Chameleon Restaurant & Bar

My husband and I bought a groupon to this restaurant after seeing good reviews and decided to try it for his birthday. It was a Wednesday, but got pretty busy around dinnertime. Although the ambiance was nice, they only had one waiter for the ENTIRE restaurant, who was also the only bartender. It took us about an hour to place our order, a half hour to get our food, another hour to get our check, and who knows how long to get it back. The food wasn't great either. The scallops and the lamb were overcooked, and it was spendy for the quality of food. I'm usually not one to care much about service, but it's just a disaster when one person has to cover the entire restaurant. And I don't usually plan to eat dinner for over 3.5 hours. We will not be returning. more

I had the extreme pleasure of being part of the group of regulars that met and hang out at the Chameleon. Pat Jueng, is a wonderful Host and if it is possible an even more wonderful Chef. I have since moved away from Portland, sadly and have not been back in over 5 years. It does my heart good to see that he has the same consistant group of supporters, as he helps support other well needed groups and causes in the Portland area. My parnter P and I will be moving back to Portland soon and I can not wait to go and have a Spanish coffee for old times sake ! Pros: Everything more

I LOVE Chameleon Restaurant!\r I LOVE Chameleon Restaurant!\r I LOVE Chameleon Restaurant!\r \r Awesome food in a Very romantic setting with a upscale sophisticated and swanky feel. I love the friendly attentive staff... Pat the owner and chef even comes out and personally greets you during your dinner! \r \r Romantic old world European feel with a lot of soft candle light throughout the restaurant. It's a wonderful place to take a date to for a romantic dinner as well as a great place for an elegant group dinner for a birthday or small wedding reception. If you are just looking for a for just drinks they have a beautiful full bar! \r \r They are famous for exceptional food as well as for throwing fund raisers and the best parties with such cool entertainment like fire dancers and knife jugglers! The presentation of the catering is just as impressive as the individual dishes and the food tastes as good or even better then it looks!\r \r One of the coolest things about this place it if you come late on the weekends they play some fun music while project old moves on the wall! \r Since I am moving back to Portland you may run into me there!\r Did I tell you that I LOVE Chameleon Restaurant?!\r \r MY YUMMY LIST:\r \r Can I just say everything?!!!\r Honey Seared Salmon \r Shrimp Satay\r Bruschetta\r Scallops\r Hawaiian Pork Ribs\r Fresh Fish Special\r All Specials!\r \r FEATURES:\r \r Full Bar\r Good Portions\r Romantic Decor\r Catering Available\r Private Parking Lot\r Covered Patio Seating\r \r GOOD FOR:\r \r Groups\r Family Dinners\r Birthday Parties\r Romantic Dinner for 2\r Small Wedding Receptions\r \r NEGATIVES:\r \r Only Open for Dinner\r Quite hidden and easily missed if you drive bye, so keep your eye out! Pros: EVERYTHING!!! Cons: Only Open for Dinner more

I have been a fan of the Chameleon for years and continue to be a loyal follower. Pat is in a class all by himself when it comes to creating a very special dining experience. Great food, (the butternut squash ravioli's are to die for!) amazing cocktails (they rival any of the hot shot 'mixologists' in town), and a very intimate & cozy ambiance. Although we love to go to the Chameleon for special occassions, it truly shouldn't be overlooked for a weekday dinner or evening cocktail & dessert. There is not a better place to spoil yourself! Pros: Food, cocktails, service Cons: Only open Wed-Sat, small # of service staff so be patient on busy nights more

We wandered into the restaurant last weekend, and were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant was very quiet - early in the evening. We sat out on the patio area, which was very nice. The waiters are all very cute. Service was prompt. The food was delicious. The daily special (fish) was sole, and it came with coconut rice. We devoured it!! Not only was the food tasty, but also quite healthy. This was the freshest prepared meal we've had in Portland in years. We'll be returning very soon. Pros: Food, ambience, friendly staff Cons: was somewhat hard to find more

I gotta say I side with the Murphywilk review. My girlfriend and I had been to the Chameleon twice before and had a great time. When I made my valentine's dinner reservations I wish Pat would have told me it was a fixed menu for $65 each. I'm not rich and I only had $100 to spend on dinner. That was the part that freaked me out when we sat down at the table. That and I was really looking forward to the lamb chops. Luckily I had a credit card, even though I really didn't want to use it. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp and and I ordered the oxtail and we were going to share. That meant one shrimp for her and one for me, and two bites each of the oxtail. It was good though, and the desserts were great. More information when making the reservation would have been helpful for people like me. more

Wow, I just read ""MurphyWilkson""s review and am currently wondering what planet this ? is from... I've been to the Chameleon numerous times and have never been dissatisfied. I am an eater and I can't help but wonder if Ms. ""MurWil"" couldn't possibly be in need of Jenny Craig's assistance. Honestly, the portion sizes are perfect, the food is fantastic and creative, and the atmosphere is wonderfully intimate without being pretentious in the least. Honestly, while reading its review, I couldn't help but wonder if this person (?) has some sort of vendetta against someone that either owns the Chameleon or works there... As for the price the Chameleon charges for the fare it serves, I don't know, but I'm not bleeding money and I find that I am more than satisfied with how much I'm fed for the amount I pay... Perhaps ""MurWil"" would do better to go to Pal-Shanty's next time. I realize perfectly well that her/his/its review will mean absolutely nothing to anyone who has visited the Chameleon and enjoyed everything from the delicious, creative menu, to the highly personable and charming host, Pat. I am simply writing this response here because I'm not inclined to let false information go unanswered. My advice to anyone reading ""MurWil""s review,,, disregard it as being one of the least well written pieces of fiction to come out in a very long time... Pros: Everything Cons: Nothing more

