Saucebox

Great DJ, amazing food. Love love love their crab buns. Hands down the star menu item. Their salad rolls came with a spicy, tangy fish sauce that was delicious. The tapioca balls and fried rice were also pretty good. Be warned that it’s pretty loud so you won’t get to talking in great depth. New favorite spot

Went here with my SO for happy hour and we both had an amazing time!
We each had a fancy cocktail, and split 5 different plates and ended up with a total check of only $ 35. We were so full on those 5 plates, we could have ordered less.
The drinks are made very thoughtfully and really hit the spot. We love Brussel sprouts and were curious about how they would be made. The broth mixed with egg yolk and the perfectly cooked sprouts was AMAZING. We also got pad thai, pork noodles, and salmon nigiri that we really enjoyed. We didn’t like the texture of the tapioca dumplings so will have to pass on those next time.

Saucebox, you are SO legit. You do asian fusion pretty well! Definitely would recommend getting the soft shell crab buns, brussel sprouts, and the furikake roll!
Can get poppin here in the evening, so either come by early! Or hang out at the bar for pretty sweet mixed drinks.

First evening in Portland. We checked out Unilocal for a local bar to have a drink before we headed to dinner. As we walked in Dimly lit and full of character. Handmade red paper flowers dangled from the ceiling. The bar stools were free and Sauceboat was just about to get busy.
Derek our bartender was helpful with discussing the beverage menu and narrowing down our options. He was an excellent mixologist and we thoroughly loved our happy time there.
Derek crafted some drinks for a group seated at a table in the corner. He used a mallet against a whole coconut, draining the water into one of his concoctions.
We had a couple of drinks each and made our way to the next place. Looking forward to another visit to PDX where I will definitely revisit Saucebox.

Came here for happy hour while visiting in Portland. Their happy hour runs from 4:30 — 6:30 and they have a variety of drinks for $ 5 and snacks ranging from $ 2 to $ 6.
I grabbed a seat at the bar, which wasn’t too busy at 5:30. The bar area is fairly lively, and on the darker side, making it a little more intimate.
So here’s what I had on the happy hour menu:
Crispy brussel sprouts: charred and served in a broth with a raw egg on top. You lose some of the crispiness due to the egg and the broth, but I thought it was a great combination
Daily oysters: they were oysters. If you’re in the mood for them, get em
Duck wings: I didn’t find these too exciting. Not a lot of meat and not really easy to eat with all the bone. Decent presentation though.
Fresh Vietnamese salad rolls: interesting combination of stuff to put in a spring roll. I likey.
All in all, I thought the food was decent and a good bang for the buck during happy hour. They also have a wide selection of cocktails to choose from. The staff was super friendly as well.

I have been here a few times now and have had mostly positive experiences. The happy hour menu is very different than the dinner menu but both have some good options. The one time I went for dinner, the wait for our food was abnormally long and the waiter came by to explain that the kitchen was shorthanded. Even so, it took nearly an hour for all of our food to come out. I enjoyed my salmon entrée but was extremely hungry at that point. The other times I came for happy hour the restaurant was not very busy and the food came out promptly. There is a parking garage nearby and street parking outside. It is also nice that they take reservations regardless of the size of your party. The ambiance inside the restaurant is also nice. Overall 3.5 stars.

Came here for drinks after I was recommended by a guy that worked at our hotel party. The drinks were so fun! I got one in a bleeding zombie cup! (See pic below) It was pretty sweet and had a great kick. My friend got the food and said it was pretty tasty. She ordered some kind of ribs and before I could even get a taste she was literally licking the sauce off the place haha. My one criticism would be that it’s pretty dark inside but I totally understand that since it has a lounge feel. Definitely go if you’re visiting Portland!

Happy Hour Review: They have a great HH with a nice variety of dishes to choose from:
–crispy Brussels sprouts with dashi broth and soft boiled egg: delicious and seasoned perfectly; the best dish we tried, and also the least expensive (5 stars)
–sweet potato spring rolls (3 rolls): fried, nice crunch, but not very sweet potato-​y. They tasted like a standard roll. (3.5 stars)
–pork sarong (2 pieces): I was expecting a noodle dish, but it was 2 small sausages with a fried noodle wrapped around it. 3 stars)
–tapioca dumpling (2 large spheres): the most amazing thing about these is how they were made. The meat filling is wrapped in a skin made of little tapioca balls. It’s pretty filling. (4 stars)
–pork noodle: this was a decent sized bowl of noodles. It could serve as a main entrée if you weren’t too hungry. The pork was nice and tender, but just a bit too salty for me. (4 stars)
This was a good amount for 2 people to share. I’ll definitely be back to try some of their other dishes.

