Henry's Tavern

I went to Henry's this weekend for my friend's birthday. We made reservations, and the place came highly recommended for it's ambiance and great food. Upon arriving for dinner (9:45pm, Friday Night...not too busy) we were lead over to our booth, squarely planted in front of the kitchen. We looked at our menus, and were greeted by our server who at the time, seemed fairly friendly. After giving her our drink order she left the table, and arrived roughly 10 minutes later with our drinks. My friends and I ordered 3 separate selections: I chose the Blackened Salmon Grilled Fish Sandwich, the birthday girl chose a Teriyaki Bowl, and my other lady friend chose the Triple Stacked Club Sandwich. All three selections turned out to be most excellent. Now at this point, you're asking yourself- Why did I give it two stars? Well, the service was incredibly disappointing. During my 1+ hour stay at Henry's I saw my waitress 4 times. Once to take drink orders, once to take the food order, once to bring back drinks/bread and once to refill our water glasses. About 40 minutes into the ordeal our server disappeared into the deep dark corners of the Tavern...to do god only knows what. She disappeared previously during the evening after bringing our drinks for about 15 minutes...during which time I watched my piping hot food sit on a warmer for no less than 10 minutes. The food was finally brought over by another server, undoubtedly a little less fresh...although still quite good. While in a spirited conversation with my friends our server approached our table for the 4th and final time to refill our glasses. After the server left we never saw her again. We waited for about 20 minutes before we made an estimate or how much the bill was for, counted out our cash and left it on the table. We could have dined and dashed, we didn't see anyone come to our table for at least another minute after....I hope that our server turned up safe eventually... though she never returned to our table... Pros: Good Food, great flavor Cons: Awful Service... Snobbish more

The husband and I walked up here from the Benson (who's staff recommended it) one night when it was late and we were tired and just wanted something simple and tasty to eat. He had a burger and I had the fish sandwich with halibut (you can also choose salmon). We were both quite happy with our food. Will definitely go back next time we're in town. The place was a bit noisy but that may have been because I was tired. I did wish someone would tell the oblivious women in the next booth that the staircase was not a playground for her bratty kid. Pros: Good food, convenient to downtown hotels. Cons: Irresponsible parents who bring small children to what is basically a bar. more

You walk into this place and it is immediately obvious that it is owned and managed by some soulless corporation (Pacific Coast Restaurants); out to impress with style over substance ? beer list aside there is very little about it which is unique or charming.. Visiting Hnery?s on a busy night can be miserable. Bar staff is overworked and hostile. They think they know a lot about beer, but they don?t ? I have a degree in viticulture. Management is young and inexperienced, so you should expect them to make bad calls when the poor over-worked wait staff messes up. Recently, a friend and I waited in the bar 40 minutes for a table. When one finally freed up we sat down. The waitress walked over and said: ?stop, wait, sit sit,? and abruptly turned around and walked away. 2 minutes later a manger walked over and told (not asked) us to leave the table because the gentlemen who were there before us had jus stepped out to smoke. However, I had seen them both sign credit cards, and the table had been wiped down. The waitress insisted that their entrees were on the way. The manager was more interested in exerting his unfortunate authority and ?being right? per his own reality than acting rationally. He continued to insist that we leave the table, and did not offer to remedy the situation by facilitating the acquisition of an alternative table. But, the beer selection is impressive. Food is so-so broadly speaking, but down right bad for the Pearl district. The crowd is young. Pros: See and be seen for a certain crowd Cons: Service, obvious corporate origins more

I went there last Friday for the b-ball game and was not happy w/ the service from our waitress. My girlfriend & I had to wait a long time for service and that was even after the crowd died down. The male bartender was friendly and so was the busboy but she seemed rude & not very helpful. The female bartender did not have very good customer svc either. I guess maybe if we were male we would've gotten good service. ??? more

one of the best dinner places in Portland! this is good for large groups, small groups, diverse menu, so you know you will be back to try something else next time. a large beer/wine menu. One of my favs is the crab cakes, steak and calamari. The price is good and they do not rush you so you can enjoy your email and you dont have to eat everything youve ordered in one hr. make this a place to go ! Pros: food of course/ ambience/ neighborhood Cons: parking you have to pay or garage it downtown/ make reservations for weekends more

this place is a corporate dumper. the food is bad. it's not sustainable. the service is bad. anybody who loves this place or claims it is there food destination on there next trip back to portland needs an education in food. \r when will people learn that restaurants like this are a scourge on the earth. a skid mark on the underwear of the restaurant industry.\r \r oh well. order your self up a nice salmon or one of there cryovacked steaks they serve up and one of the many beers they have. don't worry about the money you spend im sure they're putting it back in the community more

