Toro Bravo

Toro Bravo, is one of the best Tapas Bars in town. The atmosphere is chilled and relaxing, even though it is busy. We have been here three times, and will be back. The wait can be long, even hours depending on the night, and it is a little more pricier. but it is worth the wait and the price.

By far this is one of my top five restaurants to go to. The service is amazing and the food is phenomenal. Every dish and drink that comes out is excellent and or cooked to perfection.
I highly recommend the seafood paella.

My girls were in town and we needed a nice place to gorge ourselves for girls’ night out and Toro Bravo seemed to fit the bill. We had a drink at Bunk next door and then arrived right after opening, we did not want to wait hours. The place is intimate, aka tiny, with a cute little cove off to the side and just a few tables squeezed in the dining room. The table next to ours was just inches away, I was really hoping to get a couple on a first date but alas it was a married couple. That married couple knew what was up because they started with a pitcher of Sangria, which made us immediately order one. We also ordered a few of the same dishes so there is a plus side to being so close to other tables.
You really must start with the Sangria, it is perfection, but very strong. If you are a lightweight like me you will only need one glass, but order the pitcher because it’s adorable! We ordered 8 tapas between the 3 of us, not including our desserts. My favorite tapas of the night were the empanadas, they were sweet, savory, spicy, salty, creamy, and dreamy. Literally everything you ever wanted, I was sad to split it 3 ways. I also loved the Oxtail Croquettes, how can you go wrong?
The 2 most surprising dishes of the night were the Butternut Squash and the Caldo Verde. The Butternut Squash was mashed with Harissa and Sheep’s cheese. I seriously could have eaten a vat, they were stunning. We thought the Caldo Verde was a salad based on the description, chorizo, potatoes, collards, and croutons, imagine our surprise when a soup landed on our table. Imagine our surprise again when that dish was a favorite. It is the most perfect soup I’ve ever tasted, seriously everything is so perfectly balanced. You should definitely give it a try, especially on a rainy night! Ha!
There are a few dishes I would skip, the bacon wrapped dates were alright, but not my thing. The drunken pork was good, but nothing special. The Harira is a lamb stew that had a very Moroccan flavor profile which is not a personal favorite of mine. The Roasted Delicata Squash with Lamb Ragu was very pedestrian, I feel like I could make it at home.
You should NOT skip dessert. DO NOT SKIP DESSERT! We each ordered one, remember how I said gorge ourselves? The cheese ice cream with huckleberry compote was so good. The ice cream is more like cheesecake, but not as sweet. The apple galette was also good, it was served with the same huckleberry compote and unfortunately that overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the apples, but a solid dessert nonetheless. However, the olive oil cake was pure perfection. I find myself day dreaming about it… it was dripping in a blood orange caramel that was the perfect sweet yet slightly bitter accompaniment. The cake was so delicate yet spongy and crumbly and everything you want your cake to be, DON’T SKIP DESSERT!
I will definitely be back, probably next month on a date night with my husband who is now begging to go. I hope to try the $ 40 chef’s tasting menu. As a self proclaimed tapas hater I am now a convert. It was very easy to see why this is one of the city’s top restaurants.

Great place for our anniversary dinner! We waited about an hour for a table on a Friday night, but there are two bars in the same building to have a cocktail while we waited.
Service was friendly, prompt, informative, and attentive from start to finish. The server even took the time to check mark a menu showing items that are gluten free.
We started with the Spanish kiss, an unusual burst of green olive flavor. The Oregon kiss was similarly bite sized with shaved truffle on top and manchego.
The bacon wrapped dates with almond and smoked paprika were amazing. The kitchen sent us two extra by mistake and we certainly didn’t send them away!
The Brussels sprouts were a creamy, bacony, delicious treat, the highlight for me. The Caldo Verde was a chorizo soup with greens and potatoes — warm, hearty and satisfying. Croutons on the side were light but flavorful.
Potatoes Bravas were tomatoey and creamy. We finished with Harira, a divine lentil and lamb combo served with flatbread, the highlight of the meal for my partner.
We shared the Sherry flight, a fun and unusual experience, and the server took the time to describe each selection.
The value was incredible. We were stuffed and the whole meal was only $ 65 including the flight.

