Belly Restaurant

We had a Groupon & along with many otheres tried to use the day before it expired. We called the day before to make a reservation but since it was a Monday & they were closed we left a message. They called us back Tuesday about 5pm to say they could seat us at 5 or after 8 or we could come in wait for a table or sit at the bar. We got there about 6 & put our name on a list for a table which had a wait of 1 1/2 hrs. The woman we spoke with when we got there said we were free to sit at the bar on a first come first serve basis as well. With our name on the list for a table we waited around & when 2 seats opened at the bar we sat. The bartender greeted us with menus & utensils & said he would be back to take our order. About 15 minutes later, the same person who told us we could sit at the bar took the menus away from us & said there was a wait for the seats! REALLY? Because when you are told there is waitlist for tables but bar is 1st come 1st serve then when seats open at bar you sit! We left & will never return! more

Thanks to Groupon we found Belly this weekend. We had not heard about it and had no idea what to expect - what an amazing surprise! \r \r A nice atmosphere and every member of the staff that we met was very nice. When our waitress learned that we had not been to Belly before she brought over the owner to introduce us. Very nice touch.\r \r Learned that parts of the menu changes every few weeks - which keeps me excited to go back on a regular basis.\r \r Started with the soup - celery root. Sounded iffy to me - but my wife LOVES soup and our waitress recommended it. Turned out to be one of the best soups either of us has ever had. Who knew that celery root could turn into something amazing? Also shared an appetizer of pork meatballs served over lentils and topped with creme fraiche and fresh mint - again it was amazing.\r \r Dinner - wife had the trout with a crab/cauliflower ""hash"" that we both loved. I had the gnochi ""pot roast"" which was excellent as well. \r \r The evening was wonderful and reasonably priced. Appetizer, soup, two entrees, one dessert and two glasses of excellent red wine - under $100.\r \r We will be back - again and again! more

I really enjoyed my meal at Belly. I went with a group of 4 other people, including two vegetarians. They loved their vegetable pot pie with a hazelnut crust. The rest of us enjoyed a variety of meat and fish based dishes and we all left full. Not cheap, but worth it. I was really disappointed by the boring beers on draft and the selection (only two on draft?) We all ordered wine. more

The food was good,,,BUT...you knew there was a but..3 of the 4 of us at our table ordered a dinner called ""Pot Roast""...it was billed as potato gnocchi with short ribs of beef, roasted carrots and a horseradish flavoring. Well, the gnocchi was flavorful along with the 3 or 4 small pieces of carrot but there was only 3 shreds (I'm not kidding) shreds of beef...not even big enough to chew. Nineteen ($19.00) for a bowl of about 14 potato gnocchi...not a bargain in my book even if it was tasty. Too many other good restaurants in Portland that actually give you a good meal for your money to go back to this place. more

I finally tried the brunch after enjoying happy hour. 4 of us went on Sunday without a reservation. Just made it as the word must be getting out. The decadent chicken fried steak and eggs was huge and good, basic breakfast with great bacon and eggs benedict also got raves. Only the duck confit has seemed a bit light on the actual duck. Love the friendly staff and hope they finally break the curse at this location. go and Enjoy! Pros: Roomy, friendly, great food Cons: hmmmmm more

We had our first meal at Belly last night after driving past it almost daily. (As parents of a toddler, we have to choose carefully for our date nights.) Thankfully, the reviews we read rang true - excellent food and very friendly staff. Not just ""friendly"" like a lot of other restaurants where they have to be nice to paying customers. But truly a feeling that they love what they do and were just plain happy to cook you amazing food and host you in their home for the evening. So yes, we recommend Belly! :0) Pros: Food is outstanding; staff is extremely nice and genuine! Cons: Nada more

We were very surprised by our dinner this evening. The food was exquisite, service was great. The quality and presentation was equivalent to the best restaurants in the city. Honestly, we were more impressed with our experience here than we were with Le Pigeon. Highly recommended! Pros: Food, service, ambience Cons: none! more

I have to say, I was really pleased with the meal I had here. The service was excellent and it's quite clear that the chef is really passionate about what he does. Everything was perfectly delicious and it was clear that great care was taken in the preparation. The salad was perfect - not excessively coated with dressing as it is in many restaurants, and the risotto was cooked to perfection. I'd really recommend this place to anyone who wants to have celebratory dinner or even just a special night out. I'll definitely be coming back again. Pros: Excelent food more

