Aja Pacific Kitchen

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3449 NE 24th Ave
Portland, OR 97212

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(503) 287-5400
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Reviews
( 19 )
( 3 )
( 1 )
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( 3 )

Best

Their happy hour is great! Service is good, it's not loud so you can actually hear your friends. I love this place even though not everything on the menu is my favorite, but then ...

Worst

Aja tries to serve up an eclectic Asian/Pacific NW fare but fails miserably. The Asian Beef Salad was a medicre assortment of greens thrown together with beef in Kimchi sauce stre...

THIS PLACE IS CLOSED 11/17/2010

Nov 2010 Went to try this restaurant based on Citysearch's reviews and the place is closed and taken over by another restaurant. more
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Pleasant Surprise, Reminds Me of Hawaii's Pacific-Asian Cuisine 9/8/2006

Great combinations with more of a Korean influence, e.g., the Kal-bi skewers and pickled garnish. I really like the rockfish and favor the appetizers to the salads. The bread is awesome! In all, the food is unique and complimented by a fair selection of wines including a good Rex Hill pinot noir. And if you like coconut in your Creme Brulee, it goes well with coffee. Pros: Park in the lot and on the street...fair portions...fried rice for the little one Cons: Former Italian restaurant, still looks like one, decor run counter to the food more
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Great place! 3/23/2006

Their happy hour is great! Service is good, it's not loud so you can actually hear your friends. I love this place even though not everything on the menu is my favorite, but then how many like EVERYTHING? The scallop cigars are ingenious and one of my favorite appetizers anywhere. For larger parties, call to get the ""big table"" in a separate (ish) room at no additional charge. more
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Good Food, Great Happy Hour 3/3/2006

Consistently great food, highly recommend the soups. The happy hour goes until 7 and includes some of the better appetizers a la carte. Atmosphere is very warm and welcoming while still being quietly classy. The service is great, very friendly and accomodating. Never sat there, but they have a more private area for larger groups, too. All in all, a great place to have a romantic dinner or just relax after work. Pros: quiet, happy hour more
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Monthly Dinner Group 2/16/2006

Our monthly dinner group had dinner at Aja Pacific Kitchen on 2/18/06. It was one of the most memorable dining experiences we've had. All agreed that food was excellent with nice presentations. Of 6 diners, we ordered 5 different menu items; not one person was disappointed. The Scallop Cigars was a unique, fantastic appetizer--I could have made a meal out of them. The lemon grass ice cream was a light, refreshing dessert. The services was excellent and substitutions from the printed menu was not a problem. Pros: excellent food, friendly service more
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Mediocre Food in a nice setting 2/4/2006

Aja tries to serve up an eclectic Asian/Pacific NW fare but fails miserably. The Asian Beef Salad was a medicre assortment of greens thrown together with beef in Kimchi sauce strewn on top.The Wasabi mashed potatoes and ""wild"" mushrooms was OK but nothing to write home about. The service was great and the waitstaff were attentive without hovering. The space was nice as well. Portland restaurants have some tough competition for the diner's dolllar. Save your dollars and give Aja a pass! Pros: Service Cons: Food more
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What more do you want? 10/23/2005

I would recommend the first-time visitor to consider going with at least three other people so you can sample the appetizer menu. Standouts include the Duck Martini, Scallop Cigars, Porcuppine Shrimp (filo dough, NOT coconut) and Smoked Ota Tofu (possibly one of the BEST things I've ever put in my mouth). I can't say enough about the quality of ingredients and care with which the food was prepared - and the smoked Ota Tofu was RAVED about by all members of our party. One negative thing - there is no reason to marinade a good cut of steak... lay off the marinade and SEASON the meat instead. That being said, it was still really good. Entree standouts include the cioppino, pork loin, Ota tofu, cedar planked salmon, Grandma Thayer's meatloaf... all very reasonably priced. The most expensive thing on the menu is about $17, with appetizers in the $4-8 range. Pros: FLAVOR / creativity, Excellent Portions, Price / Value Cons: limited beer list, limited wine list more
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Best New Restaurant in a very long time 7/1/2005

If, like me, you are not a food critic, you simply gauge restaurants on the deliciousness of the food, the mix of choices, the service and how hard the whole experience hits your wallet. Pacific Kitchen is the best new restaurant to open in Portland in a very long time. Once a month for several years now, I go out with a group of six friends. Three usually want seafood, two meat, and one vegetarian. Consequently, some of us usually wish we went somewhere else. Not this time. We all left very impressed. And, we'll all be back. more
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good enough to eat 7/1/2005

farely new to the north east area and hearing about this new restaurant, wanted to check it out for myself. while the wait staff are all students and still learning their trade, they made myself and my family feel very comfortable, no stuffy attitudes that you tend to get here in portland. no one was uptight and pretentious, which is what i have gotten use to in my short stay here. the food portions were fabulous, as were the flavors, i highly recommend the korean pork, it may take a little longer but the dish was worth the few extra minutes. Pros: good parking more
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worst dining experience ever (almost) 6/28/2005

