The Woodsman Tavern

Food was ok, shrimp tasted old. Double burger and fries are good. The bloody’s are good.

Great place, nice ambiance and awesome food. I went and it was a pretty busy but was seated after a few minutes. It was still brunch time and grabbed a burger which was phenomenal and an awesome buoy pint. My wife had the crab roll which is really tiny bit the crab is ridiculously good. I’ll be back for sure. Overall great experience and place but be ready to pay a little bit.

Great food. Had oysters, delicious chicken, wine, pecan pie & coffee for desert. Entire group was satisfied. Dishes were easy to share and all complemented each other well. A little pricy, but hit the spot for a date night with the wife. Good atmosphere and service. On par with the very good restaurants Portland has to offer.

I recently went here for my husband’s birthday dinner. The staff was wonderful and knowledgable about the food as well as drinks. They offered great suggestions, provided wonderful service and the food was delicious. I will definitely return.

I have been here many times. They make excellent and tasty cocktails and have fun dinner appetizers like crab legs. Although, breakfast is always interesting and good I feel their prices over all are too high. I had 2 eggs, biscuit, braised greens and some ham for brunch. It was delicious, but $ 15.00 plus $ 3.00 for coffee, WOW. They do use high quality and local ingredients etc…, but lots of places do not charge that much and are excellent.

The fried chicken is superb and will make me a repeat customer.

This is a really great restaurant and a repeat for me. The oysters are dynamite. Also love the deviled eggs, the pimento cheese bun, the Brussel sprout salad… The atmosphere is delightful too, dark wood, cozy booths and a great bar (ate at the bar last time!). I got the burger last time and it was way too much food for me but was a delicious double cheeseburger, fries were great too. Unless you have a huge appetite I would suggest splitting the burger w someone and getting a couple small plates… Drinks were also outstanding, I think I had an old fashioned…

I thought this place was mediocre. .I have heard such amazing things, and we were pretty letdown. We had the chicken, cheeseburger, oysters, eggs, mashed potatoes, and buns. To be honest, the oysters and buns were the best part.
The atmosphere was also a bit funky… It could do without the horrible country music. The crowd was older and seemed conservative. It just didn’t seem to fit the neighborhood. Well, you gotta give a place a shot. For the money that was spent, I can think of a million other better places here in Portland! Too bad

Oh, Woodsman. I super wanted to like you! I wanted your fried chicken to be outrageous and make me a fried chicken junkie… But it wasn’t. It was good. The biscuit was great… Fluffery, buttery, delicious all by itself, it didn’t even need the apple butter it comes with… But that’s good too.
The service was polite and prompt.
The space is lovely and elegant but gets really noisy when it fills up. The sound is harsh then, but if you swing in earlier, it’s quite nice. It’s upscale Portland-​casual.
That’s it.

Didn’t know what to expect as I hadn’t even heard anything about it beforehand; which was actually refreshing.
Great ambiance, professional staff, strange soap dispenser in the bathroom; overall nice place.
Menu was limited but had something for everyone, including excellent seafood options. Two species of Oysters on the half shell (and shooters for novices) were available. I love oysters, these were excellent in both quality and presentation.
Food was well prepared and presented, ham special was excellent as wad the happy hour burger and fried chicken. Great French fries and biscuits/​bread.
Drinks were very good and I was impressed in the expansive menu, including sherries, ports, medira, AND Sauternes.