Service here is not good. I've been here twice in the past month. Each time the food was excellent, but the sevice was extremely lackluster. \r \r The first time was at dinner. Waited about 15 minutes to be greeted by our server, then another 10 minutes to have our order taken. Server was rather unfriendly; couldn't even pretend to care about our dining experience. Food took a long time to come out and when it did, our appetizer came only about 30 seconds before our entrees. The ladies next to us received their entrees and didn't get the appetizers they had ordered at all. They were then asked by 3 or 4 different people whether or not they still wanted the appetizers, a question to which each time the answer was yes. Clearly many timing and communication issues. \r \r On the plus side, the food was wonderful. I ordered the fish and chips and they were superb. Also, the calamari appetizer is a must.\r \r I decided to give them another chance and i returned about 2 weeks later for lunch. This time our server was friendly and greeted us in good time, but 10 minutes passed before she returned to take our order. Then after ordering, we waited for at least 20 minutes for our food. Nothing difficult, half sandwiches and caesar salads.\r \r Again though, the food was great. The turkey and avocado sandwich was perfect, and their french fries are so tasty. Also, the cornbread croutons in the ceasar salad are such a great addition!\r \r Moral of the story: don't go here if you're in a hurry or if you want stellar service. The quality of the food will probably be enough to bring me back, but not with any frequency. This is ALL due to the quality of service. Pros: great food Cons: bad service, too slow more

The service was ok. The waitress didn't understand that Iced Tea should be cold, not room temperature. We ordered the gorgonzola cheese fries which were tasteless. I had the grill chicken, gorgonzola, and pear pizza. What a waste of $11. The chicken was practically non-existent, the pears were not ripe and were in chucks which were unappealing to bite into and the gorgonzola was barely there as well. They have numerous beers to choose from and I selected the Black Cherry Stout but was disappointed to find out they were out. It seemed a little weird to be out of a beer going into a weekend. I don't plan on ever going back because it was a waste of time and money. Cons: Poor food and service more

While vacationing in Portland for our anniversary my husband and I planned a trip to Henry's after seeing the great reviews. We went for lunch and because the atmosphere is so great we felt under dressed but the staff didn't seem to mind; they were very nice and promptly seated us. Our waiter was also prompt and knowledgeable about what Henry's had to offer. We both got the Simply Grilled Copper River Salmon which was cooked perfectly and was to die for. The mashed potatoes were creamy and flavorful and the asparagus was bright and steamed just right. I'm going to say it was the best tasting, best cooked meal I've ever had and my husband agrees. The manager came by to make sure everything was great and our waiter, while not hovering, could always be found if we needed anything and tended to us with a smile on his face. They made us feel very welcomed. This experience was more romantic, inviting, fun and tasty than our official anniversary dinner at Salty's and it cost 1/2 as much. We're planning a trip back and I'm sure Henry's will be on our food list more than once. Pros: Warm, fun atmosphere, friendly service, delectable food Cons: Parking more

I've been to Henry's a couple of times, and it's become a real favorite of ours to take our out-of-town guests. My father claimed the Salmon and asparagus to be among some of the best he's had; I love the BBQ brewery burger (topped with black forest ham) and the beer selection is fantastic. Guiness on nitro, and walking man's black cherry stout are among my favorites. I highly recommend Henry's and will be back. The biggest complaint I have about this place is that I had the burger the first time I went, and it was so good I haven't been able to bring myself to try anything new in all the times I've been back since. I guess that's not a bad thing. Pros: The food is great, the beer selection is awesome. more

I have been there twice, both for special occasions without reservations either time and got seated almost instantly both times. Both occsions I had a great time, great service, great food. My boyfriend really likes the chicken, and I liked the seafood. And loved the salads! more