Great place to have a chill dinner and catch up with friends, definitely an older crowd here. People typically stay a while, which is why the wait is so long. Nike outlets are nearby though. We bought some (cheap) clothes (no sales tax!) and chilled at the bar next door before dinner. Toro Bravo gives you a call when your table is ready.
We had a feast: Paella Toro, Grilled Flat Bread, Drunken Pork, Squid Ink Pasta, Meatballs, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, and Foie Gras Terrine. That’s kind of what happens when you go to a Tapa bar. We read the menu and wanted to try everything. Most dishes are relatively small, so order a bunch of tapas for a big party! The service is great, so I’m sure the waiter can also advise as to how many dishes to order. The PAELLA and FLAT BREAD dishes were the most filling, and of course delicious. The spices meld together and meats melt in your mouth. This place is known for their meats, tender and flavorful. There’s a reason why this restaurant is highly rated on Unilocal

I absolutely love the food here. This is a fairly meat-​centric restaurant, but the veggie options are truly delicious.
Sure, the wait is very long. You can expect to put your name in and wait anywhere between 45mins and 2hours (depending on the day, time, and # of people in your group). So Pro tip– go on an evening when you have plenty of time, put your name in, and go upstairs for some fancy cocktails at Secret Society.
Don’t leave without ordering the grilled flat bread or you’re a fool. A FOOL I TELL YOU.

Danny’s Unilocal 2016.
Toro Bravo is the same owners as Tasty n Sons, and Tasty n Alders which makes them a brother sister restaurant in Portland. My friends and I really enjoyed eating here and it’s definitely one of my many favorite spots to go to while I was visiting here. The concept is very similar to ZuZu in Napa, CA if you guys are around that area. The best way to experience it is with a group, I say 4 is a great number because everyone can try a bite of almost all the dishes they have to offer. (I came in a group of 5 which is still perfect) I overheard this place does tend to get super busy and my friends and I were lucky enough to go on a Thursday night where we only had to wait for 15 minutes.
Now, the FOOD. AMAZING! We had a good amount of food which included the paella, the squid ink fiedo pasta which was one of my favorites, steak, sheared scallop was cooked to perfection with a nice orange sauce over it, and there was 3 more dishes that we’ve ordered but I forgot. I shall update my review soon once I go through my iPhone.
Everything was delicious and the portions for the main dishes (Paella & steak) were quite generous. I personally liked the paella and thought it was very flavorful but some of my friends didn’t enjoy it.
Our server was very friendly, knowledgable, and chill. We asked her couple questions and recommendation and everything she recommended was on point. I enjoyed eating here and if I lived in Portland, this would be one of m go-​to dinner spots.
Tips/​Personal Note:
+ Price wise, very reasonable. I think our bill came out to a bit over $ 100 between 5 people with all the food and drinks. NO TAX IN OREGON!
+ Go early so you don’t have to wait too long.
+ TRY THEIR PAELLA & SHEARED SCALLOP!
Conclusion: I’ll be back!

Food and service nirvana. This is my favorite restaurant to meet with friends for a long, leisurely dinner and flavor infused conversations.
I’ll keep returning here because the food amazes me. I’m a good cook, but I have never prepared dishes that come close to TB’s complexity and playfulness. Yes, I could buy the TB cookbook and attempt recipes that are beyond my cooking strength, stamina, and attention span, but why do that when I enjoy the experience of TB so fully? Even the buzz of the restaurant is purposeful, energetic and calm. There’s a confidence here, a we’ve-got-this feeling that this accurate and humble.
It seems to me that everything about this place is a celebration in joy in doing exactly what you want to be doing and perfecting it; drudgery lives somewhere else. The people who work here are fully present and engaged in creating impeccable, intelligent service. I applaud that and look forward to my next visit here, knowing it will be my favorite kind of evening.

What a delightful meal here!!! I was warned of the wait so arrived early and happily went next door to grab a drink while we waited for a table. While they told us 1.5 hours it ended up only being an hour wait (just enough for a glass of wine!).
We decided to do the chef’s choice since there was so much to choose from and at $ 40pp it was such a steal! We were stuffed by the end and got to try 12 different dishes. There was only one thing I didn’t love and that is an amazing batting average :)
What stood out:
Cod Fritters! (we actually ordered these on the side — they are worth it!)
Bacon Wrapped Dates — I’ve had these many places but these are some of the best I’ve had. Plump and delicious
Beef Cheeks — probably one of the best things I’ve had. Holy crap! So freaking TENDER. Amazing
Delicata Squash + Lamb Ragu — Probably one of my favorite things on the menu. That ragu was to die for.
And there was much more. Our meal also ended with a delightful taste of chocolate almonds — perfect end to a great meal. We loved our server. Informed and helpful.
Can’t wait to come back!