You're in for an iffy meal when the chef displays the only accolades he's ever gotten... from a golf magazine. To pull off fusion, you have to actually know how to cook in the first place. Why would you put diver scallops in a deep fried cigar thing? The flavor of those pricey pieces were masked by unchanged frier oil. Why on earth would you make a burger out of dried, flavorless white beans? The kobe beef was grisly, without flavor and the rice was half raw. That didn't stop the ""chef"" from roaming the tables, looking for praise. The service was so inexperienced that they took our first courses away before we were finishe, then ignored us the rest of the night. The table next to us had food so bad, they got up and left. Who is writing these positive reviews? Let me guess, friends and family.... Cons: poor food, poor service, poor wine list more
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Excellent service; interesting food 6/13/2005

The service was great. We never wanted for anything, at any time. The food was interesting; usually very tasty. We opted for sampling a few of the ""small"" plates, and found all of them intriguing. The scallop cigars were lovely, and the kolbe beef skewers succulent. The pocupine shrimp resembled nothing so much a shredded wheat pillows stuffed with grilled shrimp. While the appearance made us laugh, it tasted great. I recommended that the bar carry more than just the ""pearl"" variety of Momokawa sake, as I find it much too sweet to go with food. Well worth a visit. Pros: Great service, intriguing food, good value Cons: mediocre desserts, noisy atmosphere more
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Yahoo - a great restaurant 6/12/2005

Finally, a place to go where you are not left thinking ""I could have made this at home - and better!"" The food is delicious and the service was friendly and efficient, with none of the deadly ""cooler than thou"" attitude that passes for customer service in Portland. We had the scallop cigars and porcupine shrimp with a ginger cake for dessert. It came with what looked and tasted like home made ginger ice-cream and was wonderful. Please try it and tell all your friends - I want this place to stay open!!! Pros: food, service more
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I turn to Aja... 6/9/2005

Whenever I am asked to recommend a restaurant here in Portland...I turn to Aja. The creativity and consistancy of the menu has repeatedly treated my tatebuds like royalty. And the affordability does the same for my wallet. FINALLY! A restaurant in Portland where the food is consistantly good. The daily specials are yummy and creative. And the staff treats you like family. For any occasion...breakfast (on weekends) lunch, or dinner I turn to Aja. Pros: fantastic food, fun location, affordable dining more
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Great food /Great Value 6/9/2005

We have been to Aja eight times now and we LOVE the food. My wife and kids are veggie and there is always something they like. I had the fresh halibut special and it was perfectly cooked. Also every dessert has been really good. And i never leave feeling ripped -off. more
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Great food I will be back again and again 5/9/2005

The food was fantastic. The prices are unbelievably low. I have now been there for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all three meals were great. The donuts at breakfast were the best. Whenever I am close by at meal time I plan to stop in. I have even traveled from Troutdale just for the donuts. Pros: Great food, Inexpensive, Lots of food more
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Best New Restaurant in NE Portland 5/8/2005

Wow! Had a party of six (including children) and every plate was top notch. The staff was welcoming and the food was tasty and presented extremly well. The price point on the menu is very inviting for a neighborhood eating establishment. Bringing children out to dinner can sometimes be a little scary but Aja offers a great choice of NW/Asian influenced cuisine for the whole family to enjoy. Chef did a great job of offering a nice variety of options and the Cigar Scallops were awesome. I would recommend to anyone. Pros: Warm inside, Great Neighborhood, Flavorful! Cons: Kind of noisy more
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Fantastic Food 5/7/2005

We have been to Aja's several times. Every time we chose a different meal. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. All of the meals were extremely good. The service has improved from the first visit, and the last two times the service has been excellent. The price of the meals were cheaper than the quality of the food. We will continue to eat there in the future. Pros: good parking, inexpensive more
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Much Much Better Than Expexted 5/5/2005

A friend told me about this place that served very tasty (and interesting) food at fair prices. Finally my friend spoke the truth. This restaurant was truly a find in P-town. the food was surprisingly diverse and was crafted by cooks who truly are passionate about food. Not just elitist or trying to make a statement. Everything was delicious especially the fish special and the hanger steak. Plus the black sesame ice cream was fantastic. Great value for the price and the quality of ingredients. more
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Great Food, Service and Concept 4/24/2005

Went on opening night, expecting a wait and confusion. None it happened. The food is truly unique. Combining Asian influences and ingredients with somewhat Northwest presentation. Scallop Cigars I could eat those by themselves, Hanger steak was excellant as well, tender and cooked perfectly! Nice wine list. Staff was knowledgable on ingredients and style of menu. Great value, Hanger Steak was the most item on the menu for 19.00. If this was NW you pay 25-30 easily. NW food and service without the price. I'll definitely be back again, again, and again!!!!!!! Nice job and keep up the good work Pros: Food, Service, Inexpensive more
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Thank you! AJA 4/24/2005

I came in over the weekend and it was awesome, service was friendly and well informed about the food being served to me. I had the scallop cigars, they were beautiful as well as very tasty. The Korean pork another must try dish. So for shorty thank you for coming to town. I can't wait to come and have breakfast on the weekend. Pros: good parking, friendly service more
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Menu for Aja Pacific Kitchen


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Couples and groups sit at wooden tables in the dimly lit dining room decorated with paintings and photos by local artists. The place is often packed and quite lively. The...

  • 11/9/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-9pm Sat-Sun 9am-10pm
  • Payments: Visa, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Alameda - Irvington, Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods
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