My Brother's Crawfish

Great service - friendly, fast, watchful, and thorough. Food was delicious. Spicy and well prepared. The location is terrible, which will probably limit the number of times I visit. That part of 82nd Ave. is always lousy traffic-wise, and a bit scary people-wise. I would imagine this food in a different location would be a gold mine. more

Simple - if you love crawfish they make it done right. This is the real thing, and may actually be better than anything I've had down in Texas. Pros: GREAT SOUTHERN FOOD MADE RIGHT! Cons: strip mall - you guys need to be in a better location! more

My first time in, I just ran in to order take out. Right away they made me feel like family. I sat at the bar to wait for my food and they even gave me control of the tv remote. Super nice guys. Definitely give them a shot more

I happened to drive by and see an A-Frame sign saying live Crawfish, caught a glimpse of the restaurant sign. Then today, remembering about it, decided to try for take out. I got a kick out of the whole two reviews dogging the place saying too spicy or the crawfish tasted like it was nuked. My first response to the bad crawfish, don't order in the winter months. Ideal crawfish is best eaten during the spring and summer. So your fault for eating it in October. Then in regards to the person eating the crab boil, before ordering it, price it first so you don't get sticker shock doofus. And then in regards to those complaining about spice, you can order steamed, mild or spicy. Don't order spicy if you don't like spicy which then translates to - you obviously do not know true cajun food and should stick to tasteless fare. The crawfish ettoufee is the most authentic you can get outside of New Orleans. Right amount of spice, perfect thickness to the roux and full of tender (not gummy) crawfish. It is May, so perfect time to eat crawfish. We also ordered the Mussels Boil in SPICY. The spice buttered sauce was awesome to add to rice and the green lipped mussels were cooked perfectly... $11 a pound (which is pretty average anywhere you go). Being from Houston and taking monthly trips to New Orleans - this is the best place in Portland for true cajun food at a REASONABLE price. Living the SE and being surrounded by nothing but Thai food, this is a welcome find. Pros: Real Cajun flavor and food cooked perfectly Cons: Hard to Find more

Sit back, watch some sports, drink some beer and devour pounds of crab and crawfish. They give you a whole roll of paper napkins so you can just go nuts eating with your fingers and wiping your nose from the spicy heat. My Oklahoma visting father was in heaven! If only the location had out door seating and wasn't in a strip mall I would eat here everyday. Pros: cheap, service, delicious Cons: strip mall more

the food is bold and spicey, the cornbread is soft and sweet and the oysters are fresh. the spicey pound of crawfish was a bit too much spice at first but then my tongue adjusted and it was heaven to rip apart the crawfish to munch, slurp and coo over the flavor. the broth was so delicious i wanted to lift the bowl to my mouth. the blackend catfish was flakey, rich and just damn yummy. Asparagas was perfectly pan seared, with a bit of spice and butter. this place is fairly cheap too! paid under $50 for 2 entrees, 3 sides, 1 oyster and 5 beers! we left unbuckling our belts. bring big appetites and napkins - not for dainty eaters. \r \r the service was exactly what one wants out of a down-home eatery. Pablo was knowledgeable, friendly and a perfect guide for newbies. ask for him, because he totally increased the pleasure of our experience. Pros: cheap, awesome service, unbelievably good food Cons: lighting - over head fluorescent lights, but very very minor problem considering how good it is. more

So I used to live in Louisiana, and I've also traveled all around Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. The Cajun food at this joint is awfully damn close to the best I've ever had. I'm pretty sure that I've never had etouffee better than this, the spicy boiled crawfish is amazing, the oysters are fresh and to top it all off they have Abita beer and make a pretty wicked Hurricane. The owners are super nice people and go out of their way to make sure you have a great time. I can't wait to go try some of their gumbo and jambalaya. Pros: Pretty much everything Cons: Keep your eye out when looking for it, it's a hidden gem more

Best cajun food around Portland. I'm from the south and I gotta tell ya this place has got it goin on. They do crawfish N'Orleans style (fresh and full of flavor), and their ettouffe is bombastic!!! Pros: great food more