Awesome dining experience! We walked in on a weekend evening and there was fortunately no wait for 2 sitting at the bar in front of the kitchen. It was great sitting there actually since you could see all the beautiful plates that they were making. The waiters were really busy but still very friendly/​attentive.
My friend from Portland had recommended us to get the salt cod fritters ($ 5 for small plate), potatoes bravas ($ 5 for small plate), oxtail croquettes ($ 16), and radicchio ($ 10) all of which were amazing.
My favorite was the salt cod fritters. It was perfectly fried and I could have eaten an entire plate of them! My boyfriend loved the radicchio salad which came in a huge bowl and was very crunchy and flavorful. I also tried the foie gras terrine ($ 15) which came with a large, thick slice of foie gras and two pieces of toast. It was super buttery and soft but a little too rich for me to finish it. I wouldn’t get that next time. The waiters were nice and kept giving me more pieces of bread to eat it with.
Overall definitely worth visiting if you’re in Portland! Perfect for a date.

Best bang for your buck: a bottle of wine and the chef’s tasting menu. There are no substitutions on the tasting menu and there was a fair amount of pork. However, there was also so much food that kept pouring in that the non-​pork eater in my group had the food sweats as badly as I did after the meal. They finally stopped feeding us when we couldn’t pack in the giant slab of beef they gave us as one of the last courses. Definitely recommend the tasting menu. You’ll probably end up spending $ 40 on food anyway and this way you don’t have to think of what to order. That and a bottle of wine (you can get one for about $ 30), you’ll be getting at least 2 tasty drinks that go very well with your meal for the price of 1.3 cocktails.
It’s great for small groups but they can also accommodate larger ones, like groups over 10. They take reservations (not sure if there’s a minimum group number) but I would recommend it since the place was busy even on a Tuesday night.

As much as we had tried to plan our Portland road trip, we didn’t exactly plan out every single meal since we wanted to keep our options open. We weren’t sure when we would arrive in Portland on our first day so we didn’t make any reservation for dinner — so when we arrived exactly during dinner rush, we were scrambling to find places that would take last minute parties. I thought it would be easy since it was just the 2 of us, but apparently we’re SO wrong in the city of Portland!
We initially tried to get into Ox and apparently they were all booked out for the entire night with no room to spare — we found Toro Bravo right down the street and even they had a ridiculously long wait! They offered to take down our number and call if a table opened up, and luckily they called us right in time before they closed! I was VERY surprised to hear that they would still offer us the counter — not to mention when we opted for the tasting menu (vs. a-​la-​carte so they could get us out ASAP), they gladly accepted and even told us to take our time to enjoy our meal!
I’m very glad we chose the tasting menu because the menu had SO many options, we didn’t even know where to begin! The kitchen did a fantastic job featuring all the amazing dishes and really brought out the essence of tapas dining with their choices, IMO. Even though the serving sizes were small (tapa-​style), there was still a good amount of food we had to pack to-​go because we simply couldn’t stuff ourselves anymore!

I came here with a friend after wanting to try it for ages, given that we saw the chef at the Portland Korean Food Festival and knew that he is also responsible for Tasty N Alder. We got there early enough to nab a seat at the bar, but it was quite busy, even on a Tuesday night. I enjoyed the rioja with my meal and the bacon wrapped dates, salt cod croquettes and chocolate molten cakes with olive oil ice cream were delicious. The stand out, for sure, was the squid ink pasta. It’s hard to go wrong with a plate of noodles for this girl, and it was different than any dish I have ever tried. I loved how it was just the right amount of spicy. The ambiance here is great, as well. Love this place!

This is really a 4.5. So far, I consider it my favorite tapas place in Portland, but I’m waiting to be wowed still. Love the location! Next to the Wonder Ballroom and Secret Society! Hate the parking situation. Don’t love the vey small tables and the seating at the kitchen wasnt terribly comfortable, nor could I really see them cooking.
But I have never had a dish that wasnt simply great here, but I am less excited by the menu than I’d like — that and the space constrictions themself are the only negatives for me.
But it feels and smells very warm and sensuous like a tapas place should. We ordered at least 4 or 5 dishes including a pasta and scallops. Everything is fairly impeccable here. Just is.

