Pambiche

My husband and I went here on a whim with another couple. We were surprised beyond belief. To start, we were promptly seated when we arrived (~5 pm on Monday) and there was still available seating. Outside seating (with heaters) was available, but I didn't want to risk the chance of rain.\r \r The food was absolutely amazing! We ordered quite a few of the happy hour plates, sandwiches off the dinner menu and 2 desserts. The pi?osas were phenomenal due to the fresh and pulpy pineapple juice. Overall, the food and desserts were delicious and touched on exotic flavors while being friendly on the wallet. Lastly, the service was personable and ambiance was fun. It will be one of our regular spots. Pros: fresh food, great prices, quick seating, service Cons: limited seating more

I really wish this place would clean up their act because the food is pretty good. The avocado salad and maduros are my favorites. I just wish they had more vegetarian options, there's meat in almost everything.\r I've been here 3 times, and I doubt I'll be back again. Each time the service left much to be desired. I've waiting for 15 minutes after being seated before being acknowledged, let alone asked if I'd like a beverage. It seems that ignoring customers is standard practice at Pambiche, and the wait staff is busy chatting to each other behind the counter than trying to serve customers. The food comes out of the kitchen seemingly at random. People in the same party have their food served at different times. On one visit, they actually forgot the food that I ordered for my main, and when we finally got the waitress' attention and complained (my companion was already done eating by that time), she offered to take it off the bill. WTF? Of course i won't pay for food that I never received. I thought she was very rude to me and the situation was very poorly handled. I didn't feel like they did anything to try to make me happy about the experience. I left feeling angry and hungry, but we had theater tickets and had to leave. The tables are small and crowded together, the dining room gets very loud during busy times, and the outdoor seating is right along Glisan and 28th, a busy intersection. If you sit outside or be prepared to smell exhaust fumes and hear traffic throughout your meal. Pros: good food and desserts Cons: Poor Service! indoor tables are very small, outdoor tables are near busy street. more

One of my top 3 restaurants for the past few years. mmm. Communista plate on the heated patio seating with... more

One of my top 3 restaurants for the past few years. mmm. Communista plate on the heated patio seating with an avocado salad and sangria. more

This is a fantastic place to eat for a good price. I had the pork sandwich that came with fried plantaines. The plantaines were amazing...as was the pork sandwich. I tried some of my friend's sweet plantaines and those were wonderful as well. The servers got my friend and I a table in a timely manner and the food was served in the same way. I will have to come back. Pros: Outstanding food, good price Cons: A bit of a wait, but it wasn't too bad more

Love this place! My friends and I try to come a couple of times a month. I?m from Los Angeles and I?ve had my share of Cuban restaurants. Very delicious food. The only negative is the space. They should really move into a larger building. Sometimes you can wait for a sit for an hour. Highly recommended. more

One of my favorite Portland restaurants, Pambiche has a good happy hour menu, is open late, and has tons of tasty tidbits that are happily welcomed by this nightowl. I love the empanadas (leek and cheese or potato), and I finish every meal with a cup of their yummy Cuban mocha. I have had better Cuban sandwiches, so I would recommend one of their entrees. Prices are a bit on the pricey side, as compared to other restaurants or perhaps other Cuban restaurants I've tried in other cities, but I'm not complaining. Be prepared for a wait, however, which can be a little inconvenient when the summer months are over. Staff is pretty friendly. more

Ah, the sanwich Cubano, the plato Cubano, the anything Cubano! They do amazing things with pork, potatoes,... more

Ah, the sanwich Cubano, the plato Cubano, the anything Cubano! They do amazing things with pork, potatoes, stews, empanadas, you name it. Good lemo... more

Great cuban food!!! Everything sounds ymmy on the menu! more

Great cuban food!!! Everything sounds ymmy on the menu! more

I love their avocado salad! I used to hate beets, but their beet salad changed me (beet salad = yum). Their... more

I love their avocado salad! I used to hate beets, but their beet salad changed me (beet salad = yum). Their desserts are also fabulous. more

I've got 4 words for you. Try the Cuban Toast. \r \r It's on the breakfast menu. Incredible!\r \r And even if it's chilly outside, they have heat lamps. more

I have been here 2x for breakfast. Both times I have tried different egg dishes which have been very tasteful and could only eat 1/2 of the portion. Also tried to different cocktails that were refreshing tasting. The little pastry baskets were a nice change for a stater. I enjoyed the variety of flavors they had to offer in the basket. My friends had the sandwiches/plantains which I thought were just so so. The cafe is very small on the inside so don't be afraid to sit outside they have heaters which put out a good amount of heat on those colds days. The service was fast and friendly. Enjoyed all the decoration and the vivid colors throughout the restaurant. Pros: should try it once Cons: very small, not much seating inside more