We drove by their place a number of times and decided to give them a try. There were hits and misses during our experience. Flavor combinations, drinks and service were hits. Comfort and value were misses. I am always intrigued about how restaurant owners choose what chairs they want in their restaurants. Their choice seems more geared towards a 5^th grade elementary school than adults who plan on sitting for more than 30 minutes. We ordered multiple courses and within 45 minutes, my back and rear end were reduced to tears. And if you are over 6 feet tall, just turn around and walk out the door. Your ass will pay a price that lingers well after your dinner.
We started out with oysters and the deviled eggs. Loved the eggs and were a value for just $ 3.00.The oysters for $ 3.25 per oyster is not a value. As a chef, I’ve sold oysters. Average wholesale are around .45 to .65 per oyster. Not a value. We moved on to share the shrimp louie for $ 12.00. Another dish that just didn’t seem to be a value for what we paid for. The flavors were great but again, value wasn’t there. Also, signature drinks and wine by the glass ranged from $ 10-​$ 15. Where are the wines by the glass that you can try different styles without being forced to buy a bottle because no one can afford a $ 14 glass of wine? It just doesn’t make sense. Their happy hour seems non-​existent. Portland wrote the book on great happy hours deals.
We finally had the fried chicken for $ 18.00. This was probably the most egregious dish we ordered because the ½ chicken comes with no sides. By the time we got two modest sides to complete the meal, it was $ 28.00. Now, this isn’t locally sourced or organic chicken. In fact, nothing on their menu claims to be sourced locally nor is it say it comes from sustainable purveyors so a ½ chicken and mashed potatoes with side of brussel sprouts should never be almost $ 30.00. It’s just a rip off considering all the other places in Portland who serve great fried chicken for a fraction of the cost.
The desserts were good and were a value for what you received. The service was professional and prompt.
What we found odd is the business model which seems ill conceived. They are selling a western style tavern with San Francisco pricing along with weird swag that seems to cater to hipsters who could NEVER afford to eat here. Seems more appropriate for Double Barrel Bar and not Woodsman. We probably won’t return. Comfort and value lacked vs other places in Portland more accommodating to our wallets and asses.

Sitting here at the woodsman going on two hours waiting for our main course with my wife and 6 year old.
We called ahead to make sure kids were ok. They said they love to have kids in their establishment.
Not a fan — won’t be recommending to any friends or family any time soon.
It’s not even that busy.

Love their fries with aioli and siracha! Have had a sprinkling of other menu options — like the fried chicken (delish) and the drinks tend to be amazing. I adore the décor — very well done without being overboard. It’s also fantastic on warm nights for a little Portland people watching.

I always judge a new place by their Benny’s. I order it every time. They’re really hard to mess up. But it’s obviously a lot harder to get it perfect. This place managed to hit a level of perfection I never thought possible.
The key for me is proportions. Is there enough bread for the ham, is there enough ham for the eggs. I’ve had some where the ham was a thick slab of meat and that’s all I tasted. The Woodman could NOT have made a better traditional eggs benedict. Perfectly cooked egg, tasty pieces of sliced ham that I assume was homemade or local, and even the toasted bread, which. I mean, who cares about the bread? Well it matters. And it was toasted to perfection so I could easily cut it without slicing through the plate and into the table yet still gave me enough crunch to satisfy.
I can’t say enough. I will do my best to go back again when I’m in town. The waitress was super nice to me and the kids so that was a plus. And best part? Parking. No crowds. You can keep your Screen Door and the hours of waiting. You silly drones. This is the place to come. But shhhh… it must be a secret otherwise the Woodsman Tavern would have a line around the block.

I like the Woodsman. Have had dinner here a few times but I do prefer going in for a drink and a few plates rather than a formal «dinner».
Today we got there at about 2pm and ordered a Bloody Mary and dry cider. The Bloody Mary came in a cute little half/​bottle and was really enough for two drinks. Good basic Mary spices and definitely clamato– ish and horseradishy.
We shared the ham plate which came with a crazy buttery biscuit– does not need additional butter that’s for sure! Very tasty and very clogged my arteries.
Oysters were two bucks each and for the crisp clean creamy quality we could have put back a couple dozen — easily.
Dungeness crab cocktail in a half avocado was cooling and together with the salty ham and my dry cider it was a delightful late lunch pairing.
I tend to frequent places during their «off peak» hours and I really think it’s a different experience than if I went on a Friday night at 8pm and reviewed then etc. more relaxed and less pretentious time of day :)
I like the atmosphere– the wood and lighting are easy on the eyes and even though it gets meh reviews I will keep it in my rotation when I have a few extra bucks (it’s not cheap) because I think it’s pretty quality and easy to get a nice drink and a decadent nosh.