I rushed to Toro Bravo for the Coppa steak, rated by Willamette Week as one of Portland’s 12 food wonders. I’m not a big steak eater; typically, I prefer ethnic dishes that I find a better value.
That said, the Coppa was fabulous. It had a nice crust on the edges and a tender interior. The Salbitxada sauce was fabulous. The best steak sauce I’ve ever tasted. It is a Catlan standard, made from almonds, garlic, tomatoes, chiles and other ingredients. Most American steak sauces are meant to mask the flavor of inferior beef. This one was the perfect complement.
Toro Bravo has a reputation of having long lines when the restaurant opens at 5 p.m. It rained pretty heavily tonight. There were only two guys waiting when they opened the doors.
The wait staff was friendly and attentive. Wonderful experience.

This place was on the bucket list for places to eat when we go to Portland. Unfortunately it’s always busy and the line up is long. If you want to get a table you have to go early we got there 10 minutes before it opened and there was already a small line up.
The setting is very nice but the restaurant is pretty dark. We ordered many things and i dont want to make this long so i will only list the items we likeed
the chicken paella was amazing and big.
Coppa steak was so flavorful. It’s like a decent portion of prime rib
the truffle arugula Flatbread was so damn good.
Bacon date my wife loved.
Oxtail croquettes was one of my favorites.
Squid ink pasta was meh.
If you haven’t been here then you should try it out. Don’t do the tasting menu as it is limited to only certain items and it doesn’t have the things I listed above. Try them and you won’t be disappointed.
I’d definitely come back here but there are too many restaurants in portland. so maybe not for a while.
Food ⁹⁄₁₀ ambiance ⁷⁄₁₀ value ⁸⁄₁₀ service ⁹⁄₁₀

It wasn’t love at first bite. But for some reason, I kept wanting to go back and now I’m a huge fan.
The food is a quite salty which I normally have a hard time with but the flavor makes up for it. I highly recommend the clam cataplana. Insanely salty, especially if you try to devour all of the sauce like I do, but it is so good. If you’re worried about not getting full (a worry I have at any tapas place), order the paella! It wasn’t my favorite thing off of the menu but it’s the best bang for your buck. I’m also fond of the squid ink pasta and the seared scallops and the romesco sauce that comes with the scallops. The only thing I have been disappointed by was the drunken pork. The pork was dry and I found the avocado crema strange.
Lastly, get the sangria. Just do it. A pitcher of sangria ($ 26) often ends up being the most expensive item on the bill, but worth.

We came on a Sunday evening and knew we had to arrive when the restaurant opened or it would be filled. Lo and behold, it was packed the moment we walked in 10 minutes after opening. That must be a good thing because that means business is good. The ambiance was intimate and the service was superb, but the food was not for us.
We had ordered the Foie Gras and the squid ink pasta. Perhaps we were spoiled by a few restaurants in Seattle who have done an incredible job with their squid ink pasta, but the squid ink pasta just tasted like plain spaghetti with vegetabiles. There was nothing special about it for us. As for the Foie Gras, it tasted more like duck pâté. I understand there are different ways to make it and the one made here just wasn’t for us. Unfortunately, there was nothing memorable for us.

This was a wonderful place for date night! My boyfriend and I arrived on Thursday, a little after 8pm. We were told the wait would be about a half hour, so we walked the half block to Bunk Bar and grabbed a beer. Toro Bravo will take down your cell number and call you when a table is ready. We ended up sitting at the bar that looked into the kitchen. It was really interesting and fascinating to watch the chefs cook!
This is totes a tapas place, which I love because it gives you a chance to try a bunch of different things. We ordered 4 plates — octopus (grilled), the meatballs, brussel sprouts, and the coppa steak (small portion). Everything was phenomenal! Seriously, I don’t think either of use could come up with which one was our favorite. Every dish had complex flavors and were so flavorful, it was amazingly delicious.
For dessert we got the molten chocolate cake. YUM! It also came with olive oil ice cream, which again, was fabulous — like everything else. Our waitress was also wonderful! I wish I remembered her name… She was great with offering suggestions and being patient with our indecisiveness, because everything sounded for good.
Toro Bravo hit it out of the park for us. I completely understand why they have so many awesome reviews and a constant wait for a table. I can’t wait to return and try more of their delectable creations.

Words cannot describe how pleased I was with this place. You just have to try it.
One thing I will say, you don’t need to dress up super fancy (although we did) when you go here. I assumed it was a very upscale restaurant but that isn’t the vibe. Don’t get me wrong, don’t dress like a hobo. I’m just saying your formal wear isn’t necessary.
Also, people talk about how pricey it is. The girlfriend and I enjoyed 6 plates and a bottle of wine for under $ 100. That is not pricey at all.
I can’t stress enough how amazing this place is. I will be back for sure.