Well I got to tell you I was impressed with everything there unlike the person who thought it was too expensive. I have been around quiet a few places the seafood is cheaper then usual places and the sandwiches are almost as cheap as popeye but made a whole lot better. If you go to Jake's Crawfish, good luck on getting cheap seafood. I had a teenager serve my food and continuesly making sure that i had all the things I needed to make my experience there one of a kind. So to top the guy with his expensive lunch I ate there along with four other friends and the bill was UNDER 80.00 dollars. I guess that guy must have been REALLLLY hungry haha.. well to finish it off I got to tell you if you like a good home cooked meal compared to the usual corporate stuff this is the place to go and they even give you a choice between SPICY and MILD. When I was done with dinner the owner happened to walk out of the back and come to ask us if we were satisfied with the food and told us about all the great coupons they have in the clipper magazine that make lunch and dinner even cheaper. so if your looking for the right cajun food then come here. I'll be back with many more friends to come. Pros: Large selection of Seafoods. Cons: A little tough to find. more

Went there last night with my financee and started with a mint julep and an Abita Turbo Dog (stout). Both were excellent and set the mood. The place isn't fancy by an stretch, but it's nice, clean and for the sports fans, several large television sets on the bar side (where we sat). We started with 4 oyster shooters and a side of catfish from the happy hour menu (4 to 6pm, unbelievable values). All were excellent and probably some of the best oysters and hands down, the best catfish, I've had. We then ordered the crab boil, 1/2 a crawfish boil and added a sausage and corn to the boil. We chose the mild, which was plenty warm for my taste. We were pretty much set on just gettng the crab boil, but the owner (?) was fairly adamant about trying the crawfish, so we took his advice and added a 1/2 order. We're VERY glad we did. He then brought out a large stainless steel bowl with a roll of paper towels and said, ""It's going to get messy."" Was it messy? Yes. Was it some of the best cajun food I've had? Yes. I've been to NOLA as well as Kramer, LA (look it up) and this was as good if not better than anything there. We're looking forward to returning and sampling their other menu items. Pros: EXCELLENT food and service Cons: A little difficult to find more

We discovered this restaurant last night. They serve absolutely fabulous Louisiana style dishes. Live Crawfish, oysters, crabs, clams, Po-Boys, blackened everything, etoufee, gumbo, jambalaya etc etc. Our party of 6 tried nearly everything on the menu and it was breathtakingly amazing! The restaurant is almost impossible to find in a tucked away tiny shopping center on the outskirts of town on the East side, towards the airport off 82nd ave. It is owned by 2 young Vietnamese folks who grew up in Houston!\r \r Imagine, true Crawfish boil in Portland Oregon served by Vietnamese from Houston... east meets west meets north and south! The service by Eliza was super friendly and helpful. We have been to New Orleans, Lafayette and all through Acadia and this food is, in my opinion, actually better than most we tried there. Give them a try (if you can find it!!!). \r \r Pros: Breathtaking, unique, non-yuppie,,, best restaurant in past 3 years. Cons: We drove by the tiny shopping center 3 times before we found the restaurant! more

I'm not sure what the rater on 10/5 is talking about. I've been to MBC at least a dozen times. No, they aren't Domino's Pizza and guarantee a 5-minute delivery or Free, but their crawfish is awesome. Very flavorful, and their corn bread is honestly the BEST I've EVER had. It's been compared to corn bread at authentic BBQ restaurants in the south, and no one compares. Their crawfish ettoufee and crawfish, or clam boil is excellent too. Just add some potatoes or corn on the cob and it's a delicious meal.\r \r Don't listen to the previous person who reviewed MBC! Everyone that I've brought here has LOVED it and has gone back. Service is a little slow, sometimes, but it's worth the wait. Come with an open mind and empty stomach, because you will certainly leave here happy. They have a kids menu too with Catfish nuggets, grilled cheese, chicken strips and french fries. Pros: Service can be a little slow Cons: Everything on the menu is very fresh and flavorful more

I went there because everyone told me it was the best place to eat crawlfish. I went in there and the service was really horrible it took them 15 minutes to get my order and another 15 minutes to give me my water. 45 minutes later the food came out. I was really excited to to get my food but was let down by all the hype that everyone gave me. The crawlfish taste like if they just warmed it in the microwave, the crawlfish taste horrible. I ordered 4 pounds and like 2 pounds of the crawlfish were smelly of mold. When i got my check the bill was at $60.58. I dont really know how it got to that price??? Each pound cost $10.00 (Which is a rip off) i order 4 pounds. (My 5th grader son could do this math better then them) So if you do the math 4 mutiply by ten dollars is $40...how in the hell did they get the extra $20.58? I will never come here again. The service is horrible, the FOOD is horrible. DONT come here....save your money and but the crawlfish at ABC seafood store..A pound is only $3.59 compare to there's. and to make the crawlfish is not that hard. more