What a fun place! I cant believe I’d never been here before! Just be happenstance we ended up there during happy hour, which is only in the bar. While I felt like their happy hour menu was a lot of the same, the portions were big and worth it!
You must get fun drinks like I did.
I orders the salad rolls, chicken pad Thai and sweet potato rolls and they were all very tasty.
Also for fun drinks look for the drink in and coconut and the Kickstarter, which is made with house infused chili vodka and even though I was intimidated, it was well worth it.
The staff was nice but not all that present.

My friend and I were craving some late night Asian food! The place we originally wanted to check out was closed by 10pm. So, I was Unilocaling and Saucebox appeared! It was open very late. My friend and I walked here after hanging out at Ground Kontrol. I don’t get a Thai restaurant feel from this place though. It’s really dark in here and it looks more like a lounge.
I was DD, so I wasn’t drinking. I had a couple sips of the drink that my friend ordered here. She ordered the drink that was served in a pineapple, usually enough for TWO people, but my friend is crazy. Just kidding. I tried the drink. I think it was rum with pineapple. I’m not a big fan of pineapple, but the drink was actually pretty good. I have a low tolerance with alcohol and seem to find most alcoholic drinks to be very strong. However, I can barely taste the alcohol in this drink! So, I’m sure this drink is a creeper. Whenever I can barely taste the alcohol in the drink, it tends to creep up on me a few minutes later.
Anyways, to the food. My friend ordered the Tofu Pad Thai and I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai. I really enjoyed the Chicken Pad Thai. Although, I did wish it was spicer and the portion is smaller when compared to your usual Thai restaurants. The noodles were soft and had the right amount of sauce. It wasn’t too dry or wet.

Came here a few times for happy hour and every times it’s so different.
Must try 1) spider roll 2) crab bun!!! 3) pad Thai
The food is really good and cheap during happy hour, however depending on the chef I feel like it tastes different every time. Sometimes it’s perfect or salty or too spicy.
I love the pina colda drink it’s 12 dollars for a coconut drink but it’s really well made and cute.
They also got a pineapple drink that’s 18 dollars but it’s shareable. The drinks are expensive but nice to treat yourself to a nice drink once in a while :)
However I love the atmosphere of this place it’s a perfect place for date night or birthday dinner. DJs play on different nights. Some time they play throwback r&b music and instrumentals, but sometimes they play their music too loud so wouldn’t suggest sitting too close to the speakers or the doors.

The Saucebox is a beautiful restaurant. Just lovely. We have eaten here twice, once on our first anniversary, and once three years later on Christmas Eve. Our first time was certainly a five-​star experience (but I hadn’t discovered Unilocal yet). Our second visit (just a few days ago) was still great, but not perfect.
Service was… a little lacking. It was crowded, and our server was very distracted, often not visiting our table for long stretches, and when he did visit not fully remembering what we had already ordered or eaten. But we could tell he was trying, and we totally understand that Christmas Eve is a tough night to work in the restaurant business.
The food was absolutely delicious. We started with cocktails; I had the Love Drop, which is vodka, raspberry purée, citrus and cranberry juice served in a martini glass with a sugared rim. Very yummy. Almost like an alcoholic smoothie. For our first course, the three of us shared the furikake roll, eight roll pieces containing salmon, hamachi, avocado, shisho, and drizzled with spicy mayo. This dish was a hit at our table, full of excellent flavors and a great way to start the meal.
Other dishes we enjoyed: the sweet potato spring rolls, the soft shell crab steam buns, the grilled octopus, the Thai warm salad and the Vietnamese salad rolls. Everything was very good. Seriously, there wasn’t a dish that we didn’t enjoy. My only complaint is with the price versus portion size. For example, the soft shell crab steam buns were probably my favorite dish of the night. They were doughy steamed buns wrapped around deep-​fried soft-​shell crab with avocado, pickled onions, serrano peppers and spicy mayo… but for $ 13, the three of us only got two rather small steam buns. So my boyfriend and I shared one bun. It was basically three bites (one bite for my boyfriend, who takes bigger bites than I do). And the grilled octopus, which was probably some of the most tender octopus I have ever tried, served in a scrumptious red pepper sauce, was just one small tentacle for $ 14. Between the three of us, we each only managed to get a few mouthfuls.
Near the end of the night, while we were waiting for our server to make it back to our table (took about twenty-​five minutes before we saw him again) we decided to order two more dishes (the Thai warm salad and another roll) but when we were finally able to put in our order, they were out of sushi rolls. So our server comped our salad, and gave us the Vietnamese salad rolls for free! So very kind. Really saved the night for us, service-​wise.
So, to sum up: Delicious food. Tiny portions. High prices. The three of us spent $ 85 after tip, and left still a little bit hungry. But with some absolutely delectable flavors in our memories.

