies are probably the best I have ever had, the shrimp and grits are incredible, the sweet tea is so so great (the perfect amount of lemon) PoShines isn’t fancy and it’s not for people who think that Screen Door is the best southern food in portland, that’s for sure. But the people who work there are so nice, and the food is classic and great.

I love this place. Its on the street where I live, so proximity is a bonus, but I always end up bringing visitors here and its a hit. I split my order usually between the pulled pork sandwich and the caesar salad (when I’m pretending to be healthy). Fair warning, this is good old fashioned soul food so if you’re looking for something light, this isn’t the place to go. The pulled pork is always delicious, a great sauce and just perfect with their coleslaw. The fries are good as well. I like the food, but more I love the atmosphere and the people. I mean, it has a ginormous gumball machine, what’s not to love. I’ve always found it a friendly space with great service – you just leave feeling good… and full!

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this place. In addition to delicious food, the environment is very family friendly. They gave me a discount for being a nursing mom! Amazing! Thank you, PoShines, for supporting mothers! Go. Here. Now.

I went here after the wait at the trendy restaurant was way too long. To keep it short, they didn’t screw anything up too bad, but certainly didn’t provide me any reason to go back. I had the rib basket, my wife got the blackened catfish Caesar. The menu was pretty boring and nothing really looked that enticing from the descriptions. Overall, it was a runner-​up restaurant that lived up to the title. I will not be returning, unless they change up the menu.

I’m sorry Po’shines… But your service brought this review to a 2 star from a potential 3 star.
This was my boyfriend’s first time coming here and I was excited to show him a new southern restaurant. I’m basing this review off of two visits, had this been the first time I came it would have been a one star.
Horrible service. Within three minutes of walking in and being charmed by the all over good vibes of this place, a man who I assume was the servers ex-​boyfriend of some sort, barged in and started yelling at the server for some in audible reason. We could all hear the profanity, and it actually made me a little scared as he said he would come back with his car and «tear the place up».Not the best thing to hear when you’re trying to enjoy your meal. However, I doubt she had any control over him coming in, but she did have control over how she handled it with the customers.
We weren’t greeted with an apology for the disturbance or even a hello, just waters and a request for orders. Okay, we get it, you’re a little shaken up! Well done for keeping your cool. It wasn’t until 45 minutes later without our food that we got a bit annoyed. We were the only ones in there! We get it, you are short staffed, but if we are the only ones in there, we expect ATLEAST a refill on water.
I’m in the service industry too, so when I go out I expect at least mediocre service, not service that makes us feel shunned and worse coming out then how we came in.
The food was okay… My boyfriend ordered the pulled pork po boy and the fries were wet and soggy. I had the chicken and waffles and the chicken comes in wing form. a huge pain to try and eat along with the waffle.
I’m sorry for this bad review, I seldom write these but I don’t want others to make the same mistake.
Do yourself a favor and choose somewhere else to eat.

I’d like to give them a 4 ½, and if the service hadn’t been so good, it could have been a 3 ½.
Overall everyone enjoyed their breakfasts. The chicken and waffles were great and I was surprised at the large sized wings.
I had their Po Grits with a side of two eggs. My first bites were great with the bacon, cheese and peppers. However, as I got down past the toppings, I found the grits rather bland and gelatinous, rather than creamy and having a corn flavor. My date had the same observation with her side of grits. Grits seemed like they were not cooked long enough with enough liquid. Could they have been instant, or just not whisked enough?
The breakfast plate was good, eggs perfect to order, biscuit was excellent, the fried catfish had a nice delicate crunchy outside but was a touch under cooked.
The pulled pork omelet with hash browns and biscuit was very good.
For being 9am on a Saturday morning the waitress was very cheery and attentive.
Would we return, and recommended PoShines? Yes.

Mckenzie was super sweet and the service was great.
The chicken and waffles weren’t bad but after eating at Screen Door, this was mediocre.
My husband got the fried chicken po’ boy and it was really tasty.
Side Mac n cheese did not taste fresh and was Luke warm.
I’ll definitely give this place another shot for sure.

Amazing business idea based on giving back to the community. The café is quaint but there were a few empty tables even in the middle of lunch hour. Service was good and free wifi. I ordered the Sorrel (purple drink) and pulled pork basket. The drink was delicious and unique. The pulled pork was yummy and the hush puppies perfect. I chose the corn chowder with bacon as my side but regretted that decision as it was mediocre and lifeless. The basket doesn’t come with toast or bread which surprised me. I’m from Texas and I have never eaten pulled pork with a fork… Maybe that’s normal in other people’s experience but strange to me.
Someone else criticized the art inside but I found it very fitting for the restaurant and completely tasteful. I will definitely return, just not for the chowder.

I biked here by myself on a Sunday morning a few months back when I had a hankering for some chicken and waffles. I heard from a friend that Po’ Shines was supposed to have some of the best. Located on a street corner in downtown Kenton, Po’ Shines has a basic interior with a southern diner kind of feel. I was able to quickly get a table over against the back wall and ordered right away. I got a side of hush puppies as well to start off.
The hush puppies came out quickly. They were nicely fried and quite good. I really like the kind that aren’t overcooked and have chunks of corn in them like they have here. Admittedly, these were some of the best I’ve had before, up there with Tasty N Alder. The chicken and waffles came out shortly after. The waffle wasn’t anything special but tasted fine.
I wasn’t prepared for the chicken to come out in wing form. Some people like it this way but I prefer to have a boneless breast flattened a bit or maybe a thigh. I like to get a bite of chicken with every bike of waffle. If I don’t have to get my hands covered in syrup I’d prefer not to but I’ll happily get messy for the sake of great food. I spent a while pulling the skin and meat off the bone of the first wing then decided I’d just eat them on the bone. The chicken itself isn’t really breaded but it basically just highly seasoned directly onto the skin. It had decent flavor but when I’m eating fried chicken I really want that nicely seasoned crisp breading on the outside. All in all I wasn’t super satisfied with my meal.
I know these points are mostly just my personal preference, but because of this I wouldn’t order this dish again. Like I said the hush puppies were great though!