Belmont Pearl Restaurant

Okay I really tried to give the Belmont Pearl a chance. A friend had told us to eat there so we gave it a shot. Our first visit there we noticed how great the service was. The menu had a very broad selection to choose from (Chinese,Thai and Japanese dishes). The waitress was very friendly and gave us lots of suggestions. My spouse and I decided to both go with the egg fu young (which I don't think is on the menu anymore). However the dish was very disappointing. The flavors were off and it just was not that good. It did not taste like any egg fu young I had ever had. We ended up ordering something else and it was a little better, but not memorable. My spouse said she would never go back again because the food was ""terrible"".\r So this week I wanted fried rice and my usual spot (Pad Thai Kitchen) was closed. Awhile had passed since our first visit to Belmont Pearl and I decided to give them another chance. Plus I was excited about the free delivery and wanted to use it in the future. This time I had the same friendly service and decided to order my food to go. I did not want a Chinese dish so I went with the Thai fried rice. I asked for medium spicy and food was ready to go in less than 5 minutes. I thought, ""Wow that was fast!"" \r I went home excited to dig in! When I opened the box a strange smell hit my nose. It smelled nothing like Thai food at all. It was also very yellow in color like it had been soaked in turmeric. I took my fist bite. It was hands down the worst fried rice I had EVER had! It had no flavor except for a bitter after taste that reminded me of rancid oil. There was no hot spice what so ever. It did not taste like curry so I assumed the yellow spice was just turmeric. Sometimes bad fried rice can be good (like cheap food court rice). This really was BAD fried rice! It was too late to get a refund because they were closed. So I chucked the rice in the garbage and ordered a pizza. My spouse just said, "" I told you so."" I will be sticking with Pad Thai Kitchen from now on. Pros: Friendly service, Free delivery Cons: Food not authentic more

My favorite delivery place in SE! Unlike the person before, I have found them to be REALLY speedy and always under quote me on delivery time. They are friendly and the food is great. Sometimes the food is better than other days, but if you stick to the chinese dishes, you won't be disappointed. I have tried a few of the the tai dishes and they have been ok, but not amazing. One of my favorite hot and sour soups ever! Will really kick a winter cold's butt. Please support this local restaurant and the atmosphere for sit down is great too! their weekday lunch specials are really cheap and the portions are BIG! more

I ordered some dinner from Belmont Pearl, they didn't deliver for over an hour and a half. Come on, don't say you deliver if you cant get the food to the doorstep within 20 minutes. I only live 20 blocks away. Very poor customer service, I am very unhappy. more

This is a great place, like the previous poster mentioned, the crab puffs are REALLY good. The dishes have great flavor, you can tell they know what they are doing. The curry Tofu is one of my favorites. I've been there for lunch a few times too, the specials are a pretty good deal. Pros: Great athentic food, the soup is wonderful Cons: They don't offer the lunch special on weekends more

I too was in the mood for Chinese takeout but was disappointed with the quality. The Orange Chicken was doused in ketchup, water and sweetener. Sorry ?Belmont Pearl? you can't fool another Asian. \r \r I know that trick too!\r \r The beef is day old cooked meat with a strange rubbery texture sauced with cornstarch and water to elongate the flavor. The next day when you have left overs throw it out because it?s already indigestible.\r \r They're cheap on the entrees bulking it up with rice noodles, carrots and lettuce. Plus the deep fried appetizers are soggy by the time they get to you.\r \r Save the money and go to 82nd Avenue where the Asians take pride in their dishes.\r \r I've lived in many places and usually the cheap ""under the train tracks"" Chinese food takeout joints serve better food than this slop.\r \r The only reason I keep going back is due to the lack of good take out in the area. Pros: Delivery Cons: Food more

I was craving take-out chinese and thought I'd scan the reviews on CitySearch. This place had all good reviews so far, and I was NOT disappointed. The food was very tasty for the price. We ordered an assortment; pork fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, garlic vegi chicken, egg drop soup, and some crab wontons. Everything was delicious, and not too greasy. The vegis were very fresh and good quality. Best of all though, we got a great amount of food for a very reasonable price, and delivered at that! They have a really good selection on their menu and I will definitely be ordering from them again next time I'm in the mood for chinese. more

I was searching for a good Chinese delivery place and saw some good reviews of the Belmont Pearl, so I went to their website to check out their menu. On the front page it boldly announces their free delivery and lists the limits of that: your meal must be at least $20 and you must be within their delivery area. The price limit was fine as I was ordering for four and would be well over $20. I was about a mile outside of their delivery area, though. I decided to call anyway and see if they would deliver to me, and the man who answered said yes without hesitation. He was very polite and very easy to understand during the conversation (I don't say that to be rude to anyone else, but it is an issue with some Chinese restaurants). He indicated it would be about 35-45 minutes for our meal to arrive, and it ended up only being about 30! When the delivery guy arrived he called first to confirm he was at the right place, and was very polite when he came to the door. All the food was delicious, the servings were generous, and they even throw in some California rolls with some of their items at no extra charge. Also they gave us a generous amount of steamed rice for free, while many other Chinese restaurants make you pay for it. Overall, I have no complaints about this restaurant and highly recommend it. Pros: Great food, very friendly staff, good prices, large servings more

I've been here twice now and have always had amazing service and food. The cashew nut chicken and orange pepper chicken is so tasty. Everything is really fresh and made to order. I was a bit doubtful of this place when we pulled up the first time because it was empty but I was sure glad we ate there. The second time we went it was much busier but the service never lacked. Pros: service and food more