I’d rate this place a 3.9
If you go during happy hour or for their late night menu, you’re getting a great deal! During these times, things are priced from $ 2-​$ 6 dollars (a little more during late night). $ 6 for pad thai? How about a $ 6 burger?
My favorite thing here is the brussel sprouts. They are topped with a poached egg and are in a soup of sweet dashi.
Just a note: If you’re looking for authentic asian flavors, this is not the place to go. Things tend to run on the sweet side here, but given the price, I’m prone to forgiving them.
The space is dark and clubby, which means it’s on the loud side. It can be difficult to talk if you’re in a big group. It’s also decorated like a club.
Great for a late night bite on the cheap or a date where you don’t want to talk much.

From the ambiance, to the preparation, to the flavor, this has to be one of the top places in Portland. The shrimp make an appearance in a number of dishes and are the best I have ever had. Lamb was good, but not top tier. Service is fast and friendly, even by Pac NW standards.
Will try agains and highly recomemnd.

Before I moved to Portland I didn’t go to nice restaurants. I come from a land of mostly chain restaurants and generally mediocre food experiences. I distinctly remember that Saucebox was one of the first «nice» restaurants I went to when we moved to Portland eight years ago, and I was dazzled by its cool design, trendy music, and good looking staff.
Not much has changed about the place in those eight years, except that my food game has been lifted to Portland status and I am slightly less googly eyed when I walk in the door. I consider Saucebox to be a good standby. Great HH menu, for sure. The drink of the day tends to be on the sweet side so be careful. But do not miss out on their brussel sprouts! It sounds odd, but they are the best ever. Still my favorite in town. The service can be a bit slow, so I wouldn’t recommend coming in when you are in a rush.

You can’t really go wrong with Asian fusion dining, especially at Saucebox. This is a perfect spot to dine in with your partner or group of friends for dinner, HH, or even after a great hike at Multnomah Falls.
Inside, you’re surrounded by a relaxing, chill ambiance with a touch of swank and hippie, all in one venue. On a perfect night, you’ll hear Madonna’s Like A Virgin entire album playing in the background while sipping on Saucebox’s cocktail of the day.
Although I can honestly say that all 7 items that we ordered were all spectacular, my top three picks from the Happy Hour Menu will have to be Pork Sarong ($ 5), Salmon Nigiri ($ 4), and the Roasted Pork Belly ($ 12).
THE PORK SARONG, which includes kaffir, ginger, chinese noodles, and nuoc cham, was phenomenally prepared. The pork ball, tender and engulfed with exotic flavors from the pacific rim and the noodles, successfully executed and incorporated perfectly into the dish.
THE SALMON NIGIRI. a kind of sushi made with vinegared sushi rice (shari), and a slice of fresh raw salmon, was absolutely sensational. This particular nigiri incorporated hints of spices within the rice, which I enjoyed mainly because nigiri can usually taste like plain fish and sticky rice if not prepared properly. It seemed like the nigiri was a rather popular dish as we weren’t the only table that had ordered it. I noticed the the parties surrounding us had ordered it as well, and it’s clearly evident as to why — its remarkable flavor.
I was particularly impressed with the ROASTED PORK BELLY. I’ve tasted quite a few pork belly dishes in the past, however, this dish, which includes Chinese noodles, tomato sauce, and bottarga, was absolutely terrific. Pork belly was incredibly tender. Flavors, all over the map and without a doubt a must try dish.
Overall, I can easily say that out of all the food venues I tried in Portland, I had the best overall dine-​in experience in Saucebox. Ana, our server for the night, was a tremendous waitress and ensured our dishes were properly prepared and served to us in a timely manner regardless of how busy it got throughout the evening. I definitely look forward to coming to Saucebox again at my next trip to Portland.
*Apologies for not providing any photos of the wonderful food. My phone fell in the creek as I was hiking up Multnomah Falls prior to dining at Saucebox. Sigh*
TIPS:
+Parking garage available along SW Pine Street, near SW Broadway.
+Outdoor seating available upon request.
+HH drink specials are subject to change daily.
+Venue CLOSED on SUNDAYS and MONDAYS.
+Make a reservation online today!:

