Oba Restaurante

The food is always great at Oba i'm not complaining there. The service is usually slow although the wait staff is always plesant. Just know you can't eat and run because drinks take forever to make it to your table. However when I went here for dinner this weekend for a friends birthday I was very let down. Service was slow as usual but whatever we weren't in a hugh rush. When the meal was finished the waiter brought out a chocolate cinnamon cake for my friend who's birthday it was. It had a candel in it and since we had not mentioned dessert or placed an order for it we assumed it must be competed. I was kinda of confused because I came here a month prior for my birthday and I ordered dessert after I was brought a menu, it was never just given to me. When the bill came there was her dessert on the bill. Her friend was buying the birthday girls dinner and she didn't want to say anything so the waiter was never asked about this. However if you go here for your birthday be warned that dessert is not free for your birthday and if they pull this sceme on you please say something, Its just not right! Pros: great food Cons: slow service, brought out bday dessert without asking more

My spouse and I chose Oba for a Friday dinner and were dazzled by the menu choices. We were both seduced by the mesquite steak, which arrived just the way we wanted it. I ordered the recommended red wine, which was appropriately assertive. The poblano-sweet potato soup was great. Wish I had some more right now. Pros: delicious food, friendly service Cons: parking is iffy more

I tried Oba last night to celebrate my husband's birthday and was sadly very disappointed. The service was decent and professional. However the food was not very good, and really over priced for the actually taste/value of the food. My husband had tuna, which was good, appies and drinks were okay. I had chicken with BBQ sauce which was horrible....I wanted to send it back along with a very poor quality Malbec, but did not want to ruin my husband's birthday. Dessert was decent, very sweet though. Overall, things were chancy and over priced/rated for what you are getting. Pros: Good Service Cons: No Value more

Dear Oba- more

My husband and I love Oba so planned to celebrate our 9-year anniversary there last night. What a let-down. While our favorite appetizer, the queso fundido, was fabulous as always, my pork mole dish was incredibly bland. Our server never came to ask about how the food was and we had to wave down another server just to get some salt to make my meat edible. My husband's steak dish was the complete opposite - succulent, flavorful and cooked exactly as he ordered. Why the inconsistency? He agreed the pork was awful. It seemed to take forever to get a dessert menu (probably 15 minutes or more), then just as long to get our server to take the dessert order. All in all 3/4 of the food we ordered was up to Oba's usual superb standard, but the remaining 1/4 was so awful it tainted the whole experience. The absent waitstaff is also subpar for Oba. Oba, I hope you pull it together soon. You're one of our favorite restaurants in Portland and we want to come back but to the old Oba, where the whole experience is divine. more

Just returned from theater and dinner at Oba!; I'm writing while impressions are fresh. The play was wonderful but, except for the drinks and Ciappino special, our experience at Oba! was disappointing. Service began with a promising enthusiasm, but as soon as the large table next to us filled, we practically had to do handstands to get the attention of any of the wait staff. Crabcake appetizer arrived just AFTER our salads, though it had been ordered and expected to arrive before. Crab was pulverized, so cakes were mushy. All 3 prime ribs were much too well-done, though we'd discussed our preferences thoroughly with the server, who advised us which preparation to choose. One member of the family sent hers back -- well-done -- not even close to medium rare. Pear sorbet was offered to keep her busy while she waited for a new dinner. Though overcooked, the other two were so hungry, they ate theirs anyway. Mashed potatoes: too salty to eat. Green beans: uncooked -- not tender-crisp. Does anyone really like RAW green beans?There was no problem with drink orders -- obviously the big profit maker for this restaurant. After dinner, coffee arrived well after dessert, and lukewarm. Ten minutes elapsed and desserts were mostly gone before we could get someone's attention to request hot coffee, though staff passed by in a steady stream. Then, as we were finishing the last of our desserts, there was a perfunctory, ""No more coffee? Anything else? Thank you for coming,"" all spoken as I was asking for more coffee! It was obvious the server needed to ""turn the table"" for the next seating. We felt pushed and rushed. In all, it was not what we'd hoped: Not the food, and not the service. This was once ""Restaurant of the Year?"" Stick with Happy Hour and don't bother with the overpriced dining room. A $35 prime rib should probably include a salad, but that costs an extra $7-$10. Oh, and that $35 hunk of beef should be prepared the way you clearly requested and discussed at length. Pros: Happy Hour Menu, Drinks, Cioppino Special Cons: Overpriced, Below average service, Meal too salty and overcooked, Felt rushed. more

I hosted a large group at Oba last Friday night and found the service to be spectacular! Their timing was exceptional, never a wait. Peter and Eric were always on hand to make sure we had everything we need. The food was wonderful and the choices were great. I especially appreciate their use of locally grown food. Oh, and parking was not an issue either. I'd highly recommend this experience. Pros: Service, Ambience, Central and South American Food more

Awful awful awful meal at Oba last night. I hadn't been for about two years and had heard things had gone downhill. The squash enchiladas were OK, but served with an awful side dish that reminded me of hay. I am not a horse, so I did not enjoy it. My husband's pork ""tenderloin"" was anything but: stringy, undercooked, and almost without flavor. Desert (something with banana caramel chocolate and a pastry of some kind) tasted vaguely like an overly-sugared donut. Pros: The waitress was great Cons: Terrible food, too loud, no effort from the kitchen more

