El Gaucho

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319 Sw Broadway
Portland, OR 97205

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(503) 715-1738
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El Gaucho - Portland, OR
El Gaucho - Portland, OR
El Gaucho - Portland, OR
El Gaucho - Portland, OR
El Gaucho - Portland, OR
El Gaucho - Portland, OR
El Gaucho - Portland, OR
Reviews
( 51 )
( 15 )
( 16 )
( 8 )
( 20 )

Best

I have enjoyed a meal at El Gaucho several times. If my wallet was a tad better stuffed, I would eat here...

Worst

Although the steak was very good and the special treat of having the salad made right at the table was nice, the prices are over the top compared to many other fine dining places ...

Over-rated for the price 1/29/2009

We have eaten here on several occasions and the service here is perfect and everything you would expect from a restaurant charging over $300 for dinner for two. The steak and lobster has good lobster but the steak has been one tough chew toy after the next. After four bad steaks in a row, we have given up the hope of having food you could actually swallow. The salads and side dishes are good but are not as overwhelming as the prices. This restaurant is not on the same level as New York or San Francisco, only the prices are. Pros: Beautiful restaurant and friend service Cons: Steaks are often poor quality, prices to the moon more
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Just OK Not Worth the Price 1/12/2009

44-5 star ratings and 14-4 star ratings out of 83 (total ratings) very low IMO. Our visit reflected that. Nothing special just OK-good, and with as much as they charge it should be exceptional, but it wasn't. Maybe the people that rave about El Gaucho don't eat at a nice steakhouse often!? One gets just as good (or better) cut of beef at an Outback Steakhouse than what our party received at El Gaucho! Got to Morton's (or Ringside) if you want good meat, if it's ambience or a stuffy server you crave, than by all means go to El Gaucho, but don't go there for good beef. Pros: At least it wasn't BAD Cons: OK-Good at best more
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Not worth the price!! 1/12/2009

I found the food to be average. The Caesar salad had to much dijon. The escargot was bland. Pros: French Onion Soup Cons: Poor steaks more
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Great Steak House 12/14/2008

I go to El Gaucho about a couple of times a year. I'm from NY, so I made a point of trying out all the supposedly good steak restaurants in Portland when I first moved here several years ago. So here's my review of El Gaucho: I've never had a bad service from valet, coat check to wait staff, they've always treated me and my company incredibly well. If you sit close enough to the kitchen, you'll see the steaks being cooked over the open charcoal flame which is fun but you'll be warm :) \r Now on to food... admittedly, I've had better steaks in other cities (NYC, Chicago, LA and Dallas), but if you're looking for a good steak in Portland, El Gaucho does it well. They always have about a dozen sides to choose from (quite shareable portion, btw) and if you're at a loss for what to get, you can't go wrong by asking your wait staff.\r Their table side Banana Foster is quite the show, but the taste wise, it's nothing you've never had it before - so save the money and just stick with their complimentary (read: free) cheese and fruit they give you after dinner.\r Final note: their valet parking = $7\r Pros: prompt attentive service, great date spot Cons: it can get bustling on weekends more
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like a steak-shaped poo on your plate 11/10/2008

they actually have the in-house dog that they take straight to your table to pinch a fresh loaf on to your steamin dinner plate. Enjoy. Pros: great if you like feces Cons: e-coli more
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Best Resturant in Portland If you want good steaks 11/10/2008

The Cooks at Elgaucho are hard workers they make the food very presentable, flavorable and worth the wait. more
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Incredible...simply incredible. 9/23/2008

There are very few things that I love better than a phenomenal meal served with a fantastic bottle of wine and great service. Every time I travel I plan my meals before anything else. Pros: Incredible food, impeccible service, great atmosphere Cons: None, this place is top shelf. more
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it is worth it!!! 9/8/2008

Monday night dinner with my little 8 yrs old little girl and my husband , the steak was amazing ...risotto i couldn't ask for anything more. we were treated so good my our waiter who is always always making sure that we have everything we needed. great music while dine in . and my little girl was treated so well and well served by the waiter. i think its worth it spending that much money for the entree , but i am a little disappointed with the dessert ...we ordered some fancy name dessert and it turn out to be just a banana and a vanilla ice cream with warm brown sugar. LOL....but over all great food! great atmosphere and i am absolutely recommending it to all the people out there who loves fine dining. Pros: great expirience, wonderfull steak, good service Cons: dessert is thumbs down !!! more
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service was great but.... 8/19/2008

I attended dinner at the El Gaucho Steakhouse in Portland, OR last Saturday. I did not make a reservation as i was traveling through Portland for business, and decidedly approached El Gaucho via their lounge. The atmosphere was amiable, a flamenco guitar group played pleasantly in the corner while I enjoyed my first course of wicked shrimp, as instructed by a friend's recommendation who frequents the lounge. My entree was less than impressionable: steaks were supposedly the forefront of the show. I had ordered my entree medium rare and at the price of $48 dollars was incredibly disappointed. The highlight of my entree was mediocre for the prized execution, and presentation was equally disappointing. I would expect the highest standards for an entree presented from this establishment. I am not surprised when presented with rumors that this business purchases its '30-DAY DRY AGED BEEF VIA JOHN TARPOFF' as the supreme nomenclature, when the product itself comes from the local united grocers' sect. This is unacceptable at the least. Pros: service, ambiance Cons: atmosphere as a whole more
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Expensive but nice drinks and desserts 6/26/2008