Went to Belly last night honestly not expecting a stellar meal. My friend and I both ordered the scallops which come on a bed of pastry with spinach and onion rings. Sounds odd, but it was all very good, except for the spinach, which was cooked to the point of being brown and mushy. Not so good. The scallops were perfectly prepared but I was disappointed there were only 3 on an entree plate ($22). The dessert menu is a little too complicated for my tastes (rosemary ice cream, herbed short bread cookies, balsamic vinegar sauce on a brownie) but the wine was good and the service was very down to earth and friendly. The food did take some time to come out the kitchen, but it didn't seem unreasonable at all. The meatball appetizer was not the best, the meat was fatty and had too much vinegar in the sauce. Overall, I liked Belly but can't say I would RUN back for another meal there. I would like to try the brunch though... Pros: delicious bread, very friendly service, yummy scallops Cons: some portions of the dishes were mediocre more

Have had dinner here several times. Great atmosphere, great food, attentive service. Have had the steak and fries each time because it's always cooked perfectly. The salads are wonderful, and larger than you find at most restaurants. The food is a little slow getting to the table, but the wait is worth it. Staff is friendly and accommodating. This is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. Pros: Great Food, Reasonably Priced. Cons: A little slow on delivery more

My husband and I decided to try Belly for brunch with some friends on a Sunday, as it is near our house. First of all, seating was no problem at 10:30am, but around noon, people started filing in. The food was really good, the prices are on par and the service was friendly. We were pleasantly surprised so we asked to see the dinner menu just to see. We were given the menu but told that it does change depending on what is in season, etc...\r \r My husband and I returned a week later for dinner and boy was it good! I had the scallops and they were right on! I am a smaller person, and the serving size was perfect for me. My husband had a plate-ful of steak and fries and they were also very good. The appetizer we had was yummy and the service was attentive. The only con is that the wine list is not the best I've seen, but to make up for it, the cocktails are good. All in all both experiences were positive and we will return for sure!! Pros: Great food, great service Cons: Wine list is a bit lacking.... more

Had dinner twice in the last few weeks at Belly with two different groups of friends and had great dinners both times. I was a bit surprised the first time as the reviews here were pretty mixed. However, I live in the general area so I decided to give it a try anyway and I am so glad I did. The food was excellent, ( parties had various items including the green leaf salad with blue cheese & apples, butternut squash w/ apple soup, steak and scallop entrees) reasonably priced, it had a warm ambiance and the service was very attentive. Food did take a bit to come to the table, but is was apparent upon tasting the food that it was freshly prepared as opposed to sitting on some warming tray. I actually haven't bothered to write a restaurant review before but my experience at belly was in such contrast to earlier posters that I felt compelled to throw in my two cents. \r Oh, yea and the fresh hot chocolate chips cookies were a great way to end the evening. Pros: Great food, service and reasonably priced. Cons: Not the place to rush in and out of as food is prepared as it is ordered. more

I recently went in on Saturday night, 7ish. There was only three or four tables beside our party of three. It seemed to take an exceptionally long time to get anything. They had what seemed like three servers on and three or four cooks/preps. The food was good, not too expensive, but for the cost I felt that the service should have been much quicker. I really wanted to have dessert, but opted against it because I didn't want to wait for it!! We finally left at 8:45 or so after a not so elaborate dinner. more

Had great expectations but was unpleasantly surprised.\r \r Sounded like a great concept but horribly executed. Don?t mean to compare, but the food, service, value and wine list pales in comparison to Terroir (the former restaurant in the space).\r \r Looks like another place that won?t last a year. Too bad.\r more

Did you know they have a wood fire oven? \r \r I was wowed by the atmosphere. Upon walking in to the place you know you've made it home. On a cold night the warm dining area and the lit up open kitchen made the place feel cozy and comfortable. The decor is simple---a mixture of old and new. \r \r The service was very sincere. Obviously the employees care for the business and are proud to be there. Our server informed us that the building was LEED certified and that they compost as much waste as possible. \r \r Comfort foods. Hearty. The ""chicken fried"" duck legs were amazing. I had the wood fired pizza with chantrelles, lobster mushrooms, mozzarella and prosciutto. I found the menu to be both inventive, and inspired. Upon further interrogation of our server I discovered that the chef, Addy, is from the southeast region of the country--adding a obvious flair to new american style he features. \r \r Drinks. I enjoyed a class of bubbles and a glass of tempranillo. My partner had the Oregon pear sidecar that was OuTStaNding! All the prices were reasonable ~$8. And the bottle list was well-rounded. \r \r HAppy hour! I noticed that they have happy hour everyday (except on Mondays when they are closed). I will be back to try happy hour and the rest of the menu soon. Pros: The food was unforgettable. more