We decided to give this place a try since it was within walking distance from our hotel and there was no wait. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, it reeked of a bleach smell. The place is very interesting… it’s hip, trendy, and very dark inside with candles all around. There’s a stand up bar where a good handful of people were and we just had to sit right behind them so it was pretty noisy throughout our entire meal.
This restaurant doesn’t seem like it would fit in Portland — the Asian Fusion type… so I really didn’t know what to expect. For drinks, we got an order of the pineapple drink ($ 18), which is infused with bacardi 151, pineapple juice and a couple other things. The drink was pretty strong and was perfect to share. The presentation is pretty cool too (comes in an actual pineapple!).
I decided to get 2 rolls, one sbx sake roll ($ 11) and one spider roll ($ 13). The rolls had a nice presentation but the rolls itself were lackluster. It was ok… nothing stood out from it being the greatest sushi I ever had. There was a little too much rice in my opinion and the rice was also in cold clunks. Not enough salmon in the sbx roll…
If you’re looking for a more upscale meal in Downtown, Saucebox provides that. But I wouldn’t overpay for mediocre Fusion food.

They have a great late night menu! I don’t think the food is really worth a trip if it is out of your way, but if you’re in the area and want a decent bite, this place fits the bill.
The taro chips and chicken pad thai were my favorite. Our server was also a sweetheart and super attentive.

Swanky, hip, dark, dreamy, artsy, big city vibe are all ways that I would describe the type of place that is Saucebox. Prepare to have your mind blown by some of the most interesting cocktails, mocktails, appetizers, and main courses this city has to offer.
I absolutely love the vibrant classy feel to this wonderful spot on Broadway. Watch for the dark walkway through the door and enter into the front room with small tables and a bar great for small groups. The back area is a large room with tables for bigger groups or if people want to have a more quiet area this is a nice place to sit.
The appetizers and mocktails have my taste buds in a whimsical whirl. The mango soda and lychee mocktails are my favorite drinks. As far as apps go… make sure you try all of the sauces when paired with each dish. This takes everything to a whole new level.
The sweet potato spring rolls are amazing. I love the flavor mix up from the typical spring roll one usually sees on asian centered menus. Nice and crispy with a zing of flavor. The dipping sauce on the side is a must. Light and sweet. The tapioca dumplings are my favorite item on the menu. It sounds a bit odd. I didn’t taste any tapioca flavor per say but the outside was a thick encasing of tapioca that was then filled with ground chicken, cilantro, fish sauce, and peanuts. The flavor is off the charts tasty. Nice blend of savory taste from the outside moving into the meat. My other favorite meat appetizer is the pork sarong. I love these mini meat sausages full of ginger flavor with a fun little crispy wrap around the center. This reminds me of the true flavors of SE Asia. If you can’t make a decision on what you want to try you should give the pupu platter a thought. It gives you a little taste of several items.
Starters here are great as well. The octopus is the best octopus I have ever tasted. They have some sort of magical way of making it soft and tender instead of the typical rubbery texture. Topped with holandaise sauce this starter is sure to please your palate. If you are in the mood for a veggie you could go for the brussels sprouts. They come crispy in a bowl of broth with a soft boiled egg on top. I would have liked a little less sauce in the bottom of the bowl so it wasn’t soaking in it, but the flavor was done well… lightly salted and done al-​dente. The chicken wings are moist and punched with flavorful spice. Topped with cilantro this little dish is a good choice.
They have a nice spread of sushi rolls options. Most of them feature salmon, tuna, soft shell crab, and they do offer one veggie option. The main courses include a good array to pick from. I can only attest to the lamb shank entrée. This was more on the light side of flavor for a lamb. I got a little bit of a lamb stew feel to it as the meat fell off the bone into the broth but it was still on the lighter side. This fit the style this restaurant is going for and was a well thought out dish. The coriander flavor was a nice touch as well. I have heard that the steak is another favorite on the menu and plan on trying this dish next time I stop in… and I hope it won’t be long!