This Valentine's day my honey and I chose the Chameleon Restaurant for our ""night on the town"" Luckily we had made reservations as the place was packed. We have been to the Chameleon on previous occasions and have always loved the food. This time was no exception. We had been told Valentines day would be a special six course set meal. Each portion was the perfect size for sipping amazing wine. The lobster ravioli was devine as well as the grilled pear salad that was to die for. Out of three main courses I chose the salmon and my honey chose the oxtail. Both of these dishes were well prepared and beautifully presented. After the appetizers (two mind you), the salad, the soup, and the entree, each person was presented with a plate of four desserts. At first we thought the table shared a plate--but no, each one of us was given our own. By the time our meal was finished we were pleasantly full and our mouths were left yearning no more. Our servers smiled and appeared relaxed despite the amount of people being served at the same time. The final meal surprise was a long stemmed rose as a final reminder of this special ocassion.\r We highly recommend this restaurant for people who enjoy great food. more

My husbands birthday is on Valentines Day. I called and made reservations at the Chameleon. They failed to tell me that they were serving a set menu at $65 per person. Four of us arrived for dinner, and when we sat down we were handed the menu with everything set, but with three main course choices - salmon, prawns or ox tail (ox tail?). No alcohol was included for our $65. My 6' 2"" husband (the birthday boy) ordered the prawns, and he got two (yes, two) very well presented shrimp. One of the other people in our group ordered the oxtail and it was like pot-roast with a big bone. $65 pot-roast! All of the portions were minute, on big plates with lots of fancy spices and swirls on top. It reminded me of that commercial where the couple go to the fast food store after eating at a fancy restaurant with tiny portions. $400 later (including wine and tip) I felt so ripped off. They should have at least told me what they were planning when I called and made my reservation. Live and learn. We should have gone up the street to Pal's Shanty! I won't be going back to the Chameleon. more

I have lived in NE for 7 years and have never made it to Chameleon despite my best intentions. My girlfriend and I decided to give it a try the other night and enjoyed it enough that we'll certainly be back. The ambiance was wonderful - from the music, to the smells, to the intimacy of the place, the white table clothes and the furniture. It was a relaxing oasis in NE. \r \r The food was good. I ordered wild salmon and she ordered scallops. Mine was served with grilled vegetables and Thai-lime rice. Hers was served with asparagus and a curry flavored rice. Both were tasty and creative however, my one complaint is that they weren't served hot. It wasn't that busy and there was no excuse for our food not to be served piping hot. This was the only thing that came between 4 and 5 stars but if it were to happen again, I'd downgrade the score to a 3. \r \r While we sat at a table, they have a small bar (10 seats) that looks like it would be a great place to cozy up.\r We will definitely be back to give it another try. Pros: Great menu, romantic, nice little establishment in NE Cons: Our food needed to be hotter more

I highly recommend this place. The service was very friendly. The food is amazing there! It has a great atmosphere as well. Every time I go to Portland from Los Angeles I have to stop in. I highly recommend the smoked salmon bruschetta, tom yum soup, and butternut squash ravioli or Grilled jumbo Prawns. I have never had one average meal there. Everything in the menu is yummy! The prices are so reasonable too. Comming form LA there are a lot of fancy restaurants but the food is not as good and the prices are 3 times more. Pros: Great food, great survice, creativity, atmisphere more

This restaurant has nice Korean food and other types of food, but the prices are way higher than equal fare at other local restaurants. The restaurant tries to be upscale, but they do not go all the way in maintaining the building, inside and out, in an upscale fashion. I don't want to pay upscale prices for low scale ambience. Pros: good food Cons: bad atmosphere more

I have lived in the Hollywood district for 4 years, and I have driven by the restaurant without thinking twice about checking it out (McD's across the street throws you off!!). I finally ate there last week, and am regretting ever having hesitated going there. I had one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. Try the mussel appetizer...you can't go wrong. I plan on eating here at least 2-3 times a month!! more

I took my sister here last week and I can't wait to go back. The food was super. It's too bad there is a mcdonalds across the street, however, inside the restaurant you can't even see a neon glow. The ambience is very nice and could easily be called romantic. I really can't say enough about the food. The menu was creative. A++++ more

The Chameleon has been a favorite haunt of mine for the past few years. I can never seem to make it there quite as often as I'd like, but everytime I do I am never disappointed. The food is fabulous, the staff awesome and not the least pretentious. They serve the best creme' brulee I've ever tasted and they are always going above and beyond to make their patrons happy. Definitely give them a try! more

I was delighted to find a restaurant in the Hollywood district with a delicious, innovative menu. We enjoyed everything we had from the appetizers to the desserts. The wine list is thoughtfully crafted--we had an excellent merlot and pinot gris. Our waiter was entertaining, helpful and very knowledgable about the food and wine. I'm looking forward to my next dinner there! Sally Pros: not crowded, quiet, good parking Cons: having to leave more