We stopped here after reading a very complimentary review. The location is in the ""new"" Chinatown on Portland's eastside. It's in small (maybe 10 store) stripmall right on 82nd. Neither the outside of the mall nor the inside are fancy by any stretch, but the restaurant is clean, simple and comfortable for what it is; a casual sit down eatery.\r \r The waitstaff were very friendly and helpful. The daily prices for various seafoods were listed on a reader board as we entered. Clams, mussels, crayfish, etc, all were selling for about $10-$12 per pound. We ordered a little of everything to get a full taste of their menu. You're given the option of a spicy boil or the regular boil. We opted for spicy. Good God, that's a spicy boil. We loved it, but wear some flame retardant clothing 'cause it brings the heat. The seafood is all VERY fresh and tasty, the cornbread is delicious, the dirty rice and gumbo are excellent.\r My ONLY complaint is that the boil was way too salty. I'd cut the salt by about half, myself. But overall everything was very good, the people were friendly and the value was good. Pros: Fresh Crawfish, Spicy Food and Great Value Cons: It's a tripmall, so the ambiance is what you'd expect. more

I've had crawfish everywhere in Portland and it has basically been a joke. How come nobody understands how to cook them? Finally! This place gets it right. Atmosphere needs a little work, but the crawfish is A+++. Pros: FOOD! Cons: decor more

My boyfriend and I just came back from dinner from My Brother's Crawfish. We had originally wanted to try the blue crab they advertised. However, because of Hurricane Gustav the shipment was delayed for a week. We decided to go anyway to try the crawfish. OMG! What a treat! Initially we were reluctant to enter because it was quite empty (only a couple of people in the bar) and the decor left much to be desired. You need to sit in the bar in order to receive the happy hour deals on drinks. We chose to share one pound of spicy crawfish, corn on the cob, and fried oysters. When we finished, we asked for another pound of crawfish and more corn on the cob. You MUST try the corn on the cob. It is steamed in the same broth as the spicy crawfish - we just couldn't get enough of it! I can't believe that this place hasn't received more buzz around town. I give this place 4 1/2 stars. I live on the westside and would gladly walk to 82nd avenue to have this great food and service that Brother's offers!!! Pros: Food, Service, Value, etc. more

I saw an article about My Brother's Crawfish in the July edition of Portland Monthly magazine and figured we should check it out since it got a good review and my hubbie loves crawfish. We also have three young children and a Korean foreign exchange student who saw the picture in the magazine of a mound of crawfish and deemed it the place they wanted to visit on the last night with our exchange student. I live near it and have probably passed it many times, so if I hadn't read the review I most likely would never have stopped by. But I am glad I did! \r The interior is not too fancy-a dark red on the walls and some nice paintings. The servers were very friendly and helpful in making selections and they were very prompt about refilling our drinks (probably because they realize the spicy food makes people drink faster!). We ended up ordering quite a few of the dishes. Our young children got the catfish kids meal, however they didn't really like it (I think the breading texture kind of turned them off of it). I think next time they will probably get the chicken strips instead. I couldn't decide between the gumbo and the jambalaya, so the waitress said I should order the jambalaya, which was a little milder, plus a side of the gumbo which was very spicy (I love the fact that they offer sides of most of their dishes for a few bucks so one could order a few different things to try them out) and she was right! My hubbie had the blackened catfish and our exchange student got the blackened chicken and they really liked it. Then we ordered a pound of crawfish for everyone to share. It was fun showing the kids how to eat them and getting messy. You have to try it! We also tried an order of beignets at the end which were pretty good.\r All-in-all I would definitely recommend this place. All six of us ate and had drinks (including a few beers for the grown-ups) and had some to take home and it ended up coming to $80 (plus tip), so not too bad for the quality and quantity of food. Pros: Cheap, large selection of sides, friendly staff, good for kids Cons: Kids didn't like catfish breading more

Finally had a chance to check this place out this week. Understand that I grew up in Houston and know Cajun food when I get it. This place has it down to perfection. Crawfish etoufee was perfect. Far too many places make etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya like it's the same thing. This place is like going to my favorite place in Houston, the Ragin Cajun. Had the blackened catfish which managed to combine the crisp outside with an exceedingly moist middle. Not every place grasps that concept.BTW, having it with catfish is in many ways better than with the traditional redfish. It's how I make it at home. Side of dirty rice was fluffy without being geasy and the cornbread had the perfect touch of sweetness and didn't crumble from being devoid of any moisture. The decor isn't much to look at, but I haven't been to real authentic place that was. Service was friendly and attentive. I'll be looking for excuses to go back there as often as possible. Pros: Perfectly done Cajun food that many places screw up. Cons: Limited dessert offerings though I could care less. more