The food took over two hours to arrive, and it was nothing to write home about. Not terrible, but not great either. I don't think I'll be returning. more

Went there with my girlfriend on a friday night and had a fabulous meal. The service was spot on and the food was excellent at a very reasonable price. I highly recommend this restaurant. It has a variety of Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes. Pros: Excellent food and great service Cons: Ambience leaves something to be desired more

There was a distinct lack of good Chinese food in SE Portland...until now. We ordered a Chinese dish, Thai dish and two appetizers and dinner was amazing. I was hesitant to try the Belmont Pearl because it's hard to believe a single restaurant could do more than one Asian cuisine well. The food tasted fresh and was not greasy like some Chinese food. The veggies were crisp and the flavor was perfect. I would definately recommend this place and for now it is my new favorite take-out restaurant!! Pros: Good takeout and easy parking Cons: Average ambience if eating in more

We stopped here for dinner and at first sight thought it might be a mistake, but the service and food were absolutely the best in Portland. With Chinese, Japanese and thai on the menu it was easy to find dishes that everyone enjoyed. The tea was real not bagged and the price was affordable. There just is not a downside to this place. Pros: Service, Food more

My favorite Thai food is back in Hawaii, but this place is the best I have been to on the mainland. A very small place that seems strange at first when you enter since the kitchen is right there. Any strange feelings quickly go away as soon as the food arrives. Must try. Pros: Great food Cons: Can be crowded at times. more

This is the best Chinese I've had in Portland since I moved here in October 06. Best Crab Puffs! They are so cream cheesy and aren't surrounded by a ton of fried wonton. The best egg rolls I think I've ever had. There's one ingredient I just can't put my finger on that I've never tasted in an egg roll. This secret ingredient makes it delicious. Everything else we tried was equally as great. They were also super speady on their delivery and didn't skimp out on any condiments. Pros: Service, Taste Cons: If you order delivery under $20 there's a $2 charge more

The food, a bit above average. They try to do the whole 'mixing different regions' thing. Example: you can order ma po tofu, or a thai style curry, with some salad rolls, and won ton soup. It's good if you want a variety of flavors, bad if your looking for authentic anything. The staff was just too nice, almost unbearable. The hostess personally recommended dishes for us based on what we liked, and even told the chef to make us something that wasn't on the menu because she thought we would enjoy it. Then the chef came out and asked us how it was, and what he should change. Wow, right? Needless to say after that we were always big big tippers. Pros: Amazingly nice staff, convenient location, lots of variety Cons: Not cheap, but not overpriced either more

This is the only chinese food I've really enjoyed in Portland - though I've only tried a handful of places. The chicken was hiqh quality, vegetables well prepared and the egg rolls nice and crispy. Nothing was too greasy. The option to have food delivered was convenient and it arrived hot and on time. It's also nice that they offer thai and japaneses choices. I definitly recommend the Belmont Pearl. Yum! more

I love this place! I go in for lunch probably almost once a week and occassionally for dinner. The waitress remembers me every time, and almost always offers me a sample of some new thing or special. All the staff are really great, and the food is great, too.\r \r What the Belmont Pearl lacks in ambiance (it's your typical vinyl seats, crappy decor type asian restaurant) it makes up for with the warmth and kindness of its staff and its good food.\r \r I will say it's not the best thai I've ever had, probably because the restaurant is not exclusively thai but also includes other asian dishes, mostly chinese. However, their curries are good, the pad thai is delicious, and the few chinese dishes I've had were all good, too. It's also a good option if everyone in your group likes asian food, but not everyone likes the stronger/different tastes associated with thai - the belmont pearl provides a great place to find good middle ground more

I live really close to this thai place and love thai food so i thought i had died and gone to heaven. i had the pad thai and it actually tasted just like rice noodles. no flavor, but somehow i still managed to get sick from it. I tired the pad kee mow (sp?) a few months later, and it tasted sub par AND got me sick again. Don't go here. Pros: Close by, fast service Cons: the food more

There are 2 things you must have when you eat here. The first are the prawns on the appetizer menu and then to finish the meal you must have the Coconut Flan. If it is your first visit, the flan is free! Pros: Coconut flan Cons: No booths. more

Great Pad Thai (never imagined I would love pork Pad Thai), and I have eaten Pad Thai in 200 places (mostly on the west coast). The curries are wonderful. The staff are really nice and good a making recommendations. But the chicken salad is the best chicken salad of any type, from anywhere, I have ever eaten. Many people I have shared it with agree. It is tangy, sweet, spicy and crunchy. The main secret is lemongrass sliced so finely, that is perfectly edible.\r \r While the food can be very spicy (as Thai food should be), Bangkok Kitchen can do very tasty mild versions of just about everything on the menu. Many Thai restaurants are unable to make truly mild food.\r \r The only thing I have found here that is not to perfection is the pepper salted shrimp. It is just a touch too sweet. I prefer mine to be almost over the top with salty, peppery, garlicky and oniony flavor and I prefer to have the shells on.\r \r This is definitely the best Thai food I have had and I really wish they had a Bangkok Kitchen in every city I have to travel to. I travel frequently and I have eaten a lot of mediocre, and even bad Thai food in search of a Bangkok Kitchen replacement in another city. Because I can never find a place that compares, I just keep trying new places, and will keep doing so until Ive tried them all. I just make sure to hurry home to get my Bangkok Kitchen fix. more