We had a Chinook Book coupon so decided to ty out Oba. Good shrimp tamales - but charging $24 for the entree which basically was two SMALL tamales with a ton of cheese on top? Come on guys! You could have charged half that and still made a hefty profit. Cocktails - very good. Atmosphere - very good. Service - OK. Hoping they have a happy hour as even with the coupon, it was very expensive for not a lot of food. Pros: Cocktails, Good place to meet a friend for dinner Cons: Extremely overpriced more

Having a reservation, we were quickly, courteously seated. The soups were somewhat exotic, but very good. Our entrees of prime rib and sea bass were delicious. The desserts were deadly. Service was that outstanding feeling when the server is always aware, quick to respond. Oba participates in the restaurant[dot]com coupons, so the higher prices are partially offset. Pros: Unique fare, delicious entrees & desserts, service Cons: parking in the Pearl district more

We showed up to Oba for happy hour right at 4pm on a Friday. This must be the best time to go to this spot being it was pretty empty and I've heard it is usually difficult to find a table during happy hour. The prime rib coyotas were fantastic and the chicken tacos were very tasty! Cosmos and margaritas were great!!! We will be back for sure... maybe for dinner (the dinner menu looked great!). Pros: happy hour, good looking staff, drinks more

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Oba this past weekend and our experience was well beyond our expectations. First of all, we had been there before for drinks and tapas, but not a full course meal. It tends to be loud in the bar area, acoustics need some refining, but in the dining area it is much more peaceful. The atmosphere is nice. First, we ordered a bottle of Spanish red wine, they have many of Latin wines to choose from. Our only criticism with the wine list: it is more expensive than their many of their competitors. We don't mind paying 100% retail mark up, but 200++% is stretching it. The food: the calamari for starter, it was very, very tender, tasty and one of the best we've had. The butter lettuce salad with Spanish blue, bacon was also wonderful and was a great accompaniment to the wine. If you want bread, you have to ask for it, we didn't need it. Main courses: halibut (special menu), it was a harmonious blend of herbs and fresh flavors; the prime rib was perfectly cooked and side dishes were very tasty. Portions were about the right size (not huge, but just right). Dessert, we had an interesting baked Argentina, it was a fun dessert with fired marshmallow type cream arranged over ice cream, chocolate/caramel. Our server was amazing. He was attentive, but not overly. Very personable and went the extra mile. We usually get 1-2 excellent servers a year and he was one of them. Pedro was an absolute gem and made our evening extra special!! He never missed a beat and was always one step ahead of our needs, he is what service should be! On to the restaurant: because we want to provide an honest review, we have some constructive criticism: prices for the food are higher than comparable restaurants in the area. When wine prices and food prices are higher than competitors a restaurant is at risk for losing repeat ""regular"" customers. It is a great place for special occasions in our case. more

After reading some of the reviews, we were a bit concerned about trying a new place. However, we have been twice now and both times were absolutely perfect. The service, food and atomosphere all exceeded our expectations. We even tried the online reservations and they worked great, too. Thanks for being a great place! We will be back. Pros: perfectly prepared seafood - excellent service more

Service was mediocre at best. Used to be one of my faves and have been very disappointed the last few visits. Don't bother!! more

My sister was visiting from outside the country and after seeing all the rave reviews, I made a reservation. While the service was pretty good, the food fell below expectations. We ordered the queso fundido appetizer. This was really good but it was downhill from there. My sister got the Roasted Jumbo Prawns and I got the Ahi Tuna. We agreed that the taste quality was just average at best. The tuna had too many flavours going on--a pepper crust, coconut curry, pineapple salsa, thinly sliced scallion.... Also like other reviewers say, the drinks are overpriced and weak. I will not recommend that place to friends. Maybe we had bad luck and ordered the wrong things but at these prices, I'm not going to take my chances and go back for something else. Pros: service Cons: Food, drinks, and we had a really strange and awkward seating set up more

We had guests in from out of town and were looking for somewhere new to experience together. A coworker told me about Oba so it sounded like the perfect new place to try. We couldn't have been more impressed. Our reservations were for Saturday night and the place was buzzing. We were a bit early so started in the bar with a cocktail and when our table was ready moved seamlessly to the restaurant. They have a great system in place so you don't have to settle your tab in the bar before going to your table. We then started with appetizers and moved on to our entree and followed with desert. Eventhough it was a busy Saturday night, we never felt rushed which was wonderful. When you top it off with amazing food and attentive service, we could not be more happy. We will definitely be back! Pros: food, atmosphere, service Cons: a little noisy more

To get the full purpose of a review, I find it?s important to know the reviewer. I?m a man of 30 making a modest income. Dinner at a three dollar sign restaurant is a special occasion. Like the other night ? my girlfriend & my year anniversary. We were looking sharp in new clothing & were exited to eat in a ""sensual, robust and lively"" place where ""every guest is treated like family."" Pros: Great atmosphere Cons: I certainly didn't feel ""like family"". more

A visit for dinner to Oba is worth it. My 2 friends and I went there during our visit to Portland. Pros: Flavorful food, knowledgeable waitstaff Cons: Not too flavorful dessert more

Oba's menu is delicious and innovative. One of my favorite dishes from Portland has been Oba's beef tips in mustard cream sauce over fried bananas and spinkled with bacon. The service was good, and the atmosphere lush and romantic. Highly recommended. more

Nice resturant in the Pearl. Lots of seating (including outside seating) and nice atmosphere. Gretting... more