I wanted to like Pambiche. From the colorful facade to the good music indoors to my hungry belly upon walking in, it had the makings of the right kind of place to satisfy the way a good Caribbean meal should. \r \r It just didn't.\r \r I ordered a very traditional plate and found it boring, lacking flavor, i've had it ten times better elsewhere, etc...I ended up using a lot of hot sauce to liven it up and still found myself wishing i had gone someplace else. It wasn't AWFUL, but it really should have been better. \r \r To add insult to injury, the service was embarrassingly sub-par. My friend ordered a dish that came with a garnish. She asked the waitress for a little more of this garnish and the waitress brought back a tiny, TINY bowl of it, which later we found on our bill for over $4. Her meal itself was $5, extra ganish 4$. We didn't find out until we got the bill. Thanks, Pambiche - you just won 1st prize for tackiest restraunt ever!! We even took the time to mention this to the waitress upon paying and she did absolutely nothing. I wasn't sure who to blame - mangement for instituting a greedy billing policy or the waitress for wanting to pad her bill. Either way it left me with a bad taste in my mouth and i don't think i'll go back. Pros: location Cons: food, service, everything else more

Chico tu estas loco?! yo soy cubano tambien. i am happy that Pambiche is in Portland. It would not be the same here without a great Cuban place to eat good Cuban food! At Pambiche i can get my cafe, champola, malta, sandwiches, flan, croquetas, frijoles, platanos, yuca, etc. everyday! Its good always. sometimes the platanos are so, so, but we are in Oregon. I lived in Miami for many years, then L.A. I have eaten at many Cuban restaurants in many places. Never better than here and usually worse. La Carreta in Miami is like Denny's for Cuban food, same with Versailles. These places are very popular and cheap, but the food is horrible. Pambiche is very good, fresh food, like mama's cooking. Some things are different and i prefere my way (my ajiaco and congri are better). But I prefer Pambiche's yuca frita to my own. The arroz amarillo is also excellent! The frijoles are always good and the sandwiches are always great! The waitresses at Pambiche are always very nice (and cute) and remember what i like to order. \r I wish they would open a Pambiche in Miami so my family could enjoy what I enjoy here. \r \r \r Pros: Authentic Cuban food in Portland!! Cons: They should expand and open more locations. more

I found this place to be severely overrated. I'm Cuban, and have had this kind of food all my life knowing what it should and should not taste like. While it's unfair to compare to a similar place in like Miami, NY, or LA, you have to look at what you get here. The dinners are ridiculously overpriced for what you get out of them; most don't come with many if any sides, which cost extra. They're working on a liquor license, so forget about getting a mojito here.\r \r As someone else said, the menu is lacking, missing many staples of traditional Cuban cuisine. The arroz con pollo was absolutely embarassing to show to my friends who had never tried Cuban food before; although the vaca frita and ropa vieja were pretty delicious on their own right, they just couldn't get rice down for some reason. Most of it came out soggy and the seasonings felt terrible. We came on a Friday night (bad idea, I know), and it was freezing outside- the heat lamp above us kept breaking, and the waitress must have been having a bad night, she kept forgetting who ordered what and what was going on, and this may be an unfair judgment to make, but she wasn't Cuban nor seemed to have any idea or passion for the type of cuisine she was serving us outside of what that particular restaurant ordered. The hostess seemed to know what she was talking about, but the actual service was really subpar, and took forever. The place was really small, and I could see how this place might only be good for a happy hour or lunch.\r \r But forget about dinner, especially on a busy weekend night. It's difficult to compare when you've had and been to La Carreta in Miami so many times, but this doesn't even measure up to the places I'd been to in other cities, either. Portland can do a lot better. Pros: Good spot if you just want to stop in and get a quick bite for lunch or whatever, but only if it's not crowded! Cons: Overpriced for dinner, poor service, outdoor dining is terrible, menu selection is tricky more

This place takes the happy-hour cake...the empanadas are spectacular, particularly the porras (leek), picadillo, and bacalo (codfish) versions. The white-wine cooler is better than it's red (sangria) version, and check out a Brazilian dark beer that begins with an X. Sorry I've forgotten the name. The saffron rice was spectacular as well, and the Cuban coleslaw....I loves it. For dessert, do not miss out on the torta domino aunque el arroz con leche tambien esta riquisimo........ Pros: empanadas! empanadas! empanadas! Cons: not a lot of dining space more

They have very good food. The first time I went everything was perfect including the deserts. The service was also excellent. The second time over the food was good but was not good as the last time, probably because of our selection. However if you want to go here keep this in mind.\r 1. Prepared to wait at least an hour for dinner (Fridays are impossible, other days are busy)\r 2. The food is good but pricey\r Pros: great food Cons: great wait more