Love when a place offers oysters for breakfast!
I’m also always on the lookout for new eggs benedict’s to try… Woodsman offers a crab benedict with asparagus and it is SO GOOD. Whoever thought to put asparagus on a benedict (because it works well on everything) is a genius!
Every morning I drink my orange juice with vanilla and when I ordered my drink of choice the bartender went above and beyond and made me an orange julius type of beverage with egg whites in it, thank you sir.
Also: Patio seating. Double thank you.

I wanted to fall in love with The Woodsman. I’ve been waiting so long to have dinner here, so when we finally made it during spring break and had Grover as our server, we knew we were in for a bumpy evening. For the Grover reference, flashback to Sesame Street with ADD Grover as the friendly but absent minded pizza counter help.
First they were out of Anchor Porter, so they did offer a free half glass of what was left in keg. That was nice, but how hard is it to keep a spare keg on hand for a crisis like this? My wine was delightful, and the wait staff let me taste two samples before I committed.
We both ordered the prime tri-​tip. So good and tender – it was just what I was hoping for. I ordered mine medium because I like it medium rare. Scored with a perfectly cooked, tender steak. TWT’s medium is almost rare, and my husband struggled with the mushy red consistency of his steak. He didn’t send it back because we were pressed for time to make it to a concert after dinner. Once we ordered, it was a 45 minute wait for our food. The atmosphere was good, and we had plenty to talk about, but we were on the verge of being late for crooner Colin Hay. No Bueno.
I’m glad I got TWT experience out of my system, but I may or may not be back. If I could order more liberally around food allergies, this may have been a better choice for me as I watched my husband slowly devour his cheddar biscuit with mouth watering apple butter. He said it was the best part of his meal. Personally, I was stunned at how long that biscuit steamed, taunting me from across the table. It looked and smelled amazing – I considered how terrible I’d feel for a week or so if I ate one, maybe half of one. It was a close call, truly.

We’ve been back a few times now, and man, this place makes me so happy!
The Woodsman takes something as simple as a burger and elevates it to an oh my god this is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten level. The Double Cheese Burger consists of 2 burger patties, cheese, iceberg lettuce, onion and some thousand island ish sauce. It’s uncomplicated, and SO good. The seasoning they use in the patty and the way the patties are cooked is perfection. No extra frills needed for this burger.
The service has been fantastic. Whether it’s just my friend and I having a girls night, or my family for a large group brunch, they’ve taken good care of us.
We’ll be back this weekend for my birthday brunch!

Very good food but a little uncomfortable environment… at least for an old guy like me. The chairs are like old swivel wood office chairs. Kind of fun at first but over time… Pretty uncomfortable. When we were first seated at 6pm on a monday the place was only about ½ full and the noise level was a good, easy talking level. But by 7pm I had a sore ass and it was pretty noisy.
The food was an eclectic and varied mix. It ranged from good to very good. I had the meatloaf that was just about excellent. Bacon wrapped… what was not to like. The others had avocado and crab with pimento bun which was very good. Others had oyster shooters, porchetta, shrimp louie. All very good but not great.
Everything was expensive compared to what we normally spend at about $ 40 per person with drinks. Not bad for a 4 star experience. But since there are lots of 5 star places in town that are more like $ 20 per person I probably will not go back.

Came here based on recommendations from several people. While some food was good, others were not favorable to our palates.
Sea urchin and chives — My friend enjoyed it, I had a small bite and the uni tasted good with the chives.
Oyster Cocktail — my friend liked it, but this was not something I would order every day. Basically a small cup of beer with some sort of shrimp sauce and lemon.
HH single burger — reminded me of burgers from high school they cooked on the grill — decent, but a little dry and well-​done. I did enjoy the large salad that i requested instead of fries – very fresh
Smoked trout with toast — this was really good. smoky, big flakes of trout.
Grilled Chicken — large quarter portion. It was cooked well and the skin was crispy, pretty standard
Crispy fried rice balls with maple– expecting something sweet, it seemed to taste like a mealy salted hush puppy with a light drizzle of maple. Our whole table thought this was not good at all and needed at least more maple syrup. The large flakes of salt (I saw one 1 cm square flake) did not help either
Service was decent, but I remember trying to find the waiter several times. Granted, he did mention they were overbooked. That said, I didn’t notice it in the timing of our dishes.