This place is funny as it seems inconsistent with the food. Generally the seafood entrees are good although it seems as though depending on what night you go it will depend on how good your entree (which you had the last time) will be and now tastes very different! They seem to need consistency in the kitchen staff which lacks at times sadly ... The calamari however is wonderful! A definite must if you try this place out. As for the service it generally leaves something to be desired . ...I don't know if the servers and some hostesses really just don't like their jobs (as we've witnessed the last 2 times we've been there)--barely smile and are sooooooo darned slow. We had to ask 2x for bread and it came when our entrees were served! You may also want to ask for them to be easy on the salt. I had a chicken dish that was too salty and inedible. Too bad Henry's isn't as good as it used to be :( Pros: calamari Cons: service, inconsistency in food quality and taste more

I've been to Henry's for a couple of beers and some bar snacks, which are excellent, a couple of times but never had dinner. As a birthday treat for a friend I went early on a Saturday, the place was packed but we were seated quickly and served well but a little slowly. The food was excellent, not a wide range of choices but adequate. The sushi appetizers are huge, one for two people is plenty. Drink prices and service are reasonable. Not a standout, but good quality and value, not a disappointment in any regard. Pros: Great beer selection, good food at the bar and in the dining room Cons: Crowded, noisy in the bar, parking can be difficult more

Me and my boyfriend went here on a Saturday night, it was valentines weekend so it was really busy. We had to wait about an hour to be seated, but we just went to the bar to get drinks and an appetizer while we waited. The cocktail waitress was really great, always checking to see if we needed anything. I loved the Martini menu and my boyfriend loved the beer menu. There were soo many choices! After we were seated in the actual restaurant, our dinner was really great and came pretty fast. It was a nice, romantic and enjoyable place. I would definitely come here again and recommend it to anyone else. The prices were great, nothing too expensive, our bill after 2 martinis, 2 beers, and 2 appetizers and, we each got fish entrees, was just around $70.00. Great place! more

For my daughter's 21rst b-day we made Tuesday night dinner reservations for 8 people at 6:15. We later called during the day and added 1 person which the mgr messed up and changed our reservation to 9:00pm instead of 9 people for 6:15. Consequently we were seated upstairs by the adjoining door to the bar and pool table area, where there is a holding area for dirty dishes to be stacked---we heard clanking of dishes during our entire dinner---served to us by a woman that acted as she though she had somewhere else she'd rather be---even though I told her it was a special dinner. She was better suited to be working in a fast food place. When we got our bill, on it was a $25 service charge, as well as the standard 18% gratuity for large groups---there were 2 total amounts---of course we ignored the service charge amount and went with the 18% tip. The building is nice, very cool atmosphere, the food is good---I don't think I'll bring a large crowd here again though. Pros: good food, great bar area Cons: weak service more

Maybe it helps that I used to live a few short blocks away, but Henry's is one of my favorite places to go grab a bite when I'm downtown and hungry! My boyfriend and I have our set meals - mine is the BBQ Chicken Pizza (only $2.95 during happy hour and $10.95 on the regular menu) and his is the Veggie Burger sans avacado (made in-house and incomparable to a regular veggie burger, ie. Boca Burger, etc.). Not only is the food incredibly tasty and the happy hour menu an excellent deal, the furnishings and ambiance of Henry's is so warm and inviting.\r \r Tip: Henry's is a great place to catch a football game - plush leather chairs that you can re-arrange around the plasma screen TVs upstairs + food, beer and pool - what better way to spend the afternoon! Pros: Food, happy hour, pool/sports, 100% smoke free, large patio in summer months Cons: Sometimes hard to find a table more

I was looking forward to spending time at an ""upscale restaurant"". Unfortunately, the brown wife-beater wearing, slouching, trashy, need a nap, meth-look male sitting in the booth across from us took away from any thought of ""upscale"" that I had. I guess I expected too much. more

Best place in Portland to start off the night. Stop by Henry's for happy hour at about 10pm, eat a great huge dinner for about 10 bucks and decide on the next place to party! PS WE LOVE THE DOORMEN!!! Pros: happy hour Cons: no drink specials more

This is a nice upscale trendy bar. I went here for my birthday and it was alot of fun. There are tables and booths so you can sit and talk with your friends and downstairs there are bars and even more fun. \r Pros: Trendy Cons: Crowded a little more

This is a great place on the weekends if you want to mingle with 20 somethings or people watch. The bar is a great place to go to watch a game or relax after a game. Drinks are always good and the food is far better than most bar food in town. The only bad side is they close at midnight on Friday and Saturday. more