A solid two stars.
Saucebox is decidedly un-​Portland. Feels like any sushi restaurant in LA except with poor service. We only came here because we just got off a flight, were super hangry/​tired, and luc lac’s line was really lac-​king speed.
Our appetizers were high in oil and low in flavor. They forgot the rest of our order. The zombie drink had hot pink sauce all over the outside (meant to resemble blood), which was just messy and cumbersome. The mains (after they realized they forgot it) took forever to come out. Oh yes and the furikake sushi spicy mayo was basically regular mayo. Eeeeeew.
The server was frazzled yet unapologetic. Décor trite and uninspiring. Then it took at least twenty minutes for them to notice the credit card sticking out and the check resting at the edge of the table.
Company aside (my dude), this place sucks. I went to the food trucks after and my $ 6 box of mediocre noodles basically owned the entire menu at Saucebox.

Portland’s late night food happy hours are a thing of legend. It’s like… I don’t even want to eat during normal hours now because you can get incredible gourmet stuff at 9pm+. Sauce box was exactly what we wanted when we wanted it. I led my group on a goose chase looking for the proverbial pot of food gold and we found it.
Spicy pad thai and duck wings and french fries and soft shell crab and pork noodles and brussels sprouts and cauliflower curry. That’s all on their late night menu. It’s on par with restaurants’ normal day time menus. Kelly (our server) was awesome. He was fast and kind and funny and fantastic. Give that man a raise please. I’m sure there are other spots but Saucebox remains my mecca of late night noshes.

Sauce box was packed out in the bar at happy hour on a Wednesday. So they kindly gave us a table with window view in the main dining room with happy hour menu. So we ordered items off the happy hour and dinner menus too, Sweet!
Some dim sum! Some spicy pork udon noodles! Korean baby back ribs! Pan fried cabbage and mushroom pot stickers! Sweet potato spring rolls! Organic miso! Sauvie Island carrots! Some draft IPA! Some fun! Sauce’s made my nose run, that’s a good thing!
Convivial dining! Very friendly and accommodating service! Delicious dishes! Come and get it!

I visited Saucebox during a recent trip to Portland. Even though the restaurant appeared to be quite packed (it was a Thursday evening), we were sat right away. The ambiance is quite cool and I was a fan of the vibe.
On to the food! We ordered the Vietnamese salad rolls to start and I was pleased with how light and fresh they were. I enjoyed both dipping sauces – the peanut sauce and I forget the other one. For my meal, I ordered the crispy brussels sprouts in dashi broth (I’m on an epic quest to try brussels sprouts at any restaurant offering them) and the
red lantern roll (spicy ahi, avocado and spicy mayo). My brother ordered the cauliflower curry. All in all, we were quite pleased with the meal but it was a little pricier for what we got than some other places we went in the area. The brussels sprouts were phenomenal, but the red lantern roll was just a basic spicy tuna roll (I had been expecting a bit more from it).
The waiter wasn’t super attentive, but it was a cool restaurant with decent food. If I had the choice, I probably would go back but maybe just for drinks!

After touring the Portland underground, Nate M and I decided to grab a bite to eat since we were starving. Apparently endless conversation about death, ghosts, torture and deception builds a pretty big appetite… weird.
So, we busted out the trusty Unilocal app and Saucebox showed up as both close and awesome. We made a few dirty jokes about the name and were quickly en route arriving in about five minutes. Seats at the bar were available so we bellied up, ordered a few drinks and peeped out the menu. I still had my app open and saw tons of delicious looking pictures and tried to cross reference them off the menu — nothing was matching up! I ended up pointing out pictures to our bartender and asked him, «what’s this, can I order this?» He replied, «nope, that’s on the happy hour menu.» Then again, same answer. And again, again, again and again. I was quickly losing interest and contemplated waiting for the late-​night happy hour to begin in order to get what I wanted rather than settling — hunger won this battle and I settled for the duck.
Winner! The duck came out quickly and from what I could tell, it was cooked perfectly, (the lighting was very dim). The portion size was big but not overwhelming and it paired nicely with the crispy udon and kale. We also ordered some of the sweet potato spring rolls, which were good but I’m sure taste much better at the happy hour price point.
So yeah, we enjoyed our meal here but I need to make my way back for happy hour and the cheap deals they have on a bunch of their menu items. For the price I paid for dinner I could have had a small feast while getting to try much more of what Saucebox has to offer. Now I know. Next time, Saucebox, next time.