My boyfriend loves the fairly reasonable price of the gin and tonic here and I love the creme brulee. Service is fairly friendly but not if you don't spend a lot of dough. Very dark inside, very romantic. Not a good place for kids. Be sure to dress up a little to fit in with the crisp waiters and refined crowd. more
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Mediocre steaks high prices and slow slow service 6/21/2008

We came with a big group anhd most of us were very disappointed. Pros: Good location next to hotels Cons: Food, service, prices more
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Caesar Salad is a MUST 5/29/2008

I've eaten at El Gaucho a couple of times. Each time the food has been very good. The portions are very large (which is good since the price is large!). This last time we started with the Seafood Tower, which was good, not great. I've had the Caesar Salad both times and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. They make it all fresh at the table!!! Steaks are beautiful!!! The restaurant is VERY dark inside, it's quite shocking to walk out into daylight! Service is beyond Excellent! I love this place, especially on someone else's dime!!! Pros: Caesar salad, steaks, service Cons: super expensive more
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Just Okay. 5/3/2008

My wife and I enjoyed an evening with some dear friends, El Gaucho was our steakhouse of choice. We had 7:30 reservations (we arrived on time) and were seated with less than a five minute wait. Regrettably, we were seated within 8 feet of the guitar band and had difficulty converseing due to the noise. Our sever (#10012 Garner) was polite but curt. He seemed very full of himself and his employer. [Garner, We are the customer spending $500-$700 on dinner, A few courtesy chuckles might be in order] \r The food was very good, Not Great. The steak El Gaucho was perfectly cooked but tough. The lobster medallions were over cooked. The fillet was terriffic in every way. Sides were okay. I probably would look elsewhere next time we decide to go out for a highend dinner with friends. Also cigar scent wafted in regularly (not offensive to us but would be to some).\r Cherries Jubilee was excellent! The fruit plate was a nice touch. great blue cheese.\r It seems lik a coin toss but not worth the $$$$ Pros: steaks are good (not great) and dessert was very tasty. Cons: loud atmosphere, stuffy server. not enough smiles. more
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Best Food, Atmosphere, Music, Service!!! 4/23/2008

We are ""Gaucho Heads""! We love the staff and the great service we get there! Sherwood is the best! more
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Overated and Underdelivered. 3/1/2008

Don't go break the bank on a steak that you can get across the street without all the pretention and a better view. Pros: Dim lighting so you don't have to be embarrased being seen eating there. Cons: You get a better steak in a McDonalds happy meal. more
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Not Worth It. 2/3/2008

I don't mind spending a lot of money for good food and good experience. But I won't be doing that at El Gaucho. I've been to the one in Seattle and it was such an amazing experience. The one in Portland is a mockery. During the appetizer stage, a waiter took a plate from my dinner companion promising that he would being a new clean plate. He never did. When the dinner began, one of us didn't have a fork to eat. The waiter took a fork from another person at the table and gave it to her. My steak was $65 and it was just a piece of meat on a plate with no sides. It was big, so I only ate half of it. I happily said yes when the waiter asked me if I wanted it boxed. I never received it. Super fancy facade with empty promises and mediocre food. Pros: Can't think of any, food wasn't bad - wasn't great though Cons: Service more
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Avoid El Gaucho! 1/11/2008

Disguisted, disapointed and never again! Last night waited 45 minutes for table (we had reservations!) Then another 45 minutes for entrees to arrive. For what they charge our time is money also! Tried to talk to Todd but seems to be a big part of their problem. We have wonderful times in Seattle, too bad. When we come back to Portland will go to Morton's, or Ringside but never El Gaucho. more
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Not a place for special occasions! 12/29/2007

I wish I had read the reviews. We had reservations and specified that it was our anniversary (38 years!) We arrived on time and were told there would be a delay in seaing us. The hostess was sweet and charming as she wished us a ""happy anniversary"" and led us to a ""high"" table in the bar. We ordered our drinks and waited to be seated. More than a 1/2 hour later no one had called us so we checked with the hostess and were told that they were behind and a table was not yet available. By 8:30 p.m. they had still not seated us. Finally, we were asked if we would take a table in the bar...not exactly the quiet, romantic evening we had in mind. The food was very expensive, but also very good. Our waiter was courteous, but a bit terse. Although the culinary part of the eveing was fine, the atmosphere decided for us that it is not a restaurant we would return to, nor would we recommend it for any special occassion. The best deal is an appetizer and caesar salad in the bar! Otherwise, save you money! Pros: Great steak and good drinks. Wicked shrimp are wonderful! Cons: Loud, overbooked, smoking in the bar. Staff has ""attitude"" more
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Maybe it's because I don't normally eat in... 12/25/2007

Maybe it's because I don't normally eat in this sort of restaurant, but I was impressed. My meal came to my... more
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Maybe it's because I don't normally eat in... 12/25/2007

Lafcadio Provided by Partner
Maybe it's because I don't normally eat in this sort of restaurant, but I was impressed. My meal came to my table on a sword - that's right, a swor... more
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Menu for El Gaucho


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Editorial

  • In Short
    The upscale dim dining room features dark wood fittings, huge, comfy chairs and a dramatic open kitchen, providing diners with old-guard steakhouse fare. Classic starters include...

  • 3/3/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Sun: 5pm-10pm, Mon-Thu: 5pm-1am
  • Payments: Diner's Club, Master Card, Visa, American Express
  • Neighborhoods: Neighbors West - Northwest, Downtown
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