Great atmosphere, but awful food and not worth the price. Food was either over cooked or undercooked. Paid $10.50 for a mixed drink. Not worth it would never go back. more

Went to Belly last week for brunch and had excellent meal. They started the meal with bacon cinnamon rolls that were awesome. Sure they were small, but who gives you anything free anymore? Loved it. The server recommended my yellow corn fritters with scrambled eggs, a light tomato salsa and an avocado cream- yum. My partner had an open faced omelette, I can't remember what was on it, but it had some baby greens on top which were creative and fresh. The food was great and we ran into two tables of people we know from our neighborhood! The staff was cute, and everyone there seemed comfortable and natural. We have both been in the service industry in the past- we hate fake or phony servers who are just robots looking for a tip. There was no awkward pressure and we never felt like we were an inconvenience. The server did, however, bring us dinner menus and tried to charm us into dessert- maybe next time! We are huge fans of Cadillac Cafe but we dread the wait- for now Belly can handle the crowds. more

We went to belly last night for dinner and were very pleasantly surprised. We were seated right away at a good table in a very appealing, spacious and light room - windows on one side and the well-lit kitchen on the other. It sounds funny to say this but the chairs were comfortable and the table was big enough! Water and a server came right away along with menus and interesting selections. To start, we had their green beans (deliciously warm and dressed just right) and a salad. My partner had the pizza and I had the steak, done exactly as ordered - both were delicious. Their by-the-glass wine list included domestic as well as European and South American selections, were reasonably priced, with a not-skimpy pour. I had the French (Cote du Rhone from a freshly-opened bottle) but could have had the Spanish (Tempranillo) or Italian (Valpolicella) just as easily. Throughout the evening the wait staff were attentive, friendly but professional, and appropriate - no one asked me if I was ""still workin' on that."" In the end, it was such a good experience and so easy to enjoy what they have to offer, we wondered why the restaurant wasn't packed full of people. We'll definitely go back. Pros: Ambiance, service, food, attitude more

Mmmm. I've been to belly a few times for both brunch and dinner. Each time the food, drinks and service have been consistently excellent. The atmosphere is sophisticated and friendly; a great place to take out of town guests, meet with friends or just stop by for a drink. Ever since tasting the picnic plate I've craved the brisket covered in the most perfect pomegranate bbq sauce. The steak and fries were exceptional, made with quality meat and cooked exactly as ordered. \r As far as brunch goes, belly is a stand out. The ""belly mary"" is outstanding. My friends and I were all extremely pleased with our orders of duck confit hash, french toast and build your own biscuit with country fried steak. As frequent brunch patrons of restaurants all over Portland, my friends and I most definitely recommend belly.\r As for the parking issue, belly does have a lot behind the building and there is a large public lot half block north on MLK.\r I highly recommend belly for both dinner and brunch and am looking forward to going again to try the pizzas from the wood burning oven and, of course, more cocktails from the best bartender in town. Pros: Great tasting, quality food and service. Still a Portland secret. more

This is a lovely place with good and friendly service. The drink and wine lists are very good, albeit a bit overpriced. However we found the food to be just a bit lacking. The crab, cucumber and watermelon appetizer, while an inventive mix of ingredients, lacked flavor. The crab was not fresh, which is inexcusable given the $12 or so price tag. The ""loaded"" gnocci, again an inventive dish of gnocci, bacon and cheddar, lacked in texture and would seem to benefit from a sauce of some kind. The pizza was good--nice, thin crust and flavors. The pork loin was brined, so cooked to a medium rare. I was open to this but found the texture to be a little weird - very stringy and ""raw-like."" But the portion was large and the sauce added a nice flavor. The chocolate tasting dessert was pretty mediocre, with the ice cream having a strange mouth feel. This is a fine place and I will probably go back again (particularly since it's close by), but at these prices and in a town where the quality and inventiveness of our restaurants is at an all-time high, a new place like belly has got to kick it up a notch to keep our attention, and to keep us coming back. Pros: Nice, friendly service, inventive dishes Cons: Execution a bit lacking, pricey more